Hawaii

Joe's sister Aliza lives in Laie, Hawaii (on Oahu) with her family, so last week we went with Joe's Brother Dan and his Wife Becky, to visit Aliza.



Our week went something like this:



Day One - Pearl Harbor and the Sea Life Park
Day Two - Swimming at Turtle Bay and the Polynesian Cultural Center
Day Three - Hiking ManuaWili falls, Swimming at Lanikai, Learning to Surf in Waikiki
Day Four - Snorkelling at Hanuamu Bay, hanging out at Chinatown and Temple Beach
Day Five - Boogie Boarding at some random East Coast beach, Swimming at Turtle Bay, Waimea Valley Audobon Center and night swimming
Day Six - Snorkelling at Sunset beach, Eating delcious shaved ice in Haleweia, Hiking Diamond Head, Visitng the Iolani Palace Grounds




We saw as much as possible during our stay. Henry loved the beach and the ocean, as did Joe and I. Henry was so excited about throwing rocks and sand into the water and running in and our of the waves. At Hanuamu Bay he could sit on the rocks and watch the fish swimming in the water below. Even when we were in the car and Henry could see the ocean and he begged (and sometimes cried) to get in the water.


Honolulu is honestly an ugly city just like every other city, but we stayed at Turtle Bay on the North Shore which is more green and lush than the other side of the island.

My favorite thing about Hawaii was the sunshine. Even when it was raining it was fun to be outside because it's always warm. We could, and mostly did, spend the whole day outside without worrying about the weather. I also really enjoyed learning to surf. I was surprised how easy surfing is. Granted I didn't ride any awesome waves, but it was so easy to stand up and ride into shore on the wave. The hardest part about surfing is the strength endurance necessary to paddle the board out far enough to catch a wave.


The Polynesian Cultural Center was also awesome. We spent the entire day there. Joe particiapted in a drum show, which was hilarious. We watched the rivier pagent, the night show, went to the Luau, got tatoo'ed, and enjoyed the sunshine. I was disappointed we missed making the coconut bread, so I guess we'll have to go back some other time!



Hawaii is great.