2/24/09
Aloha!
I've received a few emails regarding Hawaii, so that has inspired me to do a Blog that is just about Hawaii...actually I could write pages and pages on the subject!
No worries though, just a few thoughts today...
Did you know that Hawaiian Airlines was voted the #1 Domestic carrier
for on time service? That means even though the crew and company
embraces the island time concept...they will actually get you to the islands on time! And you know, the POG juice mid-flight is the perfect way to begin exhaling!
They have a wonderful website and if you are interested in purchasing
Logo merchandise, look no further! Also, keep in mind that Hawaiian and American Airlines are partners, so you could use your mileage through American on them!
Whenever I step off the plane or cruise ship onto Hawaiian soil, I always experience
the feeling of .....aaaahhhhhh....I'm home!
Hawaii touches my soul in so many ways that I can't begin to articulate..
John hasn't been YET, the plan is for 2011. Our 5th anniversary! We will be traveling to Australia and New Zealand with a stopover in Hawaii. He has asked me, as well as others ..
What would we do..
Well, of course the typical guide book stuff...
2 sources of information that I suggest reading are the Revealed Books and the websites that are called
101 Things to do in _______ (fill in your island).
Both of these are a great way to learn what is off the beaten track.
In Oahu, I really recommend for your culture dose, a stop into the Sheraton Moana Surfrider, go to the 2nd floor to visit their history room! It's fabulous, not only do you learn about Hawaiian and Hotel History, there's the mystery, and some say and I agree
THE MURDER!
The Sheraton Moana Surfrider was built in 1901 as the First Lady of Waikiki
If you would like to learn more about this landmark hotel I recommend these
two links ...The Hotel's main website and this extensive Wikipedia write up.
The next stop is the Iolani Palace. It is the only royal palace on United States soil. How did this come to be? It's a sad and shameful story in US history... and your chance to learn more about the royalty of Hawaii.
Picture taken by Karen October 2007
Upon arrival on Oahu....
One of the very 1st things I do is head north to Haleiwa for a oh so ono (good in Hawaiian) burger at Kua Aina.
When you are heading North into town it will be on your right hand side.
There is one in Waikiki, but I prefer the vibe here and it's on my way to the North Shore, where the surfers hang out, the waves are HUGE and the beaches are pristine. When returning back down to Waikiki I make a few stops along the way....
There's the Dole Pineapple Plantation, which is the ultimate in tourist stops ....but I'm not there for a tshirt or the maze..I'm there for the Pineapple Whip...this non dairy frozen whip, that can only be found outside of Hawaii in Disneyland's Adventure Land and it is so delicious that I've serious thought of how I could market this at home!
At the same, I wander through the various pineapples growing and take in a free demonstration on pineapple cutting and unique ways to display it for my next luau at home!
Just a few pineapple facts...I picked up at the the Dole Plantation.....
Picture taken by Karen October 2007
Next up, is a stop at the Waikele outlets, the 2 outlets that I like to check out that I can't find on the mainland are Crazy Shirts and Le Sport Sac. There is also another Crazy Shirt outlet, near the Nordstrom Rack in Ward Warehouse in Waikiki Area.
I'm sure many of you have heard of Hilo Hatties, the go to store for everything Hawaiian..
but did you know that there was actually a Hilo Hattie?
Here's a great article on her ...everything you might ever want to know and more.
and just one more, if you want to know more!
She was an accomplished singer in Hawaii Calls which was at the Moana Hotel (aka the Sheraton Moana Surfrider, I mention above.) She starred in Blue Hawaii with Elvis and had a roles in Hawaii 5-0, and that's only a few of her accomplishments.
Did you know that you can watch free episodes of Hawaii 5-0 online?
CBS has been kind enough to offer many of their classics for us to view!
Well folks, I would like to leave you with this...the word Aloha is known by all...
But have you heard of the concept of Living Aloha? I know it can be difficult in the
crazy world we live in, it's something that I strive for...and just IMAGINE if each of us ...
gave this an attempt..
A stands for AKAHAI, meaning kindness, to be expressed with tenderness.
L stands for LOKAHI, meaning unity, to be expressed with harmony.
O stands for OLU`OLU, meaning agreeable, to be expressed with pleasantness.
H stands for HA`AHA`A, meaning humility, to be expressed with modesty.
A stands for AHONUI, meaning patience, to be expressed with perseverance
A hui hou....until we meet again
K.
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2/21/09
Buon Giorno!
I really need to get on a blogging schedule...perhaps 2-3 times a week..
Here's an EXTRA BIG blog for you to make up for the 10 day delay...
Here we go...
For those of you that use Lancome or if you know someone who does, Macy's is having
a gift with purchase that has a travel theme to it. It's quite cute and includes a very generous amount of travel size products. You can click on the link above for details, to determine if you want to head out to your local Macy's or order online. The fine print says... while supplies last!
The other day while I was shopping at our local mall, I was approached by a man who
wanted to PAY ME for my opinion! Yes, this is legit and over the years I've done quite
a few focus groups, mock trials, usability testing and assorted market research studies,
along with mystery shopping. It's a great way to earn a few dollars for your travel fund.
So, for 5 minutes of my time to test a perfume I received 10 dollars!
The company is called Test America and here are their mall locations throughout the USA
I'm sure for most of us who love to travel, you've dabbled with the idea of finding some sort
of job in the travel, airline, or hotel industries to offset your costs ~ I've actually worked in the travel industry as a sales rep for a Hawaiian Tour Company - nothing like having 26 trips to Hawaii comped! Then I opened various hotels as a Sales Manager - $29-49 dollars a
night in St. Thomas and Palm Springs worked for me!
Travel + Leisure just posted a list of their idea of the strangest jobs to have...
Here's the link, to read all of them and view the slide shows
My favorites...
The Duckmaster and The Coconut Safety Engineer
Are you a crafty kind of person?
I'm not, well... I mean I can be with specific instructions and step by step directions..
and that is why these ideas caught my attention.
The 1st....
Martha Stewart making postcards from your photos. She provideds a free template
all you do is print it out..and follow a few step and TA DA! Look what you did!
How to make a postcard with your pictures
The 2nd....
I must of missed the boat on this one, but these are cool..though a little pricey..
But for a special gift, I would consider it!
Check out Zoom Album and watch the video of Martha Stewart on how easy it is to do!
The 3rd...
This one is for my niece Princess Kaitlyn who is waaayyyy more crafty than I am, and
had more passport stamps at the age of 2 than both Uncle John and I had at 20!
I'm sure those of you with kids and grandkids will find this craft most enjoyable!
Check back in a couple of days as The Blog will be up and running with regular postings!
Have a wonderful weekend!
K.
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2/11/09
Kalimera!
For those of you that are interested in Vintage Airline Memorabilia, take a look at the
World Airline Historical Society. The link is the show schedule, but follow the navigation bar for the BIG SHOW and check out the related links area as that takes you to several interesting websites!
This is just a friendly reminder...
The other day I went to register our trip with the State Department. We keep our passports
in the same safe place. As I went to grab them, there was just John's.
Where's MY passport? We proceeded to look in the obvious places it shouldn't be, but
maybe somehow it landed there ...desk drawers, the 2 travel drawers we store our "travel stuff" in.....Nothing! Then we went to our suitcases, 1st mine and then his...NOTHING!
We are now on a systematic search throughout the house...still zilch...panic is beginning.
Finally I sat down and thought ..when did I last have my passport? Well, it was on the Star Princess last October with my mom. Did I use it to get off the ship? No, we didn't have customs...hhhhmmmm....turns out I had zipped it in the inside security pocket of my rain jacket that I only wear when I travel. I was anticpating a customs check and I wanted it handy and yet safe for when that happened.. When I returned home, in the excitement of unpacking and visiting with John ...I hung up my jacket and forgot about it! So, just a friendly reminder to always put your passport back in its designated location as soon as you return home!
Most of us have heard of the Disney special that you receive free entrance to the parks on your Birthday. Did you know, there's other places that offer a little something to make your day extra special?
There's a round of golf in Hawaii , Movie rentals , Skiing **************************************************************************
Traveling to Southern California? Well whether it's your birthday or not, begin checking out this website for free admission to movie screening, museums, and other free items to save you a few pennies!
and of course there's the Restaurants and Bowling Alleys, just google free birthday
and MANY options will appear!
Au Revoir!
Karen
2/6/09
Buena Sera...
Well, I apologize for the Blog entry delay..
I took a little tumble the other day and have been taking it easy per John's request!
It's nothing serious, just your typical scrapped knees, bruised wrists and my torso feels
like I did about 500 sit ups. Which would be ok, if my abdomen showed the results
of 500 sit ups...
Since I've been hanging out on the heating pad, I've had a chance to use our Dell Mini 9!
I absolutely LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it!
Surfing and emails have been great even in a somwhat reclined position.
I've posted to message boards, watched videos and at this point I'm thrilled with it.
Regarding the laptop bag we purchased. I decided to go with a 13.3 inch size and with
the extra room it will be used to consolidate anything electronic we travel with.
Camera, Batteries, charger, cell phone. I purchased a black one, but at TJ Maxx I saw great assortment of various colors for only $19.99, they are located in the purse section.
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I'm sure you've heard the latest news about the "It's a Small World" ride at Disneyland.
If you haven't, you will want to read this.
John and I were talking about this last night, and we both feel that ..
The desire to travel that we have, began on this ride when we were children.
We both remember being fascinated and wanting to learn more.
Where were these places and were they real? Were there really buildings like that?
Were there really kids like us that dressed like that? How can we meet them?
This ride, which was born the year we were and dubbed as the "Happiest Cruise that ever sailed the World", doesn't need to be changed in this manner.
We are disappointed to see it happen.
We were curious to find out more about this treasure from our childhood
So, we did a little research and learned quite a bit!
If you are interested in learning more of the history then read this,
The ride began as an exhibit for the World's Fair...this is an excellent video from then!
~~~
So, while we are on the topic of childhood..
Like many we know, we both loved Charlie and the Chocolate Factory!
I haven't done a weekend adventure blog in awhile,
So, this seem like the perfect opportunity!
A couple of months ago we headed to the California Gold Country and enroute
we made a yummy detour to the Jelly Belly Factory in Fairfield, California.
What fun that was! There are 2 factory locations one California and Wisconsin, the company began in the 1800's and the jelly bean was actually inspired by the candy from Turkey called Turkish Delight...which we will be sampling when we go to Turkey in 2 months!
Jelly Belly has a fun website that is informative, educational and yet very entertaining..
Take a few minutes, out of your day to check it out and maybe you can find out where
Mr. Jelly Belly is in the world!
Here are the photos of our tour...I hope you enjoy the music and it brings back childhood memories of your own!
Ciao Ciao for now!
K.
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1/30/09
Aloha!
The updates are about 90% complete!
Here is just a small overview for you.......
The Welcome Album has been updated, many people wanted to see pictures of us.
So, even if you've viewed it before you might want to check it out again
In the journal many of the sections have quite a bit of new entries. I've marked them
in red for your convenience of skimming to find the new posts.
I think you will get a kick out of a photo in the Airline Section!
In the photo section there's cute signspotting album and more quotes
and I added 5 St. Peterburg Albums, of course labeled for your ease of viewing.
Karen's Cruise Corner has info on how to find out if a group is onboard and how many cruise ships are in port with you.
In Our 2009 Adventure I added website links for ones that we have felt were helpful in researching our trip, which should save you a little time.
Where we've been section has a brand new vintage luggage and luggage tag album.
In About us, I've updated that and added a picture
Archived Blog, so the other blog is in the link above..just be patient it's a tad slow to load because I had so much information in it, but it will load up for you!
Side Note ~ any page you see 3 vintage travel posters (photo gallery pages & Karen's Cruise Corner) when you exit and re enter the page the posters randomly change!
John did that for me!
I wanted to do more, somehow adding bells and whistles to the whole layout..
but turns out every idea I had requires Flash and that software is waaaaaay out of our
budget.
I'm VERY open to any suggestions that you might have, so please send me an email!
My goal is to be complete with this round of updates by the Sunday February 1st.
Then I can really spend time on this blog and have regular posts beginning next week!
So, that's what I've been up to the last 10 days!
A hui hou!
Karen
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1/20/09
Bonjour!
So, as promised the story of our 1st date 5 years ago THIS month.....
Both of us were really interested in visiting Ano Nuevo State Reserve which is just
a few miles north of Santa Cruz, California. We met in the small town of Scott's Valley for lunch and then headed to this breathtaking section of California's coastline. This is a marine sanctuary and home to hundreds of elephant seals, sea lions, etc. During the winter months you are escorted on a hike by a ranger who lectures on the areas ecology and history.
If you click HERE a video page, which will give you an idea of the area
and if you click HERE, it should take you to the webcam!
The official website has a tremendous amount of information if you would like to learn more.
Afterwards, we headed back to Santa Cruz to warm up, as the hike was quite chilly.
We stopped at this great coffee house called Lulu Carpenters, where I discovered my new favorite coffee drink...a mint chocolate mocha with freshly made whip cream and homemade mint chocolate syrup!
What started off as a 4 hour outing ended up being 9 hours that flew by in a matter of minutes....
So, last month we purchased the Acer Aspire One from Costco. I was very excited about
our new toy, but only had time to surf the internet. This past weekend I decided to check it out further, using itunes video podcasts, watch a youtube video and a movie trailer on Yahoo.
Each time I attempted to do this, the video wouldn't load and if it did it would start and stop OR the sound wouldn't be in sync with the picture. I called Acer tech support to find out if this is normal for netbooks or do I have a problem. I found them to me VERY rude, they cut me off in mid stream saying that isn't a hardware problem, it's a software problem and we can't help you ..CLICK! I tried to call back reached another person and the same response. I then called corporate offices of Acer which is located within driving distance and was told they couldn't help me I needed to call tech support. UGH! A simple question and no one could spend 3 minutes answering it. I would THINK that these people would have some understanding of their product. So, I called Costco and they said ...yes, we have been hearing similar complaints...based on the lack of customer service from the corporate offices and the rudeness of the tech support I decided to return the Acer.
Now here's where customer service really plays a role...I called both HP and Dell because I wanted information on their netbooks. HP ~ I waited on hold for 15 min and was transferred 3 times...(sadly, The HP Way no longer exists)
I then called Dell, the customer service rep listened to what happend with the Acer, actually went to Costco's website to check the specs of the Acer and explained to me that based on what he saw the Acer should NOT have caused that problem. He thought that I have might have a faulty computer, which I could always return for a new one based on Costco's return policy. Not one negative word was spoken of their competitor. I then asked him to explain the Dell Mini and what I could or couldn't do with it. I found the customer service person very informative and while he didn't speak down to me, he did use language and scenarios that I could relate to! He also explained that Dell's customer service for all Dell computers purchased at Costco is located in the United States! He sold me, we ordered the Mini 9 from Costco later that day and it's being built right now!
I promise to report back on how this one is once it's delivered!
The website updates continue, hopefully they will be done by this weekend!
Au Revoir!
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Somehow the last blog was deleted...
We have had to archive the blog, so if you would like to read past blogs...
Please click on the Archived Blog Link at the top of the page!
It was the only way to solve the technical difficulties that transpired the weekend!
