I told you about the Friday from hell we endured..well, the fun isn’t over yet. Nope!
We do, indeed, find a hotel that will accommodate a one night stay on Maui (right by the airport – Marriott Courtyard Hotel) so, knowing we have a looooong day ahead, we take our time and go for breakfast then come back to the room. I want to go out and do something rather than sit in the room. Don says we have until noon to leave the hotel.
About 10:30, I ask him to fix the zipper on my suitcase so I can lock it. Well…..it can’t be done and now we have to go out a buy a new one. We don’t have the time to go to the shopping center but then I remembered Costco was right across the street. Over we go, find one and return to the room to repack. We leave the hotel with only minutes to spare. Whew!
Now we drive around and decide to go to the Queen Kaahumanu Shopping Centre and start to window shop our way round (after all, we have all day). Then Don spots one shop and says we should go in…it was for pedicures – so we did. It was wonderful and inexpensive. Leaving there with all the remnants of beach left behind, we see a sign for a movie – do we go in? Of course we do. It is 2:30 p.m. and the move is just starting. Not only that, but a gentleman approaches us just before paying and gives us a ticket he couldn’t use (for free) and in we go. We watch the ‘Imitation Game”. Wow! What a movie. Very thought-provoking.
Okay it is now about 4:30 p.m. so we go for a late lunch in the Food Court, remembering our plane doesn’t leave until midnight. Now we get back in the car and can’t figure out where to go. We fill up the rental car with gas and then go back into Pier 1, but can’t buy anything more as our suitcases are full and where are we going to put it? Never mind that.
We decide to drive the car back to the rental return, go to the airport and perhaps waste time with a drink and perhaps something to eat. Not so! The airlines wicket is closed until 8 p.m. and the only place to get so much as a drink of water is in the “Arrivals” section (seems like 3 miles away). We go to Starbucks and buy a water ($4.00) and sit down to wait.
At about 7:30 p.m. we decide to slowly walk back and get into line. A porter comes up and says “did you know we have curbside check-in? This is by gratuity and they take your luggage, give you your boarding pass and away you go. Pfft! Where was he awhile ago?
We go now to the restaurant and order a beer (yes, I did) and share a burger with Don. We meet a lovely couple from Idaho and spend some time talking. It was great.
We leave and go to the area where we will board…..eventually. The plane is late. Remember now, we have been on the go with no place to settle since noon…so around 45 minutes later we board. Now we are going to Portland..we will get in 4:30 a.m. Hawaii time, so we want to find an open place where we can get a coffee (or 4) and a muffin. Now we, almost crawling from being so tired, go to await boarding time.
On we get, so we think, and after all are seated and all luggage in the overhead cavities.. they tell us “everyone off, we are putting you all on a new plane”. They didn’t tell us it was at the farthest corner of the airport and we have to hurry as they don’t want any of us to miss our connecting flights. HA! says I.
We now get to Seattle and rush down to the boarding area, to find they are already boarding. WHEW!!!! Okay, we get to our final airport (Kelowna) and check in to our hotel. We went for a bite to eat (having nothing but a muffin so far) and get back to the room. We both took a shower to try to feel cleaner/fresher/human and watched the wretched football game. Turned off the tv at 7 p.m. and slept for, get this, 12 hours.
Next morning (yesterday) we have a lovely breakfast, get in the van and have to get to Tim Horton’s for a coffee to travel with and home we go. Gosh, it feels good to be home.
