Hawaii 5-0

Alex and I were ready to get on our plane headed to Hawaii the Monday after our Wedding. We couldn't wait to begin our week of long overdue rest and relaxation. Alex posted photos on his flickr page that summarize our Honeymoon quite well. However, I thought I would include a few things that I thought he missed.

Alex and I were so excited when we arrived to Hawaii. We just got off our 8 hour flight and our retrieved our luggage. We had a lei greeting. We got on the shuttle to our hotel, were taking in the sights, when another shuttle ran into us. This required both shuttles to stop and Hawaii-5-0 to come and see what the fuss was about. Needless to say, the exhaustion took over and I was annoyed. Especially when our shuttle driver said that another shuttle was coming to pick us up, in 30-45 minutes. Excuse me? Fortunately it was resolved before then, so we got back on our shuttle, and were off.

We stayed on Wakiki beach for a few days and were able to explore the streets in addition to the beach. An interesting point of interest was the Duke Kahanamoku statue. Locals and visitors pay respect to the local hero by leaving their leis at his statue. The Duke was an actor, local businessman, and lawyer. He was also a 5 time Olympic medalist in swimming and is credited for the spread of the sport of surfing.

Before we left for Kuaui, Alex and I went snorkeling in Hanauma Bay. It was the first time I had ever been snorkeling. When I put my head under the water, there was a fish looking right at me, which freaked me out. Once I calmed down, and figured out how to breathe under water, it became a memorable experience. I had never imagined so many different colors and patterns of fish were possible.

Once we arrived at the Grand Hyatt in Kauai, I checked out all of the activities at the resort. I wanted to for sure make a lei and learn how to hula. Alex was a good sport and made a lei with me. Unfortunately, we weren't able to learn how to hula because another activity conflicted. Oh well . . . next time.

Since we were there on our honeymoon, the Grand Hyatt gave us a complimentary cabana right on the beach. All I kept thinking was that I could get used to this life.

When we toured the Napali Coast on the catamaran, we sailed out to the Forbidden Island and did a little bit more snorkeling. The fish were not as exciting as the Hanauma Bay. However, there was a monk seal swimming around and I was able to catch a quick shot of him, swimming below us.

On the drive in and out of our hotel, there was a stretch called the "Tunnel of Trees." I felt like we were in a movie. It was beautiful. They are Eucalyptus trees that were planted over 150 years ago.

Towards the end of our honeymoon, we drove to the North Shore of Kauai. We found the Wai' oli Hui'a, which I affectionately named the green church. Pretty sure, if we got married in Kauai, I would have had our wedding here. It was such a cute place inside and out. It was established by the American Christian Missionaries in 1834 and is the oldest surviving church building on the island.

Needless to say, we were both very sad to leave the islands. It was an amazing trip with so many new memories made by us together.

Although, we were being silly here, I actually did cry when the plane did lift off. I would go back to Hawaii in a heartbeat.

On a side note, we had a 2 hour layover in Honolulu before we headed to San Francisco. I was amused by the bathroom signage. They dressed their little people in Hawaiian clothing.