Hawaii day 7 and 8: Shabbos was awsome, finally we had some real food, the caterer made shabbos and the food was vey good. We had to check out of the hotel by 12:00 sunday, and we didnt need to go the airport until 7:00 that night so naturally the day turned into an absolute disaster. The hotel held our bags for us, so that was helpful, they also let us use a hospitality room for 30 min before we left to the airport to change and relax. Back to the day though, we needed to kill 7 hours so we spoke to a few people by the front desk and they all told us to go to the Aloha Marketplace (supposedly famous shopping center) so off we went. Walking up to the marketplace you walk along the pier, and there are beautiful tropical fish right under your feet, but when we got to the actual market.........there was nothing there!!!! Every store was vacant except for a belly dance studio, and small bodegas selling hawaii gift shop garbage. We killed a whole of 15 mintes there. 6:30 minutes left to kill. We then decided that we are going to go to the Waikiki Aquarium, we get there and there is no where to park. Its started to rain like crazy and people left the beach so after driving around for about 30 min. we finally found a parking spot. Into the aquarium we go. The aquarium is very nice, but it is four exhibits that take about 15 minutes to go through, so now we have about 5:45 minutes to kill. That went on to the other places we went. it was getting funnier as the day went on. We finally had to leave to the airport, and our trip came to and end. All in all it was an amazing experience, something everyone should do one day.

By the pier

Walking along the pier, tropical fish everywhere

Our plane....Leaving Hawaii, all good things must come to an end

Hawaii day 6: I finally have time to finish the blog (now that we are home in beautiful sunny Cleveland) erev shabbos we went to a place called Hanauma Bay, Basically the bay was crated by volcanic explosions, creating a very shallow reef protected by a large circle of land (opened at one end). Hanauma Bay is a large snorkling spot, you have about 2 feet of water covering the reef which is very highly populated with tripical fish and turtles. Then for shabbos we checked into the Ala Moana Hotel (the chabad house is in it). It is not the Sharoton Waikiki, but it worked well for shabbos.

Hanauma Bay, all the dark spots in the water are parts of the reef

The opening to the ocean

On top of the bay, you need to hike down to it

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aahhhh paradise

Hawaii day five: Today I allowed Shira to pick wahtever she wanted to do (payback for her agreeing to go diving with me) so we went shopping. Then the rest of the day we chilled by the pool

Sand sculpture in the lobby of our hotel

Walking out into the Ala Monoa Mall, It has an open roof

What a view

Koi pond in middle of the mall

Koi

Another Koi pond

More of the open mall

Hawaii day 4: we went to a flea market this morning and bought the kids a bunch of cheap stuff, then we went and met up with a diving guide, took a catamaran out to the middle of the ocean and went scuba diving. Shira went on the first dive, but was exahusted and sat out the second dive. On the first dive we ended up about 2 feet from these huge gigantic sea turtles, these were 3 1/2 to 4 feet long, swam through schools of fish, and checked out eels. On the second dive was much of the same, except for the turtles. My dive guide found an octopus and some how pulled it out from this tiny crevise and we were able to stay an handle it for about five minutes. Very very cool the octopus was about 2 feet long. Could not take to many pictures (no waterproof camera). All in all an amazing day and and an experience that we will hopefully do agian. Then tonight Shira and I went to walk around a mall and ended up in a maze store that apperently were duty free, basically that means out of the five hundred people there, we were the only non-orential people. Hopefully we will not experince that agian.

Finally squeezed into the wet suit

Getting the rest of my gear on

On the way to the second dive, the first dive our dive guide made me go down a ladder into the ocean, on the second dive though she let me walk off the side of the boat, that was a lot of fun.

Hawaii day 3: Today we went to Diamond Had crater to hike. The crater has an elevation hike of about 600 feet, 300 hundred steps, and a few areas that you need to crouch to get through. It was an exhausting hike but once we got to the top the view of diamond head bay and waikiki beach was stuning, as well as the hills of honuloulu. From there we went on what was supposed to be an easy hike to a place called Monoa Falls. It is a Mile and a half hike, classafied as "easy" but it was anything but. Basically we pulled off the road and automatically we where in the rain forest where the show Lost was shot. we proceeded to hike up to the falls along a path that was for the most part, 2 feet wide, sandwiched between a wall of whatever trees or bamboo was on one side and a shear drop of on the other. the path was mostly made up of boulders and tree roots. trecherous but one of the most beautiful places we have ever been. Then we drove to the east shore to a beach name Kialuha. the water was crystal crystal clear. We then went back to the hotel and hung out....sounds like the perfect day right.....it gets better. We where walking around tonight and went down a side street and low and behold there was a bar called the yardhouse. I have been to the one in Chicago, did not know there was one in waikiki. The reason that this really caps off the perfect day is because the yardhouse has a center bar shaped in an oval, and the interior of the oval has 128 beers on tap!!! I love the Yard House.

Inside the crster

the top of the cater

southern shore from on top the cater

looking down into the crater

Honuloulu from on top the crater

Waikiki From on top  the crater

Diamond Head from on top the crater

Crystal clear ocean at kialuha beach



Kialuha beach

 Ka

Lost prop, in the rain forest

More lost props

Manoa falls

Monoa falls

Bamboo forest on the way to the falls

Pathway through tree trunk

Banyan trees

Rain forest

Rain forest

Massive tree

Hawaii Day 2: Today we drove through the middle of the island, from waikiki to the east shore (windward side) then up towards the northern shore, to the Polynesian Cultural Center. They work with BYU Hawaii campus to give scholarship to people from the polynesian islands, in return they work at the cultural center putting on shows and teaching different rituals and the like from there home islands. The people from the fiji show where from fiji, the tonga show from tonga etc., Our GPS told us where 22 Miles from our hotel to the center....and it was all "highway," note to everyone Hawaii's idea of a highway outside of the main populated area is a one lane mostly 35 mile an hour street. It took us 1 hour and 15 minutes to drive but the drive was worth it. Unbelievably stunning.

Crazy looking tree at the center, had a root base above the ground that covered about a 20 by 20 area

A small beach on the side of the road the southern east shore is in the background

Random Banana Tree

Driving down the "highway" there was a bull chained to a post about 5 feet from the street

More Banyan Trees outside our hotel

 First thing we saw coming through the tunnel from the west side of the island to the east side

Small island off of the east shore

Looking up at the hills where Lost was shot, check out the tree, great pic

Weird tropical plant

One of the pools by our hotel

Lounge chairs in another pool

The infinity pool looking out over the ocean, they have waitress service up to the side of the pool nothing like lounging and drinking at the same time

Shira gets........

Shira with Fiji performers

Small islands off of the northern east shore

Tnoganese performer playing the nose flute

Some more really weird looking tropical plants and fruits

View from the infinity pool looking at diamond head crater and diamond head bay