Hawaiian Heaven

---

Aloha from Hawaii! Hawaii was a bit of a surprise really. Wasn't expecting too much so I was pleasantly surprised. We stayed in Waikiki on the island of Oahu which is the most touristy part of Hawaii but also the easiest to get around. Waikiki beach was beautiful with the crystal clear water and palm trees. We lazed by the beach after our near 24 hour sojourn from Sydney via Fiji which was bliss after the cold of canberra.
May have blissed out a little too much because I got a little burnt! For Samara it was a 48 hour birthday due to the time difference and of course we celebrated with a cocktail!

Have allready experienced the difference in cultures etc. with trouble finding a good coffee and anything without sugar in it. Everything here is ultra sweet, with even the sunscreen smelling like bubble gum! And the bread is really weird too. However we did manage to find some traditional hawaiian fair which was called a pig plate (doesnt sound too appetizing but was actually really tasty!).

On Monday we climbed up Diamond Head Memorial which was a massive crater, used to be a volcano and it was quite a hike. It was pretty warm so the sweat was pouring out! Probably a good thing after all the crap we have been eating. The next day we visited the North Shore where all the world famous surfing beaches are. They were nice and calm because it is summer so we went snorkelling at Weimeia Beach. Samara and I got right up close to a massive turtle and saw heaps of fish. It was awesome! We also visited the botanical gardens where we saw a huge variety of the hibiscus. Stunning. More snorkelling the next day, this time at Hanouma Bay. It has a massive coral reef so we got right up close to all the tropical fish. More sunburn though. 😞

Right now we are in San Francisco so will post up another entry when we have finished. The clam chowder at Pier 59 was great!

---