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Published: March 24th 2005
Highway into Honolulu
Notice the road signs We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open." -- Jawaharal Nehru
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O’ahu Hanauma Bay, Oahu, HI - National Winner of best Beach OR
Hanauma Bay, Oahu, HI - National Winner of best Beach March 24. Hawaii -here we come! Up at 4am, we headed out to the airport. We left Pittsburgh at 7:40 am and had a lay over in Chicago, then onto Honolulu. It was a long stretch almost ten hours. We claimed our luggage, found the shuttle bus and onto our hotel. We stayed at the O’Hana Waikiki West, it was OK, lots of young folks partying on spring break. After dropping our luggage we were eager to explore Waikiki. The first impression of Honolulu is… lots of high-rise hotels, a crowded city and too much traffic.
Our first destination was the beach! Wow! Surfing is the name of the game, and we watched surfers tackle the waves even in the evening. As we wondered, in a stupor (20 hours since we last had sleep) we heard music down on the beach. Ukuleles, base violins and lovely young girls doing the hula! Every Thursday night there is a program on the beach for free. We are not in Pittsburgh anymore! Macadamia nuts are everywhere, even in the
ice cream. Punchy as we are it is time to sleep. Sooo…o…o 22 hours later, Goodnight Hawaii!
Friday, March 25. We were up early and back to Waikiki Beach. We watched folks learn how to use a surfboard. Belly down paddling out on the waves looked like fun, however getting up on the board, then into a kneeling position before standing, all the time with the knees bent. THIS is where they lost me. The AM was drizzly as a front was coming in from the mountains.
After a light breakfast, we packed out snorkel gear and found bus # 22 to take us to the Nature Preserve, Hanauma (ha NOW’ma) Bay. WOW! This bay was carved by volcanic eruptions, rising seawater levels, and of course, lava cooling to create a magnificent cove with a coral reef and sea-life galore! It was breathtaking. At the visitor’s center we viewed a video, explaining the rules, not to feed the fish, proper care of the living coral reef and precautions regarding the strong currents.
My previous experience with snorkeling in a coral reef was: a.) An outfitter taking a group out to deep sea and a drop overboard then
Hi rises
Honolulu has a lot of Hotels and Hi Rise buildings snorkel around, or b.) Swim out from shore and begin to snorkel and observe sea-life. Well, nature is so diverse, this was a different experience. We swam from the shore, but the coral reef was 4’ to 5’ high from the ocean floor, so with the strong current it was necessary to float carefully not to get caught up on or smash into coral. The variety of fish was astounding. The fish are quite comfortable with human intruders and just go about their business of eating and swimming unruffled. I had an underwater water camera but it seemed to be stuck, or something, so we will see how the pictures turn out. We have great pictures of the cove, the cliffs, the water, but no fish.
By the time we hiked back up to the parking area, some rain moved in, but we were already wet. The Bus took us back to our hotel where we showered and set out for a nice dinner. We ate at the Cheesecake Factory. Bob had eaten at one in Chicago. The food and service were very good and the bartender was filled with ideas on where to hike.
Travel Tips
Maps
Hot Pink
There is a lot of pink in Hawaii the best books and maps are from O’ahn Visitor Bureau www.visit-oahu.com or in USA 1-877-525-OAHU
Bus: you should use public transportation it is easy. We paid $2.00 and could ride the Bus all over, one day we took it around the island. Just ask some one at bus stop or at hotel where you are staying, it is called The Bus. Or go to the web page and see if they have schedules on line.
Food A small cooler or better yet take a folding cooler and buy you breakfast and lunch. The ask people when is a good local place to eat dinner.
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