The boat captain was a gal named Joyce with nine years of experience. She explained that it was difficult finding the dolphins in the last couple of weeks. I wasn't expecting much but all of a sudden, we saw a whale. We followed the whale for a bit. Marine rules dictate that boats must stay 100 yards away, but we were much closer than that when the whale arched gently out of the water. It was quite a sight to see. I have pictures of the whale blowing water straight up, but I can't get the pictures to show up properly on here. I'll see if I can add it when I arrive home.
My mom became quite seasick and couldn't enjoy the ride. I felt really bad for her as the crew served some delicious hamburgers right off the grill. After we left, Mom started feeling better on the way back to the hotel so we decided to stop at Pali Lookout. That was well worth the drive as the view was simply stunning.
Back at the hotel, I headed out to the beach and finally got myself into the water. I rented a surfboard and asked the staff for the "free, five second lesson." Line yourself up against the wave, paddle to get it going, stand up and ride it out, the guy said. Ah, simple enough.
So I spent an hour trying to find a decent wave to ride for longer than five seconds. The waves were only a foot or so high and far too gentle to get enough momentum to ride it out. It was still fun to try and I definitely want to come back and try it again someday. I think the hubby and kids would love surfing as well.
That night, we decided to try the buffet at our hotel, the Waikiki Marriott. It was a meal that was well worth it. For twenty dollars, you get an incredible buffet of prime rib, roasted turkey, pork loin, Thai seafood, tofu with watercress and veal ragout. There were many more dishes and side dishes to choose from. The desserts were out of this world, especially the creme brulee which is one of my favorites. My compliments go out to the chefs at the Marriott.
Tomorrow, we head home in the afternoon. I'm not ready to leave but I sure miss the hubby and kids. And the dog, too!
6 comments:
Karen:
I'm LOVING this journal you're sharing with us! Sounds like you're really having a wonderful time there.
I can only imagine how much the hubby misses you because he's handling all the kids by himself.
Have a safe flight back home. BTW, tomorrow is my birthday (May 19) can you believe it? :)
Oh I'm not sure what is better than amazing view or the food! Sounds like you had a blast - hope someone snapped photos of you trying to ride the waves for the family album.
~g
Stephen,
A big Happy Birthday to you tomorrow!
The hubby and kids were very happy to see me again. Joe's mom stayed the whole week, so Joe had some help, lucky guy!
Genevieve,
I am so, so thankful that my sister couldn't find me in the ocean and wasn't able to document me in a swimsuit. However, she did snap a picture when I hauled the board back on the beach. I'll show it only if I can airbrush 40 pounds off of it. :)
Hi Karen
I have loved reading about your trip. I live in Scotland and I have great memories of our holiday in Hawaii. Apart from all of the sea,sand and surf stuff though we visited Pearl Harbor with our children who at that time were in their early teens. We were all very moved by the way that the site has been preserved and how this important landmark in world history is presented. The children understood the story as well as we did.
There were many veterans there when we were and I was honoured to be with them.
How has your Dad felt about the trip?
Jackie,
My Dad was pretty moved by it all. He talked about his time in the service and touring the U.S.S. Missouri gave us some idea of what his life had been like at sea while traveling to the islands he served on.
When we sat down to dinner and chatted with the people next to us who were from Japan, my mom said something about how Pearl Harbor brought both sides together again.
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