Their Wednesday had started early in the usual holiday way … excitement, impatience and just a little sprinkle of anxiety to top it off. She had given all the dogs an extra long squeeze before they left, told them each how much she loved them and that she missed them already. This time she knew they were in capable and loving hands so the stress and apprehension of leaving them that they had experienced their last trip away was, thankfully, eliminated. August was no doubt already being spoilt at a friends’ .. frolicking with the foals and no doubt enjoying her little holiday, the grass and hay buffet and herd life. She had no doubt her beautiful mare would not be missing her at all but she was already experiencing horse withdrawals.
As always they were ready way too early … a slight detour for coffee at their village local, banter with the bean juice crew, thinking it might be the last good one before returning home, and then off to the airport ready for a day of queues and waiting and boredom.
The airport was crazy this morning .. buzzing with holiday fever but checking in was quick and easy. She did notice a change of seating on their boarding passes but at that point thought nothing of it (wait dear reader as this is a clue for future small, but inconvenient SHEnanigans to come – of which currently they were blissfully unaware).
There is no need to bore you, reader, with the usual airport activities while waiting to fly … currency exchange, coffee, croissant, people watching and uncomfortable seating. The SHEnanigans only started when she noticed their boarding pass did not adequately reflect the class of travel they’d paid for. They were both of an age now where Economy seating was too uncomfortable to even contemplate (oh the horror!) and, as the flights were relatively short, they had decided to upgrade to Premium Economy for that little bit of extra leg room and seat comfort rather than shelling out for Business Class which they had the privilege of having all too quickly become accustomed to lately.
It wasn’t until they were at the gate, ready for departure she clicked. They were not in a PE seat – oh my – first world problems! Asking the bored and disinterested steward at the desk for clarification they were told rather curtly that there had been an aircraft change and there were no Business or PE seats on the plane. Nothing they could do, bad luck, tough, see ya later. A quick email to their travel agent was all that could be done – to be sorted on return – and they boarded the flight hoping it was not a precurssor for future issues.
Despite the uncomfortable flight the rest of the trip went smoothly. They had found the She family at Auckland airport quickly and the gossip and catchups began as they waited together for their flight through the night to Hawaii.
The overnight flight was predictably more comfortable than the first leg with amazing service from their rather flamboyant steward who was attentive and engaging. The food was surprisingly delish with melt in your mouth beef and real cutlery, not the horrendous wooden knives and forks that felt furry on your tongue. A small but welcome luxury and often taken for granted. They managed some sleep but missed the lie flat convenience but this had been anticipated and the flight seemed to fly by … no pun intended.
She had been wound up for some time, given her view on American politics, about entering Hawaii and navigating Customs, her rather dramatic imagination preparing her for interrogation and iPhone confiscations. This turned out to be totally unsolicited of course – it was all surprisingly slick, painless and without any drama. Although the airport was old and tired, navigating through and exiting was quick and painless and they were on the transfer bus heading to their resort quicker than she expected.
They checked in early while waiting for the rest of the She family and explored the resort .. the history was evident .. she could feel the old time Hawaii vibe soaking through the flagstones .. echoes in the air of the footsteps of Elvis and Kennedy, along with millions of visitors since its inception. Opening their hotel room door to a welcome view of the clear blue sea twinkling in the sun and Diamond Head Crater in the background was beyond her expectations and they both rushed through the room to the balcony to soak up the view and feel the tiredness and aches from the long journey begin to fade away.
It had been a long day …. Three time zones, three airports, two flights and they were here. It had been the longest Wednesday ever, but they now were with family, the sun was shining, the palm trees were moving hyponotically in the breeze and their holiday had finally begun.
The She Diaries 
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