All my weather worries (as usual) came to nothing. After a cruel 2:30 am wake-up, we were at the Hawaiian Airlines counter when when they opened, and the flight departed on time at 7 am.
In minutes we were above the dreary Northwest clouds, cruising along in a spanking new Boeing 787. I like gazing out at the clouds and ocean below, doing some daydreaming on the Dreamliner.
The 787 doesn't have those typical pull down window shades-- there's a button you press to lighten or darken the glass by your seat.
Pretty slick technology, but on this flight the windows were controlled by the cockpit, and the cabin was dark for most of the 6 hour flight! So I had this weird view of the sun through the dark window, looking like the moon. Everyone was either sleeping or glued to the screens.
Anyway, about 2 hours from Honolulu, the windows gradually lightened like a fake sunrise, giving the discombobulated feeling of coming off a night flight.
We were met in the baggage claim by the representative, and soon in the shared van to our hotel. Everything went smoothly, thumbs up Costco travel.
Our room is high up on the 23rd floor with partial view of Waikiki Beach and Diamond Head in the distance. The outside balcony is noisy for sitting, due to all the HVAC systems roaring below, but other than that no complaints. The service here is very nice.
We walked around for a while in a daze, checking out the fancy malls and designer stores. This area is a luxury shopping destination for the world, and if nothing else, great for people watching.
We shared a simple pizza at the Maui Brewing Company and went to bed early. What a long day.
And a new one begins. Up early for the included breakfast in the hotel lobby cafe. We plan walk over to the beach this morning and stick our feet in the ocean. Tomorrow, a bus tour of the North Shore, and on Saturday, Pearl Harbor.
Aloha!
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