It’s been three days since we returned from Hawaii. The jet lag has been the worst! I am still recovering but at least today I don’t feel half-asleep and zoned out.
Day 1
We spent all day on a plane. The first flight was delayed. When we got to San Francisco we had to sprint to our next flight which was then…delayed. lol We arrived in Oahu around 11:30pm local time. We arrived at the hotel around 12:30am. I don’t know when I got to sleep but I didn’t get much sleep – maybe 3 hours.
Day 2
My husband woke early and brought me breakfast in the room, which was really nice because I was beat. We immediately went to explore Oahu in the rental car and headed to Halona Blowhole and Makapuu Lighthouse. The blowhole was spectacular as was the lighthouse. Sadly, the hike up to the lighthouse was rough on me. I got light headed and dizzy and had a near panic attack halfway up. I almost didn’t keep on but after a bit of rest I recovered and continued. I was happy I did because we got to see an amazing rainbow and the lookout at the top was even better.
We continued to drive for a bit to check out what the local scene had to offer. We stopped at a local restaurant and had Hawaii food and then traveled to Diamond Head State Monument. Sadly it was crowded and I was feeling off again so we went back to the hotel to rest. I honestly don’t remember much after that. I think I fell asleep the minute I got into bed.
Day 3
The day began with a sales meeting and then lunch at a local diner. After we got back to the hotel I was still exhausted so lay in bed while my husband went swimming in the ocean. When he returned we had lunch and headed to Manoa Falls, a 150 foot waterfall. It was spectacular! Thankfully I did not suffer any panic attacks or weird exhaustion along the hike.
That evening I was feeling good enough to go out, so we walked along Waikiki beach and had dinner in a nice restaurant. I ordered a drink while waiting for my meal and the alcohol was too much for me. I nearly passed out and had a panic attack waiting for my food. It was the worst! I was unable to keep my eyes open and felt completely wiped out. Being in public brought on the panic. When we got back to the hotel I settled and again fell asleep almost immediately.
Day 4
I started the morning with a deep tissue massage and facial. It was awesome and just what I needed. Afterward we headed to Diamond Head State Monument which is on top of a massive crater. The hike was long and steep and I had to take frequent breaks. Again, I began to feel panicky and almost turned around but I kept going. Again I was rewarded with spectacular views.
When we got back to the hotel we went out to a very fancy restaurant. I ordered a glass of wine (cautiously) and was not ill affected. When we got back to the room I was not exhausted and actually struggled to fall asleep. Considering our flight was early and we had to wake at 4:00am, this lack of sleep was unwanted.
Day 5
This was another full day of travel. I did better than the flight in, stayed hydrated and made sure to move around more while in the plane. My back ached by the time we landed in Texas but I felt ten times better than when we landed in Oahu.
Travel across four times zones does not agree with me anymore. When I was in my 20s I did tons of traveling and never experienced jet lag like this! The side effects of travel this time make me never want to fly such distances again. Never in my life have I been so tired as to nearly pass out while on my feet. This induced panic, of course, because it was so unfamiliar and I was around large crowds of people. I probably should have gone to the beach instead of hiking steep trails!
My favorite part of this trip were the magnificent Banyan trees.
Living Life in Between 