We finally arrived and went to go find were our rental car was. We knew we had a jeep on reserve so we were really excited about that. Then it was time to collect the whole load of baggage we had and get it back over to the jeep so we could head out. We were able to get a cart to load all the stuff up and thankfully it all fit well. Our internal clocks were all messed up at this point because it was only a little after lunch time in Hawaii and back in CT it was bed time. Nick suggested that we eat lunch and go with the local time to get us adjusted. So we went and found our room and it wasn't quite ready which was fine because that gave us time to go enjoy some subway right next to the beach.
Tyler absolutely LOVED the beach. You could see and hear the ocean from the front door and he would keep pointing and trying to walk over to the water weather we were coming or not. He loved the little waves splashing on him and would smile ear to ear. His little lips would be shivering and blue but he would not want to leave and would try to get back to the water.
We were only there a couple of days so we tried to pack as many touristy things in as we could. We did a great job of getting up early to start the day since we went to bed so early because we were getting used to the new time. The Dole pineapple plantation was a lot of fun! There was a little self guided tour were you could learn about the different native plants around Hawaii and how the pineapple plantation got started. We had to rush by the bananas so Tyler wouldn't scream "NA" the whole time because he is obsessed with bananas. We saw cute little pineapples!
We also did some of the maze they have which was declared the worlds largest maze in 2008. We didn't get to finish all of it because it was a pretty warm day and Tyler in the ergo carrier gets overheated if he's in there too long. So we decided to go and enjoy some dole whip mmmmmm. The only other place you can get dole whip is at Disney so that was a pretty awesome treat. We also wanted to eat somewhere local and Nick ended up finding an awesome little hole in the wall place that actually was featured on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives.
One of the places I wanted to visit was Pearl Harbor and we did go but it was very hard to really pay attention with Tyler with us. There are a lot of things to see but we went later in the day and a lot of things close so we didn't want to spend a fortune when we wouldn't be able to take our time. There are buildings you can go into and read and see pictures and actual recovered items or replicas from the attacks. We also tried to watch a film that the show for free but there was no way Tyler was going to sit through a movie and be quite enough. So we quickly left the movie as to not disturb the rest of the crowd any longer. We were actually just going to leave but Nick was missing his phone...... Yup it was in the theater that we had just snuck out of. So we went back to get the phone and one of the staff was outside with it. She asked us if we still wanted to go and see the USS Arizona memorial and that was what I had wanted to be able to visit so she said we would be able to catch the last boat ride out there. A beautiful tribute to those who lost their lives in the attacks.
We also got a chance to hike Diamond Head which was really amazing. The view was breathtaking and was a good experience. Tyler rode in the backpack carrier and loved pointing at everything we passed.
The 99 stairs and the tunnel were kind of tough but it was definitely worth the trip up. It was hot but we had a lot of fun and saw so much of the land and ocean from way at the top. Of course after I was really thirsty and wanted something refreshing so we ventured off to find some shave ice. There are little stands all over the place but unfortunately most of them take cash only (thumbs down). We did finally find a place that had an ATM inside of the building and got some very delicious and refreshing shave ice. These were so cute I had to get a picture.... Tyler just wanted to run around.
We tried a few more local things like pineapple wine, watermelon juice, and I tried some local beer. The wine was very strong and tasted more like a hard liquor. I'm pretty sure Nick liked the watermelon juice but I wasn't crazy about it. The local made beer was tasty. Tyler did not want to leave the waves and sat in the way in protest of us leaving. I tried to tell him that we were going to be going to other waves but its hard to convince a 16 month old. Plus it meant another pretty long flight and I didn't blame him but it was time to pack up and head on to our final destination...... Japan.
~ Courtney
