Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Aloha

As part of the never-ending quest for sunny and warm places to visit, we just returned from 8 days in Hawaii - the Big Island.
Here are my top ten Hawaii experiences:
10 - Sitting on a beautiful beach in Hawaii on MY BIRTHDAY!


9 - Walking down the beach (north of Kona) and discovering sea turtles on the shore.


8 - Hawaiian coconut/pineapple smoothies.
7 - Sailing on a catamaran and snorkeling off the rocky shore and coral reefs.
6 - Luau dinner with Hawaiian dancing (not done by me) and an amazing sunset over the Pacific.




5- Volcano watching and hiking in Volcano National Park.










4 - Boogie boarding at Hapuna Beach - one of best beaches in the world.












3- Akaka Waterfall and walking through the rain forest near Hilo.









2- Swimming with dolphins - 15 to 20 real, wild Spinner Dolphins - in the bay where Captain Cook first landed in Hawaii. Yes, they really do jump and spin in the wild - no training required.



1 - Whale watching and finding a pod of 5 or 6 humpback whales who surfaced, tail-slapped, and generally entertained for almost an hour. Even the captain of our Zodiac boat was amazed!













What can I say? It's Hawaii - what's not to like? Aloha!

8 comments:

John and Laura said...

As if you guys need any more sun right now. It's us poor fools in the cloudy, dark north that need the Hawaiian getaway. John and I went to Hawaii 2 Decembers ago. It was so hard for me to pack, because just putting the capris and swimsuits in my suitcase made me shiver. I couldn't believe that I would actually be able to wear them. And then it was very discouraging to come home... to reality. Glad you had a fun vacation.

Anonymous said...

Sounds like a great time. Was it really warm enough to snorkel? When we were there in October, it was not quite warm enough for me--pleasant, but not warm. Looking forward to hearing the complete download. Karen

Cathryn said...

Yes, in the 80s every day and warm enough to snorkel, boogie board, swim across the bay, and extra warm around the volcanoes!!

Janelle said...

Jealous!

And Happy Birthday, I did think about you, but I was no where near a computer, the I forgot.

Jefferson said...

How wonderful. Happy Birthday!

Robin said...

What a great birthday present! Evan and I are going to Kauai in the spring to celebrate our 5th anniversary. I can't wait!

Ashley said...

What a picture perfect vacation. I can't wait to see more pictures.

Anonymous said...

I'm so glad that you had a great time. I'm also glad that you got to see the whales. What a perfect place to be on your January birthday.