When will the day come that everyone in the travel group can just sail through airport security with no one being “dinged”? Apparently, not this trip.
The morning started smoothly enough, and we were meeting at the airport. Victoria’s son Malik was driving the “West Enders” while the Southside contingency was going with Linda C.
The West Enders, Mary Ellen, Victoria, and me, got to the airport early enough, arriving even before the check-in desk was open. After checking in, we made our way up to security which didn’t open until 4:00 am, so we had a few minutes just to chill. When the gate did open the three of us were the second group in line. Somehow, I managed to be the second one of the morning through the scanner, and I got dinged for the groin area. This was very strange as I was wearing drawstring pants with no zipper or metal snaps. What the ‘X*#*’? I had to wait for a female agent to pat me down. I ended up feeling very violated. I think something was off with the machine as I noticed several people after me had the exact same thing in the exact same area happen to them. Linda C., Linda H, and Kathleen met us at the gate.
I got up to take a couple of sitting-at-the-airport pictures when Linda C. suggested that we take our first group photo of the trip. I tried to do a selfie. A very lovely lady offered to take one for us as my arms weren’t long enough as we tried several different angles.
The morning started smoothly enough, and we were meeting at the airport. Victoria’s son Malik was driving the “West Enders” while the Southside contingency was going with Linda C.
The West Enders, Mary Ellen, Victoria, and me, got to the airport early enough, arriving even before the check-in desk was open. After checking in, we made our way up to security which didn’t open until 4:00 am, so we had a few minutes just to chill. When the gate did open the three of us were the second group in line. Somehow, I managed to be the second one of the morning through the scanner, and I got dinged for the groin area. This was very strange as I was wearing drawstring pants with no zipper or metal snaps. What the ‘X*#*’? I had to wait for a female agent to pat me down. I ended up feeling very violated. I think something was off with the machine as I noticed several people after me had the exact same thing in the exact same area happen to them. Linda C., Linda H, and Kathleen met us at the gate.
I got up to take a couple of sitting-at-the-airport pictures when Linda C. suggested that we take our first group photo of the trip. I tried to do a selfie. A very lovely lady offered to take one for us as my arms weren’t long enough as we tried several different angles.
We had a smooth ride to Detroit with a 4-hour layover. During this time, while the others rested, I needed to walk having been lucky enough to get some sleep during the night. The Detroit airport is very long. So long that it has an inside tram to go from one end to the other. I started in the middle, by our gate. My walk took me to one end of the airport and then to the other, checking out some of the shops and kiosks. I decided to check out the tram and caught a ride back to our gate. My walking report said I did about 1 1/2 miles. Boarding for Honolulu went smoothly with the plane taking off right on time. Linda C. got to have the experience of a lifetime as she had upgraded to First Class.
Chilling during our layover in Detroit after very little sleep.
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Landing in Honolulu almost felt like entering a foreign country with paperwork to fill out before you were allowed to disembark. You are not allowed to bring produce, flowers, seeds, or any other type of biological item to the Island. I ate my Bing cherries but had to throw away the rest of my veggies. I wish I had known about this ahead of time.
Once off the plane, we collected our luggage and picked up the rental car. The drive to our hotel in Waikiki took about 45 minutes due to rush hour traffic.
We are staying at the Twin Fin Hotel. The building has a very interesting layout and elevator system. The lobby of the hotel is on the third floor right beside the outdoor swimming pool. The restaurant associated with the hotel is on the other side of the pool. To use the elevator, you have to first type in the floor number and then hold your room key next to the security pad. The elevator screen then lets you know which elevator will be taking you to your floor. If you get on the wrong elevator, there is no way to tell it to stop as there are no buttons inside except for open, close, and emergency.
Once off the plane, we collected our luggage and picked up the rental car. The drive to our hotel in Waikiki took about 45 minutes due to rush hour traffic.
We are staying at the Twin Fin Hotel. The building has a very interesting layout and elevator system. The lobby of the hotel is on the third floor right beside the outdoor swimming pool. The restaurant associated with the hotel is on the other side of the pool. To use the elevator, you have to first type in the floor number and then hold your room key next to the security pad. The elevator screen then lets you know which elevator will be taking you to your floor. If you get on the wrong elevator, there is no way to tell it to stop as there are no buttons inside except for open, close, and emergency.
The front desk.
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Tiki' Grill and Bar
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The Twin Fin Hotel pool
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We settle in our rooms and then we all met for dinner. We ate at Tiki’s Grill and Bar for light fare; there is a chef at the Twin Fin restaurant. The food was delicious! Between the five of us, we ordered Layered Beet and Boursin Cheese salad, Island Watermelon Salad, coconut shrimp, and a house salad. Kathleen enjoyed a cocktail, Gin-ger Gimlet which she said was delicious! The presentations were beautiful on plates, and we enjoyed our meals. We want to come back to try what each other had another time. Our waiter, Michael, was welcoming and friendly. He loves the water! After dinner, Kathleen, Mary Ellen, and I walked along the beach and checked out a few shops. It was only 8:05, but the sun had set!
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Tomorrow we are off to an excursion at the Polynesian Cultural Center, Luau included.