NetBloke.com - Married Madness
Publication Date: 15/05/2001
ISSN 1445-1360
Publication Date: 15/05/2001
ISSN 1445-1360
G'Day!
Well hello y’all from Earlington, Kentucky! This is where I will be living until the big move to Des Moines. For those of you who subscribe to Lockergnome you would have seen that my new wife, my daughter and I were up in Des Moines this past week house hunting. We actually found a place and in the process found out our agent is the mayor of Des Moines’ wife!
Talking about being married, the wedding in Hanalei was amazing. Karissa and I exchanged vows in-between rainstorms. The Hawaiians say that if it rains on your wedding day it is a sign of good luck, and if that is true Karissa and I will have the luckiest marriage ever!
This issue will let you all in on some of the details of the wedding and honeymoon. For those of you ever considering going to Hawaii we found some adventurous activities, an amazing house to stay in, and the most divine dinner we have ever had. Surprisingly enough most of the things we did have Web sites so it will be easy for me to show you all.
We actually arranged 90% of our trip over the Web. We checked out the hotels and activities Web sites to make sure they looked ok and to make certain we were getting a good deal.
Next week we return to regular programming, including great Internet tips, useful Web sites and simple ways to help you make the most out of your time on the Internet. Maybe you will even save a few bucks!
Also remember I am always open to your suggestions and ideas.
Nathan Allan
This tip will be especially useful to those of you who have laptops and travel around.
It is so useful to be able to get online in your hotel room on holidays to check out local deals and specials on hotels, car hire, amusements and activities. However having an account with local dial-up access can be a pain.
While in Hawaii we thought we would try out AOL for dial-up access. We had one of those free 100 hours of use that came with our daughter Hayden’s Reader Rabbit program. Well it was awful! We could not get Web access at all. AOL tech support was useless to average. Not once did I have my original question answered in full. Then to add insult to injury I was sent a Web survey on how I liked AOL support, which due to my problem I could not complete! Needless to say after 4 days of trying we called them and cancelled.
Our next attempt was with a local provider who was wonderful. First time online everything worked as it should and always has on my laptop. The service cost me a premium at $20 for the two weeks but well worth it in the savings we received by using the local Web sites.
So what I recommend you do before you go on a holiday or business trip is make certain you have good reliable local dial-up access.
A friend recommended ATT Global, he says they are very reliable but expensive. I say you normally get what you pay for! Some of you may like to try AOL, or search on the Web for a national ISP (Internet Service Provider) with local POPs (Points of Presence) in your destination
www.attglobal.net
The absolute best thing you can do if you are into sunrises and downhill mountain biking is to go for a trip with Emerald Island Bicycle Rides. We had the most experienced crew on the mountain (which was the Haleakala Volcano). Koko is a local who holds the record for the 38 mile ride from the top to the seaside town of Paia and Dave is his sidekick who drives the bus and knocks and blocks the trailing motorists out of the way!
You go seriously fast down the mountain! At one point we were going faster than the cars on our slick cruisers and therefore had to stop a couple of times to give ourselves some room.
We definitely do recommend these guys as they have a great safety record and expert knowledge on all things Hawaiian. Koko took us up a trail to the very top of the volcano for a beautiful sunrise, which made it worthwhile getting up at 2am for the drive from the hotel!
Finally at the end of our ride we got to have a nice cooked breakfast in Paia.
www.mauibiking.com
On our wedding day we had the most delicious meal I have ever had. We could not asked for better service or food. We had booked the formal dining room at Gaylord’s Restaurant, which is located in the old sugar plantation estate of Kilohana on Kauai.
Kilohana also has some great galleries and craft stores. The views and gardens around the homestead are breathtaking! Well worth the stop if you are on Kauai.
www.gaylordskauai.com
For the week preceding our wedding we decided to rent a home on the north shore of Kauai near where we planned to marry. My parents and sister along with Karissa’s mother and sister stayed with us in this huge house. As you will see on the Web site it is a beautiful home, but when we arrived it was even more beautiful. The lush landscaping and personal touches the owners have added to their home made it very enjoyable. We had many good times there.
It was only a 5 minute walk to the beach and a couple of minutes more to the shopping area of Hanalei.
The great thing about it was that it worked out cheaper for us all to put in for the house rather than going to stay at expensive hotels which have fairly impersonal settings.
www.hanaleivacationrental.com
My lovely wife gave me a wedding gift. It was an amazing hammock that she had bought from a cool little hammock shop in Hanalei. Check out their site as you can order from anywhere in the world. I also have to admit that this is the first Web site with background music that I have ever liked!
www.hawaiianhammocks.com
I thought that this joke was appropriate way to round up the last couple of issues that have focused on my wedding and honeymoon and holiday in Hawaii. If Karissa reads this one I may be sleeping on the sofa tonight!
The Road to Hawaii
A man was walking along the beach and found a bottle. He looked around and didn't see anyone so he opened it.
A genie appeared and thanked the man for letting him out. The genie said, "For your kindness I will grant you one wish, but only one."
The man thought for a minute and said, "I have always wanted to go to Hawaii but have never been able to because I'm afraid of flying and ships make me claustrophobic and ill. So I wish for a road to be built from here to Hawaii."
The genie thought for a few minutes and said, "No, I don't think I can do that. Just think of all the work involved with the pilings needed to hold up the highway and how deep they would have to be to reach the bottom of the ocean. Think of all the pavement that would be needed. No, that is just too much to ask."
The man thought for a minute and then told the genie, "There is one other thing that I have always wanted. I would like to be able to understand women. What makes them laugh and cry, why are they temperamental, why are they so difficult to get along with? Basically, what makes them tick?"
The genie considered for a few minutes and said, "So, do you want two lanes or four?"
