Saturday, July 21, 2012

Aloha Also Means "Good-bye"

Our final major Hawaiian excursion was to the Polynesian Cultural Center. Probably one of the better tourist attractions, the PCC is run by Brigham Young University with its main purpose being to provide college educational opportunities for the huge Polynesian community.  We could tour through seven different "villages," each with their own shows and family friendly activities.  The day culminated in an amazing dinner buffet filled with native and traditional delicacies, and a phenomenal, very professional production highlighting the music and dance of the different Polynesian tribes.
We all enjoyed discovering the different cultures.  Kelly especially appreciated her cultural studies:


Thursday we were to leave for the Airport at 1 p.m., so everyone had their own "last moments on the island" agenda.  I was up at 5:30 a.m., donning my bathing suit and headed for the beach. Waikiki is pretty deserted at that time, just some surfers off in the distance catching waves before their work day. The water was warm and salty and I loved simply rolling with the gentle waves as they came towards shore. Too soon, I came in and dried off and as I was walking back to the hotel, I was greeted by, not one, but two lovely little rainbows over the ocean.  I felt the island was saying good by with its traditional magic!

We got into San Diego after midnight, all of us too tired to do anything but sleep.  Well, not all of us--Wayne went to the hotel lobby and did his Bible Study until 4 in the morning.  That man is amazing!
The next day, Gary flew back to Cleveland, Kelly was looking forward to spending the day with a dear friend of hers who had moved to San Diego a dozen years ago, and Wayne, Cameron and I decided to hit the famous San Diego Zoo!


Cheesy photo booth picture!


The three hours spent there went quickly.  The settings for the animals were amazing.  I was impressed by the way the zoo was helping protect so many endangered species back home in their native habitats.  We saw all kinds of critters:


                                                Doin' time in the big house...

Giraffe-sic Park


I miss hangin' with my chicks!

A delightful San Diego native that I sat next to on the flight back to the mainland, suggested that we go to "Old Town" for dinner.  What a great suggestion! Old Town is a National Park with much of the flavor of
the early Mexican American settlement.  We went to a place called "Fiesta del Reyes" for dinner and shopping (all combined). While we waited for our outdoor table, we browsed shops and listened to a wonderful Mariachi band.


The meal was muy Fabuloso!!  The perfect end to a lovely San Diego day!!!!




1 comment:

  1. Can't beat San Diego... One of my most favorite places!!
    Have a great day.
    Always, Queenie

    ReplyDelete