A Rocky Start

Today was the first day of the rest of our vacation. But the fun seems to always be at the end of a long day of travel. Funny, when I was a kid, the vacation was almost all travel. Plane rides were expensive, so we always did the driving vacation, but not today. We're waiting for a shuttle bus to take us to the airport.

We're still waiting. They're a bit late.

OK, now My Lovely Wife is asking why we're using this service.

Now, she wants to get in the car and park at the airport.

1 hour late, the shuttle bus arrives.

I didn't tip the driver. We made our flight, but I didn't need the blood pressure this early in my vacation.

We fly from San Jose to LAX. There we picked up a connection to Maui. I've avoided LAX over the decades. In the 80's I found it to be a nightmare. But American Airlines has figured out how to get me from terminal to terminal without leaving the security zone. So we only had to be inspected by the TSA once. I wish London Heathrow could do this. Their inter-terminal shuttle leaves the security zone and you're not allowed to bring a sealed can of Diet Coke you took from the last plane into the second terminal. LAX is back on my 'nice' list.

We landed after sundown in Maui. Somehow, I thought we were flying into a different airport on Maui, but no, we're in Kahului which is half an island away from the resort. My smartphone has a built-in GPS navigation system. Before leaving home, I had stored a few locations in it. I pressed the preset for the resort, and the lady who lives in my phone gave me perfect directions. I had never thought I would buy a GPS. I know where most places are where I live, but I have to say, landing some place you haven't been in 23 years in the dark, the GPS makes life better.

The guy at the front desk of the Royal Lahaina Resort was very friendly. We asked about any free upgrades available. We were supposed to be in a garden bungalow, and were upgraded to a tower room with a semi-ocean view. The guy also knew were the locals ate, and marked a few places on my map where we might find some authentic Hawaiian food.

As travel days go, it was a rocky start, but otherwise, not so bad. I do think it's odd, that no matter how far you travel, an airplane will always kill an entire day.