Hawaii Bliss!

Steve and I made it safely back from Paradise and now we need a vacation from our vacation! Phew! Here is a quick recap of our amazing adventure.

Arrival. Checked into our beautiful beach resort.

Day 1. Took 2 amazing hikes in Waimea Canyon, hiding under trees during the occasional shower.
We even met some of the locals. I think there are more chickens on Kauai than people!

Day 2. Helicopter Ride. Hello! Can you say Amazing! This is also the day my appetite packed its bags and headed back to the main land. Wouldn't even stop for a virgin beach boy daiquiri at Duke's ocean-side grill. I could hardly eat a thing all week! It was a weird illness that made me feel a little funky all the time. It put a small damper on our trip and I didn't reunite with my appetite until I got back to Utah. Bummer. But the helicopter ride was magical.

Day 3. Woke up at 3:50 am to drive to the other side of the island. Tried to take a kayak trip along the famous - and infamous - Napali coast but the ocean was angry that day my friends. When one of our experienced guides opted out of the trip because of the high surf, we took his lead and canceled the trip. We tried to reschedule but the remainder of the week was full. Guess we will just have to go back. So, instead we hiked to a secluded beach and waterfall. It was so beautiful, full of ferns, tall bamboo and cool plants.

Day 4. Slept in! Visited a quiet Hindu monastery which had chocolate scented orchids. Then we visited a botanical garden and spent the rest of the afternoon swimming in the crystal blue ocean and relaxing.

Day 5. Rented snorkel gear in the morning and saw some amazing fish. Long skinny ones, florescent ones, tiny ones, large ones, an eel. It was the coolest snorkeling I have ever done. I was way impressed. We rented surfboards and tried to surf but the beach we were on was severely lacking waves. We did more floating than anything but had fun anyway. We drove up the coast that eventing for a nice dinner, well Steve ate...I mostly nibbled on some tasty curry veggies.

Day 6. Tried to surf again in the morning, and the sea was calm...again. So we consoled ourselves with some pineapple and a trip to the spouting horn. Then off to eat snow cones on the beach before catching a flight to Oahu.

Day 7. Honolulu Oahu is a huge city which obviously had its hay day 40 years ago and has been going down hill ever since. But it does have some redeeming qualities...like Peal Harbor. We visited the Bowfin submarine and it was amazing! I loved hearing about the men on that submarine and their experiences during WWII. It was very inspiring. Then we visited the Polynesian Culture Center and enjoyed some good shows. Day 8. We returned to Pearl Harbor to visit the Missouri Battleship and the Arizona Memorial. Then we went to the huge flea market and drove north to the Dole Plantation. We ate Dole Whips and watched a bird eat fries right off Steve's plate with no fear. It was the craziest thing! Sadly we then headed to the airport for our all night flight.