Last Full Day

Today is our last full day here in Hawaii. The trip has been a memorable one. Lots of great family time and the rare chance to catch up with our Aussie friends. Sarkis and I have been friends for 30 years and I'm always amazed how we can pick up as if we've never been apart. That goes for Maryanne and Joanne, too. it has been a blast. A few extra photos below - this may or may not be the last blog entry for this trip.

Elvis and his biggest fan

On the escalator at The Beachcomber. We have this same photo from 25 years ago.

2 Jays fans

Can you spot the endangered Hawaiian monk seal? There are only 1300 left in the wild.

A Day on the Water

We were up at 5:00 this morning to catch a bus shortly after 6:00 to go snorkeling at Waienai on Oahu's west side. We watched the sun rise from the bus and the kids were in the water by 7:30 or so.

The drive into Waienae was not the prettiest -this is the leeward, dry side of the  island.  However, once we were on the water, the views were spectacular.

The water was somewhat choppy but they assured me it was warm.  Immediately we came upon some Hawaiian spinner dolphins which the eager snorkelers followed around for awhile. Next up was a whale - and it was very close.  We went whale watching in the Gulf of St. Lawrence last year - no comparison to this. The whale encounter was followed by more snorkeling (sea turtles this time), paddle boarding and jumping from the high deck into the water. Joanne and I had fun watching;-)

We spent some time at Waikiki Beach this afternoon and then went souvenir shopping. Unfortunately time is tight - one more full day and then the long trip home.

Up close and personal with a whale. 

RoadTrip

A big day today.  Before we left home we booked a tour around the island with a guy named Adam White.  Adam was great - very knowledgeable and a lot of fun. We left Waikiki and headed towards Diamond Head, then up the east/windward side of the island, stopping at several sites along the way. We had breakfast at Leonard's Bakery in Kapahulu and lunch at Ted's in Sunset Beach on the north shore.  We visited the Byodo-in temple , the famous north shore surfing beaches and several other scenic areas. A great day for sure, and another busy one tomorrow!

More Recent Hawaiian History

Today we visited the Pearl Harbor National Historic Site. Joanne and I were there 25 years ago and it is still a powerful place.  We took a tour of the USS Bowfin, a decomissioned diesel submarine with a distinguished naval record.  It was incredible to see how 40 men worked and lived in such a crampt, claustrophic environment for months at a time.

We toured the museum and of course we took the short boat ride to the USS Arizona Memorial. There are now only 6 living Pearl Harbor vets.

We had our first bit of rain today. Nothing major and certainly no comparison to the weather at home!

Scott 

in the bowels of the Bowfin

The Arizona Memorial

The USS Missouri -Mighty Mo -  where the second world war came to its final conclusion.

Hawaiian History and other stuff

Hawaiian History in a nutshell:

-the Polynesians discovered the islands about 800 AD and lived here undiscovered until Capt. James Cook dropped in in 1778 (although that is disputed).
- Cook got into a dispute with the locals, lost and ended up being eaten
- Several explorers, traders etc. brought along gifts like smallpox and influenza and almost wiped out the native population
- A kingdom was formed, overthrown, replaced with a republic and eventually Hawaii joined America

During the time of the monarchy and after, a few fine buildings were constructed. The Iolani Palace is the only royal palace in the U.S. The Aliiolana Hale, across the street, served as the primary government building.  We visited both sites yesterday. Now, theses sites are better known to those of us who watch Hawaii Five-O as the home  base  for Steve McGarrett and the gang.

Other stuff:

Since we enjoyed it so much the first time, we went back to California Pizza Kitchen for dinner. Salad photo attached for Diane :-)

We spent some time at the beach which ended rather abruptly when I stepped on a sea urchin.  The water was a bit rough and after swimming out past a rocky shoal I stepped on what I thought was a rock. When the pain got worse I had the kids take a look (I'm sure it was quite comical watching me try to keep my balance in the water on one foot). Scott pulled out a couple of spines and I headed into shore for a closer look. Long story short- no bad reaction, just a bit of pain as there are several bits that will have to work themselves out over time.

Happy New Year!

Happy New year to everyone following along at home. Good riddance, 2013.

Earlier yesterday (after our usual walk for coffee) with no real plans we decided to go to the Ala Moana shopping centre via city bus.  The buses seem to run every few minutes and are very efficient at moving the throngs from Point A to Point B. Its a bit difficult at that mall to determine if you are inside or outside. Lots of interesting stores and probably more surf shops than exist in the entire country of Canada.

After the mall it was back to the hotel for a swim and a rest before heading into the heart of Waikiki (complete with my new Hawaiian shirt).  We went to an Italian restaurant called Il Lupino for dinner - excellent although 13 hours later I'm still stuffed.

Before midnight we headed to the beach near our hotel and settled in with a few thousand of our closest friends to ring in  the New Year and watch the fireworks that were set off from a barge offshore. No rowdiness, no idiots. Well done, Waikiki.

Back to the hotel for drinks on the pool deck and then off to bed. 2014 is off to a great start!