EVERY GOOD THING COMES TO AN END!

THE BANYAN--

This is the view out our condo window.  The tennis court and pool are all a part of the condo.  The ocean you see in the background is Waikiki Beach.  I hate to admit it but we were so busy, we only took advantage of the hot tub one time.  

When we went shopping for some new clothes for Dad, Laura also found the awesome shirt she is wearing.  Dad is wearing the new Hawaiian shirt we found for him.  This picture is taken on the condo balcony just outside our room.

  

We drove to the western shore of Oahu--to Ko Olina (about 19 miles from Honolulu)--to see Marriott's Ihilani Resort and Spa, where Laura and George had stayed once with their son and his family.  

The windward coast (east) is green and lush while the leeward coast (west) is dry and has no rain forests.  However, Marriott has created an oasis with their property.

Four white sand lagoons were dredged by Marriott in order to calm the ocean for swimming instead of crashing waves making it impossible to even be near the ocean--smart idea!!! 

As you walk through the resort, there are large ponds with several hammerhead sharks in one--

--and stingrays in another.  These workers were opening oyster shells and feeding the meat to the rays.

We asked them if they were worried about the tails stinging them, and they said the barbs on this specie were close to the body and not on the end of the long tail.

Sculpture in stingray pond

Aulani Disney Resort--Another smart thing Marriott did was invite Disney to build along with their facilities.  This resort is relatively new--only a little over two years old!

The Disney characters were there, of course!

The resort celebrated Hawaiian culture, history and traditions by incorporating Hawaiian art and design in the resort.

Disney really knows how to do things right, even though I would have never guessed this was Disney until I saw Goofy!

Taking a break on the patio

------------------------------------------------------

After we finished touring the resorts, we decided to see a movie that Laura highly recommended, Parental Guidance, which now I would highly recommend.  The movie was hilarious!  I found myself laughing out loud several times.

On Saturday before we flew home, we attended the Aloha Stadium Swap Meet, which is Hawaii's biggest flea market with over 700 local merchants.  This was something else Mother loved to do.  Beverly and I bought some beautiful Hawaii quilted wall hangings, and Natalie bought a baby quilt with Hawaiian designs (hopefully to be used someday).  We then drove Laura to the airport since she was flying back to Florida and leaving five hours earlier than us.  

Since Natalie, Beverly, Dad and I had those extra hours, we decided to drive to Pali Lookout, which overlooks the 985 foot cliffs of the Koolau Mountain Range and is one of the best views on Oahu.  This lookout was where King Kamehameha and his warriors in 1795 defeated the Oahu armies by sending them over these steep (see the picture below), forested cliffs, claiming his victory and uniting the Hawaiian Islands.  The breathtaking sight and gruesome history of the battle fought here is enough to cause a chill to run up your spine.  Along with the incredible winds that pass through the Pali, you feel like you are going to be swept off your feet. 

Since we still had time (our plane wasn't departing until 10:00 p.m.--the "Red Eye"--we decided to go to another movie, The Impossible.  This movie was inspired by a real-life family swept up by the massive waves in the 2004 Thailand Tsunami and what happens to them!  Again, I would highly recommend this movie--very amazing recreation and some very tender moments!

Well, like I titled this post "Every good thing comes to an end," we couldn't believe how quickly our vacation was over.  Our spouses and children asked us what we were going to do all of those days.  However, we even surprised ourselves by keeping very busy. 

Even though Dad will turn 90 years on April 16, he enjoyed every day and hated to see the time end.  He has instilled in all of us the love of travel.  

I will especially always keep close to my heart the wonderful time spent with three of my special sisters.  I love them dearly and hope we can do this again.