Aloha!

The Family in Hawaii at a Luau on Waikiki.

It's back to work now, but I had a lovely time in Honolulu for Thanksgiving. It was a busy 5 days, but we managed to fit a lot into our short time on Oahu.

First - Thanksgiving dinner was fantastic. A buffet with great food, including turkey as well as mahi mahi and crab legs. So not quite the traditional meal, but plenty of it so we were all uncomfortable after eating all of it!

Surfs up on Waikiki! Dad and I took a surf lesson on Saturday morning with the Hans Hedeman Surf school. We were two of about 10 people and four instructors, so it ended up being almost a semi-private lesson instead of a group lesson. Our lesson started out with some in-store instructions (with Japanese translations for all of the Japanese tourists as well). After a very short intro and some lovely loaned rash shirts, we were off to the beach.

The waves were small, which was fine by me! We all paddled out to where the waves were breaking and aligned ourselves to catch a wave, with some assistance from the instructors. A few seconds out in the ocean, my instructor gave my board a shove and shouted, “Stand up!” I didn’t quite get there on the first try, but I did manage to get partway up before the wave petered out beneath me. So I turned the board around and headed back out. After a few tries, I managed to get up, stand shakily on the board, and ride the tiny wave a long way toward shore. Success! Dad and I both managed to get up and surf several times before the lesson was over. I never managed to catch one on my own, but I am hoping to try again when I’m in LA next time!

Later that night, the family loaded into the car and set off for the stadium to watch the Boilermakers take on Hawaii. That sounds simple enough, but it turned into a huge ordeal to get to the stadium. We left about an hour and a half before kickoff. By the time we arrived, we had reached near meltdown mode and degenerated into a bad episode of the Amazing Race. We finally found a place to park (based on a very misleading map) and rode a bus to the stadium - by then, it was almost the end of the first quarter. On the way, we all went through phases when we just wanted to head back to the hotel to watch the game on TV. In the end we were all glad that we stuck it out. Purdue lost the game, but only after putting up a great fight and keeping the game close for the second half. We were all pretty hoarse from cheering so much. Not that it did much good from the nosebleed seats, but it makes us feel like we’re helping the team!

Sunday was another busy day. This time we spent the whole time at sea. First there was the “Fun Cruise”, a boat trip just off the beach. The cruise included a snorkel tour, led by our fearless guide, Bif (I kid you not!), plus the chance to jump off the upper deck, and lunch. The snorkel tour was fun and we did see some cool fish, but unfortunately no sea turtles despite Bif’s best efforts to find one for us. Mom and Dad and I all participated in the jump off the deck. Fun stuff! After that tour, we had time to rest back at the hotel for a bit and of course visit the bar for a Mai Tai before we headed to a sunset dinner cruise. It was a full day of fun on the open sea!

After our boat-themed day, we spent Monday seeing the historical sights – namely Pearl Harbor and the Arizona memorial. It’s a moving and very beautiful memorial to the events of Dec. 7, 1941, and I am very happy to have finally had the chance to see it in person. We followed that up with a tour of the Battleship Missouri – where the Japanese surrendered at the end of the war. So in one day we saw the bookends of the war. It’s worth a visit.

The Pearl Harbor visit takes some time – mostly just because it requires waiting in line. Even so, we had time that afternoon to drive to the east side of the island and see some more of the area than just Honolulu and Pearl Harbor. It’s a breathtaking place.

We ended the evening with a luau. Yes, they are cheesy and touristy, but when you’re in Hawaii for the first time it is a necessity! So we went, ate the poi (blech), laulau (OK), and Kalua pork (yum!), and watched the hula dancers perform.

Tuesday marked the end of the trip for me and Jenn. The last item on our checklist of “Things to Do” was a hike to the top of Diamondhead. So before we hopped on the redeye back to LA, we went on a family jaunt to the top of the hill, along with a gaggle of Japanese students who charged up the hill in no time at all. Unfortunately the fast pace resulted in a few of them suffering from dehydration and exhaustion, but for the most part, they made it to the top cheerfully and with a lot of “Alohas” for everyone they passed on the way.

More soon! Just wanted to add an update about the trip! I'm back in Boston now and spent the weekend getting certified to Teach English as a Foreign Language (through i-to-i of course!).

-Kt