June 19, 2011
We arrived in Honolulu on Saturday Evening after two smooth flights, greeted by a rainbow. Arriving at what was 11pm our time, we tried hard to stay awake but after walking around in search of dinner, eating said dinner (at Big Kahuna, a rather touristy place with the requisite Fishbowl Drinks and other fruity cocktails served in coconuts), we were exhausted and
were in bed by 9pm (3am EST).
Of course, going to sleep that early meant we were up early. Alex got up around 3am and I made it all the way 6am. I looked out our balcony window toward the beach and again was greeted by a rainbow. As we had seen one the previous day, I thought this was something I would see each day but these two were the only ones I saw during the trip.
Rainbow seen from our hotel balcony looking towards Waikiki Beach
This was supposed to be our “do nothing” day and I had big plans to lay by the pool all day and get massages before dinner. As I’ve mentioned before, Alex often complains that our vacations are not relaxing enough and are instead jam packed with excursions and adventures. I had been making a lot of noise that I planned to hike up to Diamond Head on one of the days he had to work but he was interested in doing it too and wanted to come along.
After breakfast we headed to Diamond Head State Park and started up the path to the summit. There are plenty of signs that state this hike is no stroll in the park and it wasn’t. The path was narrow, too narrow for the crowds of people hiking up and down the path. The start of the trail is at the bottom of the crater and the climb up is pretty steep, relying on switchbacks to make the path more manageable. Thanks to my recent addiction to Zumba, I didn’t think the hike was that bad. Alex, on the other hand, did not have an easy go of it. But we did get some great photos.
The path was full of switchbacks to alleviate the steepness.
I love that you can actually see the reef below the water.
Hot and sweaty, we headed back to the hotel to finally lay by the pool. Continuing our day of luxury, we made our way to the Spa for massages. For dinner we found a sushi restaurant where we were the only Caucasians; the menu was all in Japanese and to order we could only point at the photos.
We stayed up later on Sunday night, making it all the way to 11pm.
Next up: a day’s excursion to the Big Island for volcanoes, lava fields, and disappointment.
Pretty rainbows! The jetlag doesn’t sound like much fun, but so far your trip sounds like it was interesting! I can’t believe you’re already back though that just flew by! I’m excited about your next post, except for the fact that it comes with disappointment… Oh dear.
The jetlag is ok for when you return and have no problem adjusting back to real life! It did fly by-when you travel for most of a day both ways, only 5 days is not long enough!
The only thing I got to see in Honolulu was the airport. Your shots look amazing on the hike. I definitely need to go back and visit the other islands.
Can’t wait to see what you experienced on the Big Island, but sorry in advance to hear you had disappointment!
Thanks, yeah, Honolulu was a much bigger city than I expected but the views at the top of Diamond Head were worth it. Suffice to say, I didn’t have as good of an experience with the volcanoes as you did.
SO jealous of your vacation to a beautiful place!
Your posts always make me jealous! Nice view from top! =)
It looks like a beautiful place. You even got to see some rainbows. I know what it’s like to be exhausted after a flight. You want to stay up because you’re in this beautiful new place, but you’re just too tired and need to sleep. But at least you were up early to get a start on the next day.
Amazing; so glad for you. Love the rainbow pix. I do admit it looks more like a city (big buildings) than I expected. Wow, that hike looks steep and long. You kick ass
Amazing! How fitting that you spotted a rainbow from your balcony
Confirmation that you were in the right place at the right time.
So stinking jealous…