Search for:

Ella & Jientje Shop

We decided to go to one of the most natural and beautiful beaches on the island yesterday — Makaha.  Thom and I both love it there and were looking forward to sharing it with Jientje.  Thom and Ella were the first to the car.  This is what Jientje and I found when we got there:

Ella Smokes

I took the cigarette from Ella and gave her a lecture on the evils of smoking. She said that she wants to be just like Thom. Yikes!

Jientje started taking photos the moment the car began rolling.  About the time we made it to Makaha Road, an hour and a half later (the time was because of distance, traffic and stopping to take photos), the batteries in Jientje’s camera died.  She hadn’t brought any others.

Jientje suggested stopping at, Paradise Isle Makaha; a visitor’s center, surf shop, sporting goods store, souvenir store and trendy boutique all-in-one.  Jientje wanted batteries & slippers (flip-flops to those if you who don’t speak “island”).  She’d worn low heeled sandals and didn’t want to try to negotiate the beach in them.

I said I didn’t think the shop sold batteries.  Thom said a souvenir shop would have to sell batteries.  When Amoeba and I lived lived in Makaha I liked visiting that little (it’s really rather large yet manages to feel intimate) shop and the people who work there are wonderfully friendly, so in we all went.

Jientje went straight to the beach appropriate footwear:

Jientje's "Slippers"

She tried on high heels and dresses and blouses and bras and danced around the store like a ballerina. She even emerged from the changing room wearing nothing but her new bra and her slacks. She was looking for the sales girl to help her with the fitting. We were a bit surprised. Thom recovered first and took a picture.

Jientje was surprised that we were surprised. “What”? She said. “I needed help.”

While Jientje shopped, Thom and I had our hands full.

Ella Shops for Tanning Lotion

Ella, excited about going to the beach and working on her tan, got into the tanning lotion. I think she “tested” every kind. Thom really had an argument with her when she wanted to eat the coconut smelling stuff. I told her to go ahead and let her taste it. He said he wasn’t about to drive around with a sick elephant in his car. Since I was sharing the backseat with her, I saw the wisdom in that and we redirected Ella’s attention.

Thom bought her earrings:

Bracelets for Ella

Ella liked the “island girl” look and tried on the coconut bangle bracelets. She dug through bins of sea shells, checked out all the post cards, tried on clothing, then, about the time Thom and I were exhausted, she declared she was tired. Whew!

Unfortunately, she decided to relax at the cashier’s desk:

Ella Works the Counter

Fortunately, Shanna and Tasha were wonderfully charmed by Ella and enjoyed her adventures:

Shanna & Tasha
Shanna & Tasha, Paradise Isle hostesses

I call them hostesses rather than cashiers because Shanna and Tasha helped Jientje and Ella shop and made Thom and I feel right at home while we waited. In the meantime they waited on other customers, kept the store running smoothly and kept their cool — that’s an amazing thing when you have a Belgian “Bombshell” dancing through one half of the store in her underwear and an elephant climbing all the displays in the other half.

Finally, 2.5 hours later, Thom declared the impromptu shopping expedition over.  Ella and Jientje were having a great time, but Thom and I were tired of just standing around and waiting.  Jientje gathered up all the things she wished to purchase, 3 pairs of high heels, a couple of dresses, assorted under garments and at least one blouse, took them to the cash register and discovered that she’d left her money card at my house.

She told Thom he needed to take her back to get it.  It’s an hour’s drive one way and we only had 2 hours until barbecue time.  Thom loaned Jientje the necessary monies, we piled into the car, and drove past the beach on the way home.  Thom was disappointed about not getting to visit the beach.  Jientje said that since she had no batteries for her camera or appropriate beach shoes, she didn’t really care about missing it.

~*~

Thom’s post about this outing.

38 Comments

  1. I’m tired just reading it but it sounds like you’re having fun.

    Europeans are much less inhibited about being uncovered . . . but I guess you know that now. Smile.

    1. Kelley — yes, and so do a lot more people! Actually nudity doesn’t bother me, but it is so unusual to see anyone undressed in public that it caused a very quiet pause.

  2. Ohhhhh myyyyyyyy…. underwear dancing… THAT’s a new sport in America!!! I’m thinking there was probably a mall a little closer to home that might have had batteries… Sorry you didn’t get to the beach.

    1. Melli — we didn’t get to THAT beach. This whole island is pretty much beach. And we had plenty of photo stops along the way before Jientje’s camera died.

  3. I guess your first concern is that your guest has a lot of fun! 🙂 And from reading this she did! But I know it probably wasn´t that much fun waiting 2 and a half hours….. I have daughters, so I know what that feels like! 🙂

  4. you make a trip to the beach and only drive by because of shopping??? phew! it couldn’t happen to me. but seems you had fun nonetheless

  6. I’m surprised Melli didn’t comment on Ella’s picture with the cigarette, 🙂 She’ll have to get sprayed heavily with Febreze before she goes home.

    2 and 1/2 hours shopping — at what was supposed to have been a quick stop for shoes and batteries — would have worn me out, but as someone else said, if the point of the excursion was to show a guest a good time, the outing was successful. I hope you’ll get to the beach another day — it would be a shame for Jientje to come all the way to Hawaii and miss the beach, camera or no.

  8. love, Love, LOVE those shoes! Did she buy one red and one black? Ella Numera Dos would have done that. Or bought a pair of each, and then split them up. Just remember…an elephant never forgets!

  9. So Jientje had so much fun shopping and dancing in the store that she didn’t even mind not making it to the beach. That’s great. It sounds like a good time was had by all even if you were ready to be done at the end. 🙂

    1. Cherie — her camera wasn’t working. Jientje didn’t want to go to the beach to swim, she wanted to take photos. So, without batteries for her camera she didn’t want to go.

      1. Oh, I wasn’t criticizing at all. I completely understand. Besides, spending an afternoon in a store in Hawaii, especially one with such a large variety of things for sale seems like a great time. 🙂

        1. Cherie — I didn’t think you were criticizing. I wasn’t certain I’d explained myself well. I am mostly operating at a higher energy level than usual (which is good) but with less sleep, (which isn’t so good).

    1. Kay — indeed! And Thom & I, too. The three of us have been out to breakfast, lunch & dinner everyday! Plus the shave ice and the Spam Musabi and pork dumplings and monapua …..

      1. I just fell out of my chair laughing at that reply Quilly.
        Seriously.
        OMG you and the wordplay!

        I must have missed this post somehow a few days ago—one weekend away and it’s taking forever catching up now.

Comments are closed.