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-we all ate at the Jack 'N the Box right next to the hotel
in the morning somewhat independently the first real morning in Honolulu.
We were supposed to meet in the lobby of the Hawaiian Monarch Hotel at 9:30
am to go to Diamond Head together. After fnishing breakfast, Brian and I
went to an ABC store to buy water and other misc things. Andrew and Wen-Lin
didn't show up at 9:45 so the rest of us decided to go ahead without them.
While waiting interesting things went on...
-that was the only shot of the interesting things that
went on during the wait; i'll leave the rest to your imagination or your
memory if you were also there :)... Anyway, Kathy, Pete, Jen, Menzies, Brian
and I left the hotel lobby to find a cab. Many passed by us before we crossed
the street. After we crossed the street, it seemed like there were no more
(waited like 15 minutes) until finally a limo taxi picked us up and we were
on our way.
-out of focus, from left to right: Jen, Menzies, Pete and Kathy
-me and Brian
-out of focus, from left to right: Jen, Menzies, Pete and Kathy
-me and Brian
-surprisingly the ride costed only $15, so it was like
$3 each (with tip)...We arrived at Diamond Head crater, former military base
to hike to the summit. $1 each and 700 ft later we were at the summit of
Lê'ahi (Hawaiian word for Diamond Head) with its awesome views of Waikiki
and the southern shore of Oahu.
-who knows what we were doing to that sign....
-View from midway to Diamond Head summit toward Hanauma Bay
-View of Waikîkî from Diamond Head summit
-who knows what we were doing to that sign....
-View from midway to Diamond Head summit toward Hanauma Bay
-View of Waikîkî from Diamond Head summit
-Kathy was the gracious camera person for the group of
5 shots. Diamond Head was a short, easy hike of 0.8 mile each way that lead
to that incredible view. My only complaints would be the huge number of
people on the trail and all those stupid little bugs at the top! I seriously
had like 30 on my back and i thought i heard someone say one flew into his
mouth. Damn bugs! After we had enough of the bugs, we headed down the trail.
We ran into Wen-Lin and Andrew who just started the hike up, and agreed to
meet up with them later on Waikiki. We got back to the ticket booth along
with a couple of honeymooning Japanese people and we all took a taxi back
to Waikiki. $2 each this time and dropped off at some random point along
Kalakaua Ave. Lunch time! I had ABC store food, and the others had Wolfgang
Puck and Coldstones. Then we finally hit up one of the many crowded beaches
in Waikiki for about 4 hours of swimming and sunbathing.
-the beach where we played!
-the beach where we played!
-after the beach, we headed back to the hotel by walking
along Kalakaua (kah-lah-kau' ah, if you're having difficulty). After showering
up, we headed out again in search of Japanese food, this time walking along
Kuhio Ave. No stinking luck for the longest time. First one we see was way
too pricey, and we finally end up at a somewhat pricey sushi restaurant.
The sushi was pretty good, but i did have better 3 years ago in Japan. When
we were just about finished, Wen-Lin and Andrew finally caught up to us.
Brian and I left the restaurant and went to random stores to buy random things
(food). I bought water, peach Yogloo and nutter butter... Got back to the
hotel, and well it was pretty much sleep time with a 7:50 am target to be
in the lobby the next morning for Hanauma Bay. Thus ended the first incredible
full day in Hawaii. GOTO JULY 9