I don't know what's up with Blogger, but I had posted a video here and it has simply gone away. Alas. I'll put it up on Facebook, which seems infinitely more reliable in this regard. I'm tired at the moment, which is nearly 4:00 in Hawaii time, and it's been a bit of an off day.

Last night was spectacular, however; we went to have dinner with Kriss and Jo and happened to be at the beach at sunset, which was beautiful (as if that word alone could cover it...). Then we ate dinner at - wait for it - Jimmy Buffet's restaurant. Those of who know me well are aware of the fact that I hold this man (Monsieur Buffet, that is) singlehandedly responsible for some of the worst music of the 20th century and so I was not exactly thrilled at the idea of patronizing his establishment. HOWEVER, I must now admit that even though the musical selections of said establishment were nauseating, the food was, in a word, amazing. I had macadamia nut-crusted mahi mahi with a coconut butter and steamed veggies and it was delicious.

{Sidebar: I know I do this a lot here, but I've got to sit in the lobby to write online, and there's always stuff happening round me. I just saw a kid walk by and stick his head into the hotel and I was certain for a moment it was a student looking for me. He looks just like one of my little pilgrims and I almost waved and asked what he needed. See? Tired.}

We walked back through the International Market after supper and it was fun again. I love tacky tourist shopping, but I think I'm alone in this crew. I could spend all day looking at Asian junk at the price of 10 for $20 (it doesn't matter what it is, really). Need to go back there soon. Still corners I have not explored...

Today we slept in and it was raining hard for the better part of the night. I wanted to hike to Makapu'u Lighthouse, which is a short hike basically up the side of a hill overlooking the ocean on the easternmost point of Oahu. It is not easy to get to by bus and we ended up first way beyond it, meaning to walk there, but turns out it was too dangerous to walk along that highway. Stellar views from here, though (see pics). We went back to the bus stop, got back on the bus, and went to the stop that was beyond the trail head the other way. It was an easier walk, but farther. I would guess from eyeballing it that we were about two miles from the trail. It wasn't a bad walk, but it did start raining as we got toward it. This made me nervous because we were not prepared for rain; I had only a broken, leaky umbrella and I was genuinely worried about getting my phone and camera wet (my bag was just made of cotton). Furthermore, we were so far from transportation that if it started pouring in earnest, we could be really screwed. But we kept walking anyway and got nearly there before it started raining hard. I have to admit that I'm often not terribly happy while hiking (though I love to do it - figure that one out), and there have been many a trip up a mountain that involved tears on my part. It's just how I'm wired. Then with wind and rain AND a hike, I was less than thrilled, even in spite of the breathtaking scenery. Few things, in fact, are less pleasant than sweating, being rained on, and wearing glasses all at the same time, and this was my experience. Having wet clothes is something that also bothers me tremendously, and it made Jamison quite cross with me. Alas. He thinks I have "no sense of adventure," and perhaps I don't, but by the time we got nearly there, I had simply had it. For me, adventure is only fun if it doesn't suck. And this one sucked hard.

I said I was done and started back down the hill. If it meant losing the camera and my phone and being soaked to the core for the rest of the day, I was willing to scrap it. At least we got a great workout in, and saw some beautiful scenery. It was a crowded and quiet ride home on the bus, and Kriss departed for his home a few stops before ours. We hadn't yet had lunch either, so went to the local grocery store to get stuff for the kitchen and decided to have the all-you-can-eat sushi buffet next door, and we had a coupon. The whole place is decorated with Hello Kitty, which I found both amusing and a bit annoying. The food was only okay and now, a couple of hours later, has made me feel less than good in the digestive arena. I think I'll have a piece of fruit for dinner. Ugh.

And it would seem that it is not just possible, but LIKELY that you can get sunburned even in the rain around here. Either that, or my arms are starting to turn to lobster claws. Both seem rather unlikely to me.