My Hawaiian Adventures

I'm just going to give you a little travel log. I hope it's not too boring to read.

Thursday we flew to Hawaii and watched the veep debates. Exciting, I know. Politics is my hobby. I'm staying with my college roommate, Sara, and her cute family. That evening, another roommie, Janae, flew in with her baby, Sam.



Friday we all went to Honolulu and Waikiki beach. At the international market, I had a Dole Whip. If you've been here before, you know this is a blog-worthy indulgence.

Saturday, Janae and I went to the north shore of O'ahu. We saw Haleiwa, a cute little town up there. Rigby was such a trooper. He let me have some fun without fussing. We went to nearby Shark's Cove (scary, huh?!) to swim and snorkle while the babies slept (swimming one at a time, of course. Give me some credit!). Rigby was soooo tired, but he was way too excited about the beach to sleep, despite my best efforts. He and I got in the water together. He loved it when the little waves would sweep up on him. He laughed and laughed everytime, like he was being tickled. By the time we left, he was so out of it. He fell asleep in my arms as we walked to the car.

Sunday we watched General Conference at Sara's house. After a day of being cooped up (it's four hours of talks... great talks), we headed out for a little sun and fresh air.


Monday I asked Sara for a recommendation on a hike and/or an arboreteum. Janae and I went to Waimea Falls. Ooooh.... so nice. At the end of the hike (OK, they called it a hike, but can it really be a "hike" when the "trail" is paved and eight feet wide?) is a falls into a pool. You can swim through the pool to the falls, climb up on a ledge, and just let the warm water fall all over you. Mmmm. Apparently the "hike" is enough of a deterent to keep the crowds down. We were frequently the only people in the water. I want to take this home with me.

Tuesday was babysitter day. Saturday I had learned that I needed Rigby to stay home for at least one beach day (sorry, Rigs). Janae, Sara, and I went out for some girly fun in the sun. We first drove to Sandy Beach (what a pointless, obvious name) on the east side of O'ahu. Sara and I grabbed the boogie boards and approached the water. I had thought she would dive right in with the rest of the swimmers, but it turns out she was as apprehensive as I was. The waves were huge and strong. I guess our hesitation was a red flag to the life gaurd. He very politely told us that this beach had the highest rate of head and neck injuries and that we should put the boards down and just get our feet wet. Right. Thanks. Am I really that transparent? We tried this for a while, then packed up again. A little further up the island was a beach protected by a peninsula, Makapu'u. This was exactly what I was looking for. The breakers were present, but manageable. We swam the boards out past that, bobbed around in the swells, then rode them back to the beach. Ah, yes. This is Hawaii. Thanks Melissa and Ryan for watching Rigby.

Wednesday Janae and I were off to the Pearl Harbor/USS Arizona memorial. What can I say? It was interesting to be there and see the film about that day with 9/11 in my memory. I felt that I understood better. We then went to the local flea market where I finished up my souvenir shopping. That night Sara and her hubbie Ryan took us all out to a yummy Thai restaurant.

Thursday we all went to the Polynesian Cultural Center in Laie. What a fun place. I have to say, this was Rigby's most challenging day. It was long and hot, and he is not one to sleep anywhere but his bed. When a cloud cover set in he seemed to get a second wind and powered through the rest of the day, to tucker out right in time for the big evening show. I appreciated that. If you've never been there, you should go. It's divided up into several different polynesian countries/cultures (Tonga, Samoa, Hawaii, Figi, New Zealand... ). At each location you can watch presentations, make cultural crafts, learn to hula, etc. We also saw an imax about coral reefs. Rigby seemed to enjoy that.

Friday we went to the Dole Plantation. It is not the factory that I remember touring as a kid here. I guess they closed that down when Mr. Dole bought an entire Hawaiian island to move most of his production to. What remains here is a large gift shop/restaurant, the biggest maze in the world (recently pronouced so by the Guiness people), and a little train ride around the plantation of mostly pineapples, but also cocao (chocolate), bananas, mangos, bread fruit, and more. Again, I had a fanastic Dole Whip. Mmmm. It's like a soft serve, pineapple sorbet. It's incredible.

Today is Saturday. We will be meeting up with my friend Mandy who is coincidentally here at the same time with her family and her parents. The last time I came to Hawaii was when we traveled here together after gradulating from high school. Today for our "reunion tour" we will go to the Dole Plantation and Turtle Beach, where large sea turtles return to nest) or whatever they do). I hope to get some great pictures of these guys.

Sunday will be traveling day. Wish me luck. Lots of it. And wish me an empty seat next to me and neighbors who are sweet, understanding grandparents.