still on vacation...

Vacation can be a tough gig!

All day long this is how it goes: eat, sun, beach, sun, pool, sun, repeat. All I have done for the past 4 days is exactly that. I threw in a couple of walk abouts with some window shopping, but other than that...nothing.

I have spoken only to hotel staff and store clerks. Mimi is my housekeeper...and since I don't need full hotel room service every day, she thinks I am crazy. Don't you want this done? Don't you want that done? Let me change the towels. Let me vacuum. Today, she wore me down. I left, and she was just finishing another room, I just said good morning as I passed (good manners are always appropriate). The sweet lady said, "You want I clean your room today?" (Delicate Asisan accent on a beautiful little lady who does hard work every day.) "Sure!" I said, "I'll be back in about 1 hour. Is that long enough?" She jumped to her feet and said, "I start it right now. It will be done when you get back. You just enjoy your breakfast, ok? You are so nice lady!"

When I returned, the place was perfect. Even though I had hung the towels on the rack (per instructions on the card provided that means you are going to reuse the towels - saving water resources) my towels were gone and replaced by fresh bath towels and they were again perfectly arranged. Tiny shampoos and lotions, teas and glasses were provided. New tiny soaps were again on display, and the partially used bars were gone. Apparently, Mimi can't stomach the thought that I reuse a bar of soap! Tomorrow I can't rely on the same service, as it is Mimi's day off. That's how much she shared with me on the first morning I was here! She is a delightful lady! She was cleaning a room at the end of the hall the other day and saw me and said hello. I asked how her day was, and it seemed like she couldn't believe that how her day was meant anything to me. Funny how people who stay at resorts can be so dismissive of people in the service industry. I am not one of those people. The work that this little lady does every day is amazing. When I asked her about her day, she said, "Come here, I show you something." She motioned me to the room she had just started to clean. It was apparent the guests had just vacated, and the place literally looked like a bomb had exploded in there. There was trash all over, the beds were completely torn apart (sheets, pillows, coverings all over the room). It could have been the room of the Rolling Stones in the mid 1970's. She told me that she had 16 rooms to clean to perfection between check out time at 12:00 noon and 3:00 check in time. That didn't include the other rooms in her zone which, like mine were continuing guests. If the 16 rooms of departing guests all looked anything like this pig sty, I can't imagine how she has done this for 25 years. (Another tidbit she shared!) She said, "Your room so clean compared to this one - tsk, tsk, tsk, 6 people in here. But I think there was more. Lots of people come out every day." Interesting how the people that most guests consider to be invisible really know what is happening in the rooms.

Today was 90 degrees. Lovely, and really great that it never feels that hot while you are on a surf board on the ocean for hours. I came back in 2 times today - once to reapply the sunscreen, and another when it went completely flat for a couple of hours. The wind came back up a couple of hours later, so back out. Heavenly!

I also tortured myself for the obligitory trip to Hilo Hattie's. The trip is great. It's free on the trolley. So, no worries! Part of the package tour that Ken the travel agent got me included 2 free Outrigger tshirts. Clever ploy really. You can only pick up the shirts at Hilo Hatties. So you have to make the trip and will probably buy something there...clever. I, on the other hand, have played this game before. Last trip had the same promotion going on. Get the shirt at Hilo Hatties...I was on to them then. This year, still didn't bite. But get this. When I got there, the lady at the counter said, "sorry, we are out of those tshirts. You get these towels with same logo on them" So, I took the towels and asked for the manager. And in just a couple of minutes, I got one of the promo tshirts, but no size for the hubby at home....so he wanted to get rid of me and gave me a Duke Kahanamoku tshirt in the correct size for the hubby! I happily relinquished my grip on the bag with the towels and he replaced them with the shirts. Not only did they try to get me to buy stuff I don't want by getting me to this store, then when I get there, I don't get the item promised! Even when the stuff is free, I demand my free stuff! Not a cheap replacement item! I love shopping victories!

Tonight after watching the replay of Barry Bonds hitting home run 756 (I didn't know it happened until hubby called and said he watched the game tonight) I did a walk about to look for something for dinner. Walked Diamond Head (that's a direction here...Diamond Head, North Shore, Honolulu, beach = east, north, west, south!) and found a McDonalds. Now, before you start moaning, I have eaten all fresh fruit, eggs, salads, and tons of water. As I walked by I thought about passing, but it was now 9:30 and I was pretty hungry...and a hamburger sounded pretty good! McDonalds in Hawaii is much more expensive. In Washington state a Big Mac Meal is about $5.00 or so. In Hawaii, $7.75. So I got the meal, which in Hawaii comes with a dish of pineapple slices! I wonder if that adds the extra $2.75 to the price. There are 12 chunks of pineapple in the dish...hardly $2.75 worth...but I know that they have to add in shipping costs to Hawaii. I ate the burger, nothing great, but the fries were really hot and still a little shiny with the processed crap they fry them in! They were perfectly salted (Goldilocks fries - just right) and with the dip of ketchup - they were sublime! The pineapple is in the fridge for a snack tomorrow afternoon!

Breakfast, shopping, surfing, sunning, shopping and fries...a full day will now yield to a good night's rest.

~Aloha