As our trip draws to a close, yesterday was spent reminiscing about trip highlights and celebrating our friendship over drinks in the hot tub. It took a while for us to figure it out, but pouring our off-property alcohol into aluminum resort water bottles is sure a lot cheaper than drinking $25 poolside cocktails all day long.
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Another morning workout, another chia pudding parfait and banana for breakfast with a backdrop of swinging palm trees and crashing waves. Life could be worse. Sitting at our breezy breakfast table with the boys, I told them my Claire Danes story, probably the best story I have about myself, one about building character, seizing opportunities, and living life with no regrets.
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Another 8am workout. Kudos to Scott for motivating us. Gray skies and rain started the day, so we lingered over breakfast, sipping drinks, and relaxing at a table. Eventually, the skies cleared, and we made our way to the pool.
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After waking up on the North Shore and allowing Scott to motivate us to hit the resort gym for a workout, we hopped into the car to start exploring the beaches. Dave’s been dreaming of seeing these North Shore waves on these North Shore beaches for 20 years.
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After picking up our sweet rental SUV at Hilo International Airport, we headed into town. Hilo feels a bit more jungly and less developed than the other islands. We stopped at one of the Tripadvisor-rated lunch spots I found, Pineapple’s Island Fresh Cuisine. Nondescript place on the corner of a nondescript intersection, but the food was fresh and fantastic. The poke tower, coconut encrusted ahi tuna, and ginger lemon drop hit the spot perfectly.
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Woke up and and walked over to our local Waikiki massage parlor to spoil ourselves first thing in the morning. Not much English was spoken, but after 1 1/2 hours, we were all feeling loose and limber. Scott paid up to get some additional rubs, meeting up with us at the hotel pool and joining us for some fancy cocktails a bit later.
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In the car to the airport, we contemplated booking massages at one of the local spots and talked about the concept of a “sad ending.” What would be the saddest song to get a massage to? Contenders were:
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View out the left side of the place was unspectacular, no Waikiki or Diamond Head. I’ll be sitting on the right side when I fly out, so we’ll see how that goes. Dave’s flight landed 10 minutes after ours, so Scott and I headed to the gate to meet him there with smiles and hugs. We couldn’t have timed this any better.
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So my friends Scott and Dave were talking about taking a trip to Hawaii this year to celebrate their impending 50th birthdays. Over the course of 2024, as drinks were shared and group chats grew from playful ribbing to X-rated irreverence and vicious character attacks, we bonded and found our group friendship growing and pulsating with love and affection. I waited for the most opportune time to ask… “Can I come to Hawaii?”
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The heat, the sand between your toes, the hotel pools, the smells of the medina… It all feels real in the moment, but when you get home, it all feels like it was just a dream.
Now that I’ve been home a couple of days, I’ve been able to collect my final thoughts on Morocco:
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My name is Jeff. I'm a photographer and web developer living in Alexandria, Virginia, USA.