A couple weeks ago I jetted off to Hawaii for a pre-winter break and also to attend my friend Kelly’s wedding. It could not have come at a better time what with the gloomy, wet weather. Besides, who really needs an excuse to go to Hawaii?
Not only was it my inaugural visit to paradise, but also the first vacation together for my boyfriend and I. Well, I’m happy to report that it was a successful trip, complete with a great tan, an amazingly fun wedding and our relationship intact. What wasn’t so successful? Taking the top down on a Jeep.
I had this vision of driving around Hawaii in a Jeep with the top down. Well, we got a Jeep. And on a bright, hot, sunny day I decided it was time to take the top down. I’ve never owned a Jeep. There were no instructions included. How hard could it be anyway? So we tried.
And tried.
And tried some more.
FOR AN HOUR.
We just could not figure it out. We sort of had it but it wasn’t down securely and therefore not correctly. We looked around to see if there were other Jeep owners. Nope. So finally, I admitted defeat and put the top back up. Sigh. I guess it was a blessing in disguise because later that afternoon it started to rain. But really, shouldn’t this stuff be intuitive? Shouldn’t we all be born with the knowledge of how to take the top down on a Jeep?
When we weren’t wasting time trying to be cool with our mode of transportation, we went snorkeling at Hanauma Bay, sharking diving with Galapagos sharks and took a surf lesson on the North Shore.
Shark diving was really cool. They place a cage in the water and the boat docks nearby. You enter into the cage and hang onto the bars while you dip your head below the surface to watch the sharks circling around. The water can be choppy so it takes a bit to figure out how to hang on. I used my toes to clamp onto the bars so I wouldn’t get thrown around as much. The bars are wide enough to stick your hands and feet out (if you’re an idiot) and on occasion the sharks do come close enough to brush the cage. I loved it and was the first one in. My boyfriend followed VERY reluctantly. We had about 15-20 sharks circling the whole time, ranging in size from 4-8 feet. I still need to develop the underwater camera but I hope I got some good closeups of the sharks!
Aside from water activities there was beach laying, Polynesian Cultural Centre touring and lots of eating too.
A lot of their cuisine is Asian and I have to say, living in Vancouver, I’m pretty spoiled in that area but culinary delights such as poi (a taro paste) and SPAM couldn’t be missed. I have two words: acquired taste. However french toast filled with guava syrup and dragon fruit so big that you can hold in your hand like a bowl and scoop out – delish!
The wedding was SO MUCH FUN. Kelly and Simon got married in the backyard of a beautiful beachfront home. Afterward we headed over to the Design Centre for cocktails, the reception and then danced the night away. Oh, you know what’s not so fun? Hangovers while trying to pack, check out and get to the airport on time. A bit of a planning oversight on my part…
After this trip, I’m even more convinced that my desire to live near a beach in a tropical climate is a good one. The boyfriend wasn’t so certain until we took our surf lesson. He stood on his first try (I’m so proud) and now is in love with the sport. He concurs that living near a beach with waves is a brilliant idea and that his new found talent on the board will propel him to become a surf champion. Well, we can all dream right?
~ Cassie
{ pictures taken by Cassie }
