We woke up late. We texted Janae and made plans for lunch. We went to Splasher’s Grill. It was decent. The burgers were huge. I got the Chipotle Bacon Burger and Nephi got the Sweet and Sassy Burger. There were flies everywhere and I got tired of defending my food. We stopped back at the farmer’s market for Janae. She bought some gifts for her family, then we headed back to the hotel. Nephi and I went swimming in the pool, while Janae went in the ocean. We quickly showered and then headed up to Mauna Kea.
Mauna Kea is the tallest mountain in the world. I know you are all saying, no Mt. Everest is the tallest mountain in the world. Well…you are wrong. Mt. Everest is the tallest mountain above sea level. Mauna Kea is just under 14,000 feet above sea level. However, if you count the part of the mountain that is under the water, down to the Earth’s crust, it is 56,000 feet tall. That is pretty darn tall. Anyway, on the way we stopped at the visitor’s center. Nephi bought a pink shirt. Then we drove on a very scary, 4 wheel drive only road. Janae’s friend, Krystal was driving and thankfully had a Jeep. We watched the sunset which was pretty awesome. Then we headed back down to the visitor’s center and watched a star show. I saw Saturn’s rings through a telescope and I was proud I was able to still identify a bunch of constellations that I learned in astronomy.
We headed down the mountain and Nephi and I got a quick bite at McDonald’s. Then I totally crashed in bed.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Day 13: Landscapes
Nephi and I were severely running out of clothes, so I woke up at 5:50, so that I could be at the Laundromat when they opened. We had stopped by the evening before and it was a zoo, so I wanted to beat everyone. I got down there at 6, and started 2 loads (they only had 2 machines). Those were finished in a jiffy, and I put them in the dryer and put one more load in the washer. One of the dryers stopped after about 45 minutes. Those clothes weren’t dry so I paid for another 45 minutes. The other dryer kept going forever. A little after an hour I stopped the dryer that kept going, pulled out the clothes (which were dry), and threw in the clothes that were in the washer. Once the other dryer was finished, Nephi had finally joined me. I had him fold the clothes while I ran up to the room to get ready for the day. When I came back down the final load was done. It was 10 by this point, and we had missed breakfast.
We grabbed Wendy’s really quick and watched some really cool lizards. They were green with red spots on them and they were sooo quick. They would chase each other. It was fun to watch. After that, we stopped by Blockbuster. The employees were lame and ignored me, but I bought The Price is Right for the Nintendo DS.
Finally, we headed north. We had plans to go to Hilo to get my mom her favorite cookies. Along the drive, we saw every landscape imaginable. We saw grasslands (yellow ones), we saw green rolling hills, we saw rocky fields, we saw cacti, and finally we saw rainforest. It was a really cool drive, especially since we had upgraded to a Ford Mustang and had the top down. We got to Hilo, and went to Big Island Candies. We arrived at the same time that a whole tour bus of Asian women arrived. From the store you can see the women working in the factory. We watched some cookies get hand dipped in chocolate and then we proceeded to make our selections. The only problem, there were people everywhere (namely Asian women). Now, I hope I don’t offend anyone…I have nothing against any group of people…and I totally get that it is a cultural thing about space, but these women drove me crazy. They were pushy and loud and yapping away. I couldn’t get anywhere. They were a swarm of frantic shoppers and it was impossible to escape. Finally they started to trickle out and I got the stuff I wanted. Nephi decided to try these pineapple filled shortbread things and caramel/chocolate dipped shortbread cookies. Both were really good. I just got the normal and we bought some gifts for family back home.
After the cookie place, we looked for a fast food restaurant so that Nephi and I could go potty. There was none to be found. Anywhere. Finally we settled on a Borders. We continued our drive, this time down the east side of the island. After a while we made it to Volcanoes National Park. First stop was the steam vents. This is where steam comes out of the ground because rainwater touches the hot rocks underground and turns into steam. Then we went to the Thurston Lava Tube. It was pretty cool. It was essentially a cave that had been created by lava. It had been paved and lit for tourists, but at the end there was this portion that they hadn’t touched that you could explore. Nephi and I didn’t have flashlights, but some nice people offered to take us with them. It was pretty cool. At the end some teenage girls jumped out and tried to scare us. We had seen them so it was pretty lame (they weren’t fully committed either).
Then we drove down Chain of Crater’s Road. Nephi loved it. There are some really cool landscapes and the whole drive is you pretty much driving over dried lava. When we got to the end of the road, we walked about a mile to check out the place where a more recent eruption took out the road. We also checked out this sea arch thing that was pretty cool. The waves were HUGE.
Finally it was time to go. We made our way back to Kailua-Kona in the dark. It was a pretty scary road. When we got back we both wanted something yummy and easy so we went to Kona Brewing Company again. It was just as good a second time. We were completely exhausted so we went home and went to bed.
We grabbed Wendy’s really quick and watched some really cool lizards. They were green with red spots on them and they were sooo quick. They would chase each other. It was fun to watch. After that, we stopped by Blockbuster. The employees were lame and ignored me, but I bought The Price is Right for the Nintendo DS.
Finally, we headed north. We had plans to go to Hilo to get my mom her favorite cookies. Along the drive, we saw every landscape imaginable. We saw grasslands (yellow ones), we saw green rolling hills, we saw rocky fields, we saw cacti, and finally we saw rainforest. It was a really cool drive, especially since we had upgraded to a Ford Mustang and had the top down. We got to Hilo, and went to Big Island Candies. We arrived at the same time that a whole tour bus of Asian women arrived. From the store you can see the women working in the factory. We watched some cookies get hand dipped in chocolate and then we proceeded to make our selections. The only problem, there were people everywhere (namely Asian women). Now, I hope I don’t offend anyone…I have nothing against any group of people…and I totally get that it is a cultural thing about space, but these women drove me crazy. They were pushy and loud and yapping away. I couldn’t get anywhere. They were a swarm of frantic shoppers and it was impossible to escape. Finally they started to trickle out and I got the stuff I wanted. Nephi decided to try these pineapple filled shortbread things and caramel/chocolate dipped shortbread cookies. Both were really good. I just got the normal and we bought some gifts for family back home.
After the cookie place, we looked for a fast food restaurant so that Nephi and I could go potty. There was none to be found. Anywhere. Finally we settled on a Borders. We continued our drive, this time down the east side of the island. After a while we made it to Volcanoes National Park. First stop was the steam vents. This is where steam comes out of the ground because rainwater touches the hot rocks underground and turns into steam. Then we went to the Thurston Lava Tube. It was pretty cool. It was essentially a cave that had been created by lava. It had been paved and lit for tourists, but at the end there was this portion that they hadn’t touched that you could explore. Nephi and I didn’t have flashlights, but some nice people offered to take us with them. It was pretty cool. At the end some teenage girls jumped out and tried to scare us. We had seen them so it was pretty lame (they weren’t fully committed either).
Then we drove down Chain of Crater’s Road. Nephi loved it. There are some really cool landscapes and the whole drive is you pretty much driving over dried lava. When we got to the end of the road, we walked about a mile to check out the place where a more recent eruption took out the road. We also checked out this sea arch thing that was pretty cool. The waves were HUGE.
Finally it was time to go. We made our way back to Kailua-Kona in the dark. It was a pretty scary road. When we got back we both wanted something yummy and easy so we went to Kona Brewing Company again. It was just as good a second time. We were completely exhausted so we went home and went to bed.
Friday, June 11, 2010
Day 12: Aloha Kona
We woke up early so that we could pack. It took awhile to get everything all together. We checked our email and such then headed out. We stopped at Carl's Jr. on the way to the airport. Nephi loves their breakfast and we rarely eat breakfast together so it is a treat. After breakfast we went to Borders so that I could buy the 3rd and 4th books of the Vampire Diaries (I am almost done with the 2nd one), then we dropped off the movies at Blockbuster.
At the airport the lines were long. It is so hot and humid here I get grumpy quickly. I was annoyed by people's stupidity, but I tried to chill. While waiting to board the plane I called Erin (my sister). Erin has been my savior a number of times on this trip. I have called her and she has done internet research to get me places and look up restaurants, etc. I decided I should call her with no favor to ask. It was nice just chatting with her.
Our flight was SOOOO short. We took off, got up to 10,000 feet, then started our descent into Kona. It was nice. Kona is a cool airport completely outside). The Big Island has a very different feel from Maui, but Nephi and I both really like it. It is strangely desolate...but lush. The lava rock is so cool. Plus it is a huge hill so no matter where you are you have a view of the ocean (even walking out of Safeway). Also, because there are no little islands on this side of Hawaii, you can really take in the vastness of the Pacific.
We rented our car from Enterprise (we ditched Dollar), and upgraded to a Mustang. Sweet. I love convertibles. Nephi is excited just to have keyless entry again. We headed to our hotel (Outrigger Keauhou Beach Resort), and it is pretty nice. We are on the top floor (7th) and we have a view of the ocean. BEAUTIFUL! I am excited to go check out the tide pools.
I texted Janae to let her know we were in and she asked if we wanted to go to a farmer's market with her. We went to go pick her up and got lost (because half the streets here don't have names...it makes it difficult). Eventually we found here and headed to the waterfront. The farmer's market was cool, and we bought some homemade banana bread.
Janae had to go to some festival, so Nephi and I headed to dinner. I had read about this micro-brewery that had really good pizza, called Kona Brewery. We ordered Pele wings (hot teriyaki wings) and a pizza that had pepperoni, green peppers, and tomatoes. It was ah-mazing! It was so so so so good. I can't remember ever having pizza that good. The sauce was good, the cheese was good, the pepperoni was the best I have ever had. I definitely recommend it if you ever come here.
After dinner we headed to the grocery store in search of (what else?) Mountain Dew Code Red. No luck, but Nephi got some other drinks.
We attempted to go to the laundromat in the hotel, but it was busy so we decided to go in the morning. Now we are vegging.
At the airport the lines were long. It is so hot and humid here I get grumpy quickly. I was annoyed by people's stupidity, but I tried to chill. While waiting to board the plane I called Erin (my sister). Erin has been my savior a number of times on this trip. I have called her and she has done internet research to get me places and look up restaurants, etc. I decided I should call her with no favor to ask. It was nice just chatting with her.
Our flight was SOOOO short. We took off, got up to 10,000 feet, then started our descent into Kona. It was nice. Kona is a cool airport completely outside). The Big Island has a very different feel from Maui, but Nephi and I both really like it. It is strangely desolate...but lush. The lava rock is so cool. Plus it is a huge hill so no matter where you are you have a view of the ocean (even walking out of Safeway). Also, because there are no little islands on this side of Hawaii, you can really take in the vastness of the Pacific.
We rented our car from Enterprise (we ditched Dollar), and upgraded to a Mustang. Sweet. I love convertibles. Nephi is excited just to have keyless entry again. We headed to our hotel (Outrigger Keauhou Beach Resort), and it is pretty nice. We are on the top floor (7th) and we have a view of the ocean. BEAUTIFUL! I am excited to go check out the tide pools.
I texted Janae to let her know we were in and she asked if we wanted to go to a farmer's market with her. We went to go pick her up and got lost (because half the streets here don't have names...it makes it difficult). Eventually we found here and headed to the waterfront. The farmer's market was cool, and we bought some homemade banana bread.
Janae had to go to some festival, so Nephi and I headed to dinner. I had read about this micro-brewery that had really good pizza, called Kona Brewery. We ordered Pele wings (hot teriyaki wings) and a pizza that had pepperoni, green peppers, and tomatoes. It was ah-mazing! It was so so so so good. I can't remember ever having pizza that good. The sauce was good, the cheese was good, the pepperoni was the best I have ever had. I definitely recommend it if you ever come here.
After dinner we headed to the grocery store in search of (what else?) Mountain Dew Code Red. No luck, but Nephi got some other drinks.
We attempted to go to the laundromat in the hotel, but it was busy so we decided to go in the morning. Now we are vegging.
Day 11: Movie Mania
We decided to sleep in a bit. We woke up around 9:00. I had fallen asleep early the night before and missed a television show that I wanted to watch, so we went down to the pool and I watched it online.
We played on the internet for a bit and then we headed to Kahului to go to Jack-in-the-Box (Nephi had spied one). After lunch we went to the theaters and watched Robin Hood. It was alright. A bit slow for my liking, but fine.
We stopped by the local Blockbuster and rented a couple of DVDs (Bandslam and Taking of Pelham 123). We decided to go to a Japanese steak house (one where they cook in front of you and throw stuff at you and such). It was decent, but it was fun because Nephi and I have never been to one together.
On the walk back to the hotel we stopped in this little Vintage Hawaiian shop. It was hip...and expensive. They had some fun stuff to look at though.
When we got back to the hotel we watched our movies. Bandslam was okay. Better than I was expecting (way more depth). Pelham was pretty good...again, better than I was expecting. I really like Denzel Washington and Tony Scott (the director).
Overall it was a pretty chill day.
We played on the internet for a bit and then we headed to Kahului to go to Jack-in-the-Box (Nephi had spied one). After lunch we went to the theaters and watched Robin Hood. It was alright. A bit slow for my liking, but fine.
We stopped by the local Blockbuster and rented a couple of DVDs (Bandslam and Taking of Pelham 123). We decided to go to a Japanese steak house (one where they cook in front of you and throw stuff at you and such). It was decent, but it was fun because Nephi and I have never been to one together.
On the walk back to the hotel we stopped in this little Vintage Hawaiian shop. It was hip...and expensive. They had some fun stuff to look at though.
When we got back to the hotel we watched our movies. Bandslam was okay. Better than I was expecting (way more depth). Pelham was pretty good...again, better than I was expecting. I really like Denzel Washington and Tony Scott (the director).
Overall it was a pretty chill day.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Day 10: Under the Sea
This is the day Nephi and I had been looking forward to the most. We had booked an all day snorkeling trip around the island of Lanai with a boat company that had awesome reviews online. We woke up at 5:45 in order to be at the harbor at 6:30. We got there, checked in, were introduced to our captain and crew (Captain Dave, Bobby, and Elise), and put on our first coat of SPF 50.
At 7:00 the boat departed. Once we were out of the harbor, the captain made the mistake of stopping the boat to talk to us. Instead of the 5 minute safety speech it should of been, he kept talking and talking. Seriously we were stopped for probably 20 minutes (and he mostly wasn't talking about safety), and I really started to feel sick. I am easily prone to motion sickness, but as long as the boat is moving I am fine. It is when the boat rocks to the waves that it makes me feel queasy. Well we were stopped long enough that I started to feel really sick. We had to drive about an hour though large waves in order to get to our first snorkel stop. I really didn't recover and felt sick the whole time. Elise set me up in the back with a ginger ale. Sitting and staring at the shoreline, intermittently sipping my ginger ale or pressing it against my forehead made me feel better. On the way we saw a few shipwrecks. Apparently that portion of shoreline is super dangerous. There were 16 known shipwrecks and the most recent happened this January. It was cool seeing all the ruined boats.
When we finally made it to our first snorkeling stop, they fed us a quick breakfast, which I shoved down my throat so that I could get off the boat. The fist place we stopped was called Cookie Monster Cove. It was named by Bobby. Because the ride is so choppy and difficult, no other snorkeling tour takes you to the backside of Lanai, so this company just names everything whatever they want. Cookie Monster Cove was awesome. There were so many fish. We saw some super cool fish of all different colors. It was seriously amazing. I wish we had had more time in the Cove because in my opinion in was the best stop all day. After awhile though we had to go back to the boat. On to our next stop.
On the way we got to some cliffs. Captain Dave explained that when the Hawaiians first arrived to Hawaii in 600 AD, they saw the cliffs on Lanai and thought they saw faces in them. The believed that the island was filled with evil spirits and so they didn't land there. Instead they went to all the other islands. It wasn't until 1400 that the Hawaiians finally settled on the island. They are apparently really afraid of it. Anyway...it was cool looking for the faces in the cliffs.
After the cliffs were the caves. The caves also had a story about a banished Prince who lived in a different cave every night to keep the evil spirits from finding him. He got us right up to the entrance of a cave with the boat. He was definitely a crazy captain. You can tell he isn't afraid of being sued, but really just wants to provide a good time. It makes for a much more fun, though sometimes frightening, trip.
After the cliffs we stopped at our second snorkeling spot. SPF 50 application number 2. Again they fed us (lunch) and I quickly scarfed it to get into the water. The second stop was called Buddha Bay. Buddha Bay had a lava tube that was about 10 feet under the water. I swam that then climbed onto the rocks. I was about the 5th person to go through the lava tube, and the fifth person to climb on the rocks. When I got to the top of the jumping rock (about 25-30 feet above the water), all of the people who went before me were congregated at the top. I was like, what's up? They just didn't want to go first. I love jumping rocks so I went. After I jumped off, everyone followed suit. I thought that was slightly amusing. It was fun. After that, Nephi and I snorkeled around the Bay. It was really cool too. We saw a lot of the same fish as the first Cove, but we saw some other cool stuff too. We saw a red sea slug which was cool and we saw a lobster that looked like it someone has painted gold designs all over it. Buddha Bay was cool because we got to go really deep. Again, all too soon, we had to return to the boat.
Our third stop was Shark Fin Bay. SPF 50 application number 3. Shark Fin Bay has a big rock that looks just like a shark fin. It was definitely the least cool stop, but it was still fun.
After Shark Fin Bay, it was time to return to Maui. The waves were HUGE and the ride back was seriously frightening. I thought we were going to die. Seriously. It is amazing the beating a boat can take. We got just as wet on the boat ride back as we did in the water.
Overall it was an amazing day. I would recommend that tour company to anyone. It was so good. As we walked back to our hotel I realized that my back was hurting again. Yes...even with 3 applications of SPF 50, I still got more sunburned on my back. It is ridiculous. It hurt so bad that I demanded we stay indoors til the sun went down. Since it was about 4:30 we had about 2.5 hours before that happened. We lied down and both fell asleep. We woke up at 8:30 and headed to Maui Tacos. Someone had told us that you could get 3 fish tacos for $5.00 on Tuesdays. They lied, but that was okay. Nephi got his fish tacos and I got a steak quesadilla. It was pretty good. We went back home afterward and I fell asleep pretty quick. Nephi, however, stayed up for quite awhile writing down notes for stories.
At 7:00 the boat departed. Once we were out of the harbor, the captain made the mistake of stopping the boat to talk to us. Instead of the 5 minute safety speech it should of been, he kept talking and talking. Seriously we were stopped for probably 20 minutes (and he mostly wasn't talking about safety), and I really started to feel sick. I am easily prone to motion sickness, but as long as the boat is moving I am fine. It is when the boat rocks to the waves that it makes me feel queasy. Well we were stopped long enough that I started to feel really sick. We had to drive about an hour though large waves in order to get to our first snorkel stop. I really didn't recover and felt sick the whole time. Elise set me up in the back with a ginger ale. Sitting and staring at the shoreline, intermittently sipping my ginger ale or pressing it against my forehead made me feel better. On the way we saw a few shipwrecks. Apparently that portion of shoreline is super dangerous. There were 16 known shipwrecks and the most recent happened this January. It was cool seeing all the ruined boats.
When we finally made it to our first snorkeling stop, they fed us a quick breakfast, which I shoved down my throat so that I could get off the boat. The fist place we stopped was called Cookie Monster Cove. It was named by Bobby. Because the ride is so choppy and difficult, no other snorkeling tour takes you to the backside of Lanai, so this company just names everything whatever they want. Cookie Monster Cove was awesome. There were so many fish. We saw some super cool fish of all different colors. It was seriously amazing. I wish we had had more time in the Cove because in my opinion in was the best stop all day. After awhile though we had to go back to the boat. On to our next stop.
On the way we got to some cliffs. Captain Dave explained that when the Hawaiians first arrived to Hawaii in 600 AD, they saw the cliffs on Lanai and thought they saw faces in them. The believed that the island was filled with evil spirits and so they didn't land there. Instead they went to all the other islands. It wasn't until 1400 that the Hawaiians finally settled on the island. They are apparently really afraid of it. Anyway...it was cool looking for the faces in the cliffs.
After the cliffs were the caves. The caves also had a story about a banished Prince who lived in a different cave every night to keep the evil spirits from finding him. He got us right up to the entrance of a cave with the boat. He was definitely a crazy captain. You can tell he isn't afraid of being sued, but really just wants to provide a good time. It makes for a much more fun, though sometimes frightening, trip.
After the cliffs we stopped at our second snorkeling spot. SPF 50 application number 2. Again they fed us (lunch) and I quickly scarfed it to get into the water. The second stop was called Buddha Bay. Buddha Bay had a lava tube that was about 10 feet under the water. I swam that then climbed onto the rocks. I was about the 5th person to go through the lava tube, and the fifth person to climb on the rocks. When I got to the top of the jumping rock (about 25-30 feet above the water), all of the people who went before me were congregated at the top. I was like, what's up? They just didn't want to go first. I love jumping rocks so I went. After I jumped off, everyone followed suit. I thought that was slightly amusing. It was fun. After that, Nephi and I snorkeled around the Bay. It was really cool too. We saw a lot of the same fish as the first Cove, but we saw some other cool stuff too. We saw a red sea slug which was cool and we saw a lobster that looked like it someone has painted gold designs all over it. Buddha Bay was cool because we got to go really deep. Again, all too soon, we had to return to the boat.
Our third stop was Shark Fin Bay. SPF 50 application number 3. Shark Fin Bay has a big rock that looks just like a shark fin. It was definitely the least cool stop, but it was still fun.
After Shark Fin Bay, it was time to return to Maui. The waves were HUGE and the ride back was seriously frightening. I thought we were going to die. Seriously. It is amazing the beating a boat can take. We got just as wet on the boat ride back as we did in the water.
Overall it was an amazing day. I would recommend that tour company to anyone. It was so good. As we walked back to our hotel I realized that my back was hurting again. Yes...even with 3 applications of SPF 50, I still got more sunburned on my back. It is ridiculous. It hurt so bad that I demanded we stay indoors til the sun went down. Since it was about 4:30 we had about 2.5 hours before that happened. We lied down and both fell asleep. We woke up at 8:30 and headed to Maui Tacos. Someone had told us that you could get 3 fish tacos for $5.00 on Tuesdays. They lied, but that was okay. Nephi got his fish tacos and I got a steak quesadilla. It was pretty good. We went back home afterward and I fell asleep pretty quick. Nephi, however, stayed up for quite awhile writing down notes for stories.
Day 9: Repeats and Randoms
Part of the reason we made our Maui portion of the trip so long was so that we could have some time to relax. We woke up and just chilled around the hotel. The pool has this really nice pagoda that I like hanging out in.
We decided to go to Cool Cats again because we liked it so much. After that we headed to the movie theaters and watched Killers. It was okay. I liked it better than Prince of Persia and Nephi liked it less. It definitely wasn't amazing, but I was entertained (and Ashton Kutcher definitely worked out for this part and look amazing).
After the movie we decided to go up to this point that some old ladies we met at the beach told us about. On the way I contemplated why certain people love certain things. My whole life I have loved water. I loved water so much as a child that when I was about 3, I ran away from my mom and jumped (without a care) straight into a pool. I definitely couldn't swim and had to be saved, but I was never afraid of water after that. I just wanted to learn how to swim that much more. I love water so much that often when I am in the ocean I seriously just want to stay there...forever. I was thinking about why I have this predisposition. Some people, instead of loving water, love flowers or other parts of nature. It just makes me wonder about how these things get transfixed into our personalities before we really even have personalities. I can't really even articulate my thoughts...but I find it very interesting.
It turns out you have to walk through a golf course to get there...which I felt a little bit bad about. When we got out to the point there were a lot of cool rock formations and stuff. We were at the top of a cliff so we hung out on the edge and checked out what we could see. Well we saw turtles. Lots of them and they are HUGE. They are probably the size of big coffee table. It was fun watching them play in the waves. We thought we saw an eel, but later learned it was most likely a trumpet fish.
We watched the sunset from the cliff, then we decided to get some food. Nephi wanted a blizzard from Dairy Queen for dinner and since we were on vacation I decided not to appease him. The Dairy Queen was in a mall food court so I just got cheese enchiladas from a cheapo Mexican place there. It was actually really good, which was very surprising.
After dinner we decided to go swimming. It was fun swimming in the dark here. I am seriously the best floater ever. I can just lie in the water and not move a muscle and no part of me sinks. I just floated and watched the starts. In the 15 minutes of floating I saw 5 shooting stars. It was pretty cool. Then Nephi joined me and we played around a bit.
After swimming we went to bed.
We decided to go to Cool Cats again because we liked it so much. After that we headed to the movie theaters and watched Killers. It was okay. I liked it better than Prince of Persia and Nephi liked it less. It definitely wasn't amazing, but I was entertained (and Ashton Kutcher definitely worked out for this part and look amazing).
After the movie we decided to go up to this point that some old ladies we met at the beach told us about. On the way I contemplated why certain people love certain things. My whole life I have loved water. I loved water so much as a child that when I was about 3, I ran away from my mom and jumped (without a care) straight into a pool. I definitely couldn't swim and had to be saved, but I was never afraid of water after that. I just wanted to learn how to swim that much more. I love water so much that often when I am in the ocean I seriously just want to stay there...forever. I was thinking about why I have this predisposition. Some people, instead of loving water, love flowers or other parts of nature. It just makes me wonder about how these things get transfixed into our personalities before we really even have personalities. I can't really even articulate my thoughts...but I find it very interesting.
It turns out you have to walk through a golf course to get there...which I felt a little bit bad about. When we got out to the point there were a lot of cool rock formations and stuff. We were at the top of a cliff so we hung out on the edge and checked out what we could see. Well we saw turtles. Lots of them and they are HUGE. They are probably the size of big coffee table. It was fun watching them play in the waves. We thought we saw an eel, but later learned it was most likely a trumpet fish.
We watched the sunset from the cliff, then we decided to get some food. Nephi wanted a blizzard from Dairy Queen for dinner and since we were on vacation I decided not to appease him. The Dairy Queen was in a mall food court so I just got cheese enchiladas from a cheapo Mexican place there. It was actually really good, which was very surprising.
After dinner we decided to go swimming. It was fun swimming in the dark here. I am seriously the best floater ever. I can just lie in the water and not move a muscle and no part of me sinks. I just floated and watched the starts. In the 15 minutes of floating I saw 5 shooting stars. It was pretty cool. Then Nephi joined me and we played around a bit.
After swimming we went to bed.
Monday, June 7, 2010
Day 8: Hiding from the Sun in Hawaii
We decided with my painful sunburn that we would have a no-sun, lazy day. We began by going down to the pool under a shaded pagoda. We read and wrote blogs and spoke about philosophy. Okay, maybe not the philosophy part, but the other parts were true.
When it got to be about lunch time we headed to the local Pizza Hut. One of my favorite things in the world is the Pizza Hut buffet (something that is becoming more and more rare in the world) and so I demanded that we make a stop at least once. It was yummy.
After lunch we headed to Maui Golf and Sports Park, where we played exactly one round of miniature golf before Nephi and I became overheated. It was extremely humid and we were a bit inland. Nephi won the game (of course), 58 to 68. I think it may have been the closest game ever. If I hadn't been so hot, and started to give up towards the end...I may have actually beat him. I guess we'll never know
We went next door to the Carl's Jr./gas station looking for something refreshing. They didn't have Mountain Dew Code Red (Nephi's favorite) and they didn't have Snapple Kiwi Strawberry (my favorite). We settled with some local soda. Nephi got root beer and I got pineapple. It was pretty gross, but Nephi liked it.
We decided to check out the southwest side of the island. We drove down and went out to Wailea beach. It was pretty...but this place has no waves. Nephi and I are bummed by the lack of waves. After that we stopped by Times Supermarket and purchased some more breakfast food and treats. I got chocolate dipped coconut macaroons and they are amazing.
When we got back to our hotel we decided to read for about an hour. I am reading Vampire Diaries. It is a weird experience because the book is 100% completely different from the show. I am slightly sucked in though. Nephi was reading his Miyazaki book (he is the director/animator who created Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, Howl's Moving Castle, and Ponyo).
At 6:30 we went and saw the Prince of Persia and the Sands of Time. It was bad. I really didn't like it, however, I did like Jake Gyllenhaal. He is so beautiful.
After the movie we were hungry. We went to Aloha Mixed Plate. According to lore, it is the best local place around. Nephi got the BBQ Mixed Plate which consisted of Teriyaki chicken, Teriyaki beef, pork ribs, white rice, and macaroni salad. I am not into rice and mac salad, so I got the Mixed Grill which was Teriyaki chicken, Teriyaki beef, and french fries. The Teriyaki beef was super good.
After dinner we went back to the hotel and read until we both fell asleep.
When it got to be about lunch time we headed to the local Pizza Hut. One of my favorite things in the world is the Pizza Hut buffet (something that is becoming more and more rare in the world) and so I demanded that we make a stop at least once. It was yummy.
After lunch we headed to Maui Golf and Sports Park, where we played exactly one round of miniature golf before Nephi and I became overheated. It was extremely humid and we were a bit inland. Nephi won the game (of course), 58 to 68. I think it may have been the closest game ever. If I hadn't been so hot, and started to give up towards the end...I may have actually beat him. I guess we'll never know
We went next door to the Carl's Jr./gas station looking for something refreshing. They didn't have Mountain Dew Code Red (Nephi's favorite) and they didn't have Snapple Kiwi Strawberry (my favorite). We settled with some local soda. Nephi got root beer and I got pineapple. It was pretty gross, but Nephi liked it.
We decided to check out the southwest side of the island. We drove down and went out to Wailea beach. It was pretty...but this place has no waves. Nephi and I are bummed by the lack of waves. After that we stopped by Times Supermarket and purchased some more breakfast food and treats. I got chocolate dipped coconut macaroons and they are amazing.
When we got back to our hotel we decided to read for about an hour. I am reading Vampire Diaries. It is a weird experience because the book is 100% completely different from the show. I am slightly sucked in though. Nephi was reading his Miyazaki book (he is the director/animator who created Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, Howl's Moving Castle, and Ponyo).
At 6:30 we went and saw the Prince of Persia and the Sands of Time. It was bad. I really didn't like it, however, I did like Jake Gyllenhaal. He is so beautiful.
After the movie we were hungry. We went to Aloha Mixed Plate. According to lore, it is the best local place around. Nephi got the BBQ Mixed Plate which consisted of Teriyaki chicken, Teriyaki beef, pork ribs, white rice, and macaroni salad. I am not into rice and mac salad, so I got the Mixed Grill which was Teriyaki chicken, Teriyaki beef, and french fries. The Teriyaki beef was super good.
After dinner we went back to the hotel and read until we both fell asleep.
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Day 7: By the Hand of Nephi
My wife has grown tired of meeting your accumulating daily demands, so her marvelous and proper husband will be drafting today's article. Errr, blog. Thing. Please realize that you have been informed of the risk of any continued reading. In fact, it may be best to hit any number of buttons and links lining the top of your browser which will take you out of this mind raping rhetorical. Like I would know what that means.
Alright, so you decided to stay and hear the bitter contrast of your typical writer, so be it.
The day starts early, a modest 7:30 we arris- no, oh yes it is an adequate 7:35 in the morning in which we, no, oh right, yes in fact we decided actually, well you see we our known for hitting the snooze button enough times to call it a few...many. In all honesty I can't remember when we awoke but it was some time before 8:00 am. In Hawaii it is only right to assume a sloth like demeanor while somberly walking around in morning requirements. You see at one point sloths lived in Hawaii, and so in taking on the physical attributes of a sloth we are able to take on a eco equalizing approach to our stay abroad. The housekeeping will frequently say 'Mahalo' for our efforts.
Well 9 something in the morning approaches and we decide to make our way into the outer abyss of bright sunshine and cool ocean winds to spend some time near the hotel pool. I decide to further educate myself by reading a book that collects and translates the worked of a famed Japanese director. My wife decided to soak in the environment with a laptop. Okay, not quiet as escapist and refined, but I'm sure there is something reflecting and meditative to be found on facebook. Maybe not. Time passes and admittedly I snatch the electronic device from my wife's lap. My precious, my precious! I check some sites and we are off, to embark on real island activities.
We grab some quick energy at a local Taco Bell. To save time we use the 'walk-through'. Actually, that is your only choice, a outdoor ordering window, but I like to pretend there is a bit of democracy in the process.
We then go off to the beach. Since it is an island there are, or rather SHOULD be a lot of beaches. Not really. Most of it are rocky beach fronts, or blocked and barricated by expensive hotels. After a good while of searching we find a cool summer escape. There are no waves, and the water is freezing, but it is beautiful nonetheless. We swim around and eventually Breezy is able to get the sun bathing she has been asking for, for the past month. Oh dear. We only sun bath for about an hour at most but it was too much. Throughout the remainder of the day Breezy slowly transforms in color, like one of those cheap cereal spoons that change colors. Of course instead of changing from one cool color to another, Breezy turns from white white to lobster red. Ouchy.
Eventually we retreat to an awesome local burger joint called Cool Cats. We shared a amazing hotdog, french fries, and onion rings. I ordered a Luna burger which had many ingredients of awesomeness. I loved it. Breezy ordered chicken fingers. Again. This is exactly why chicken's no longer have fingers, because Breezy eats all of them.
We go home and watch TV, drenched by the sun and caked in sand we fall asleep...for 12 hours.
Well my wife is asking if I'm writing a novel, and the computer is telling me the battery is going to die. So I will leave now.
To be continued...
Song: Enjoy a random Hawaiian song we found that is performed by some guy named Nephi Brown.
Alright, so you decided to stay and hear the bitter contrast of your typical writer, so be it.
The day starts early, a modest 7:30 we arris- no, oh yes it is an adequate 7:35 in the morning in which we, no, oh right, yes in fact we decided actually, well you see we our known for hitting the snooze button enough times to call it a few...many. In all honesty I can't remember when we awoke but it was some time before 8:00 am. In Hawaii it is only right to assume a sloth like demeanor while somberly walking around in morning requirements. You see at one point sloths lived in Hawaii, and so in taking on the physical attributes of a sloth we are able to take on a eco equalizing approach to our stay abroad. The housekeeping will frequently say 'Mahalo' for our efforts.
Well 9 something in the morning approaches and we decide to make our way into the outer abyss of bright sunshine and cool ocean winds to spend some time near the hotel pool. I decide to further educate myself by reading a book that collects and translates the worked of a famed Japanese director. My wife decided to soak in the environment with a laptop. Okay, not quiet as escapist and refined, but I'm sure there is something reflecting and meditative to be found on facebook. Maybe not. Time passes and admittedly I snatch the electronic device from my wife's lap. My precious, my precious! I check some sites and we are off, to embark on real island activities.
We grab some quick energy at a local Taco Bell. To save time we use the 'walk-through'. Actually, that is your only choice, a outdoor ordering window, but I like to pretend there is a bit of democracy in the process.
We then go off to the beach. Since it is an island there are, or rather SHOULD be a lot of beaches. Not really. Most of it are rocky beach fronts, or blocked and barricated by expensive hotels. After a good while of searching we find a cool summer escape. There are no waves, and the water is freezing, but it is beautiful nonetheless. We swim around and eventually Breezy is able to get the sun bathing she has been asking for, for the past month. Oh dear. We only sun bath for about an hour at most but it was too much. Throughout the remainder of the day Breezy slowly transforms in color, like one of those cheap cereal spoons that change colors. Of course instead of changing from one cool color to another, Breezy turns from white white to lobster red. Ouchy.
Eventually we retreat to an awesome local burger joint called Cool Cats. We shared a amazing hotdog, french fries, and onion rings. I ordered a Luna burger which had many ingredients of awesomeness. I loved it. Breezy ordered chicken fingers. Again. This is exactly why chicken's no longer have fingers, because Breezy eats all of them.
We go home and watch TV, drenched by the sun and caked in sand we fall asleep...for 12 hours.
Well my wife is asking if I'm writing a novel, and the computer is telling me the battery is going to die. So I will leave now.
To be continued...
Song: Enjoy a random Hawaiian song we found that is performed by some guy named Nephi Brown.
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Day 6: ZZZzzzzz....
Today was the zipline! We got up extra early (6:00 am) and drove to Haleakala. On the way I called Jeff, my insurance guy, and asked about my coverage. He said that I was indeed covered in Hawaii. Since we had to pass the airport to get to Haleakala, we decided to stop by on the way back and ask for our money back.
When we got to the ziplining place, I realized that we were about an hour early (I had written the time we needed to check in on the itinerary, but I thought that was the time the tour started, so I had planned to get there early). Anyway, I used that time to call a few rental car places in case I needed to threaten to return my car if they didn't refund the insurance money.
When it was time to check in, we went up to the counter. I started filling out the waivers, while Nephi went to the restroom. I really had to go too, but by the time I had finished the waivers, the truck that cleans out the porta-potties was there and so I couldn't go. We geared up and started our hike. I had to pee the WHOLE time.
At each zipline, they had information about a native Hawaiian bird. I am not sure what the point was exactly, but it was interesting. It was good practice in reading Hawaiian, because they would have the names written and I would hear them say it, so I got an idea on how to say certain letters.
There were 5 ziplines. The first 4 were pretty wimpy, but fun. I did hit the landing wrong on the fourth one and scraped my leg. I was totally fine, but I got a pretty good flesh wound. The fifth zipline was awesome. It was huge.
Our guides, Sterling and Sal, were decently nice. Sal would crack jokes the whole time, but when people in the group made jokes he seemed annoyed. I thought that was a weird character trait. I mean, people take cues from other people. If you are joking around, other people will start joking around too, but he didn't seem to like it when others did. It was really weird.
After the ziplines we had to hike back to the starting point. I am pretty sure there is usually a van, but that for some reason it wasn't there. It was okay though (minus the disgusting dirt/dust that kicked up and got my shoes and feet all nasty).
When we said goodbye to Haleakala, we headed back down to the Dollar Rent-a-Car. I was full of ammo and ready to go, but I am always nice first. I explained the situation to the lady and she took off the insurance, no problem. I thought that was good, so we kept the car. It was really more convenient that way anyway.
We drove around looking for lunch. Eventually we found a "mall," though Nephi and I couldn't agree on what to eat. He got fish tacos from a Rubio's rip off, and I got pad thai from a thai restaurant. Mine wasn't very good, but Nephi liked his.
I really wanted to go to the pool, so when we got back to the hotel we lathered ourselves in sunscreen (we are both white white white) and headed down. We took the laptop and checked all of our internet stuff. I went swimming and Nephi slept. About an hour later we headed up to the room and were lazy for the rest of the afternoon.
We made a dinner reservation at Kimo's for 7:00 pm. We asked for preferred seating (patio facing the ocean). It was really nice. Nephi and I dressed up (something we never do) and went to dinner. We ordered top sirloin and teriyaki top sirloin and split both. I REALLY liked the teriyaki sirloin. It was soooo good.
On the way to dinner we stopped by a shop to buy Nephi some $10 bug spray. He is getting eaten alive...I have no bites at all. Weird how that works sometimes.
By the time we made it back to the room I was beat. I lied down and fell asleep pretty much instantly.
When we got to the ziplining place, I realized that we were about an hour early (I had written the time we needed to check in on the itinerary, but I thought that was the time the tour started, so I had planned to get there early). Anyway, I used that time to call a few rental car places in case I needed to threaten to return my car if they didn't refund the insurance money.
When it was time to check in, we went up to the counter. I started filling out the waivers, while Nephi went to the restroom. I really had to go too, but by the time I had finished the waivers, the truck that cleans out the porta-potties was there and so I couldn't go. We geared up and started our hike. I had to pee the WHOLE time.
At each zipline, they had information about a native Hawaiian bird. I am not sure what the point was exactly, but it was interesting. It was good practice in reading Hawaiian, because they would have the names written and I would hear them say it, so I got an idea on how to say certain letters.
There were 5 ziplines. The first 4 were pretty wimpy, but fun. I did hit the landing wrong on the fourth one and scraped my leg. I was totally fine, but I got a pretty good flesh wound. The fifth zipline was awesome. It was huge.
Our guides, Sterling and Sal, were decently nice. Sal would crack jokes the whole time, but when people in the group made jokes he seemed annoyed. I thought that was a weird character trait. I mean, people take cues from other people. If you are joking around, other people will start joking around too, but he didn't seem to like it when others did. It was really weird.
After the ziplines we had to hike back to the starting point. I am pretty sure there is usually a van, but that for some reason it wasn't there. It was okay though (minus the disgusting dirt/dust that kicked up and got my shoes and feet all nasty).
When we said goodbye to Haleakala, we headed back down to the Dollar Rent-a-Car. I was full of ammo and ready to go, but I am always nice first. I explained the situation to the lady and she took off the insurance, no problem. I thought that was good, so we kept the car. It was really more convenient that way anyway.
We drove around looking for lunch. Eventually we found a "mall," though Nephi and I couldn't agree on what to eat. He got fish tacos from a Rubio's rip off, and I got pad thai from a thai restaurant. Mine wasn't very good, but Nephi liked his.
I really wanted to go to the pool, so when we got back to the hotel we lathered ourselves in sunscreen (we are both white white white) and headed down. We took the laptop and checked all of our internet stuff. I went swimming and Nephi slept. About an hour later we headed up to the room and were lazy for the rest of the afternoon.
We made a dinner reservation at Kimo's for 7:00 pm. We asked for preferred seating (patio facing the ocean). It was really nice. Nephi and I dressed up (something we never do) and went to dinner. We ordered top sirloin and teriyaki top sirloin and split both. I REALLY liked the teriyaki sirloin. It was soooo good.
On the way to dinner we stopped by a shop to buy Nephi some $10 bug spray. He is getting eaten alive...I have no bites at all. Weird how that works sometimes.
By the time we made it back to the room I was beat. I lied down and fell asleep pretty much instantly.
Friday, June 4, 2010
Day 5: Maui Not So Wowi
We woke up early, packed our stuff, and headed to the airport. Of course there was traffic, but it didn’t make us too late.
We dropped off our car at Enterprise and rode the shuttle to the ticket counter. We checked in, went through security, and walked to our gate. When we got there we suddenly realized that we were about to get on a 6-hour flight, and perhaps eating would be a good idea. We ate breakfast at an overpriced bar right by our gate. It was fine.
Our flight was…long. I have been to Italy, so I have been on longer flights, but it was hard being in the middle of the day. My legs started to hurt and it was hard to get up and walk around. Eventually we made it.
As we started to decent into Kahului on Maui, I was confused. It was so…brown. Maybe it is because we came from super green Washington, but I found myself feeling disappointed. The ocean didn’t disappoint though. The water here is spectacular.
We picked up our bags and went to the rental car place. The experience was less than thrilling. I got talked into the insurance because the lady freaked me out that my insurance wouldn’t cover it. I called my insurance before I left and asked if they covered me on rental cars and the answer was yes. I did not, however, ask about Hawaii specifically and she convinced me it mattered. I still don’t know the answer; I will have to call my insurance guy tomorrow. Regardless…it cost me $300 (sad face). We have some type of Subaru. Nephi likes it and that is all that matters (as he is Mr. Driver).
We made a quick lunch stop at McDonald’s and then drove to Lahaina. We got a bit lost, though nothing the uber navigator (me) can’t handle. We found our hotel (the Outrigger Aina Nalu) and checked in. When we walked into the room, I instantly noticed the bed seemed a bit short. When I lied on it, my feet hung off the end. I started calling it the midget bed (completely politically incorrect, I realize). Nephi and I giggled about it, but finally figured out that it is a queen bed put up against the wall sideways. Weird, but it works. I went to open the blinds and the wand broke. Oh well.
As we got ready to leave I looked in the mirror and realized that my eyelid was pretty swollen. That seems to happen to me when I am dehydrated, and usually it isn’t just my eyelid. I looked down at my feet and ankles and sure enough…they were huge. There wasn’t a ton I could do in that moment, but I made plans to ice them and take some advil.
We headed to the pool (where there is free wifi) to check our email and such. Then we headed down to the waterfront to check out the shops. Our hotel is super close to downtown Lahaina (only 1.5 blocks)! It was great. We watched our first Hawaii sunset on the waterfront and came back to the hotel.
We made a stop at the grocery store where they had nothing I wanted (muffins, donuts, onion bagels, knives, nothing!) and got water and some breakfast stuff. Then we decided to head down to a pizza place some people told us about on the waterfront.
On the way we saw some girls taking a picture of something on the sidewalk. At first I thought it was a lizard, then I thought it was a snake. Then Nephi told me it was a centipede! AHHHHH! Seriously, it was 8 inches long. I kinda pride myself on not being super squeamish. I am not really afraid of much. I like snakes and spiders don’t bug me so much, though I wouldn’t really want either on me, but one thing I cannot stand are centipedes. Whenever I see them on television or something my whole body gets the chills and I feel sick. Well…I saw one in real life and it was horrible. It is a super good thing those girls were taking a picture because if I had happened upon that I probably would have freaked out.
Shortly there after, we made it to Gaby’s, the pizza place. We got a half cheese, half ham and tomato pizza. It was pretty good.
We walked back to our hotel, iced my ankles, and are now going to pass out from exhaustion. Night, night.
We dropped off our car at Enterprise and rode the shuttle to the ticket counter. We checked in, went through security, and walked to our gate. When we got there we suddenly realized that we were about to get on a 6-hour flight, and perhaps eating would be a good idea. We ate breakfast at an overpriced bar right by our gate. It was fine.
Our flight was…long. I have been to Italy, so I have been on longer flights, but it was hard being in the middle of the day. My legs started to hurt and it was hard to get up and walk around. Eventually we made it.
As we started to decent into Kahului on Maui, I was confused. It was so…brown. Maybe it is because we came from super green Washington, but I found myself feeling disappointed. The ocean didn’t disappoint though. The water here is spectacular.
We picked up our bags and went to the rental car place. The experience was less than thrilling. I got talked into the insurance because the lady freaked me out that my insurance wouldn’t cover it. I called my insurance before I left and asked if they covered me on rental cars and the answer was yes. I did not, however, ask about Hawaii specifically and she convinced me it mattered. I still don’t know the answer; I will have to call my insurance guy tomorrow. Regardless…it cost me $300 (sad face). We have some type of Subaru. Nephi likes it and that is all that matters (as he is Mr. Driver).
We made a quick lunch stop at McDonald’s and then drove to Lahaina. We got a bit lost, though nothing the uber navigator (me) can’t handle. We found our hotel (the Outrigger Aina Nalu) and checked in. When we walked into the room, I instantly noticed the bed seemed a bit short. When I lied on it, my feet hung off the end. I started calling it the midget bed (completely politically incorrect, I realize). Nephi and I giggled about it, but finally figured out that it is a queen bed put up against the wall sideways. Weird, but it works. I went to open the blinds and the wand broke. Oh well.
As we got ready to leave I looked in the mirror and realized that my eyelid was pretty swollen. That seems to happen to me when I am dehydrated, and usually it isn’t just my eyelid. I looked down at my feet and ankles and sure enough…they were huge. There wasn’t a ton I could do in that moment, but I made plans to ice them and take some advil.
We headed to the pool (where there is free wifi) to check our email and such. Then we headed down to the waterfront to check out the shops. Our hotel is super close to downtown Lahaina (only 1.5 blocks)! It was great. We watched our first Hawaii sunset on the waterfront and came back to the hotel.
We made a stop at the grocery store where they had nothing I wanted (muffins, donuts, onion bagels, knives, nothing!) and got water and some breakfast stuff. Then we decided to head down to a pizza place some people told us about on the waterfront.
On the way we saw some girls taking a picture of something on the sidewalk. At first I thought it was a lizard, then I thought it was a snake. Then Nephi told me it was a centipede! AHHHHH! Seriously, it was 8 inches long. I kinda pride myself on not being super squeamish. I am not really afraid of much. I like snakes and spiders don’t bug me so much, though I wouldn’t really want either on me, but one thing I cannot stand are centipedes. Whenever I see them on television or something my whole body gets the chills and I feel sick. Well…I saw one in real life and it was horrible. It is a super good thing those girls were taking a picture because if I had happened upon that I probably would have freaked out.
Shortly there after, we made it to Gaby’s, the pizza place. We got a half cheese, half ham and tomato pizza. It was pretty good.
We walked back to our hotel, iced my ankles, and are now going to pass out from exhaustion. Night, night.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
