Hawaii

Hawaii was a good break, more like a vacation than the foreign experiences that I have had in 11 countries prior to this. We had to get up at six in the morning to begin the immigration and customs process. Everyone has to meet face to face with a U.S. customs officer, and then once all thousand or so people had done this, the ship was clear. I got off and walked around downtown Honolulu for an hour or so. After that I headed to Waikiki beach for a few hours. We went to Cheeseburger in Paradise for lunch – no ethnic food to try in Hawaii. I guess I could have found poi, but luaus aren’t even authentic Hawaiian anymore. After that I met up with some other friends, and we headed back to a different part of the beach. We were only there a short time, when a friend of Laura’s from high school who now lives in Hawaii showed up. He and two of his friends took us on a hike to a waterfall. We rode in the back of a pickup truck for a while, through the less touristy parts of Honolulu, and then onto the highway. We went through a tunnel, and came out on the other side of the mountains, into some absolutely beautiful scenery. The mountains are not that high, but very steep, rugged, and covered with lush vegetation. The view from the parking lot was incredible, and the views only got better from there on. No one was really prepared for a hike, we were all in sandals and swimsuits, but it was worth it. We wound around the sides of a mountain, and then took another trail that led along the crest of a ridge. It led down to a stream, and from there it was only a few minutes to the waterfall. The falls poured down into a very deep pool, so you could jump off into the water if you wanted to. After an hour or two of cliff jumping and swimming, we had to hike back out. On the drive back to Honolulu, we dropped Laura’s friend off at the University of Hawaii, so we got to see some of their campus. That night we went out, but I somehow got up at seven the next morning. That was a familiar pattern on this entire trip. Going out at night, and then getting up after a few hours of sleep, because you don’t want to miss anything in the countries. That second day in Hawaii I was by myself. I took care of some important things, and then went to Waikiki, but did not go on the beach. I walked around the restaurants and shopping area for a while. I am pretty sure I saw the hotel where we stayed when I came here years ago. I took the bus back to the ship and ate lunch there. In the afternoon I got wi-fi in a nearby mall, and finally put some pictures from this trip online. I ended up going back onto the ship a few hours before the absolute limit. I did not want to stand in line for a while, and the security measures in Hawaii were the most extreme of any port. I slept until dinner to make up for the night, and then watched us sail away that evening.