I had so many plans to blog the trip, but here we are, more than month later so I’ll divide it into two parts: work and fun.
I arrived on Friday evening. I travel light with my roll aboard and tote. It was a little tough to manage a work wardrobe and fun clothes, but since it was warm weather attire, it worked. Not sure if I would have been as successful with Winter clothes. After deplaning, I walked to Big Kahuna pizza right outside the airport. I first went here during my medical school rotation so that was awhile ago. I got the garlic cheese balls- they were a little less delicious than I remembered but I’m glad I got to go. Then, I took the $3 bus to Waikiki. I guess I was reliving my student days! I checked into the Moana Surfrider and went to bed.
The next day was the conference start. We had a half-day agenda that started early. Overall, I really enjoyed hearing my colleagues lectures. I learn best from lectures, so it was a great refresh. I went to Murakame Udon for lunch, which was delicious. SMS and I found it during our honeymoon so it has good memories for me!
That evening, I went to the Halekulani for a drink and dinner. I sat at the bar and had a mai tai and poke appetizers. It was really lovely. I walked through the lobby to look at their main floral arrangement, which is always spectacular.
The next day was another morning meeting, adjourning at lunch. I had previously made a brunch reservation for the Orchids at the Halekulani. My chairman and his wife took me up on my invite and we had the best time. The conversation was great, but the food was the star of the show. Oh my gosh, so many mini-stations offering a variety of food: mini-ramen bar; carving stations with turkey, prime rib, and whole suckling pig; sushi, traditional breakfast items; omelet bar; raw bar; and dessert table. At the table, we could order fresh juices and we ordered fresh guava juice, which is so good. It’s not as sweet as canned guava juice, but it tastes so much richer. New favorite, must go back! I also ordered a half-order of Egg Benedict, which had delicious Hollandaise sauce.
Although I was full, I had been pretty good about taking small amounts so it was more of a tasting menu experience rather than “I’m so full I want to die” experience, which is much more pleasant.
That evening, the chairman hosted an evening cocktail party in his suite. The views from his balcony were amazing. I also had a really nice conversation with some of the guest lecturers. It was nice to talk to them outside of the conference.
The next day, I had two of my talks. I had practiced and felt pretty good about both the content and delivery. Like I said in the overview blog post, I hope I get invited back! That evening, there was an evening reception where there was more socializing and I saw a physical therapist I knew when I was a resident! It was so great to see her and her husband.
Finally, we got to the last day of the conference. I delivered my last two talks and then, by noon, that was it! I really enjoyed the conference. It was a pretty laidback introduction to lecturing as a University faculty, which I appreciated. After a late checkout, I headed to the airport. But not to hop on a plane! Instead, I was going to pick up my Turo car rental to have the second half of my Hawaii trip: (more) fun!