Aloha from the Big Island! This week was really special (isn’t that special...:) It was Marnie’s and my 15 year wedding anniversary! To celebrate, we took the kids...:< (just kidding) to Kirin at the Hilton Waikoloa! Now, I may have mentioned somewhere in this trip report that 3 or 4 years ago, the last time Marnie and I visited the Big Island (prior to our move here,) we stayed at the Hilton Waikoloa, and we ate at Kirin’s 3 or 4 nights in a row! It is the BEST Chinese food in the world (or at least this part of the world..!) Well, last night (Thursday, April 24,) we ventured over to the Hilton and walked our way down to Kirin’s. Although we ate here about 12 weeks ago right after we moved here, the Hilton Waikoloa is so big that we couldn’t quite remember exactly where the restaurant is. So we started walking to the right of the grand entrance, and we thought we’d gone too far, but nope, we had a little way’s to go. But the cool thing is that I got some great picts on the way, and the artwork is simply astonishing.
Here’s a picture of the entrance to a set of rooms further down the walk (I forget the name of this area, I think it’s the King’s Suites or something like that, but it is simply breathtaking.) Looking exactly opposite is a picture overlooking the ocean (sorry, my camera doesn’t do it justice!) As we progressed down the hall, admiring the art, we passed many happy vacationers who we slightly envied for their experience, although we quickly realized we were having the same experience! I remember staying here several years ago. This place is soooo big and beautiful, that part of my “work out” each day heading to the spa and work out facility was simply jogging there! It was at the exact opposite end of the complex, so just getting there was a work out (unless, of course, you take the tram or the boat ride, that you can pick up about every 5 to 10 minutes. Well, we finally made our way to Kirin’s, and were seated promptly and we placed our drink orders. I ordered an authentic Chinese Tea, and the girls quickly drank all of it! For dinner, Eve ordered Orange Chicken which is awesome, and I had the General’s Spicy Chicken. I can’t remember what Marnie ordered, but it was good also, and Rose just shared ours. She’d had the flu lately and really preferred her soup! (Oh- I also ordered the seafood egg drop soup which was unreal!) After dinner, we walked down to the end of the walk and waited to catch a boat ride back to the grand lobby. While waiting we met a nice artist (Trey?) who paints awesome pictures of the tourists (caricatures) and we really enjoyed talking with him. Since we’re starting a sign company (www.letsgobanners) we thought we may be able to do some networking! We wondered over to the boat loading area and waited a few minutes and then caught a boat ride back. It was really relaxing listening to the tourists talk about their day! There was a guy from California talking about all the stuff he’d done this week as well as a brief history about Disneyland in California. The other couple were having a ball and were slightly sun burnt (don’t forget to apply it everywhere!) The one gentlemen mentioned he’d forgot to cover one of his cheeks and was showing bright red (not out of embarrassment). What’s weird about living here is that you don’t really (after a while) worry much about the sun, unless, of course, you’re going to the beach all day. I stay consistently tan, and only get burnt when going to the beach or a pool. So if you’re visiting, BE CAREFUL!
Well, we finished our boat ride and arrived at the lobby. Walking through, we were approached by four young ladies asking if we could take there picture in front of the huge dolphin statue in the lobby. They then asked if we would “hug” for a picture, since we found out they were on a scavenger hunt and needed a picture of a couple hugging. How appropriate, since it was our 15 year wedding anniversary?
Back to the car, and on our way home! The stars weren’t as bright, as the volcano is a bit busy- no problem!
We’ve been very busy with Lets Go Banners, and here’s a banner we printed today. It was from a stock photo and we are very happy with the quality from our first Mutoh printer, which arrived last week. We’ve been in the printing industry for 15 years, and I just wish we’d gotten into the sign and banner business 15 years ago!
Tomorrow we’re heading to Kona to purchase some sign supplies at Lowes and Home Depot, and are looking forward to eating at the Hard Rock, which is closing in a couple months. I just hope they re-open at the Queen Shoppes or King Shoppes. This Island is growing so fast, I can’t imagine not having a Hard Rock (their salads are unreal!)
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Until next time,
Chris and Family, Aloha!
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