We're back

With little thanks to Air Canada. They managed to mess up the opening day of this trip (see my earlier rant) so I guess they figured it was their corporate duty to mess up the finale. I’ll give them the credit due them–they did a fine job of messing up our return trip. This time we didn’t even get onto the first plane before the troubles began. We had an 8:45 pm flight from Honolulu to Vancouver so we got to the airport shortly after 6, turned in the rental car and proceeded to check-in. By the time we got through security and grabbed some supper, it was time to head for the departure lounge. There, we discovered that the flight had been pushed back to 9 o’clock. No big deal.
After sitting around for half an hour as the departure lounge slowly filled with passengers, an Air Canada rep came on the PA and told us they had an incoming flight and needed the space so we would have to wait in the hall. Have you ever had to do this in an international airport? When they finally re-admitted us, about forty-five minutes later, we were screened at the door and had to show both a boarding pass and ID to get into the lounge area. Talk about setting a pleasant mood for traveling. No explanation. No apology. Just the attitude of business as usual.
The flight did get off just 30 minutes behind schedule and, with a good tailwind, we landed in Vancouver shortly before 5:30 am. Our flight to Toronto was a different airplane at a different gate. We had to pick up our bags and clear through Customs and Immigration before traversing the airport to find our new departure gate. No real problems but the airport is kind of dead at that hour of the morning and there weren’t a lot of shops open. We didn’t see any where to have breakfast but, not to worry. With a 7 am departure, Air Canada is sure to offer breakfast. Right. Think again. By the time we arrived in Toronto at 2 pm, we were tired, grumpy and hungry. So much for all the “aloha” we had soaked up in the Islands.
So, let’s see. We check in with Air Canada at 8:15 pm in Honolulu and walk off the plane in Toronto at 2:15 pm the following day. Allowing for the time zones (6 hours), we’ve been in transit for 12 hours. In that time, Air Canada has provided one meal (an hour or so out of Honolulu), two glasses of orange juice and two glasses of water. I’m glad we weren’t flying one of those ‘no frills’ airlines.
We’d spent our last weekend on Oahu checking out some of the lesser known beaches on the North Shore and Windward coast. We discovered why the Turtle Bay Resort is aptly named and crossed some trails off our list of worthwhile activities. Our final visit was to Waimanalo Beach Park and we walked from there to Bellows Beach and back. The tide was in so the walk wasn’t as nice as earlier but any day on Bellows is a good day. After we checked out of the condo, we stopped by the Wailua Bakery for a final shave ice before heading into Honolulu traffic for the drive to the airport.
Toronto wasn’t quite as warm as when we left. And the mornings have really been dreary. I miss sitting on the balcony watching the kayaks and outrigger canoes on the Ala Wai. I wonder if my tan will last until I find another beach.