Hawaii!

We had 3 days in Hawaii.  Hilo, Honolulu, and Kona….

Hilo- we started the day by visiting Akaka Falls…it was a rainforest with a trail to the waterfall! It was beautiful and we took lots of photos!

Then we basically did some sightseeing/ shopping. I bought a purple sarong (hey- when in rome…), had  a teryiaki pineapple chicken sandwhich, and then got caught in a massive downpour with Kurt, Justin, Jessica and Jeremy. After a few minutes of walking we were completely soaked and gave up- we crossed the street to a park, dumped our bags under a tree and then headed out to the ocean. They went swimming- I watched…then I learned how to skip rocks. We walked down the beach back towards the ship…literally in a downpour! It was actually a ton of fun! I know we were all disappointed that there was no sun but it ended up being ridiculously fun anyways….

Honolulu- Kurt and I walked a bit and decided to go to Waikiki Beach. I passed the Hilton Hotel which I stayed at last time I was in Hawaii-that brought back some memories! Then we went to a little café for breakfast and coffee and some internet….then off to the beach! We found a great spot and just alternated laying out and swimming and reading… This was what I had been waiting for! Then to California Pizza Kitchen for lunch and a daquiri to cool off with…

Kona- we took an excursion and had a blast! We took one of those raft boats with some of the other crew….we went out and found a pod of dolphins and sat while they played around us…so close to us! They were jumping and doing tricks…it was better than Sea World! After a while of that- which was magical and I will never do it justice with words….we rode to a place where we were to go snorkeling. Its apparently in the top 7 places in the world to snorkel. Its also where captain Cook died and they have erected a monument. Anyways- it took me a while to get the hang of snorkeling. I jumped in and couldn’t seem to swim with those dang flippers and breathe at the same time. I started having a panic attack and couldn’t breathe. I grabbed the rope of the side of the boat. I asked for a noodle floatation device. That kept me afloat while I learned how to breathe through the snorkel and not panic. I had to really concentrate….but I kept the noodle J and snorkled for a while. It was beautiful coral reefs and tons of fish and crabs….It was quite beautiful! After we were all done we had some snacks then rode to see the image of Pele in the rock cliffs, some lava tubes, and learned some of the local history. What a day!

dolphins!

playing dolphins!

Captain Cook's place of death...our place to snorkel...