Hawaii Vacation (Oahu)

     As a young married couple we had an opportunity to go to Hawaii (Oahu) for vacation.  The price was very reasonable so much so that it seemed like there would never be a better time.  We left anticipating a great trip and it truly was.  We spent time on the beach, took a few tours and had nice dinners out but three things stick out as most memorable. 

     We were staying on Oahu so when we arrived we were anxious to go down to Waikiki Beach, which was very nice but very small waves so the next day rented a car and drove out to the North Shore beach stopping at the Banzai Pipeline just to watch the surfers on the massive waves.  Wow that’s all I can say awesome to watch but way too dangerous.  We then headed on to the North Shore beach, which had big waves but none like the Pipeline.  There were quite a few people there but not what I would call crowded, many people were just sun bathing.  I cautiously went in to the water because the waves were well over 5’ some maybe 10’ and they could really knock you for a loop then drag you back in so it was important to be aware of that.  I played around in the waves getting more comfortable the more time I spent in the water when my wife (Mimi) decides to take a dip for the first time.  I warned her of the strength of the waves especially since she maybe weighed 110 lbs but she said not to worry she could handle it.  Ok, what would I know, well it wasn’t long after that statement when a big wave (8’) came rushing toward us taking her at great surprise.  It knocked her down with ease then started to drag her back out when I grabbed her arm and pulled her up.  She was fine although it took her breath away so she then decided she had enough waves for awhile and went back to sun bathing. I knew not to say “I told you so” but I didn’t need too.  Spending a day at the North Shore was a grand experience and the waves were exhilarating,

     A few days after we arrived we met a newly married couple from Indiana that we seemed to hit it off with right away.  I think we met on one of the first tours we scheduled.  We had a rental car so we drove around the island with them and had a great time.  I don’t remember their names, too long ago and we never stayed in touch although we had planned to.  I do remember he was a police officer and a scuba diver and gave me one of his cards from his diving club but again I don’t know what happened to that either.  All I can say is that even though we never stayed in contact with this couple we met we had a great time and it was nice to share it with another couple for a short time.

     We had heard Hanauma Bay was a great beach, a little bit out of the way but worth the trip.  So we decided we would head over there one day but we had turned in the car so we needed a ride there.  In Oahu you can catch a bus to Hanauma Bay, they simple call it “The Bus” at least they did at that time.  So we hopped on “The Bus” and had a great day at the beach.  They even had a pool there with concrete sides but the bottom was open so it would fill with seawater. 

     Late in the afternoon we decided it was time to head back to the hotel so we went up to catch “The Bus” but we found out we had missed the last one, so now we were stranded.  What are we going to do, well just about that time a guy drives up, I guess we had that stranded look about us.  Anyway he asked if we needed a lift, we said yes we needed to get back to our hotel.  Young and somewhat naïve we didn’t think about the danger this may have presented.  So we are in the back seat of his Camaro and he says he needed to stop at his apartment to get something asking us if that was all right.  We agreed but I don’t remember if he said what he was getting, that made me feel a little uncomfortable.  He pulls into the parking lot and goes into his apartment leaving us sitting in the car, now what we look at each other and discuss what we are going to do, we didn’t know where we were but before we could decide he came back out.  We spoke casually on the ride back but I still don’t remember the conversation because my mind was preoccupied with other thoughts. Anyway he drove us back to the hotel without issue plus he didn’t even want any money for his kindness.  Now, I felt a little uncomfortable but for a different reason.  We were glad to get back to the hotel and thankful that we were lucky to run into this generous person.  Taking a ride from a stranger is not something we would likely do now but if you think about it, every time you get in cab you meet a stranger.

     It was a great trip and we met some nice people, which I can say about all the trips we have taken over the years.   There are many more nice people in this world than the nightly News reports.