Hawaii Finale

I totally forgot to share an experience and I can't figure out how to edit and post previous entries. When we were at the Polynesian Culture Center, there was a lunch buffet for our tour group and others on other tours. We shared our table with a large group from Korea. When we were finished eating, a gentelman came over and asked if he could have his picture taken with Maci. So we did. It was so cute. He kept commenting on how cute she was. It was funny at first but then I felt honored for Maci. She has that kind of effect on others already at a young age.

So, we are to Wednesday. We hang around the house in the morning while the guys finish their training and then we head to Tunnels Beach to try out some snorkeling. This is the best beach on Kauai. Hardly any parking spots avaliable. There are at least 50 cars there all day long. It was very beautiful. This beach was right next to the mountains and there were actually two tunnels that people could go explore. So neither David or I have snorkeled before. David took to it so easily while I had a problem putting my ears under water. Once I finally did it, I was hooked. Seeing under the ocean was unforgettable. So many different kinds of fish! It was awesome. I went to spend some time with Maci (she was with gma and gpa) and let David go out with Ryan and Krystin and he actually saw a sea turtle close to shore. And with that, he earned the nickname "He who swims with turtles" One of the natives told us that if you see one it means you will have longevity in life and good luck. Awesome!

On Thursday, Ryan, Krystin, David and I went zip lining while the grandparents stayed with the kids. That was an adventure in itself. Taking that first leap was a bit scary but then it was all fun. Our first zip was probably 50 ft long for a starter. We did 10 total, two of which were bridges and the last one was named King Kong. It was 1200 ft long and two could race at the same time. David barely beat Ryan and I beat Krystin by a lot. Overall, it was a fun experience.

Friday morning we booked a boat tour that would take us to a Fern Grotto. Our boat ride took us down the Wailua River about two miles. We even had entertainment. The band sang Hawwaiian music and some songs that allowed us to participate and some of the ladies danced for us. When we stopped, we walked up a pathway to the front of a mountain. Here the river's water pours down from Mt. Waialeale, the wettest spot on earth. The ferns actually grow upside down from the roof of the cave. That was really cool to see. When we got back to town, we decided to do a little shopping. That evening we went to Keys Beach which had a "live" reef meaning the reef was alive so there could be no standing on it. Maci and I spent time on the beach while the others snorkeled for a while.

Saturday was our last day in Kauai. Our flight didn't leave until that evening so we had all day to waste. We packed and cleaned the house and then stopped at any little thing we wanted to see. We were going to play miniature golf but decided to swing at a playground instead. As we drove on, we saw a Farmers Market and stopped there. A baby boar was there needing to be adopted. I guess boar are pests in Kauai along with the gazillion chickens on the island. (not kidding!) We then found some falls which was around the same place as the Fern Grotto. Opaekaa Falls was actually right next to one of the original Hawaiian villages. This village is called Kamokila. That whole area was part of the film "Indiana Jones and Lost Ark" and Dustin Hoffman's "Outbreak" If you wanted to enter the village, you actually had to pay money. No, really! So we just took a picture by the river. It was then we realized we should return our rental car and head to the airport. Our dream vacation had come to an end. It was the most fantastic vacation yet, and even better, Maci got to be with us. We had a 6 hour flight to Seattle and she slept the whole way. She is such a trooper! Now, we just have to plan when we are going to return. Mahalo!

Hawaii part two

Kauai has its own version of the grand canyon. So we decided to go check it out. It was on the opposite side of the island so we had a 90 minute drive. (I forgot to mention that there is only one hwy on Kauai and the speed limit is 45. It doesn't even go the entire way around the island because of the mountains on the Na Pali coast.) On our way we stopped at Wailua Falls. Gorgeous! We saw crazy tourists climbing down around them just asking to get hurt. Oh and we also saw a crazy hippy guy trying to sell something under the "no soliciting" sign. Too funny. So on to the next stop. We decided to eat out since we weren't going to be back in time for dinner and guess where we ate? Subway!!! Seriously?!? We can even get that in Glendive. So we drive on and notice that the southern part of Kauai isn't as lush and green as the northern part. It is kind of dry and almost looked like home. So we drive up this very windy road and parked at the top. Walked up the hill and to our amazement was the complete opposite of what is in Arizona. Waimea Canyon was lush and full of colored greens and reds. So beautiful. It was very cloudy but that added so much to the beauty.

The next day we were going to spend some time on the beach. The two kids needed am naps so the moms stayed while the two grandmas, grandpa and Boden went to the beach. An hour later with swimsuits on and beach gear in hand we headed out only to find grandpa coming back to get the car because grandma had hurt her shoulder. So we rush to the beach to find her in a lot of pain. She tried to save Boden from going under and another wave hit her at the same time which dislocated her shoulder. She didn't think it was sevier and didn't want an ambulance so we drove her to the hospital which was 30 minutes away. Her body was in shock by now and the pain was terrible. They actually had to put her out because of the pain to put the shoulder back in. Wow, quite the excitement at the hospital. But, at least we got to be in an air conditioned place for 4 hours. Can't complain about that! Once she left the hospital she was so much better. That evening we went to Smith's Tropical Paradise Luau. As we walked in we were amazed at the fountains and trees and exotic peacocks. One even had all its feathers out and was shaking them. We soon gathered around a mound of dirt which was the oven the pig was cooked in. To start the festivities two men came out and blew their conch shells to the north, south, east, and west. Then they dug down to the oven and took the pig out. We then gathered for a huge feast that tasted oh so wonderful. Maci's favorite was the garlic mashed potatoes. There was Hawaiian music during the dinner and afterward we gathered for the performance at a torch-lit Amphitheater. There were dances and songs from Tahiti, Hawaii, China, Japan, The Philipines, New Zealand, and Samoa. The highlight of the show was at the end with the Samoan fire knife dance. He was pretty impressive. They also had a big Chinese dragon come into the amphitheater. Maci, however, did not like the noise. Some of the performers had drums and they were loud. We would have to cover her ears every time something loud happened. She didn't even like the clapping and chearing. It was cute, every time it was loud, she would shake her head "no". She gave up about half way through to sleep. Then when we got up to leave, she was wide awake again. People say that Smith's Luau is the best we believe it's 100% true!

Hawaii part one

Back in June Maci had the trip of a lifetime at the little age of 7 months. Lucky girl. She is such a great traveler. We left Billings at 6 am, having the worst time in the security line because we had items over the 3.4 oz limit. I was told if you put them in a bag they would be ok, but no. Maci's food and formula was in our carry-on and we didn't want to throw them away along with the other toiletries so David had to go through a strip search. 10 hours later we were in Honolulu. She either slept or ate during take off or landing so her ears didn't bother her at all. We were taxied to our motel near Waikiki beach, walked the beach and boardwalk, had lunch/dinner and went to bed around 6. We were beat.

Our first day we were scheduled for an island tour so a bus picked us up at 6 and took us to Pearl Harbor. We watched a short film about the history and facts and then took a boat ride out to the Arizona memorial. There were probably 100 people and nothing more than a whisper was heard. Such reverence for these men who lost their lives serving their country. Very memorable and humbling. We then stopped at the Dole Plantation which has the largest maze in the US and if you know how to get through it, it takes at least an hour. We stopped at a few beaches, one which had a rare sighting. A monk seal was taking a nap on the beach (they are endangered). Very cool. We did pass the Laie Temple but a glimpse was all we got. We spent 3 hours at the Polynesian Culture Center. It was amazing the different cultures and how they sang and danced. One guy even climbed a palm tree. Then we were off to see this very old Buddhist temple with lots of coy in a pond. And near this place at the top of a hill was where a big battle took place. You could see for miles and miles out into the ocean. This concluded our tour and we flew out for Kauai at 8pm, landed 30 minutes later, went to the grocery store and drove an hour to the rented house. It was a long day but well worth it.

The next morning, which was Sunday, we drove to a meeting house in Hanalei to go to church. This was a small branch but with all the visitors there were probably 150 people in their small building. It was the most visitors they had attending all year. Later we traveled to see the Kilauea Lighthouse. We would liked to have gotten closer but there was also a wildlife refuge in conjunction with the lighthouse and you had to pay. We didn't want to break the Sabbath so we just took pictures from far away. That evening we walked to the beach which happened to be two blocks away and strolled along the shoreline to look for seashells. Didn't find much but was a great finish to the day.