Here on the North Shore We Treat Friends Mo Bettah

Like, by handing out free Rock Stars! (Notice the little kiddo in line. I can assure you, they cut him off after two.)

And what a great place to be a kid... free surfing lessons, free SUP lessons, etc.

We took advantage of our long layover and went on a scenic trip to the North Shore and around the island of Oahu. No more bus riding. This time we got serious and rented a car. Of course we declined the auto insurance! That's a big scam. Besides, our credit card has free supplemental car insurance. Anyhoo, a serious surf competition was going on, even featuring one of the guys who was actually in the movie The North Shore.

It was interesting to watch for a few minutes. The waves were large. And the free Rock Star was delicious. The kids found the water fountain the most entertaining part of the whole scene. Who can blame them? Surf contests aren't super exciting unless you have great vision and/or binoculars. It's a bit like birding.

The honu stole the show, really. Love those turtles! Boppa took to the seas Jules Verne style to capture the swimming honu in their natural environment. Witness the spectacular results:

See those turtles in action? Yeah, turns out they are quite a bit more nimble in the water. If he would've got a picture of them, it would probably look like this:

Oahu has lots of cars and people, and great food in Chinatown. The kids loved the Vietnamese restaurant we found, through tried and true scientific research. It was scrumptious. And the servers were very nice to Pax and Stokes. It's amazing how uplifting an understanding smile can be!

On this trip, we mastered the art of eliminating picky eating. If starving, the kids are much more adventurous eaters! (They sure were hungry, considering that their only other sustenance was the aforementioned free RockStar beverages from hours before.) Just joking, we really don't feed the kids rock star. The were running on KillerTacos, I think.

In case you were wondering how that automatic car insurance that comes with using your credit card for a rental car actually works, we will let you know. Somebody dinged our car's bumper at some point during our 6 hour rental, unbeknownst to us. A claim has been filed. Seems pretty minor, some yellow paint on the bumper, but we'll see. Should be interesting.

Then we hopped aboard our 737 for the long sleep back home. The kiddos slept like babies. Light snack! A bit tiring for the grown-ups in the group. Funny to think, the next trip we take will require four seats. Momma sure will have her hands full! Boppa sure will be lonely sitting all by himself, with nothing but a digi-player, a complimentary beverage, and some good books to keep him company.