!i! The Malasada and More !i!

Day 2 in Hawaii couldn't have started any better.  We started our day out with the infamous malasada.  This is why we come to Hawaii (among other things).

The Malasada consists of a roll cooked in oil and then rolled in cinnamon and sugar.  Good thing we don't eat like this everyday!  We ordered a dozen and shared them between the four of us.

Next, we headed over to Diamond Head which is an extinct volcano.  We hiked up to the top of the rim and looked over the crater below.  We always like to do Diamond Head in the early morning before it gets too hot.  If you wait too long, the hike can be miserable.

We made it up all  3 flights of stairs, equaling 225 in total.  The best way to do this is to just keep climbing.  Don't worry about the pain in your quads, but just keep moving. 

We made it to the top.  It was so windy up there!  But there was a magnificent view of Waikiki on one side and a lighthouse and the ocean on the other.  Usually someone sits at a desk at the top and offers you a certificate that states that you made it all the way up to the top for $2.00, but he wasn't there today. 

 We have never been here when the crater was so green!

We began the hike down.  We finally reached the parking lot and loaded our tired feet into the car.  Most of us hiked the summit in our flip flops.

After our hike, we headed to the North Shore...Home sweet home.  But we decided that we hadn't had enough sugar yet so we stopped at the Dole Plantation for Dole Whip pineapple ice cream. 

A.J. and I like the Pineapple float which has the dole whip covered in pineapple juice and toasted coconut.

We walked around the plantation.  We saw some koi that were at least a foot and a half long!  We also saw some flowering pineapple!  I have never seen flowers on pineapples before, but there they were...equipped with purple flowers!

After wandering around the dole plantation, trying not to get burned, it was time for snorkeling!  Snorkeling is my very favorite thing to do!  Slowly, but surely, I am becoming more adventurous in my snorkeling although I would never go out in the open water where the sharks could come get me!

We decided to go to Turtle Bay.  Turtle Bay is an inlet that is mostly closed off by a rocky reef so no big sharks can get in.  It is located at the Turtle Bay Resort.  A.J. promises me that someday after he graduates from physical therapy, he will take me there.

My super hero husband slathered sunscreen on me and we headed into the waves.  The water was so cold at first, but slowly my body adjusted.  There were so many cool fish!  We invested in another underwater point and shoot camera.

After we were done snorkeling, we were famished!  It was time for lunch!  We headed to Hali'ewa town for lunch.  We ate at one of our favorite sandwich shops:  the Waialua Bakery.  I got a teriyaki chicken sandwich and it was delicious.  We ate  outside and this little guy joined us for lunch.

After lunch, we headed to the Laie temple.  We did a quick tour and even watched a movie about how the Polynesian Cultural Center began.  It was really cool.

The flowers at the temple are the sweetest smelling flowers I have ever smelled.

 Next we visited Laie point.

AJ and I stood on the edge of a high cliff watching the waves pound the rocks below.  Then suddenly, a rogue wave crashed high above us and slapped down on us.  Our once dry clothes were now soaked.  There was salty water everywhere!

We ended our second day in paradise by playing in the waves and watching the sun set at Sunset Beach.

!i! First Day in Paradise !i!

We woke up early our first day in Hawaii. Our time clocks were still adjusting to Hawaii time and we were with AJ who literally cannot sleep in...EVER! Plus...we were in paradise. Why would we waste a single second staring at the back of our eye lids when there was blue sky, sunshine, and endless beaches to play in?!

Waikiki is a very congested city...full of tall hotels. But even through the chaos, we could see a hint of the ocean from our balcony. It was beckoning to us to come play!
Still groggy, we stood on the balcony feeling the humidity embracing our skin and inhaling the salty smell from the ocean.
Our first adventure was to hike to the Makapuu lighthouse. We had heard that this was a great place to find humpback whales. In all the trips to Hawaii, we had never been there during whale season and this was definitely something we wanted to investigate!

We arrived at the beginning of the trail and began hiking. This hike was on the windward side of the island and it definitely lives up to it's name. The waters below are tumultuous and you definitely wouldn't want to get too close to the edge.
We kept scanning the waters, but no sign of whales. Then, about 2/3 of the way to the top, there they were! Out in the distance, there were two or three of them! We saw their tales splashing the water. We saw them doing the pectoral slap. It was incredible to see their gray slick backs as they surfaced the water. But mostly, every now and then, we saw HUGE puffs of sea spray. The whales were at least a mile out, but we could see them as clear as day. They were so big!

We made it to the top for a beautiful, but windy view.
We couldn't see any whales from the top, but we were in awe of the majestic blue of the ocean! I think that is the most beautiful color in the entire pallet of the colors of nature.
After a much needed diet coke, our next stop was the Valley of the Temples (the Byodo-In temple). This is a Buddhist temple located in Kaneohe.
The grounds are gorgeous and serene. It is very peaceful and quiet. Although, the mosquitoes are quite hungry there. I think I walked away with at least 3 bites.
There were huge groves of bamboo that we walked through. The wind rustled through the leaves and there was a deep, hollow cracking sound as the bamboo shoots clacked together and arched back and forth. I felt very small.
Our next stop was China Man's Hat beach. We were approaching our favorite part of the island! This is the place where we spent most of our time. China Man's Hat beach is course and sharp due to the amount of coral and rocks out in the water, but cool pieces of rock and coral constantly wash up on shore and it's fun to search for new treasures.
It was here that Matt got his first taste of the ocean EVER!
The water is cold at first, but after getting over the initial shock, the water warms up. Occasionally, there are pleasant pockets of warm water that soothe your skin, but they are so small, you are immediately washed into a colder current and your body needs to go through the adjustment process all over again.

Next we made our way to Kahana Bay which has the 2nd softest sand on the entire island! Walking on that beach felt like a massage for my toes! The water is much more shallow here so it is a lot warmer. I could wade in the water for hours!
Because this is where a river meets the sea, the water is quite murky so it's not a place I would feel safe swimming in, but it's the perfect place to take your shoes off and feel the soft sand squishing between your toes!
And of course, the day would not be complete without visiting my very favorite beach: Laniakea or as we call it "Turtle Beach." Quickly, we parked and ran across the street hoping to get a glance at my most favorite sea creature! My fingers were crossed as I skipped across the small road in anticipation. I took my flip flops off and walked through the soft sand scanning the beach for a glimpse of those turtles. And there I found them: FIVE OF THEM! I have never seen so many at one time! I was so excited!
So far on our first day in Hawaii, I had seen hump back whales playing in the ocean and now I was watching 5 turtles bask in the Hawaiian sunshine. I was in heaven!
In keeping with our Hawaii vacation traditions, watching sunset was a necessity. What better place to watch the gorgeous sun set across the beautiful waters of Hawaii than at the turtle beach?!
Even the turtle stuck his head out of the water to get a last glimpse of the sun setting over the Pacific Ocean.
After the sun goes down, the world feels so dark and isolated. We ate dinner at Pizza Bob's in Hale'iwa town and then we began the long journey back to our hotel in Waikiki.

!i! Another Trip to Paradise !i!

A.J. and I thought we wouldn't return back to Oahu for awhile. We had been 3 times since we have been married. But when my sister and her husband wanted to go with us, we just couldn't turn down another trip to paradise...especially if it was with them.

But going back to Hawaii meant flying again. It was definitely worth it when we got there, but it was a rough flight. We had a layover in Phoenix. Then it was off to Oahu. Usually I like to sleep on the way across the water. It helps with the anxiety I experience. But there was a "fussy" baby on the flight whose scream sounded like shrieking. It was impossible to sleep.

We finally arrived in paradise. I love the feeling of stepping off the plane in Oahu. A wave of humidity completely washes over you. It is so refreshing. Some people receive leis when they arrive in the airport and you can smell a hint of the sweet scent of the flowers.

I always worry a little about our luggage making it to our destination, but breathed a sigh of relief as we spotted our luggage going around the baggage claim. We got our rental car and immediately set our station to KCCN FM 100 (the local reggae station) and drove to our hotel. By now, AJ hardly even needs the GPS (but we did have it so we could listen to the British man try to pronounce all the Hawaiian street names).

After the long flight, we were so tired we all went to bed. There was a 4 hr time difference over there so while it was 9:00 their time, it was 1:00 a.m. our time and we were exhausted.