!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.