HAPPY VALENTINE'S TO ALL OF YOU!
Valentines day in Hawaii :) Will be best Valentines day yet!
First thing in the morning we went to activities and tours overview session held at the housing premises. We are staying at Mahana resort in Kaanapali area. They gave a wonderful overview of all possible activities - the lady presenting the information was very lively and funny. After an hour we realized that there is simply too much to do in one week :) Initial schedule looks promising though! Here is a glimpse of planned activities:
-Sunday- watch sunrise at Haleakala volcano which is 3055m above the sea level and later bike down 45 kilometers, apparently there won't be whole lot of pedaling :)
-Sunday- visit to pineapple plantation
-Monday- surfing lessons, they promised us that we will be standing up on the board by the end of the lesson! can't wait to see that :)
-Tuesday- snorkeling in Molokini and Turtle Arches to see the underwater sea life
-Tuesday- famous Hawaiian Luau party
-Wednesday- sunset cocktail cruise to see the wonderful sunset on water as well as do some whale watching
-Thursday- helicopter flight over Haleakala Crater and view of dramatic waterfalls, landing in Hana, luxurious limo-van trip back to Kahului
I guess we'll see how the schedule will work out, but that is the initial plan. On Friday we will be taking an early flight to Oahu island to spend a day at Pearl Harbour and fly out a bit before midnight.
Today, after the activities briefing, we put together our schedule, took a 40 minutes walk on the beach and then headed over to Lahaina. On weekends there is a local craftsmen fair under the largest Banyan tree in US - so we headed there after wonderful lunch and drinks at Kimo's. Banyan tree was once brought over from India and it just keeps growing more and more branches and expands like mad :) Crafts fair was great, many artists presented their paintings, jewelery, ceramics, cosmetics goods and other sorts of hand made decorations. Later we wondered around the numerous shops on the main street. By 6 in the evening our feet refused to move and our stomachs were requesting to be filled with food. Quick stop at the grocery store, quick stop at the mall and bookstore and then we were ready to head back. Dinner consisted of wonderful pepperoni pizza and then back to the hotel.
The ocean, oh, it is marvellous! All hues of green and blue are present in the brightest ways possible. In the distance there are couple of islands rising out of the water and in between the sailboats cruise slowly by. Air is warm and sun is bright - everything is perfect. Locals are very laid back, reggae music is everywhere, food is delicious and drinks are strong. At night time the stars shine brightly and ocean waves crash the shore with measured out hum.
But now I gotta go and get some sleep as I will be picked up at 2:45 at night to drive up to the summit of Haleakala volcano to see the sunrise :)
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Saturday, February 14, 2009
13.02 traveling from Minnesota to Hawaii
Friday the 13th was not a good day. It started off just fine: got up at 4:30 and took a quick shower. Kids were gonna come with us so we got them woken up and ready to go. Older boy was so qute - he was tired but he kept telling that I will go to the airport and will fly on a plane. I guess he really did not understand that this means I'm flying away. We headed out at 5 to drive to Duluth airport. Roads were fine and we got there quarter after 6, farewells followed. Colten was left sitting in the car with the most confused face when I said that I'll be leaving now and I'll be back in couple of years - he fell all silent.
At the ticket counter the lady could not figure out all the flights I will be taking. I asked her to book me all the way through, but she was unable to do it, claiming that she sees me only on one flight?!?! Finally we got so far that she checked my luggage all the way at least.
So I get to Minneapolis just fine. At the check-in they announce that as they are overbooked they are looking for volunteers to change flights. I was suppose to fly from Minneapolis to Honolulu and from there to Maui. Now they were offering to go directly to Maui via Seattle - I understood that in Seattle I don't even need to get off the plane, great I thought, so I decided to switch the flights. Now that was a big mistake. They did give me a voucher that I can't most likely use up within a year though. Anyhoo, but what they did was that they only got me a seat up till Seattle and then they did not book me on the next flight. This I found out only in Seattle of course :( So I was about to get stuck in Seattle because the flight to Maui was overbooked! Argh I was so upset. They had also messed up bookings for one family where 2 people out of 4 had seats, so those 2 came off the flight and I got on. I got to Maui just fine, flight was awfully bumpy though. Wytni found me at the airport and even my luggage made it!
By the time we had gotten the rental car and got the the condominium we were all dead tired and headed straight to bed.
At the ticket counter the lady could not figure out all the flights I will be taking. I asked her to book me all the way through, but she was unable to do it, claiming that she sees me only on one flight?!?! Finally we got so far that she checked my luggage all the way at least.
So I get to Minneapolis just fine. At the check-in they announce that as they are overbooked they are looking for volunteers to change flights. I was suppose to fly from Minneapolis to Honolulu and from there to Maui. Now they were offering to go directly to Maui via Seattle - I understood that in Seattle I don't even need to get off the plane, great I thought, so I decided to switch the flights. Now that was a big mistake. They did give me a voucher that I can't most likely use up within a year though. Anyhoo, but what they did was that they only got me a seat up till Seattle and then they did not book me on the next flight. This I found out only in Seattle of course :( So I was about to get stuck in Seattle because the flight to Maui was overbooked! Argh I was so upset. They had also messed up bookings for one family where 2 people out of 4 had seats, so those 2 came off the flight and I got on. I got to Maui just fine, flight was awfully bumpy though. Wytni found me at the airport and even my luggage made it!
By the time we had gotten the rental car and got the the condominium we were all dead tired and headed straight to bed.
Friday, February 13, 2009
11-12.02 Minnesota: Virginia and Ely
The SPA treatment on Tuesday was wonderful! First they scrubbed my back, arms and legs with salt+wild rice+spices scrub. This made my skin hot hot, just like your mouth feels after eating a hot pepper :) After the scrub I got to take a bath and then a 40 minutes massage followed! It was great!
Yesterday (Wednesday) I just stayed at the house. It snowed the whole afternoon, I went for a walk and just relaxed - watched movies and read my book. I'm getting all rested and ready for Hawaii. Last night we were invited over to Ryan's parents place for cake - it was his dad's birthday on Monday. Afterwards we stayed up quite late chatting with Nikki, talking about home decoration and dishes and travel and dreams and relatives and kids and education and world economy and China and all kinds of things :) I miss having her in my life and it is so extremely good to see her again after 1,5 years.
Today, on Thursday, Nikki had to go to Ely for work tasks so she picked me up from the house and we drove up together. It is about 1 hour drive, very nice drive I must admit. It has been snowing for the past 24 hours so all the trees are covered with thick layer of snow - another winter wonderland. We had lunch at a lodge overseeing a lake, food was very good and place was like on a postcard. After lunch Nikki went to work at the city hall and I got to wonder around the town. It is just a small town with one major street. I was here last time when visiting as well so many places were familiar. Luckily there is a caffee with free wireless so I get to read through my e-mail, update my blog and upload some photos.
Life is slow here, even the snow is falling down slowly :) And this brings a sense of peace, life is good :)
Tomorrow early morning, at 7am, I will take a flight from Duluth to Minneapolis. From there to Honolulu and then late at night last flight to Kahului. I will meet Wytni and her family at the airport. Hopefully I'll be able to come online the day after, on the 14th. All the best to all of you!
Yesterday (Wednesday) I just stayed at the house. It snowed the whole afternoon, I went for a walk and just relaxed - watched movies and read my book. I'm getting all rested and ready for Hawaii. Last night we were invited over to Ryan's parents place for cake - it was his dad's birthday on Monday. Afterwards we stayed up quite late chatting with Nikki, talking about home decoration and dishes and travel and dreams and relatives and kids and education and world economy and China and all kinds of things :) I miss having her in my life and it is so extremely good to see her again after 1,5 years.
Today, on Thursday, Nikki had to go to Ely for work tasks so she picked me up from the house and we drove up together. It is about 1 hour drive, very nice drive I must admit. It has been snowing for the past 24 hours so all the trees are covered with thick layer of snow - another winter wonderland. We had lunch at a lodge overseeing a lake, food was very good and place was like on a postcard. After lunch Nikki went to work at the city hall and I got to wonder around the town. It is just a small town with one major street. I was here last time when visiting as well so many places were familiar. Luckily there is a caffee with free wireless so I get to read through my e-mail, update my blog and upload some photos.
Life is slow here, even the snow is falling down slowly :) And this brings a sense of peace, life is good :)
Tomorrow early morning, at 7am, I will take a flight from Duluth to Minneapolis. From there to Honolulu and then late at night last flight to Kahului. I will meet Wytni and her family at the airport. Hopefully I'll be able to come online the day after, on the 14th. All the best to all of you!
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
9-10.02 Minnesota: Virginia
Monday was a day at home. Slept in, ate, watched 2 movies, read the book, ate some more :) That is what I call a vacation. As Nikki and Ryan had their honeymoon in Hawaii, same island where I'm going to, we went though the pics and travel notes they made. There were there in February as well, it all looked so nice and inviting.
Today, on Tuesday, Nikki left me her car and I navigated to town before noon, following the given instructions as close as possible. Yesterday the city of Duluth was closed and lots of schools in the area as well since an ice storm was suppose to hit. Temperature is close to freezing and it is raining, so once it hits the ground it forms into ice very quickly - this makes the roads very slippery and the cities are closed. Today the situation is pretty much the same, in the afternoon it is suppose to get colder, making the situation even worse. Here the cars don't have winter tires or anything, so in a way it makes sense to just keep the people off the roads.
There were 2 reasons why I came to town though:
First - Nikki and her family made a local SPA gift card as a birthday present for me :) Place is called The Pebble SPA Company. I tried to pick something that is not available elsewhere. So I will get a wild rice and spice treatment today at 3:30 in the afternoon. As wild rice is a Minnesotan thing I'm guessing that there is no wild rice treatments elsewhere. It is a body treatment that increases circulation, eases muscle pain, relieves tension and warms the body. Treatment is completed with a tub soak and an ultra moisturizing massage - all together it is a full hour of indulging! I'll let you know later on of how it turned out to be.
Second- I wanted to be online for a bit - addicted to Internet as I am :) It is just so difficult with Internet elsewhere (outside Estonia), this is something that always gets me by surprise.
I also stopped by Nikkis workplace - city courthouse. Unfortunately she was quite busy during the day so I was not able to get a tour. Perhaps some other day. I'll go and get a nice homemade sub for lunch now, accompanied by raspberry italian cream soda :) Yumm, things are getting crossed of on my list one by one :)
Today, on Tuesday, Nikki left me her car and I navigated to town before noon, following the given instructions as close as possible. Yesterday the city of Duluth was closed and lots of schools in the area as well since an ice storm was suppose to hit. Temperature is close to freezing and it is raining, so once it hits the ground it forms into ice very quickly - this makes the roads very slippery and the cities are closed. Today the situation is pretty much the same, in the afternoon it is suppose to get colder, making the situation even worse. Here the cars don't have winter tires or anything, so in a way it makes sense to just keep the people off the roads.
There were 2 reasons why I came to town though:
First - Nikki and her family made a local SPA gift card as a birthday present for me :) Place is called The Pebble SPA Company. I tried to pick something that is not available elsewhere. So I will get a wild rice and spice treatment today at 3:30 in the afternoon. As wild rice is a Minnesotan thing I'm guessing that there is no wild rice treatments elsewhere. It is a body treatment that increases circulation, eases muscle pain, relieves tension and warms the body. Treatment is completed with a tub soak and an ultra moisturizing massage - all together it is a full hour of indulging! I'll let you know later on of how it turned out to be.
Second- I wanted to be online for a bit - addicted to Internet as I am :) It is just so difficult with Internet elsewhere (outside Estonia), this is something that always gets me by surprise.
I also stopped by Nikkis workplace - city courthouse. Unfortunately she was quite busy during the day so I was not able to get a tour. Perhaps some other day. I'll go and get a nice homemade sub for lunch now, accompanied by raspberry italian cream soda :) Yumm, things are getting crossed of on my list one by one :)
7-8.02 Minnesota: St.Paul, Duluth and Virginia
Saturday evening turned out to be a blast. 2 hour nap in the afternoon saved me from the regular coma that comes after staying awake for 36 hours in a row. Some of Mare's friends gathered at the apartment in the afternoon - by the evening there was a nice crowd of 9 people. We ended up taking a bus and city train to downtown St.Paul. Lots of dancing followed. Luckily the bars and clubs close here at 2am, otherwise I think we would have been up till the morning and I would have had to head directly to the airport :-P Getting back was a challenge though. We tried to get a cab for about 30 minutes, it felt like ages, standing by the side of the road and trying find a ride back home. As the whole downtown had the exact same plan as us (to get a cab) the streets were filled with people and cars creating huge traffic jams. It seemed absolutely impossible to find anything at all. In the end we just walked up to one empty cab, opened the door, sat in and demanded a ride :) It worked :) Of course only 5 of us fit there and the other bunch ended up waiting another 20 minutes. Sadly enough the had the key so we still had to wait outside once at the apartment.
Thanks to the time difference I had no trouble getting up 9am the following morning. After a quick shower Mare drove me to the airport. Surprisingly enough the whole checkin and getting through security took me only 15 minutes, that gave me plenty of time to have breakfast - missing that would have not been good at all.
Plane ride to Duluth was only 35 minutes - like a flight from Tallinn to Helsinki :) Nikki was waiting for me at the gate with two of her adorable sons: Colten and Wyatt. Colten is 2 years and 4 months and Wyatt is 8 months old. The younger one had a runny nose and an awful cough so he was not the happiest unfortunately. Older boy was shy at first but that passed quickly. Drive to Virginia Minnesota was about an hour. We covered so many topics on the way back - catching up on every possible aspect we could think of :) So great to see Nikki again!
Sunday we spent at home, just chatting and playing with the kids. Ryan was working the whole day and joined us in the evening. Got Dominos in the evening - pepperoni with cheesybread and everything! Headed to bed early. My goal is to eliminate my sleep deprivation during my stay with Nikki. As Nikki and Ryan are both working and kids are at the daycare then I have all the time to relax and rest. I have 16 movies to watch and a thick book to read :)
Thanks to the time difference I had no trouble getting up 9am the following morning. After a quick shower Mare drove me to the airport. Surprisingly enough the whole checkin and getting through security took me only 15 minutes, that gave me plenty of time to have breakfast - missing that would have not been good at all.
Plane ride to Duluth was only 35 minutes - like a flight from Tallinn to Helsinki :) Nikki was waiting for me at the gate with two of her adorable sons: Colten and Wyatt. Colten is 2 years and 4 months and Wyatt is 8 months old. The younger one had a runny nose and an awful cough so he was not the happiest unfortunately. Older boy was shy at first but that passed quickly. Drive to Virginia Minnesota was about an hour. We covered so many topics on the way back - catching up on every possible aspect we could think of :) So great to see Nikki again!
Sunday we spent at home, just chatting and playing with the kids. Ryan was working the whole day and joined us in the evening. Got Dominos in the evening - pepperoni with cheesybread and everything! Headed to bed early. My goal is to eliminate my sleep deprivation during my stay with Nikki. As Nikki and Ryan are both working and kids are at the daycare then I have all the time to relax and rest. I have 16 movies to watch and a thick book to read :)
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Arrival
Last nights strong snow fall made me nervous, visibility was very poor and I was afraid that the snow piles will grow too big for the taxi to get to my house. But all went good, got to airport nicely in time and no problems with checkin. One of my course mates was on the same plane with me to Amsterdam - whatta nice coincident. On the first flight I saw one of the most beautiful sun rises ever.
Flights were fine in general, too bad that KLM does not have electrical outlets on every seat. At least each seat had personal screen and the movie list was quite good. Now the immigration though - that was tough - the guy was asking lots of questions composed of very long sentences with complicated words, phew. All turned out just fine of course, but it was kinda scary experience nonetheless. On US side the immigration was quick and easy though. And my bag arrived just fine.
Once in Minneapolis airport, Mare was there to meet me and then Hanno and his friend arrived just 5 minutes later. So nice to see Hanno after such a long time. Mare I saw over Christmas time in Tallinn. Now we are just sitting around chatting, getting ready to go and have lunch soon. As far as I understand there will be huge party tonight - wohooo!
It is so nice to be here though! So many details remind me of college times - kinda like going back in time, this is always good :) There is the usual list of things I want to eat while here, also things I want to bring back home and some things that others want me to bring back ;)
That is it for now, we are getting ready and heading out soon. I'll try to write again soon. Oh and my dad asked me to write less about airports and other less important stuff, he said I should concentrate more on important things that I would want to remember in the future - he is right of course. And I will try to pick topics more carefully in the future :)
Lots of hugs to all of you.
Flights were fine in general, too bad that KLM does not have electrical outlets on every seat. At least each seat had personal screen and the movie list was quite good. Now the immigration though - that was tough - the guy was asking lots of questions composed of very long sentences with complicated words, phew. All turned out just fine of course, but it was kinda scary experience nonetheless. On US side the immigration was quick and easy though. And my bag arrived just fine.
Once in Minneapolis airport, Mare was there to meet me and then Hanno and his friend arrived just 5 minutes later. So nice to see Hanno after such a long time. Mare I saw over Christmas time in Tallinn. Now we are just sitting around chatting, getting ready to go and have lunch soon. As far as I understand there will be huge party tonight - wohooo!
It is so nice to be here though! So many details remind me of college times - kinda like going back in time, this is always good :) There is the usual list of things I want to eat while here, also things I want to bring back home and some things that others want me to bring back ;)
That is it for now, we are getting ready and heading out soon. I'll try to write again soon. Oh and my dad asked me to write less about airports and other less important stuff, he said I should concentrate more on important things that I would want to remember in the future - he is right of course. And I will try to pick topics more carefully in the future :)
Lots of hugs to all of you.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Travel plans
I noticed that I have not given an overview of the travel plans. Here it is:
7.02 - St.Paul Minnesota - leaving Tallinn early morning and arriving in the cities at noon, will spend the day with Mare
8.02 - arriving in Duluth - leaving the Cities and arriving in Duluth, visiting with Nikki in Virginia Minnesota for 5 days
13.02 - leaving from Duluth, arriving in Kahului - spending the next 6 days in Hawaii, island of Maui
17.02 - luau :) - celebrating my friends birthday the Hawaiian way!
20.02 - Honolulu - spending the day in Honolulu and Pearl Harbor, leaving close to midnight to head back home
20.02-22.02 - spending couple of days on planes and airports on my way back home, arriving in Tallinn in the evening
:)
7.02 - St.Paul Minnesota - leaving Tallinn early morning and arriving in the cities at noon, will spend the day with Mare
8.02 - arriving in Duluth - leaving the Cities and arriving in Duluth, visiting with Nikki in Virginia Minnesota for 5 days
13.02 - leaving from Duluth, arriving in Kahului - spending the next 6 days in Hawaii, island of Maui
17.02 - luau :) - celebrating my friends birthday the Hawaiian way!
20.02 - Honolulu - spending the day in Honolulu and Pearl Harbor, leaving close to midnight to head back home
20.02-22.02 - spending couple of days on planes and airports on my way back home, arriving in Tallinn in the evening
:)
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