Day Seven: Hawaii

I'm cheating.

I'm post-dating this to when it happened. Which is lame...and possibly lazy. You'll get over it though. I promise.

On Sarah's glorious Tuesday off we went up to North Shore area, the drive was spectacular. I'm not sure you can really not drive in Hawaii and not enjoy the views, but I'm just saying, this drive was extra splendid.

If my opinion counts for anything.

And it does.

Even if only here on this site. Which is mine. Mah-ha-ha-ha.

Have you had fresh, juicy delicious pineapple? Because I love it.

Hawaii is home to the Dole factory and thus acres and acres of pineapples.

We toured the gardens of all the varieties of pineapples and then went on a train ride. That's right, a train ride. I'm not sure why all the other passengers were under 5.

This is the one you pick up in the grocery store.

Did someone say Pineapple Express? (No relation to the movie.)

 

You want to go to a luau with us. Right?

Many people show fear when it comes to the butchering of a fresh pineapple. Have no fear. You must be braver than the tough, prickly exterior of the pineapple. It does take a bit of effort and your hands will get sticky but, trust me: it is worth every minute.

1. Choose your pineapple. I go with the one that smells the best. Don't worry about people judging you when you sniff all the pineapples at the grocery store, they'll get over it. I learned on the train ride that a pineapple doesn't ripen once it is picked, so choose one that smells good in the store and chop it up right away.

 

2. Twist off the green part. Then cut off the top of the pineapple. You're going to want a rather sharp, large knife. This is not a child's activity.

3. Quarter your pineapple. Next you'll cut off the core in the center. Then take off the skin as carefully as you can. The Dole label recommends cutting the pineapple in the skin and then cutting the chunks off. I don't like this. I think it wastes too much of the good stuff, so I hack away at the skin until I have it gone.

 

4. Enjoy your pineapple. No seriously. Enjoy it. It is high in citric acid though so it might make your mouth a bit sore (just FYI).

Day Six: Hawaii

I spent the day with yours truly.

That's right. Me. Myself. And I.

Sarah was at work all day. She worked at her day job testing some H2O and then went to her night job waiting tables at Pinky's.

Pinky's is the name of the restaurant. It makes me think of Pinky's Hefty Hideaway in Hairspray, but Sarah says most people think it's a strip club or some other such nonsense.

So I went to the beach. Then once I felt sufficiently sunburned I came home where I sat in bed and ate a pineapple and macadamia nuts. And Cheetos. I think they put something addictive in the powdered cheese of Cheetos because I may have just finished them off. Oh, I also watched 30 Rock and edited pictures of yesterday, so I could give you some more from our underwater adventures and some sunset pictures.

Then we saw the pièce de résistance.

The sea turtle! The honu! 

(That's Hawaiian for sea turtle.)

We were just swimming along and then we looked to the right and BAM! a sea turtle was swimming by! IT WAS SO COOL.

It was just like being in National Geographic. Exactly like that. 100%.

So part of the reason they say that Hanauma Bay is a tourist trap is because of the quantity of tourists who are there.
This is when we arrived (around 8:00am)

This is when we left (around 1:00pm):

Get there early. That's the lesson. Because this was a not to be missed experience. I have never seen water so blue and sea life so close. Once more people arrive you have to go out further to avoid running into someone around every bend.

OK, now you've been underwater with Sarah and me. Next, we'll do some sunset. Try to contain your joy.

 

  

  

Sarah and Ryan. I like them. 

The end.

I hope you had an excellent Monday!

(Credit to Sarah for the underwater pictures.)

Day Five: Hawaii

I'm in a rush. I have to get down to the beach. It's already 10:07am.

And I was exhausted last night, so I didn't blog. Nor did I edit pictures.

I only did a few.

The day started off cloudy in Kailua, but then as we drove around the island the clouds cleared and we were surrounded by rainbows. Did you know that when you get to the end of a rainbow it just keeps moving? Just a step out of reach.

Then we went to Hanauma Bay which has a reputation of being a tourist trap. Here's the deal though: tourist trap or not, it was AMAZING!!!!

I went snorkeling for the first time and saw tons of fish! This is a big coral reef and they rent equipment, but the cost just to go in if you have your own equipment is $7.50. Which I would have spent triple that for the awesome day I had.

 

  

We made sure we got there early to avoid the crowds as much as possible. Our 7:00 start time was early, but it was completely worth it! 

 

Then we hung around on the west side of the island in Hawaii Kai and Honolulu so I could watch the sunset. I'm a very demanding person.  And we may have stopped at Starbucks so I could get a grande light peppermint mocha frappucino double blended. I think when I ordered it Sarah gave me a strange look. I just don't understand. My order is not that complicated. 

And the day ended with this:

 

Yeah, I know. Gorgeous!  And I think I have about 50 more pictures like this which I will share some other time. 

I hear the beach calling my name!