Jess got up a bit late, only to find Jer packing while Dawn made migas for breakfast. They were very tasty, and we all enjoyed them. Then Jer and his colleagues left for work, and Jess showered and packed. After turning the keys in to the owner, Jess drove to Laniakea Beach in hopes of spotting sea turtles, which sometimes sun themselves there. Apparently they weren’t feeling sociable, so Jess sat on the beach for a while, enjoying the view, before heading into Haleiwa. She stopped at Matsumoto General Store for one of their famous shave ices (like a sno-cone, but better). The previous afternoon there had been a long line, but this morning there were only two groups ahead of her. She ate her rainbow shave ice while sitting on a bench outside, chatting with locals and visitors.
Thus refreshed, Jess headed south, intending to stop at the Dole Plantation. Of course, there was no sign ahead of time, so she missed the turn-off and had to go quite a ways before she could turn around. She eventually made her way back, though, and she was glad she did. After buying a few gifts in the shop, she headed out to the Plantation Garden for a tour. It was small but well maintained, with lots of local plants — apple-bananas, bromeliads (of which pineapple is one), birds-of-paradise, hibiscus, koa (Hawaiian mahogany), plumeria and other lei flowers, ti plants (whose leaves are used for luau cooking, hula skirts, etc.) and other tropical plants. Then she headed to the snack bar for their pineapple ice cream with crushed pineapple topping — wow! Sitting in their garden with her cool treat was the perfect afternoon. While she was eating, a friend called and they chatted for a while.
Then Jess decided it was time to go. She considered going to the Wahiawa Botanic Garden, but decided that was maybe a bit too much gardens for one afternoon. So she drove to Mililani and, following Dawn’s excellent directions, quickly located the Mililani Town Center, an outdoor mall where Jer’s teaching facility was located. Since she was far too early to meet him, she stopped at a Mexican place (Just Tacos) for delicious nachos and lemonade. She chatted with her fellow diners for a bit, before getting up to wander. There were several jewelry stores, each seemingly focused on a different color of South Sea pearls. Jess managed not to acquire any.
Jer called to say that they’d finished their class and were packing up, so Jess headed to the training site. Dawn had already left, but we gave Alex a ride to the airport (and he navigated, using his handy GPS). At the Alamo returns, Jess was upset to learn that the rear tail-light had been cracked (presumably someone had backed into the parked car), but there was nothing she could do but wait for the Claims Department to contact her in 7-10 days. Ugh!
We took the Alamo shuttle to the airport, where we wandered around a bit trying to get change for the bus. After a while, we decided it would be easier to get a cab to the restaurant we’d selected, as it was only 5 miles away. Our cabbie was Vietnamese and his English was a bit difficult to understand, but he got us there with no trouble. The restaurant, Helena’s, won a James Beard award for its authentic Hawaiian food, so we went there with great expectations. We were not disappointed. The restaurant is nothing to look at — a faded sign out front, plain tables and chairs inside — but the staff was pleasant, happily answering questions and making recommendations, and the food was excellent. We had kalua pig (like is served at luaus), short ribs, poi, corned beef with "watercress" (really water spinach) and oomplimentary coconut pudding for dessert. It was all excellent, and the tab was only $20!
After dinner we went in search of a bus to Waikiki. In our ignorance, we walked past the direct bus stop, but eventually we found a stop with two nice local ladies who told us we could get another bus there and transfer downtown to one to Waikiki. We did this with no trouble, and even got a glimpse of Iolani Palace when we got out to transfer. Our second bus came promptly and dropped us off a block from our hotel.
From the moment we walked through the doors, it was easy to see why the Aqua Coconut Waikiki is #1 on Trip Advisor. The hotel is smallish and on a quiet street, but newly renovated and squeaky clean. The desk staff is super friendly and helpful. (When we took advantage of the free 24-hour tea and coffee in the lobby, the clerk ran to get us milk so we wouldn’t need to use the powdered creamer.) Our room was small, but thoughtfully designed (with an extra sink, a fridge, a microwave and a coffee maker), and had a small balcony. The decor is modern but whimsical, in white and green, with a very comfortable bed.
Jer downloaded pictures from our cameras onto our netbook. He got some great underwater shots on his snorkeling trips (especially at Shark’s Cove, which he visited before Jess arrived). Once we got to the end of the pictures, though, we were both quite sleepy, so we crawled happily into our lovely bed.