Janice and Hilary the Hula Queen Do Hawaii
Hilary, my 12-year-old niece, and I are spending two weeks in Maui. We've rented a condo in Kihei and will be snorkelling, taking a private cooking class, hiking, exploring and generally lazing about in the hot tub.
If you've looked at some of my other travelogues, you already know I've been taking each of my nieces and nephews on a big trip around the time of their 12th birthday. Hilary's choice for her Big Trip was somewhere warm. She's a beach girl at heart. If she lived by the ocean, I'm sure we'd be calling her Gidget.
Our first thought was the Caribbean, but I didn't want to spend a week or two confined to a resort and I wouldn't have felt entirely comfortable touring there independently. Hilary also suggested a cruise. Although I'd like to try a cruise sometime, it just doesn't excite my independent-traveller's heart either.
We've both been to Florida. We've both been to California. I thought about Bermuda, but then offered Hawaii if -- and only if -- I could dig up enough airline miles. My research indicated that Hawaii would offer the beaches and warm weather Hilary longed for and the scope for exploration that I wanted.
So, airline miles in hand, I booked our flights and researched my little heart out.
I asked Hilary to write a few paragraphs about what she's looking forward to. Hilary doesn't always express her excitement and sometimes I felt I was planning this trip blindly. Her comments were quite illuminating. Here's what she wrote:
"I am going to Hawaii with my Aunt Janice and I am really excited to go. I am looking forward to having a cook come to our condo to make Parmesan Chicken. I am looking forward to making it later at home for my family. [JB: I've booked a Maui chef who will come to our condo to give us a private cooking class. Hilary loves to cook! In fact, she watches the Food Network like her Fishing-Auntie, Krista, watches the Outdoor Life Network and like I watch Space.]
"I'm also looking forward to going to a volcano to see the sunrise. [JB: News to me! I'd better check the map...] The only thing I don't like is having to get up in the morning REALLY early and driving for two hours, but I really want to go so I guess I will have to get up.
"There are a few more things that I am excited about, like going to a luau (a morning one and a dinner one). I am also excited about going to see a movie that I have always wanted to see. I am really excited to go swimming on the beach and in the pool at our condo. But my favourite thing is going shopping because I LOVE shopping and I am going to buy a lot of stuff.
"That is some of the stuff that I am excited about when I go to Hawaii."
Recently, I asked Nick (who went with me to England in 2004) if he had any special travel tips for Hilary. Here's what he wrote, with his own inimitable spelling technique.
Nick's Traval Tip's For Hillary
Hey hilly here are some tips for ya
1. Take any chance u get to try new excperiences
2. try new food like bangers and mash
3. buy cool soivners
4. Take a book for looking at boring musiums
5. Take good walking shoes (anuty janice likes to take detour's)
6. take lots of film and a good camera
7. Take a barf bag (aunty janices driving needs work)
8. learn to yell curb! curb! and drift factor
9. stay out of volcanoes they may look inviting but there very dangerous
10. and over all have a great time
Some great advice there, but I protest the driving comments!
Ah, well, as I write this, it's blizzarding outside here in Toronto, but we're packing our suitcases and I'm looking forward to the hot tub in Maui! Stay tuned for our tropical adventures.
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