I think it is time to put something on this empty blog...be patient with me as I figure out this new blogging world. :) But here it goes...
For our honeymoon, we went on a 7 day Hawaiian cruise and it was great! Over the 7 days, we went to Hilo, Maui, Kona, Kauai and Honolulu (Oahu). We saw a lot of cool places and did all sorts of fun things too. I will just put a brief little travelogue with pictures...
Day 1 - Hilo
Rather than do one of the expensive excursions offered by the boat, Ryan was smart and decided we should just go off the boat and see what was out there. Right outside the port security doors were all sorts of tour guides waiting to offer their personal tours. We took a tour that first went to a really cool Japanese garden that was right on the edge of the beach.
Then we went and saw Rainbow Falls (which would prove to be the first of MANY waterfalls we would see on our trip...)
After the waterfall, we visitied the macadamia nut factory. There were no pictures taken as the only thing we did was eat macadamia nuts and buy macadamia nuts. I really had no clue there were so many flavors. I bought my dad a can of wasabi teryaki flavored macadamias, I figured he would like a strange and exotic flavor like that. The rest of the purchased flavors were normal, like dry roasted, honey roasted and coconut chocolate. Ryan made me promise to not eat ANY of the macadamia nuts until we got home to DC, I thought it was cruel punishment but I know he had his reasons...
The next (and might I add longest) stop was at the volcano. Ryan was practically giddy to go and see the volcano but his heart was crushed to find out he would not actually see any lava but only steam. I thought it was a major let down, but still it was pretty cool to see.
The last stop was at the beach that was close to where our cruise ship was docked. It was a really cool beach because all of the rocks and sand are black and it makes the really blue water look very pretty. It was relaxing to stand on the rocks and look out over the water...maybe those of you who look at the pictures will likewise be transfixed...
Day 2 & 3- Maui
While we were in Maui, we rented a Jeep to explore the island by ourselves. It was fun to have the freedom to do whatever we wanted and not have to worry about staying with the group. We went and saw what people raved about the "must see" on the island...the Iao Needle. We built it up a little bit too much in our minds because when we got there it really wasn't all that cool. However, it was very beautiful and green around the needle...
After we went up the mountain to see the Iao Needle, we headed back down and around the island for a beautiful afternoon at the beach. We found a beautiful beach and swam in the best ocean water I have ever been in. The water was so clear you could see to the bottom until you got pretty deep...and it was really warm! Ryan played in the water most of the time while I split my time reading on the beach and playing in the water. Pretty much it was my ideal afternoon.
Day 4 - Kona
We didn't spend a lot of time in Kona but we did get to go on a submarine ride while we were there...which was VERY cool. It took us down 103 feet to the ocean floor and they drove around for about an hour showing us all the reef and fishes. We even saw an eel (which looked really creepy to me...) I think that Ryan's favorite part of the sub ride was watching me miscalculate the distance to the little port window and slam my forehead right into it...I am an idiot. We couldn't get any good pictures through the sub windows but it was very cool so I highly recommend it to others. After the sub ride, we went to a marketplace (much to Ryan's disappointment) and shopped around a little bit. Kona was fun but we really didn't get to see much of it...we better go back someday...
Kauai - Day 5 & 6
Kauai was my favorite of the islands, it was absolutely beautiful and there is a lot to do there. It was a good thing that we had two days there! We rented a car again and we got to drive all over the island and explore. The first day we went to the "Grand Canyon of the Islands" - Waimea Canyon. It was very cool and we had fun looking around at all of the viewpoints. We discovered that there are wild roosters all over the place and I really wanted to catch one...they were quick little devils though!
After Waimea Canyon, we stopped by the beach for a bit and walked around. After we had walked around for awhile, we realized that we couldn't resist getting in the water. The waves were getting pretty big since it was late afternoon so Ryan wanted to go body surf. I was a bit more cautious running in which set me up for the perfect view...Ryan eagerly ran into the waves and as he got closer and saw the 10 foot swell up close, he got a little scared and turned back and ran towards the shore. The look in his eyes and his prancing back to the shore made me fall down in laughter. What was better was that I was not the only one that saw...there was also a native Hawaiian woman playing in the waves with her children that saw the scene as well...she enjoyed laughing at cute Ryan. It was really fun though to play in the waves. Ryan convinced me that all I had to do was throw my shoulder into the wave and brace my feet and it wouldn't do much to me...false. Every time I was thrown like a rag doll into the sand. It was very fun though and I would do it again right now!
On our second day in Kauai, we went to a waterfall just a few miles away from the port. We asked a lot of people on the island what they would recommend for us to see while we were in Kauai and everyone mentioned one common place...this waterfall. The reason they kept mentioning it was because at this waterfall, you can jump off the waterfall because it is plenty deep at the bottom and very safe. There is also a rope swing just to the side of the waterfall...which is what appealed to us. We were not expecting for half of the excitement to be getting across the river above the waterfall, but it proved to be quite the adventure! Ryan went first and jumped on several rocks, waded through fast running water and only slipped in once! Then it was my turn, I made it through without too much of a struggle and we got to the side with the rope swing. We decided to forego jumping off the waterfall and go straight to the rope swing. We each went a couple of times and it was a blast! I have to be honest, swinging on the rope and dropping into the water is not scary to me at all...what scares me is swimming in muddy water when I don't know what is in there with me. I kept having this image of a pirahna biting my toe or something! My heart started racing and both times, I swam really fast to the ladder to get me back up to the swing. It was a relief though to know that there are no snakes in Hawaii so I didn't have to worry about those in the water! Good thing!! But we had a lot of fun at the rope swing!!
After the rope swing, we had to get back to the ship because we were leaving in the afternoon to begin our sail back to Honolulu. We went back on the ship and lounged, it was wonderful! This was the first time that we actually sailed during the day so it was fun to see the view of Kauai as we sailed around it. The best thing was that we got to sail past the side of Kauai that is inaccesible by vehicle because of how steep and rough the terrain is. It was absolutely gorgeous! We also saw a whale while we were sailing along the coastline, which I was really excited about. Then after we looked at the island for awhile, we got to watch a really pretty sunset for our last night in Hawaii. I was sad to leave the cruise ship because it really was fun, but I was not sad to leave the constant rocking and dizziness!
Day 7 - Honolulu (Oahu)
When we woke up on the last day, we were in Honolulu. Our flight didn't leave until 10:00 that night so we had all day to see the island. We had decided to do one of the excursions offered by the cruise so that we could see all that we wanted to. Ryan had been to Honolulu before so he had already seen it but we were both excited to see everything. We first went to Pearl Harbor and walked around for a bit and then went over to the USS Arizona. It was not at all what I expected but so cool and sobering. I really liked the memorial and I have always loved that time in American history so it fulfilled one of my dreams of seeing where WWII really began for the US.
This is the part that is sticking out above water
And there is still oil leaking...amazing...
After Pearl Harbor, we drove around to the other side of the island to the Polynesian Cultural Center. We had a few hours there and saw a lot of fun things. I don't want to go on for too much longer so I will just say, I highly recommend you go there one day if you can, it is a fun experience! Or, you can just call me and I will give you more details. :)
This guy climbed the tree barefoot, I was amazed
After we explored the Cultural Center for awhile, we went to a luau where they had great food. Well, the food was mostly good but I didn't necessarily fall in love with the so called "potatoes" that were purple. They had more of a starchy taste than I really wanted. I think I will just stick with Idaho potatoes! But we had a lot of fun and they even made all of the honeymooners and those celebrating their anniversaries go up on stage and dance...a little embarrasing but mostly fun.
Well, that is the honeymoon! Hopefully you didn't get too bored. But if you did, it is your fault for continuing to read through it... :) We love you all!!
I was very sad to learn late on Sunday night that President Hinckley passed away. I will miss him a lot and I will miss all of his amazing talks. I tried to find my "favorite" President Hinckley quote but then realized there are way too many. He helped me a lot over the years with all of his wise and loving advice and wisdom. I loved to hear his voice as he bore his testimony of the Gospel, it was always pure and simple.
I will miss President Hinckley but I am so grateful for his leadership and example!!!
