Another taste of Hawaii... Honolulu

We arrived in Honolulu on Wednesday morning.  I ate my breakfast out on the deck and looked out at yet another beautiful sunrise, over a city I’d have the privilege of exploring for the next two days.  I got an early start and headed off to my trip to Pearl Harbor memorial where I spent most of my morning.  This was an unforgettable experience.  Seeing the parts of the ship just beneath the surface of the water made it very real to me and it was even more moving to see all the names of the people who died written on the wall at the memorial.  Although it was a deeply saddening experience, I knew it was important to take the time to remember those who lost their lives in the attack.  After our tour, our bus driver brought us to the national cemetery which overlooks the entire city.  He also took us to visit some other historical sites in downtown Honolulu.

After I got back from Pearl Harbor I met my friends at Waikiki beach and went on another boat ride, which may or may not have been called a “booze cruise.”  I figured I did my historical deed of the day so it would be okay to have some typical college fun.  The captain let us take turns driving the boat and we were out on the water just as the sun was setting so it was beautiful.

That night I made the decision that we would go out for a delicious meal since I was pretty disappointed with the food I’d had at the lu’au earlier in the week.  So, I orchestrated my own field trip to a place called Duke’s which is located right on the water.  We ate delicious food, listened to a great live musician, and we were sitting in grass huts under the stars—it was much better than the lu’au in my opinion.

The next morning we went out for breakfast in Waikiki and our outdoor table happened to be overlooking a courtyard where more live music and dance was being performed.  It was a great way to start the day.  We also happened to be sitting across the street from Godiva and next door to Coach.  Downtown Waikiki has incredible shopping.  The street along the beach is filled with every upscale store you could imagine.  Every time I peeked in a window, I had to keep reminding myself of the bargaining opportunities I would have later in China and Vietnam.  Regardless, who wants to shop when there’s a beautiful beach to swim at across the street?  So that’s exactly what I did, until we had to be back on the ship again. And I’ll continue to be at sea for 12 days until we get to Japan on February 9th!

The caves we saw on our snorkeling trip

At the Lu'au.... attempting to braid a ti-plant (something Hawaiian's use to make grass skirts, necklaces, headbands, etc.)

Aloha from Hilo!

We arrived in Hilo on Monday (January 25^th) just in time to see the sun rise.  It was so nice to finally see land!  On our first day there, my friends and I took a cab to a local beach called Richardson’s beach.  A lot of SAS students were there so we mostly just hung out and enjoyed the beautiful weather and the view of the ocean.  We even saw a whale! 

That night, I attended a Lu’au, which was an organized trip through SAS.  Here, we watched and participated in some Hawaiian traditions, including hula dancing, and ate authentic Hawaiian food.  I have to be honest—I would have preferred the food we’ve been eating on the ship.  Pulled pork, some sort of squid dish, and their infamous “poi” are not for me.  But overall it was a good experience and the performers were excellent.

After the Lu’au, we went to a local bar called Shooters where a lot of SAS students had planned to meet up.  The place was packed with SAS students or “SASers” (the nickname given to Semester at Sea students.)  I’m sure we were the most people the bar had ever seen on a Monday night.  They even hired a DJ when they knew we were coming.

Our second and final day in Hilo I went on the Captain Zodiac snorkeling excursion, another trip I signed up to do through SAS.  We took a bus to Kona, which was about two and a half hours away from our port.  When we arrived we were split into groups of 12 and a speedboat took us out into the middle of the bay.  We were surrounded by incredible cliffs and caves, the weather was amazing and the boat ride out into the bay was so much fun—I would’ve had a great day even without the snorkeling.  However, once I got in the water, I was amazed at all the beautiful fish and coral reefs I saw.  I’d never seen so many different kinds of colorful fish, (except in my marine biology book which, believe it or not, I have managed to find time to read!)  I even impressed my marine biology teacher today when I told him I saw a Hawaiian Monk Seal beached on the side of the bay, which we had learned in class is a critically endangered species.  I have found that science is much more interesting when you are seeing it in real life instead of in a textbook—hopefully this will be reflected in my grade! 

 

My Yoga Class

I had 64 people come to my yoga class yesterday!  I was worried when I saw the entire deck filled with people.  I thought for a second I was in the wrong place but then people said they were there for my yoga class.  I couldn't believe it!  I admit I was a little nervous.  I knew it was going to be hard to demonstrate and explain the poses when not everyone could see and hear me. (Not to mention we are still on a moving ship.)  But I did the best I could and I think it went really well.  I already have people telling me that they are sore and had no idea yoga was so intense!  Plus this is a great way to meet people- even if I don’t know all of them yet, after listening to my voice for an hour, they definitely know me!

My roommate, Anna