The Lost Cards

September 3rd, 2018

Exactly three months ago today we were in Glasgow, and as usual I wrote and sent postcards from that fair city. Some of those cards featured these stamps:

These are commonly sold in tourist stores around the UK and I’ve used them before (including from many locations in England a couple of years ago). But I have since learned that these stamps are not issued by the Royal Mail (England’s official postal service) and are instead owned by a third party who has a dubious reputation when it comes to actually delivering stamped items.

If you use these stamps, apparently the items (which you put into a normal post box) are not delivered by the mail service, but are instead sent to a clearing house ran by the company that issues these stamps. They then send the collected mail in large quantities to another country with cheaper international rates, and mail it from there. According to what I’ve read these countries are usually in SE Asia, and there are significant delays as a result.

As far as I know only one Glasgow postcard using these stamps (and I believe I sent 10) has arrived – to my parents in Oz. The rest of us are waiting, but since it’s been three months I’m starting to wonder if we’ll wait forever…

I once sent my parents a card from Scarborough, England that took over 6 months to arrive but that used Royal Mail. I fear these Glaswegian cards are forgotten in a box somewhere, or perhaps experienced a grimmer fate.

The lesson is: in the UK, no matter how pretty the alternative, only use Royal Mail stamps (look for the queens head on the stamp). Even if your cards do arrive using these imposter stamps, they will likely be long-delayed!

And Then It Passed

August 26th, 2018

By Wednesday the storm warnings had become grim, with talks of hurricane force winds and colossal surf that would flood Waikiki. But on the ground there was little evidence of this:

That’s Waikiki viewed from atop Diamond Head crater. I climbed it myself on Wednesday morning while KLS rested in the shade in the crater and probably sweated off a pound or two!

Later in the day the weather took a distinct turn. Stores started closing early and the tide was very high, almost coming up to street level. It was dramatic and large crowds had collected to gawk at what we assumed was hurricane-related weather.

On Thursday most everything was either closed or closing early. We walked around and saw shopowners preparing for the worst with plastic and sandbags and in some cases boarding up entire storefronts. All public parks were closed, buses weren’t running and the warnings had adopted a darker aspect since by now the hurricane had started devastating eastern Hawaii with incredible rain and flooding.

And yet the skies in Waikiki were still (mostly) clear and we spent a lot of time at the beach in between stocking up on food and water under the assumption the storm would hit and we’d be staying in Hawaii longer than our scheduled departure date. By the end of the day there was a glimmer of hope: the storm had weakened slightly and had slowed.

Friday was interesting. It was our last full day in Hawaii and virtually everything was closed. The very few shops or restaurants open had massive lines mostly full of tourists that had just arrived or failed to heed the warnings. We stayed in our room eating food we’d stockpiled while packing, and then joined what seemed like every other tourist in Waikiki for an amazingly fun time at the beautiful beach.

I also wrote loads of postcards that day, although since mail pickup was suspended and due to the flooding warnings I hadn’t been mailing them (and didn’t until the airport).

But the strange reality of Friday was that Waikiki was essentially closed for business but the storm had gone! Between Thursday night and Friday morning – during the exact time we had been told the full force would hit us – the storm basically weakened and faded away! By mid morning it became clear Oahu had dodged a bullet and even the rains still buffeting The Big Island and Maui weren’t going to reach Oahu! The sun even returned while we were at the beach, and it was a beautiful day.

Yesterday we got up early, enjoyed our last incredible hotel buffet, went to the airport and traveled home (3 flights, 18 hours!) with no interruptions at all. To quote the headline of the Honolulu newspaper:

Hawaii was fantastic. It was relaxing and fun and beautiful and as unique as we had remembered. Staying literally on the beach at a luxury hotel was an incredible experience and we took advantage of it and visited the beach every day. We saw every bit of Waikiki, drove around the island and visited the north shore. We climbed diamond head, saw a magic show, ate amazing food including at two very realistic Japanese-style food courts and even saw tropical fish swimming in the surf! It was a wonderful trip and a great way to end the summer 🙂

Calm Before The Storm

August 22nd, 2018

I saw this turtle from Waikiki beach. He was chilling out near the shore while a paddler and snorkeled swum nearby.

Here’s another turtle floating at the beach, and yes this means we took the phone in the surf (in a waterproof case).

KLS drinking her $7 ‘frozen’ coconut, purchased at a roadside stall.

Me browsing used vintage postcards. They were overpriced and most had been written on.

We got a car and drive around the whole island. This was taken on Pupukea beach, where the waves were rough and the wind unforgiving!

We also visited the Dole plantation, which featured a train ride and giant hedge maze. While there the power to the entire area went out and they had to close the gift shop and restaurants!

There’s a powerful hurricane heading towards us right now, which threatens the entire state. Obviously this will affect our trip as well, and the immediate future is unclear. Hopefully the next post will still show clear skies…

We’re Here

August 19th, 2018

Flew to Honolulu from Portland yesterday. It was a short (~5 hrs) and uneventful flight.

Here’s our room view overlooking Waikiki beach:

It’s hot and sunny and busy. We got in mid afternoon and just explored the immediate area.

And went and watched the sunset with everyone else 🙂

Today we’ll go climb that mountain you see in the second last shot.

Vacation Time Again

August 15th, 2018

Summer is ending with another vacation! We’ll start in Portland for SFL’s wedding then continue on to Hawaii for a bit of rest and relaxation in the sun. I probably won’t blogging every day (it’s a lot of work!) but you can expect several updates during the trip.

Of course you’ll get postcards as well They can be a lot of work too, but I don’t plan on stopping any time soon 🙂