Hawaii 2007 - Getting there

Well, what better place to start this story than the beginning – the planning… Annette and I submitted our request for a timeshare unit on the big island of Hawaii back in 2005. That was the easy part. The next step was to plan on how to get there. Because we were using our AirMiles for travel, we are limited to arrival in Oahu, which is the commercialized island noted for Honolulu, Waikiki, Pearl Harbour and Diamond Head. The island that Annette and I enjoy the most is the big island, also known as Hawaii. It is the largest of all the islands, and in fact is larger than all islands put together. It is much less commercialized, and has the most active volcanoes. It sports the largest mountain in the world, upon which some of the world’s most renowned observatories exist. It also has just about every climate within the 250+ miles circumference of the island, some of the best beaches in the world, and much more.

So, back to getting there… We planned for an overnight stay on Oahu, then catch an inter-island flight toward noon the next day. This time, we decided to indulge a bit and stay at the Sheraton Waikiki Hotel, which is one of the nicer hotels. And once on the big island of Hawaii, we planned to stay at a resort on the north-western side of the island that is nestled on a golf course.

We booked this all through reward programs. My advice to you is to plan very carefully. While our vacation was extremely cost effective for a Hawaii vacation, there are appreciable risks. The first being non-direct flights. I should have suspected that we would run into problems when AirMiles would only give us the following flight to the island:

• Toronto to Vancouver on WestJet

• Vancouver to Seattle, Washington on NorthWest

• Seattle to Oahu on NorthWest

• Then we had our Aloha inter-island flight to Hawaii.

The more connections you have, the higher the potential to miss flights, luggage, whatever… There’s your hint to where I’m heading on this blog…

Let’s get back to home base though. The picture basically captures what we were leaving behind. Basically… This was the storm that hit Ontario the day before we left, but a considerable amount melted before we actually hit the road. And the last few weeks were bone chilling cold (-20C). So we were both happy to leave this weather behind!!

So with luggage all packed and cameras ready to roll, we headed for the airport.

The employees at WestJet are great – very courteous and excellent customer focus. Nothing against WestJet, but our flight delayed by an hour in Toronto because there was a lack of baggage handlers at the Toronto airport due to “colds”. We had no idea at the time of the impact of this delay to our travel. We had planned for 2 hrs between flights, which was confirmed by reward travel agent as being sufficient. When we arrived at Vancouver, we were delayed another ½ hour for our luggage to arrive so that we could board the next flight. With the combined delay, we missed our connecting flight.

When we went to the NorthWest information center – there was no-one there!! Other than a sign indicating to head to the AlaskaAir desk for any inquiries. So we headed over to the AlaskaAir counter and waited in line for the next agent to become available. The best advice he could give was to call AirMiles or NorthWest. Annette asked about alternative flights, and the best he could provide was a flight to Honolulu the next evening for $5,000. Yup, didn’t put too many zeros… that was the price from Vancouver to Honolulu!

So, Annette called the toll-free number for NorthWest and was greeted with a message indicating that due to high call volume they were disconnecting her call. Obviously we weren’t the only ones with a problem then.. But before the call was disconnected it advised to try calling back later or use the internet! And how are you supposed to access their site through the Internet from the airport?! At this point, I thought I was going to spend the night, or my vacation in jail. I was so pissed I could just feel the anger build at the way we were being treated. Good thing Annette kept her cool…

Next step was to call AirMiles. Annette got an agent fairly quickly, which was a good thing. You can just imagine the scene… Annette is trying to have this conversation with the agent, but I was thinking it is taking too long and am pressuring in the background to talk to their supervisor because what I was hearing from her conversation was that the earliest flight they could give us was for Feb 26 – almost the end of our vacation. Annette’s giving me the “buzz off” face while she tries to deal with the agent. What the agent also advised was that she wasn’t able to do anything for us because we didn’t purchase the trip insurance. We were offered the insurance when we bought the tickets, but we didn’t consider missed flights. Our thinking was that if for some circumstance we couldn’t go to Hawaii, we would just loose the cost of the airfare, which was about $300. Fine… We didn’t consider getting stuck in an airport for days. The other aspect of missing a flight is that subsequent connecting flights are automatically cancelled as well. So I made a mad dash back to the AlaskaAir agent to ensure that none of our connecting flights would be cancelled.

The AirMiles agent did suggest that we immediately talk to WestJet who had a flight out to Honolulu that night. We hiked over to an agent, who was courteous and helpful. We got a flight for $500 leaving within 3 hours. That beats the $5,000 that the AlaskaAir agent wanted to charge us!! We’ll figure out who we will get to cover the other flight later – but someone will…

So, WestJet saved us. To shorten this long story, we made the flight and got to Honolulu. Chris, we should have been more diligent after reading your travel planning mishap!

We arrived in Honolulu just after midnight Hawaiian time, or about 5am eastern time. By the time we found a shuttle to get us to our hotel it was about 1:30am. We were pretty tired by that point, so were looking for a comfortable bed. We headed for the check-in counter to find out that AirMiles was supposed to issue some sort of certificate for us to present to the Sheraton. However, the guy at the Sheraton was great and dealt with the information that AirMiles did provide. Chalk up another one for AirMiles…

Fall Colour Tour with Fijko

This is one time of the year that Annette and I truly enjoying taking a trip into the north country to absorb the wonderful colours of fall, where the trees stretch as far as the eye can see. Unfortunately, this year Annette came down with a sudden attack of kidney stones so she was not able to make the trek northward. However, Annette's aunt Annie and cousin Fyko from Holland were visiting her parents. Since they came out for the day to visit Annette, I took Fyko up north with me while Annette's family visited... Yup, I'm Mr. Nice Guy - leaving his wife in pain to entertain her family... But then, she doesn't want an annoying guy like me around anyway...

The last time Fijko had visited Canada was 27 years ago, so it was very nice that we got to spend some time with Annie and Fijko. I know that he enjoys our northern country, and was really keen on doing some sight-seeing while in Canada for his short vacation. Since we were not able to leave until 3pm, and had to be back sometime the same night, we only got as far north as Kinmount, where most of these pictures were taken. Also, since the day was overcast and the potential for rain loomed overhead, we did not attempt to venture further north. The leaves in this area were just starting to turn colour and the ideal fall display would be best viewed the following week. But there were some interesting photographic opportunities to capture here for Fyko and I to capture as well.

Okay, so starting off with this picture of the dam/waterfall and the old mill. This is where I focussed most of the pictures from. I have driven past this area for many years on my way to my friend's cottage, but had never taken the time to stop and really take a look at the area.

I like the way that the white water rushing off the dam contrasts the decaying old mill in the background, which offers a picturesque view that brings an old fashioned charm to the whole scene.




And this is just a closer shot of the water cascading off the dam. The tree at the edge provides a nice flavour of autumn.













Below are two pictures taken from on top of the dam facing toward the village of Kinmount. The reflection of the town in the water caught my attention for a nice picture. The picture following that is a panoramic extension of the first picture, but to the right of it. The overcast sky with the calm, reflective water and the bridge in the background provide some of the elements that I like in this type of picture.
















As you may have gathered from my pictures, I enjoy the mirror images provided by calm waters. While there wasn't anything special about the bridge in the next photo - I mean it's not like it is an old wooden bridge or anything, there is a certain ambiance to the picture with the reflection and deep greens provided by the trees and grass.




This little guy was hanging off a little corner of a steel girder on the bridge.




This next picture was taken from atop the dam. Again, the calm water hosting the reflection the sky, accented by the leaves that are starting to change colours caught my eye.














That was about it for the village of Kinmount. From here, we headed to a nearby lookout. While the view into the hills did not provide the colours that I was looking for, there was enough at the lookout to catch my eye.
















From here we headed out to my friends cottage - Mike and Cathy. Fijko noticed the local shoe tree, so we stopped for a picture. No, this isn't one of those wooden trees that you put in your shoes to stretch them out...

According to legend, this phenomenom was initiated by old folks throwing shoes into a tree because they were leaving their souls, or soles, behind. And then some people believe that the tradition was started by students who wore out their shoes walking between classes - throwing them up in the trees to get rid of them... I don't know which is true, but I do know that I have about 30 pairs of shoes that are looking for a new home... ;-)



















We continued on for a brief visit with Mike and Cathy. They have a unique turn-of-the-century cottage that has 3 sides that sits on the water. It is also unique from the perspective that it is old wooden cottage sitting on a lake, with all the modern conveniences that one could imagine!














Mike and Fijko after a walk through the woods, having a chat about boating, and forestry, and cottages, and ...

Mike & Cathy's cottage - Sept 1

Occasionally, we get a chance to visit my good friends Mike & Cathy at their cottage. Stephen and I really enjoy being in cottage country in the fall, and have tried to make it a tradition to be somewhere near Algonquin Park the long weekend before school starts. Based on traffic patterns, it seems that most of the Greater Toronto Area follow the same thinking...



Even after leaving the office early, by the time I got home it was after 6pm - with at least a 3 hour drive ahead. Once we got there, we sat around chatting for a while. As we chatted I savoured a killer Manhatten. I thought that the drink would make me drowsy, but the stunningly clear view of the sky invigorated me instead. City life was beginning to convince me that the sky was empty, save for the bright lights that we have conveniently scattered across our cities in an attempt segregate ourselves from nature and the natural way of things. I had forgotten that the history of the heavens was etched in the sky.



Despite getting to bed around 1am, I woke up at about 5am, grabbed my camera, and headed for the porch. As you can see, the water was like glass, and the view is beautiful.






While I was focussing on the view of the lake, I kept hearing this buzzing in my ear, thinking that the damn mosquitoes were still out. Then I caught this hummingbird out of the corner of my eye. I didn't really have time to reset the camera for the proper lighting/speed, but this little guy tore away from the feeder toward me, stopped mid-air and watched me to determine whether or not I was a threat!



Mike and Cath have a unique cottage. Only one side is accessible from land. I'll post pictures of it another time. They always have something in every corner to attract everyone's interest - I'll leave it at that for now. Just outside the door, on the land side, they have a little inground barrel that hosts local frogs (ribbet kind...) of both biological and plastic varieties. These two were hoping that I wouldn't spot them. Nobody wants me to take their picture!



The weather held out, so we decided to take a stroll through the woods on Mike's property. He definitely has enough property to get lost on.



Mike's trusty guard dog led us through the forest, protecting us from the local wildwife...






But the scenery is truly wonderful. The woods aren't too thick, provided reasonably easy passage and great views. The earthy colours of green and browns are richly highlighted against the overcast sky - optimal conditions for photography.



At the top of a ridge on part of their property, they have a gazebo that overlooks the lake. They also have an oversized hammock strung between two trees. A very comfortable hammock with a great view. Nice breeze flowing through the trees, gently singing... hmmm.... I need a nap...








But not everyone needed a nap obviously. Stephen decided he needed to rebuild the Innukshuk that had toppled either due to balance of the stones, or a recent tornado that swept through the region.








And after a long day of walking (and a few well proportioned drinks didn't help), it was time to relax in front of a projected movie. Here we have Stephen making friends with Hope.

Welcome!

Well, when my server crashed I was looking for a quick and easy way to share some of my interests with friends and family. Chris suggested blogging - this Internet diary. It's quick and easy to use. Try it!

So, the hobbies that I am trying to share include my obsession for classic cars - particularly the Pontiac GTO, travel, and photography. I guess all three really all boil down to photography. This page/blog will primarily focus on photography as a result of various travels. There is also a link at the side to the Classic GTO Club of Ontario to share information on the Pontiac GTO.

I hope you enjoy. Send comments, and we'll see if I continue with this...