Hawaii was an absolute blast!! We stayed in Waikiki most of the time as we only had 5 days to play. I have to say snorkeling and the Polynesian Cultural Center (PCC) were definitely the highlights of the trip. More after the jump.
Pictures here, here, here and here, in case you're more interested in photo-blogging than word-blogging.
We went snorkeling on the first day. Okay, so technically it was Day 2 but since we didn't get in till close to 10pm the day before and all we did was eat at California Pizza Kitchen and crash afterward, it doesn't really count.
Anyway, we went to Hanauma Bay, about a half hour from Waikiki via bus, and got our snorkeling on! It was my first time doing this and I’m definitely not a mouth-breather, so I had to really concentrate on breathing with my mouth instead of with my nose, and let me tell you, salt water is NASTY! There were more than one instance when we forgot and tried breathing through our nose, got nothing but mask, panicked and started flailing about, sputtering nasty salt water. Yeah, not cool. Disgusting water and breathing difficulties aside, being underwater and seeing marine life up close and personal was amazing. My friend Georgia and I had a run-in with the coral reef and we got a bit cut up but fortunately, there weren’t any sharks in the water - because we sure were bleeding - and the lifeguard had a lot of bandages. I had an underwater camera but I couldn’t see jack shit through the viewfinder so had to point in the general direction and shoot; let’s hope some of the pictures came out alright when I get them developed.
The other high point was going to the PCC and learning about the different cultures and traditions of the Polynesian islands. Did you know that the Samoan men do all the hunting, gathering and cooking? Niiice. We even saw the Aotearoa, the Land of the Long White Cloud (New Zealand), perform a haka. Very cool.
That's our tour guide, Cousin Pinas/Pineapple (everyone's family and I couldn't repeat Pinas' name to save my life) and he was great! He's a very funny guy and kept us entertained throughout the hour or so ride to the PCC.
We also met so many fellow Seattlelites while we were there. One of them was a super cute guy (he reminded me of Josh Groban!) named Kyle who works at the little cake shop outside our hotel. (Satura Cakes should come to Seattle!) We made friends with him and his other coworkers (Kapono and Jose). Then there were the two girls (from Marysville and...Monroe?) at Starbucks, appropriately enough. We even met a mom and daughter from Seattle on the monorail at Pearlridge Center.
That's Kyle with us and our free fruit tarts. They were very yummy! In fact, their stuff were so yummy that I bought a little dessert for myself every night we were there. Their coffee's not too bad (sorry Kapono!) and their tropical fruit tea was delicious, too!
Of course, there was shopping involved - Ala Moana Center and Pearlridge Center - AND we went to a swap meet. A swap meet! I haven't been to one since I was a wee lass back in LA, and it was so much fun. Georgia got her muumuu and we both bought good luck tikis as gifts. The guy even personalized them for us!
Next time, we'll have more time to go island hopping as well as go see Pearl Harbor (darn Sunday hours!).
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Ever since I started reading Apartment Therapy, I've fallen in love with these Ork posters but they didn't have one of Seattle. Until now. Hurrah! Thanks AT!
That's our tour guide, Cousin Pinas/Pineapple (everyone's family and I couldn't repeat Pinas' name to save my life) and he was great! He's a very funny guy and kept us entertained throughout the hour or so ride to the PCC.
That's Kyle with us and our free fruit tarts. They were very yummy! In fact, their stuff were so yummy that I bought a little dessert for myself every night we were there. Their coffee's not too bad (sorry Kapono!) and their tropical fruit tea was delicious, too!