Getting to LAX was pretty cool. Our last minute switch to two vans was a much better plan than 1 ultimate stretch hummer to pick up the entire group and all of our gear and luggage - No bumps in the road and United treated us very well! They were expecting us and checking in wasn't so bad afterall - Great start! Once we had lift-off and were well into our Westward flight direction, this was the view from my window...
Travelling back in time...
As you would expect - Travelling East is like getting time back. So there we are, riding the sunset for about half of our 5 hour flight... Touchdown was bit rocky, but once your on the ride - your on the ride... 9 guys - gear - luggage - LANDED!!! It felt more like the landing party from the Star Trek Enterprise when all broke out our new digital toys snapping pix and taping eachother and all the insignificant things to the local eye that was inspiring to each of us individually... After a short while - luggage and gear in tow - we stepped into the humid night air of Honolulu...
The Buddah Bar
We were greeted by Frank, our host on the island that arranged for a couple of vans to cargo us and the gear to the local Navy base where we provided our work orders and found our new homes for the night... With the few hours I'd had to sleep in the last 2 previous nights I was surprised to find my newfound energy to meet up with half the crew after we settled in, to check some of the local night scene... We made our to Dukes just before closing to order a round and listen to a couple of live players covering some old top 40 with a Hawaiian twist... Now, I don't wanna talk bad about anybody - but we all agreed - Dukes I'm sure has had some great times... but we had 1 round of watered down drinks and were subject to a fumigation in process - and quickly found ourselves running with the cockroaches for the door!!! Back into the night and some fresher air - we made our way around the local scene - it was clear to see that Hawaii had much more to offer than just Mai Tais and coconuts, but we finnaly settled into a little place called the Buddah Bar that had a really cool vibe with dimly lit rooms with red lights and a DJ playing some great lounge and club music... Our visit was quick - because we all knew our next morning would involve getting to Kwajalein and another 5 hour flight! Aloha!
Pear Harbor
The one bummer about our 1 night overlay in Hawaii was checking in very late in the evening and by the following morning we were scheduled for an early flight... We never had a chance to see the the Arizona or take in any of the local history from WWII. I guess we'll have to save that for another trip.
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