Home again!

Awake for 29 hours and I wasn't able to sleep on the plane but we made it home. I had 13 hours of sleep last night so I'm feeling better. I posted photos from our last day of sightseeing - Pearl Harbor and the Dole Plantation. We had a really great time in Hawaii especially since we had our own cottage and didn't have to rely on hotel amenities. If anyone ever wants to go to Hawaii I fully recommend our cottage. You can find it at this link (http://www.vacationhomes.com/6487) and tell Dian we sent you!

The Swap Meet

I don't know why they call it the Aloha Swap Meet, there was no swapping, however it was a huge stadium parking lot sale with lots of Hawaiian gifts and stuff. I think Sam and I managed to find something for everyone on our Christmas shopping list and then some! We walked all over the lot and browsed for a few hours! Sam found a couple of stalls that provided him with a heap of Pokemon cards which he has already sorted. He is quite excited about them.

Kualoa Ranch and a ride into the world of movie sets. We went to "Jurassic Park," "Lost," "Pearl Harbor," "Tyrannosaurus Azteca" and "Godzilla" just to mention a few. Sam's mount was named Rudy, I was on Bear and Janice rode Grinder named so because he grinds his teeth. We had a two hour ride into the valley and learned not only about the various films that were made here but also how to tell if your horse needs a potty break! Sam really enjoyed the ride and we all have sore bottoms now!

Waikiki Fun

Yesterday we went on a submarine ride to see the reef off of Waikiki. It was a fun ride but there were very few large sea creatures. The biggest was a pair of sea turtles. We did see a lot of very pretty fishes. After the sub ride we had a VERY expensive hamburger on the beach then spent the rest of the afternoon on Waikiki Beach sunning and swimming.

Lotsa fun and sun!

Today we had a slow morning - enjoying our house, deck and tropical breezes. After lunch, and after the heat of the day, we headed for Diamond Head Crater to take the 3/4 mile hike to the lookout point. On the way we stopped at the Pali Highway Lookout. Both places provided panoramic views and lots of wind! We took many silly pictures of windblown hair formations. After the hike we followed the guidebook directions to a restaurant called Kea for some Thai food. Sam had a chicken and broccoli which he dove into with gusto. I had Evil Jungle Prince (beef, Thai basil and chilis) which was marvelous. Janice had Panang Curry with chicken which she enjoyed. After dinner we walked down to Waikiki Beach to wet our toes and watch the sun set. We'll be back there for a swim tomorrow afternoon.

More Aloha!

There are two new slideshows for all to enjoy. We have been having a great time swimming and hiking and generally hanging out. Our big trip to the Big Island and the volcano tour/hike was a blast, quite literally. Our tour guide, Dennis, was a font of information about the volcano, Big Island history and every tree and plant we encountered.

For Ben

I'm in Hawaii, but finally got the chance to respond to Ben's request. So here are my two kittehs, half grown up, engaging in one of their favorite activities! Roxy on the left and Henry on the right.

And be sure to check out this link to Janice's blog for more photos of Hawaii.