Our 45-Hour Day...Literally

We woke up early today as we had to get to the airport for our flight to Hawaii, and knew we didn't have much time left in our last foreign country visit. We packed up our belongings, showered, and headed downstairs around 8am to the dorm cafeteria for our final meal in Sydney. Unfortunately, the schedule for breakfast was a bit different today because of the holidays – breakfast didn't start until 9am. So, we went back up to our room and finished packing before attempting to eat breakfast again an hour later. Erin made us some eggs and kosher breakfast meat at the frying station. Once we finished our breakfast, we went back upstairs and gathered our packs as we headed out. We had decided to walk to Sydney Central Station and then take the train to the airport from there. The station was about a 25-minute walk from the dorm, and the sun was already shingin and warm by the time we got started. The walk was uneventful, aside from a great deal of perspiration from both of us - due to our heavy packs, and the warm temperature.

We arrived at Sydney Central and bought our tickets for the train to the airport. As soon as we arrived at the platform, our train was there. We boarded the train and took our packs off, if for no other reason than to allow our own sweat to evaporate a bit. We arrived at Kingsford International Airport with plenty of time to spare, checked in our packs, and sat down with relief.

We flew on Air Pacific without a problem and wandered through the duty free store and the bookstore before eventually reaching our gate. We boarded our flight on time, and were surprised to be flying on a jumbo jet! Erin had never flown on a plan with two levels, so it was a new experience – which, made it fun. The flight was decorated for the new year and the fight attendants wore flowers in their hair. We enjoyed a nice glass of wine before eating our in-flight meal.

The Air Pacific snack of traditional Indian fare.

Our meal of chicken, sweet potatoes, and, of course, Fiji water on our way to Fiji.

The island of Fiji as we flew into Nadi airport.

Our Air Pacific jumbo jet on the Nadi runway.

Our flight was scheduled to make a layover in Fiji on our way to Honolulu.  Right on time, we arrived in Fiji with a warm welcome - a local band was playing a nice greeting as we entered the tropical island airport.  We immediately went through security once more in order to board our next flight.  To kill the time before we boarded our next flight, we wandered through the duty free stores and read our books.  We left Fiji around 10pm for our 6 hour flight to Honolulu.  We were very lucky that the flight wasn't full, so we had an extra seat next to us, allowing us to spread out a bit more and get some sleep on the flight.  Once again, we enjoyed free adult beverages on the flight and we began to agree that Air Pacific may be the "friendliest airline in the world."

Our first introduction to Fiji - a band welcoming passengers off of the flight.

James and Erin curl up on Air Pacific.

Sassava chips and Fiji water - no other way to cross the Pacific.

Around 6am we arrived in Honolulu.  During the flight we had crossed the international date line, and gained 21 hours of time.  So, it was a little like Groundhog's Day - as though we were reliving the previous day according to the calendar, although we weren't really.  We made our way through customs quickly and picked up our baggage.  Erin found the Honolulu airport to be especially disappointing as there was no one there to greet her with a lei - unlike every television show Erin ever saw that takes place in Hawaii.

Because we are still traveling on a budget, we decided to take the public bus to our hotel instead of a taxi or shuttle.  Unfortunately, we waited in the dark for the bus for nearly 40 minutes before it finally came.  But, the bus did tak us right into Waikiki near our hotel - which was perfect.  We were a bit too early to check in, but our hotel allowed us to drop off our bags until the room was ready.  We made a quick stop for breakfast and then hopped back on the bus heading for Pearl Harbor.  Erin hadn't been to Hawaii before, so she really wanted to see the Pearl Harbor museum - especially after visiting Hiroshima in Japan.  Going to both of these sites really helped provide more insight into what happened during World War II and the involvement of both the US and Japan.

Good morning January 2 - again!

Back to the tropics in Hawaii, outside the Pearl Harbor Museum.

A sea-to-air missle from the Pearl Harbor historical site.

Tabitha poses in front of the USS Growler.

Erin and James in front a Pearl Harbor memorial.

Tabitha poses on one of the Pearl Harbor displays.

After our time at Pearl Harbor, we were starting to get tired.  In reality, we had only gotten about 3 hours of sleep (if that) on the plane, and our bodies were starting to remind us of that.  We got back on the bus and headed back to our hotel.  We did, however, make a pit-stop at a discount clothing store called Ross, so Erin could buy an additional bathing suit (which she was able to find for only $10!).  Once again, we boarded the bus and took it to Waikiki where we finally checked into our hotel. 

We were shocked by our views from the hotel windows - and our room - and by how nice the hotel's location was.  Because it was a beautiful day, and despite our lack of sleep, we couldn't resist heading back down to the beach!  We lathered on sunscreen and walked down to the beach for some relaxation.  Erin ended up swimming for a bit, while James read on the beach.  We really couldn't have asked for a more perfect afternoon.

Downtown Waikiki as we walked to the beach.

The Hilton pool and Waikiki's sand.

James poses on Waikiki beach with Diamondhead behind him.

We near the end of our longest day on Waikiki...

As the afternoon sun started to disappear, we left the beach and went in search of a grocery store.  To our dismay, we couldn't find anything other than one of many ABC Convenience Stores that are literally on every block.  We bought some beverages and snacks and grabbed dinner from the Subway restaurant nearby.  We went back to the hotel and watched Sportscenter for the first time in months while we ate and relaxed before going to bed.