Maui bound courtesy of world's smallest plane

I was sure that had been sort of mix up when I checked in for my flight from Kona to Maui and learned that I was to fly on a 6 passenger plane. Panic. Fear. All was better after I bonded with my fellow passengers and resorted to a little pharmaceutic management.

My pilot. I think he may be 18. He turned out to have excellent aviation skills.

Flying into Maui

Pat and Sibyl picked me up from the airport. They are my parents best friends from high school and have always been in my life. We had a superb meal at Cheeseburger In Paradise in Lahaina. Our table had a great view of the ocean.

I settled into my condo and reunited with my siblings and many family friends.

Today is my sister Janice's birthday. A birthday in Maui? Sweet! My brother-in-law treated us to a dinner at Roy's. We enjoyed a Hawaiian Fusion meal.

Dana and I and our soon to be sister-in-law, Sonia

Dana and Nick

Ken and Sonia

My dad making a toast to his favorite oldest child, Janice.

Make a wish!

Tomorrow we will all be beach bums and then celebrate at Sonia and Ken's Rehearsal Luau. I heart Maui!

Headed to Orygun...

I'm headed (back) to Oregon for a few days. I scored a steal of a deal plane ticket and had plans to show my best girl Carolyn my old stomping grounds. But... as luck would have it we had a calendar mix up and she has to stay behind. (Boo hoo). So it's a solo trip to visit with the folks and attend my future sister-in-law Sonia's bridal shower!

The flight from Portland to Redmond was breathtaking. What great timing to watch the sunset over the city.

Tomorrow: Checking out the "little big town" of Sisters, lunch with dad and dinner with mamacita.

Traveling Trying Times

So this morning I took that BART (Bart Area Rapid Transit) to the San Francisco airport.

I get a little (*or a lot*) freaked out when the train goes through a long tunnel in the ocean before Embarcadero. Just knowing that if the train breaks down nobody could get out and there's no cell phone coverage and people are smelly on the train, and I have no food and it's hot in there and...) And wouldn't you know, today the train BROKE DOWN. But thankfully AFTER Embarcadero. They ended up returning to the station and wouldn't be able to continue the rest of their route.

I was stretched for time and opted to get a cab outside of the station. All of the taxis were full. All of them. I approached two fellow tourists and asked if I could share a cab. They agreed. Riding in a taxi with two strangers. Me in the front seat with the Asian cabbie with NO ENGLISH (he actually said that when we got in) and the two in the back who were seriously playing 20 questions with me.

I did make my plane ~ just barely and enjoyed a nice long snooze... Good times.