Last Day in Waikiki...Boo Hoo!

We thoroughly enjoyed our last day here. We spent pretty much the entire day at the beach. Maddie wanted to try surfing, so Mike rented her a little board and took her out. She enjoyed herself and managed to catch one wave. Unfortunately, despite all our sunscreening, she burnt the back of her legs. It's not a terrible burn, but she is uncomfortable tonight. Good thing for aloe vera gel and kids tylenol!

Meanwhile Chelsea and I shopped along the main strip and then came down to the beach to swim and relax. The breakwater makes for excellent safe swimming for kids. I never have to worry about them. It's like a big saltwater swimming pool. We spent the rest of the afternoon building sand castles, swimming and boogie boarding.

We had dinner tonight at Cheeseburgers in Paradise. It is a fun restaurant with just about the best burger I've ever had! The kids were starving after a day at the beach. They finished off their plates in no time. We then walked the strip one last time. The girls got a braid with beads in their hair at the market.

Now, it's off to bed. I'm doing a little laundry so we can take home clean clothes and we're trying to figure out how to pack for the way home. We bought a few more "souvenirs" than I thought we would, so now we have to get them all in our suitcases!

Thanks for reading our vacation blog. It was a fun ritual to post everyday during our down time. We're sad to leave this beautiful island, but as Chelsea said tonight, "It will be good to sleep in our own beds." I agree. Vacationing is fun, but there's something wonderful about getting home to the familiar and the routine too. See you all soon.

A beautiful Drive with a Fun Destination

Yesterday we rented a car and drove north. I think we truly saw the real Hawaii. The scenery along the coast is breathtaking. We tried to capture some of it on film, but I'm not sure the pictures do it justice. After getting lost once and having to back track a little, we decided to stop for lunch at L&L drive in Hawaiian BBQ. You wouldn't want to eat there too often! It was delicious but even with sharing plates it was a lot of meat and carbs! There are some beautiful homes and some pretty run down beach shacks along the way. We saw numerous adults and children riding in the backs of pick ups. We also noticed most motorcyclists are without helmets. It seems anything goes in Hawaii.

We arrived at the Polynesian Cultural Centre after lunch. We debated going but in the end, we thought the kids would really enjoy the experience. It's overpriced, I think, but the evening show is really spectacular. We got there in time for the canoe pageant. This was a fantastic, colourful show displaying all the different Polynesian tribes dancing and doing chants on canoes in the lagoon. Then we toured the different villages. The girls had fun collecting stamps and doing different activities like spear throwing, fishing, palm weaving, bamboo instruments and learning the hula.

We had a great dinner at the restaurant there. Thankfully this was included in our price! The evening show was next. It was an amazing display of colour, fire, lights and dances. The highlights for us were the Tahiti dancers and the Tongan fire walkers and jugglers. One particular man was able to juggle and do various gymastic type acts with torches lit on both ends. They even had a simulated volcano near the end of the show. It was really hot and humid. They get you by selling cold pineapple delight ice cream with fruit at intermission. Normally, I wouldn't spend 5 dollars on a bowl of ice cream, but we were desperate!!

We drove home around 9. Unfortunately, it was dark so we didn't get to enjoy the scenery. The girls and I are just relaxing now while Mike takes back the rental car. Our plan is to enjoy the Waikiki beaches some more before we have to go! We may do Pearl Harbour later today. I may or may not blog tomorrow depending on how the day shapes up. Thanks for reading!

Flip Flops, Buses and Cab Drivers

We are learning the bus system here in Waikiki quite well. The bus is a great deal at 2 dollars for adults and 1 dollar for kids. We've bused to Diamond Head, Hanuama Bay and today, Sea Life Park. Today was the longest bus ride at about 50 minutes. It's a great way to see the sights along with various neighbourhoods and even some spectacular highway scenery today. We are also putting lots of miles on our flip flops. Lots of things are walking distance from our condo so we are certainly getting our exercise. Not to mention that our condo has an outside staircase and we are on the 4th floor.

The funniest thing to me is that the cab drivers come by the bus stops to try to entice you to take the cab. They tell you that you'll have to wait a long time for the bus and exaggerate the length of time of the bus route. Today a driver offered to take us all to Sea Life Park for 20 dollars. He already convinced one family, but I told him we'd wait for the bus and save 14 dollars. He used the analogy of fine dining vs. McDonalds to try to persuade us that a cab ride would be so much more relaxing! In the end, we waited a few more minutes for the bus and got there in plenty of time! We did take a cab last night from Bubba Gump's at Aloa Mona Centre. We walked there which was a LOOONG way. It was dark when we were done and I wasn't sure how the kids would hold up. It was well worth it! Heather encouraged me to try Bubba Gump's. It was a fun experience and we all enjoyed the fun atmosphere of the restaurant which is modeled after the Forrest Gump film.

So we are heading out to dinner now. We're all pretty hungry and our food supplies are low here. It's time for another trip to Food Pantry!

Tomorrow we plan to visit the Polynesian Cultural Centre. I think we'll rent a car and see the North Island a bit too.

We are really enjoying life here in Paradise. The weather is just unreal and the beauty of the sea and the palms continues to impress us. Mike was trying to figure out a way to live here today. He claims he may become a surfer boy once he
retires!

Maddie's Day at Sea Life Park

Today we went to Sea Life Park to swim with the stingrays. First we went in the water and got to pet them and then we got to snorkel by their side with lots of fish. It was really fun. I felt really excited and happy. Before the ray encounter we saw the dolphin show. The dolphins did flips. Then we went to go see the sea turtles. They were all resting in the sun. You could feed them broccoli but they were all out of food. Then we saw the sea lion show. They did dances to songs. It was very cool. Next we saw the sea trek show. They had two sharks in the tank and a diver was in the tank. He was feeding the bat rays and manta rays. It looks really fun! I really loved this day.

Swimming with the Rays by Chelsea

We went to the aquarium and we swam with the stingrays. We got to pet them and feel them. There were also fish in the tank. The stingrays feel very smooth. It felt very refreshing when we got in the pool because it was very hot. When we got out we looked at the fish some more. they were very colourful fish! We also went and saw the sea lions and the sea turtles and the dolphins. Then we went back on the bus and now here we are at the condo. That's all I have to say for today.

Disclaimer

What Maddie saw was probably not a shark! When we looked at the fish guide, we realized it was a milkfish or something like that. It's tail looks quite a bit like a shark and it is a white colour. Just so none of our family members get worried!!! She was pretty excited about it nonetheless.

maddie's reports on hanuama bay

This morning we went to hanuama bay. When we got there we looked in a museum about fish and sea animals. Then we went to a movie about what to do and what not to do.Then we got to the beach we started snorkling. Dad and I snorkled together because you had to snorkle with somebody. We saw a lot of fish,rainbow ones,ones that looked like nemo and dory,we probably saw 100 fish and about 15 types. But best of all we saw a shark! It was a mud shark or dog shark! It just swam under us! it was so cool! well thats all i have to say for today. Bye!

Mike's take on Hanuama Bay

Hanuama Bay is probably still one of the world's top natural wonders...although in possible jeopardy with several thousand visitors a day. The view above the water was spectacular with the aqua shades of blue and blowing palm trees. Below the water was another amazing experience. A few meters stroke in random directions brought interesting surprises in different pockets of the great reef. Maddie and I snorkeled together and took a lot of underwater pictures of exotic species too amazing to describe. Our favorite was a 2 foot long shiny rainbow colored fish. I sincerely hope this great aquatic treasure can be preserved for future generations.

Chelsea's Point of View - Hanuama Bay

Today I went to Hanuama Bay. We went on a bus. When I got there I saw lots of fish. They were very colourful. I saw a school of yellow ones. I also saw a half purple and half yellow fish. It was so cool! The sand was comfy! It was very sunny but then it rained. The rain was pretty soft. It didn't last long though. Then we went back on the bus and now we're at our condo. I had lots of fun!

Diamond Head Views

The Top of the World and Surf's UP!

This morning we got up, had some breakfast and strapped on our runners to hike up Diamond Head. We caught the city bus (Thanks for the tips Nita...we walked a few blocks down and all got seats!) and got dropped off at the entrance. It was quite warm already at 9 am and I questioned our sanity as the sweat started to roll down my back! It is a nice gentle hike with switchbacks and stairs. It's nothing like the Grouse Grind, but was a little challenging at times for Chelsea. The heat makes it seem much harder. Maddie, our mountain goat, charged ahead and hit the summit before the rest of us. At the top, we were rewarded with the most magnificent view of Waikiki and surrounding area, not to mention a welcome breeze! I'll post some pictures later tonight once we get them downloaded. When we got back to the flats, the girls each had a shave ice (that's what it's called, I didn't forget the "d") and Mike and I shared some fresh pineapple. The cabs were lined up and offering us rides back. The prices kept going down the farther along the path we got. One driver offered to take us all back to town for $5. It was tempting but the bus was free on the way back since we had our transfers.

After a little lunch at the condo, we headed to the beach. Mike was keen to take a surf lesson. He was able to get one right away from an older Hawaiian man named "Uncle Gill". He got up several times and said it was much easier than in Tofino. You can see why Waikiki is so popular with surfers. The conditions are just perfect with the shallow water and the diversity of waves. There is a competition going on this week here. Today we saw the Dog and Master tandem constest. It was so hilarious to see dogs riding on the nose of the surfboard with their masters on the back. There were also some tandem surfing where the guys would lift the girl way over his head...pretty amazing.

The girls and I relaxed in the pools by the breakwater, swimming and playing in the sand. When Mike was done, Maddie was keen to go boogie boarding again, so we went down the beach to where the waves are. She's getting the hang of it and was able to ride a few in. Chelsea is still a little tentative, but actually went out with Maddie to try at the end.

Tonight we are going to grab a quick bite and catch some nightlife. We thought the girls would enjoy the torch lighting and hula show. We will see if we can catch the sunset too.

Our plan is to do Hanuma Bay tomorrow. We'll plan our bus route tonight and get up early.

Here We Are!

We're finally having a little down time this afternoon. We traveled well yesterday. It was a long journey including our drive down to Seattle. There were virtually no line ups at check in or security so we were at our gate with plenty of time to spare. The flight was great and the girls were excellent. It's so nice now that they can read and entertain themselves somewhat. The girls and I sat together. Poor Mike was across the aisle from us with a high maintenance 9 year old and her dad. I'm sure she got up to go to the bathroom or to see her mom at least 15times!

After we got into our condo, we walked the strip. It was late but we were kind of hungry and wanted to get a lay of the land. The girls tired out pretty quickly so we didn't stay long, but headed back for a good night's sleep.

We were up pretty early due to the time change! We were all super anxious to get down to the beach. We spent all morning swimming, body boarding and enjoying the sun. The sun, by the way, is pretty intense here. Yikes! Good thing we brought lots of sunblock. I think we avoided any burns today. We did manage a few cuts from coral and Maddie got a rash on her tummy from boarding too much. Next time she'll have to wear her swim shirt over her suit. The most amazing thing about the ocean is not seeing the mountains behind like we do at the coast. It looks as though you could swim off the edge of the world!

Needless to say, we had a great morning. We are just resting now and will likely head out to find some groceries and supper later. We all had a shower and were amazed at the copious amounts of sand coming out of our bathing suits! It's really beautiful here and the beach this morning was not nearly as crowded as we thought it might be.

Tomorrow I will make a point of photographing Mike! As I went through our photos, there weren't many of him, mainly because he is the one taking them!

Our "home" in Waikiki....

7 days until we go....here are some photos of the condo we'll be staying in...

Our Vacation Blog

In 10 days we are heading off to the beautiful island of Oahu for 8 days in the sun and sand. We are very excited. This is a first for all of us. In an attempt to record our adventures and keep friends and family updated on our vacation, we are creating this blog to hopefully update while we are away. I need to double check that our condo has wi-fi. I'm thinking it does.