2012 Maui Trip -- Air Miles

Monday, November 26
Pensacola to Atlanta 271
Atlanta to Los Angeles 1944
total for the day 2215

Tuesday, November 27
Los Angeles to Honolulu 2556
Honolulu to Kahalui, Maui 101
total for the day 2657
cumulative 4872

Wednesday, December 5
Kahalui, Maui to Honolulu 101
total for the day 101
cumulative 4973

Thursday, December 6
Honolulu to Los Angeles 2556
total for the day 2556
cumulative 7529

Friday, December 7
Los Angeles to Dallas/Fort Worth 1234
Dallas/Fort Worth to Pensacola 604
total for the day 1838

GRAND TOTAL 9367 MILES

2012 Maui Trip -- Day 12 -- Home

Early to bed (HA); early to rise (YOU CAN SAY THAT AGAIN).

Of course we got to the gate on time in Los Angeles. Both flights and the connection in Dallas were fine. We were home late afternoon after picking us the cats at the pet hotel and stopping by the supermarket for some food.

Hawaii was fun but getting there and back were very tiring. And we are going to sleep until next week.

2012 Maui Trip -- Day 11

It turns out today's flight from Honolulu to Los Angeles is even later than we thought. Takeoff is delayed from 1:30 to 2:15 PM. We found out it was because of crew scheduling problems.

A month or so ago American Airlines sent me two free passes to any of their Admirals Clubs, those are their private lounges -- "An Oasis Away From The Airport Hustle." In Honolulu they share Japan Air Line's private lounge. There are comfy places to sit and snooze, lots of magazines, computer hookups, free drinks and snacks. And great places to kill time waiting for a flight. Before I retired I was a member for many years.

The lounge at Honolulu International also has an officious man from JAL who came up to us and said he didn't want to seem rude... (And let me pause here a second, whenever anybody says to me that she or he doesn't mean to be rude, the next thing out of his or her mouth is usually something rude.) He went on to accuse us of smoking in the no-smoking lounge area. He said someone had reported us. He did not speak with anybody else in the lounge although there were several people who matched our general descriptions. When we told him emphatically we had not been smoking he walked away without another word to us. Of course why should he say he was sorry for insulting us when he so clearly was not.

A few minutes later the woman representing American Airlines customers in the lounge came over to us and brought the subject up again and in a very sarcastic way. It seemed obvious they wanted us to leave the Admirals Club and we did at once. So much for Aloha Spirit.

In the future, if there are smokers on the premises, perhaps they should make an announcement "reminding" guests not to smoke.

The flight itself was uneventful and the seats were the real first class kind with lots of control buttons. The seats could lie completely flat.

Once we landed in Los Angeles there was no gate for us and we had to wait for one. Then it took forever to get the shuttle to the Hilton but when we got there the room was lavish. Too bad we were just there for a nap. We got to the room around 11:00 PM and needed to be at the airport by 6:00 AM at the latest.

2012 Maui Trip -- Day 10

Checked out of the hotel mid-morning and headed for Kahalui. Dropped the car off and got the 2:00 PM flight to Honolulu. Checked in at the HNL Ohana Hotel -- surprisingly quiet place. Except for their restaurant. Lots of children running around there.

We will have no rush in the morning. Tomorrow's flight is at 1:30 and we are next door to the airport.

2012 Maui Trip -- Photos From Our Drives

To view photos we took while driving around Maui, CLICK HERE

2012 Maui Trip -- Day 8

Tonight Jack took us for a wonderful meal at Roy's -- on the golf course in the heart of Ka'anapali.

We had four courses: Ahi tuna (nearly raw), grilled Ono fish, braised short ribs of beef and a molten chocolate dessert. Absolutely perfect. Beautiful handmade food. And the best short ribs I have ever had.

2012 Maui Trip -- Photos of the Hotel Grounds

Good Morning from the KBH. The lawns are all groomed and ready for a new day.

To see a Flickr slideshow of photos we took on the grounds of the Ka'anapali Beach Hotel just CLICK HERE.

2012 Maui Trip -- Day 3

No airplanes today, no schedule today -- total vacation. The weather is partly sunny, partly cloudy, not too hot but very warm.

We didn't like the location of the first room we got last night (second floor, long walk to the elevator, longer walk to breakfast). So we asked what they could do for us. The second room was on the ground level with a lanai that opened right on the lawn and was just a few steps from the beach.

The view from our room.

And the view from the other direction -- the West Maui Mountains.

We have stayed here several times before but not in the past 12 or 15 years. It's an older property and we didn't really know what to expect. It is still very Hawaiian and well maintained. The rooms are in great condition and the grounds are as lovely as ever.

We got a package with the room, car and breakfast included. The extra charge for the breakfast was just $4.00 per person per day. It's buffet style and they offer to make fresh omlettes, pancakes, French toast, etc. Lots of fresh island fruit -- pineapple, papaya, melons and a fabulous bread pudding. After breakfast it was time to go back to the room and read, or nap, on the patio.

The ocean was rough and most of the time there were yellow flags or red flags on the beach, meaning use caution or don't get in the water at all. We had both experienced the serious rip currents here in the past so we heeded the warnings.

In the evening there was Hawaiian music in the air and a gigantic Maui full moon lighting the Pacific.

2012 Maui Trip -- Day 2

There was no great rush to get out of the hotel and over to the airport. Takeoff was at 10:30 AM. First class isn't what it used to be. But the lunch was good. A Chinese spiced grilled salmon by the Big Island's Sam Choy. Very good.

The flight was uneventful and we were at the gate in the Honolulu Airport before 3:00 PM. Our flight to Maui was at 5:00. But we had to claim our luggage, go to another terminal and check in again.

HNL -- Honolulu International Airport

It turned out the flight to Maui was not out of the Interisland Terminal, but from the Commuter Terminal next door to it. The Commuter Terminal looked a lot to us like the old Interisland Terminal. Also, adding to the confusion in our travel addled brains, the clerk at the Mokulele Airlines counter told us our flight would be on GO! Airlines instead. It was at the same counter but a different person signed us in and charged us for our luggage.

We landed in Kahalui, Maui a little after 5:30. By the time we got our bags, found the Budget Rental Car site and started the drive to Ka'anapali it was totally dark out. As soon as we got out of town the only lights were from car headlights and they were somewhat blinding. I was a bit dazed driving the winding roads after sitting on planes so long today. At least I couldn't see the cliffs and the ocean way below us.

It was just after 7:00 when we got to Lahaina and we decided to get something to eat before checking in at the Ka'anapali Beach Hotel. We then made a great discovery, CJ's Deli & Diner. Just a mile from the hotel and we knew about it from their website. Good food, casual setting and free WI-FI access. At about 8:00 we checked in to our hotel and soon were fast asleep. Hotel details to follow. Tommorrow.

2012 Maui Trip -- Day 1

Sunset at LAX looking from the Crowne Plaza toward Hawaii

Up at 3:45 AM all packed and ready for a cup of coffee before heading for the airport. At 4:30 we were watching for the taxi. At 4:35 I called J.J. who sounded very sleepy. He said something came up and he would be over to pick us up in twenty minutes. I asked him where he was coming from. And could he be here in ten minutes?

He couldn't tell me where he was so I cancelled the taxi, unbolted the garage door and we drove to the airport. And parked in the expensive parking garage there. A tiny bit of much needed good luck: there was a parking space right next to the elevator and near the main lobby entrance.

My knee replacement sometimes causes a lot of delay getting through security so I get nervous when it appears we are late getting to the airport. As it happened we were fine and, with the kind help of the AirTran agent, got set up with wheelchairs for ATL and LAX.

We left Pensacola on time and were off the plane in ATL about 8:30 (AM!). With lots of help from the friendly staff at the airport we got to our gate for the flight to LAX with time to spare. The airport is huge and to get from one terminal to another involves elevators and train rides.

We even had time for a sit-down restaurant breakfast by our gate. As for the Atlanta-style southern cooking, it was the worst breakfast this side of the free breakfasts they give you at Hilton's Hampton Inns -- scrambled eggs cooked till they bounce and icy-cold sausages.

Our flight to LAX was on time at both ends, taking off a little after 10:00 AM and getting to LAX before 1:00 PM. Wheelchairs from the gate to baggage claim. All our bags arrived OK, then we were off to the hotel van pickup area. It took forever. Neither of us had been to LAX for nearly ten years. Very little has changed. Total chaos at the curbside. The only change in all this time is, it's gotten worse.

The Crowne Plaza LAX was ready for our early check-in and the room was nice as were the naps we immediately took.

2012 Maui Trip, Getting Ready To Go

Toward the end of last June the future of American Airlines looked bleak indeed. And we still held a lot of their AAdvantage Club frequent flyer miles. We could use them for upgrades or even free first class tickets.

We worried that a reorganized American Airlines, taken over by US Airways, could make the frequent flyer miles difficult to use or they might cancel the program completely.

As much as we both wanted to go to London, getting around London wasn't going to be easy. The last trip nearly did me in. So we decided on a late fall trip to Hawaii.

The design of the Hawaii State Flag was commissioned by King Kamehameha in 1816. It originally represented the Kingdom of Hawaii. Later it came to represent the Republic of Hawaii, then the Territory of Hawaii and now the State of Hawaii.

It's a lot easier to fly to Hawaii if you live in Los Angeles, as we used to. From Pensacola you need to fly to a "hub" airport and connect -- and connect. Lots of flights; lots of changes of planes.

After many phone calls and hours on the Internet we got an itinerary and used up nearly all of our frequent flyer miles. The only bad connection was outbound. We came in to LAX late in the evening and had to be at the airport very early the next morning. But that was to change. Flights got rescheduled and one got cancelled. What had been the late arriving -- mid-afternoon takeoff -- flight was now leaving Pensacola at 6:00 AM.

At one point, because of the early morning flight we planned to spend Sunday evening at an airport hotel by the Pensacola airport. Instead of that we made an appointment with Pensacola Taxi. J.J. will pick us up at 4:30 AM exactly.

Tiki Culture

When we moved to Pensacola in 2004 there was this wonderful tiki (on the left) in the backyard. It was about 4 1/2 feet tall and carved from the trunk of a palm tree. From the style and quality of the carving it was probably made by a local artist. And not mass produced in some tiki factory far away.

In 2004 Hurricane Ivan damaged it and in 2005 Hurricane Dennis finished it off. We miss it and want to replace it with one in a similar style.

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Here are some Tiki links:
(in no particular order)
Book of Tiki
Easter Island's Home Page
Tiki Kiliki's Hukilau
Kon Tiki Museum 
Tiki Farm
Charlie Knight's Palm Tiki
Wheelock Gallery
Tiki Objects by Bosco
TropicalTikis.com
Paradise Found

New link added -- from Hawaii

For several years my friends on the Big Island of Hawaii, Cheryl and Steve, have sold Hawaiian gifts, flowers and food items by mail order and over the Internet. The photo on the left shows the flower arrangement I had them send from Hawaii to my mother in Maine for Mother's Day this year.

Many of the items they sell -- the soaps and candles -- they make by hand at their home in the rain forest near Hilo using natural ingredients and wonderful Hawaiian fragrances. They also make sushi candles and soaps that look real enough to eat, but don't.

Cheryl has now made a blog, Hawaii Vacation Gifts by Doublebrush and from it you can learn a lot about Hawaii -- like, how many Starbucks and McDonald's are in Hawaii? and the secret no one tells you if you are moving to Puna.

By the way, the name Doublebrush comes from the fact that they are both artists.

I added a link to Cheryl's blog in the sidebar to the right under Blogs from Near and Far.