Tuesday was all about flying high. I had to get up early and make the 45 minute drive back to the airport because I had booked an early morning helicopter tour.
The activity booth salesman had recommended that I take the Molokai Tour. This tour would include views of West Maui and the Island of Molokai.
I had never been in a helicopter before and as a precautionary measure I wore my "sea sickness" wrist bands.
After a brief safety lesson, myself and four other passengers had life vests strapped to our waist and we were quickly walked out onto the heliport. They then guided each of us under the spinning propeller of the helicopter so that we could have our picture taken.
Seriously, couldn't they have taken our picture without the ridiculously looking yellow life vest fanny pack thing that they insisted be worn as shown in the photo above. I don't even like the above picture, but since it was the only one I have of me and the helicopter I felt like I had to buy it. Also, be sure to take note of the dumb pilot in the cockpit giving the "hang loose" sign.
I was fortunate enough, or so I thought, to get a window seat. We were told seating was solely based on our body weight. Although, I found it very funny that for $50 extra dollars I could have "guaranteed" the front seat. Suddenly, weight was not an issue if you showed them the cash. I was just fine sitting in the back row.
The helicopter gently lifted off the ground and floated up to our cruising altitude. Despite being a little overcast the view was pretty cool.
Cool, but not spectacular. Considering how much a 55 minute flight costs; I was really hoping for spectacular.
The water below was so clear you could see the coral reef.
The tour was with Sunshine Helicopters and the pilot's name was Steve. Steve was a real talker. He told the same joke twice. Don't believe me? I have the proof. I bought the DVD of our flight. Steve told us about how he flew in the military. He told us how he used to be an aerobics instructor on TV in the 1980's. He passed around a picture of himself as an aerobics instructor in the 1980's. His most recent claim to fame was that he was the pilot who flew Reid and Jillian around the Island on the last season of The Bachelorette. Steve yapped for the entire 55 minutes. This was a one way conversation because we all were wearing headsets that prevented him from being able to hear us.
After crossing the Pailolo channel we reached Molokai. This is where we saw Hawaii's tallest waterfalls. Then we crossed over a mountain to the arid side of the Island where Steve was able to spot some animals running along the bluffs.
When Steve was "chasing" out animals from under the brush he was really excited.
"Here, I'll spin around so that you can see them again."
It was about then that I realized I was not feeling so great.
"Really Steve, you don't need to spin us around. I saw it good enough the first time."
I found myself closing my eyes at times, taking deep breaths, and trying not to get sick.
"Really? I would be totally fine if we called it a day and headed back to the airport!"
"Just fifteen more minutes, just fifteen more minutes, just fifteen more minutes," became my mantra.
We eventually made it back to the airport.
As we were waiting in the lobby to preview the DVD of our flight I heard one of the other passengers say she wasn't feeling so well.
"Oh my God, I am so glad you said something, because I was feeling sick the whole time," I said.
It turns out dare devil Steve's piloting had actually made all five of us nauseous.
I bought the DVD of our flight not because of the stunning imagery, since it is kinda hazy throughout the video; but more because I wanted to see the parts that I had closed my eyes for.
It is also really funny because there are points where the camera was filming us in the cockpit and you can see when I start to not feel so good. Suddenly I become extremely focused on adjusting the overhead air conditioning vent.
Now, when I planned the activities for Tuesday I didn't really think about the fact that I might get sick on the helicopter tour. So it probably wasn't the best idea to book parasailing for that afternoon.
Fortunately, my "sea sickness" wrist bands kicked in and I did not get sick on the parasailing boat.
Tuesday had really strong winds and the water was rough.
The parasail operators were having a very hard time launching the parachute because of the wind. It was so windy that even though I was a single rider they made one of the other passengers go up with me because they didn't think I weighed enough.
This is the second time I have gone parasailing and once again it was a thoroughly enjoyable experience that I highly recommend.
After parasailing I was done for the day!
is it just me, or does anyone else think dad and i look quite similar on these blog comment things??
ReplyDeleteand let us take that as a compliment about your weight on the parasailing adventure.
love mom
more pix please