IT was the best of vacations. It was the worst of vacations. And, like all true holidays away from work and the same old comfortable routine, I now need a respite from my respite. The hidden upside to
the vacation from hellLast week, my family and I traveled to Hawaii's favorite small-kid tourist destination, Disneyland (as opposed to Hawaii's favorite big-kid tourist destination, Las Vegas). The experience was a mixture of merriment and mayhem.
The ominous tone was set when, on arrival in Los Angeles, the airline lost my luggage. Well, the bag wasn't really lost, it was carefully explained to me. It just wasn't revolving around the appropriate carousel in LAX at that particular moment.
Our tired and now gloomy group eventually headed off to the hotel, sans Samsonite but with the revelation as to why this airline is known for flying the friendly skies as opposed to the efficient ones.
It got better from there. Disneyland is still "good fun" and a place where almost everybody is upbeat. Folks meander around with a smile instead of a furrowed brow, which seems to be Hawaii's official facial expression these days.
The highlights of Disneyland, of course, are the rides: "Indiana Jones" is a raucous jaunt in an out-of-control jeep, "It's A Small World" is so charming that it's sickening, and "Star Tours" is the most excitement you can have sitting in one place.
But the absolutely wildest ride of all is at Disneyland's kissing cousin, Universal Studios. The brand-new "Jurassic Park" starts with a leisurely boat cruise through a peaceful valley and ends up with a perilous plunge down a rushing waterfall.
Warning: Don't believe those signs that say you MAY get wet. You WILL get wet and, if you are sitting in the first two rows, you WILL get drenched.
No mattah. With wet hair plastered to our heads, we meandered over to the nearby "Backdraft" show where we dried off quickly in a re-creation of a flash fire. Later, our group shuffled back to the bus, happy but pooped, after tackling the "Back to the Future" and "ET" attractions.
We were ready to go home. Overall, the weather had been cold and overcast. My missing-in-action luggage had been retrieved just two days earlier. And my 6-year-old nephew was beginning to drive me bonkers.
On the return flight to Honolulu, slouched in my airline seat, I debated how enjoyable this vacation had really been. Then my seatmate said aloha.
Albert was a jovial-looking Hawaiian guy whose wife had just won $117,000 in Las Vegas. He excitedly described how they were going to buy a minivan. How lucky, I thought.
IT was then that my topsy-turvy vacation came into focus. So what if a few things had gone wrong? At least my family and I had the opportunity to go in the first place, and to generate a bunch of new memories - together.
All of us can't return with a windfall when we escape this rock, like Albert and his wife did. They came back a little richer. But even though I didn't win a bundle, so did I.
In my living room, I spread out last week's Star-Bulletins and scan the headlines: A crazy Senate reorganization with committee co-chairpersons. David Arakawa turns his back on Governor Cayetano and goes to work for Mayor Harris as corporation counsel. Rabid citizens are still fighting over a Con Con.
Ah, yes. Home sweet home.