annual Partner Summit in Honolulu, and we decided to take the opportunity for a family vacation. We had a great time checking out many of the things Oahu has to offer, and the boys did well the entire time. (They even slept well at night, and avoided becoming overtired--- hooray!) It was extra special to be able to spend time with our friends Amy & Chris from NY, who planned their vacation to coincide with ours. Here's a synopsis of our adventures:Day 1: Arrived in Honolulu around lunch time. Checked into our hotel, stocked up on snacks and
beach supplies at Walmart, went to a local park near Waikiki, met up with Amy & Chris for dinner at Cheeseburger in Paradise, then walked down to the beach for sunset. We stayed at the Hilton Hawaiian Village, which was perfect for families with young kids-- there were penguins, fish, and fun birds on the grounds, plus there were a bunch of shops, restaurants, and nice walkways throughout.Day 2: Toured the Dole Plantation with Amy & Chris, then went
up to the North Shore. We ate lunch at a cute restaurant near the water, but the food was only so-so. Then we drove along the coast and stopped at one of the beaches to watch the biggest waves we've ever seen in person -at least 20 feet. The water was extremely rough, but the boys had fun in the sand away from the crashing waves. Hayden was ready for bed by 7:00 that night (and almost every night), so we don't have any exciting stories about Waikiki night life.Day 3: Went to Hanauma Bay, in spite of the rain and wind. Th
e bay is ac
tually an old crater that filled with water when ocean levels rose. It's a great place for snorkeling as the fish are abundant and the water is calm. Matt took advantage of the chance and rented some gear. Later in the day we stopped at a "blowhole"- it's a hole in the rocks where water shoots up when big waves break, resembling a whale's spout.Day 4: Matt finally got his chance to go surfing in Waikiki. He had to paddle out so far to reach the waves that I couldn't even pick him out among the other surfers from where I was standing on the shore. Caleb & Hayden had a great time on the beach digging in the sand with other kids. At times it was hard to keep Hayden in the shallow water- he wanted to keep walking into deeper areas. The kid has no fear. Caleb tends to be quite cautious, but even he had fun splashing in the water. Unfortunately, Matt's surfing fun was short-lived as he stepped on a sea urchin. It left a bunch of black slivers in his foot and his foot started hurting immediately. A guy at the board rental shack said Matt needed to either dip his foot in vinegar or see a doctor asap, or else it would get worse. Thankfully we were able to get vinegar from the hotel and that seemed to neutralize the sting. Matt is STILL working on pulling out all of the slivers though.
Afterwards, we checked out Ala Moana shopping center. By that time, the boys needed a good nap in the car, so we drove to Ko Olina to see the JW Marriott resort. The Cisco convention started this day, and Matt had to be around for some meetings. Bummer!
Okay, I'm a bit worried that if I write too much more no one will read to the bottom. So check back tomorrow for the highlights of the remainder of our trip =) Mahalo.
1 comment:
I'm so glad that the boys did well! Ours were awesome the whole time too, isn't it totally shocking? I was soooo worried, just like you were - but I think they get so excited that they forget to be crabby. Then are so tired, sleep just hits them like a ton of bricks!
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