Re: Tilly's Great Hawaiian Adventure
Posted: May 11th, 2009, 7:53 pm
Hi everyone, I'm home!!
Hawaii was a BLAST!!!! Here is a brief summary, some of which you've already read about.
Land in Honolulu, check into hotel, beach, dinner, bed. Home of the Brave tour, USS Arizona Memorial, Pearl Harbor survivors, Wheeler Field, Schofield Barracks, Pineapple Pentagon, pearls, pearls, and MORE PEARLS, Duke's for a Mai Tai and apps, Japanese dinner, green tea ice cream (ymmm!), bed. Check out of hotel, swim with sharks, swim in waterfall, best que ever (don't throw rotten veggies, please), fly to the Big Island. Crash, as in sleep. Church, shopping, plan for the week with concierge, snorkeling, swim with turtles, dinner, bed. Original King Kamahamah statue, drive to northern part of island, black sand beach seen from above, drive to falls; Akaka and something else, drive to Hilo and Kilauea, see Kilauea blowing her top, walk through lava tube - scared the hell out of me and ran out, seriously I can get claustrophobic in places like that - stopped at steam vent on the way down and got a steam facial with mom - picture is hilarious, drive to lava flow area, walk out to lava flow observation point, watch glow of lava flowing out of lava tube, pick up lava rocks, remind myself I believe in God not Pele, Hawaiian Goddess of Fire, fall asleep in car on way back to condo, go to bed. Get up, wait for parents to come back from listening to spiel on Hilton Grand Vacations, drive to Kona, rent snorkel gear for the week, look for Hilo Hatties, get the finger from a native and blow him a kiss, give up looking for Hilo Hatties and drive back to condo, nap, head to swimming pool, dinner, bed. Drive to Hilo, stop at some falls along the way, walk down to "ground level", take amazing pictures, walk back up with Heineken bottle left in the water to throw away, drive on to Hilo to find Rainbow Falls, stop at Hilo Hatties, buy the place out, well almost, get lunch, look for Rainbow Falls, give up and drive back to condo, dinner, to bed early as have early day. Get up, drive past Kona to meet up with snorkel diving company, get in boat, flirt with Josh the cute guy, see dolphins, take pics of dolphins, including an amazing shot of one diving back into the water, snorkel, see dolphins while snorkeling and take a picture, back in boat, snorkel to black sand beach, get black sand and shells in bathing suit, no pictures, take shells, snorkel back to boat with Josh and others, go to last dive and snorkel around Captain Cook's monument, back to base, flirt with Josh some more, back to condo, to Hilton Hotel pool, discover have left sunscreen at condo, hang out in pool, dry off, explore hotel, walk across wooden bridge, walk on white sand beach, catch shuttle back to condo, discover I am terribly sunburned, parents are too, but not as bad, take cold shower, dress, parents bring back dinner, best bar-b-que EVER, bed. Get up, go buy shirt designed to keep out bad rays, go to black sand beach on southern side of island, see sea turtles on beach, including one with it's head resting on the shell of another, fall in love with sea turtles, but still HATE Terrapins, back to condo, rain - Hawaii was crying over imminent departure in 24 hrs, Japanese dinner, reaction to Japanese dinner, pack, bed. Get up, snorkel, stalk a sea turtle, go back to beach wait for parents to come back from snorkeling, condo, shower, finish packing, redistribute stuff so my suitcase weighs less than 50 lbs, check out, say goodbye to new friend, not Josh, drive to Kona to return rented snorkel gear, have lunch, best bar-b-que EVER, go to airport, cry, fly to Honolulu, wait for hours for flight to San Francisco, fly to SF, wait, fly to Denver, wait, fly to Baltimore, shower, dinner, bed. Get up, pack borrowed suit case from parents, drive to airport, say goodbye to parents, fly to RDU, best friend and kids pick me up, drive home, show shark video, give presents to kids, say goodbye to friend and kids, Knights68 comes over brings dinner - Bojangles, turn on computer.
Whew! I did a lot. I had a wonderful time and have started my list of things to do when we go back in 2 years. Am considering taking up scuba diving so I can dive further down and hopefully not get sunburned.
If you haven't been to Hawaii, I highly recommend going. It is paradise! Will let ya'll know when I've posted the shark video on youtube, and will post the picks on picasa, will post links to both in this thread.
Hawaii was a BLAST!!!! Here is a brief summary, some of which you've already read about.
Land in Honolulu, check into hotel, beach, dinner, bed. Home of the Brave tour, USS Arizona Memorial, Pearl Harbor survivors, Wheeler Field, Schofield Barracks, Pineapple Pentagon, pearls, pearls, and MORE PEARLS, Duke's for a Mai Tai and apps, Japanese dinner, green tea ice cream (ymmm!), bed. Check out of hotel, swim with sharks, swim in waterfall, best que ever (don't throw rotten veggies, please), fly to the Big Island. Crash, as in sleep. Church, shopping, plan for the week with concierge, snorkeling, swim with turtles, dinner, bed. Original King Kamahamah statue, drive to northern part of island, black sand beach seen from above, drive to falls; Akaka and something else, drive to Hilo and Kilauea, see Kilauea blowing her top, walk through lava tube - scared the hell out of me and ran out, seriously I can get claustrophobic in places like that - stopped at steam vent on the way down and got a steam facial with mom - picture is hilarious, drive to lava flow area, walk out to lava flow observation point, watch glow of lava flowing out of lava tube, pick up lava rocks, remind myself I believe in God not Pele, Hawaiian Goddess of Fire, fall asleep in car on way back to condo, go to bed. Get up, wait for parents to come back from listening to spiel on Hilton Grand Vacations, drive to Kona, rent snorkel gear for the week, look for Hilo Hatties, get the finger from a native and blow him a kiss, give up looking for Hilo Hatties and drive back to condo, nap, head to swimming pool, dinner, bed. Drive to Hilo, stop at some falls along the way, walk down to "ground level", take amazing pictures, walk back up with Heineken bottle left in the water to throw away, drive on to Hilo to find Rainbow Falls, stop at Hilo Hatties, buy the place out, well almost, get lunch, look for Rainbow Falls, give up and drive back to condo, dinner, to bed early as have early day. Get up, drive past Kona to meet up with snorkel diving company, get in boat, flirt with Josh the cute guy, see dolphins, take pics of dolphins, including an amazing shot of one diving back into the water, snorkel, see dolphins while snorkeling and take a picture, back in boat, snorkel to black sand beach, get black sand and shells in bathing suit, no pictures, take shells, snorkel back to boat with Josh and others, go to last dive and snorkel around Captain Cook's monument, back to base, flirt with Josh some more, back to condo, to Hilton Hotel pool, discover have left sunscreen at condo, hang out in pool, dry off, explore hotel, walk across wooden bridge, walk on white sand beach, catch shuttle back to condo, discover I am terribly sunburned, parents are too, but not as bad, take cold shower, dress, parents bring back dinner, best bar-b-que EVER, bed. Get up, go buy shirt designed to keep out bad rays, go to black sand beach on southern side of island, see sea turtles on beach, including one with it's head resting on the shell of another, fall in love with sea turtles, but still HATE Terrapins, back to condo, rain - Hawaii was crying over imminent departure in 24 hrs, Japanese dinner, reaction to Japanese dinner, pack, bed. Get up, snorkel, stalk a sea turtle, go back to beach wait for parents to come back from snorkeling, condo, shower, finish packing, redistribute stuff so my suitcase weighs less than 50 lbs, check out, say goodbye to new friend, not Josh, drive to Kona to return rented snorkel gear, have lunch, best bar-b-que EVER, go to airport, cry, fly to Honolulu, wait for hours for flight to San Francisco, fly to SF, wait, fly to Denver, wait, fly to Baltimore, shower, dinner, bed. Get up, pack borrowed suit case from parents, drive to airport, say goodbye to parents, fly to RDU, best friend and kids pick me up, drive home, show shark video, give presents to kids, say goodbye to friend and kids, Knights68 comes over brings dinner - Bojangles, turn on computer.
Whew! I did a lot. I had a wonderful time and have started my list of things to do when we go back in 2 years. Am considering taking up scuba diving so I can dive further down and hopefully not get sunburned.
If you haven't been to Hawaii, I highly recommend going. It is paradise! Will let ya'll know when I've posted the shark video on youtube, and will post the picks on picasa, will post links to both in this thread.
