If any readers of this happy blog have been worried that I fell into lava or stepped on an urchin, I can assure you, I'm safe and sound. I was so tired at the end of day four that my brain gave up. I've been blogging from my kindle, and the smart-text typing thing looked like the ravings of a lunatic. I finally gave up and went to sleep.
Now, I'm sitting on the airplane, waiting to take off and head back to Utah, so I thought now was a good time to write some stuff before I forget.
So - on to day four!
The first thing on our schedule was snorkeling! The morning was probably the least warm morning we had, with overcast skies and some wind. I was a little worried, but right at 9:00 the sky cleared and the sun shone through. It was perfect.
We rode to Hanauma Bay and got our snorkeling gear, had a marine biologist tell us about the bay and what not to do, and then we were turned loose.
First off, the bay is so pretty! It's about as picturesque as you can imagine, with lots of reefs and fishes of all kinds and crystal blue water.
After jumping in, I realized how shallow the water was ! The reefs were often only two or three feet below the surface. That made looking at stuff really easy but it made swimming hard. They told us to avoid touching the reef to keep it healthy, but the reef was sharp enough that I wouldn't want to touch it anyway.
Snorkeling was pretty cool! I hadn't been before, so it was a totally new experience. It's spooky to be swimming along when a huge fish comes right up close. It's also easy to get lost in the maze of the reef - I swam out a ways and when I turned around to go back, it was like the path I'd taken was gone. There were deep pits between the coral and eels were down there, along with lots of urchins and other fishes.
I spent the rest of my time at the bay enjoying the shallow waters and the sandy beach.
Throughout the day I'd think of that text and start laughing to myself. Sometimes I crack myself up.
Here's a picture of my snorkel gear, along with my friends' stuff too:
After Hanauma Bay, we all went to Diamondhead State Monument for lunch and a hike. Diamondhead is an extinct volcano and the park is in the crater. It looked like an African savanna there in the crater where we ate lunch. The hike was to a high peak along the rim of the crater and even though it was only .8 miles, it was a step climb! There were lots of switchbacks and some really steep stairs, but the view from the top was so amazing. I could see all of Waikiki and Honolulu and tons of the island. Here are some pictures:
After all that hiking, I was glad to go back to the beach and go swimming again. I was sure to really cover myself in sunscreen a couple of times, but somehow I still got burned a little on my ankles. At least my face is normal. :-)
For dinner, we had a catered meal at the Kapiolani park at sunset. It was fun and the students got to tell a little about what they liked about the trip. They all became pretty good friends and I'm so glad they got along so well.
I also got to watch the sun set on the ocean, and it was so pretty. It's crazy how fast the sun disappears as it gets closer to the horizon. After the sunset, we were right by a frozen yogurt store so I got the best pineapple froyo ever. I'm already wanting another one!
Because they had all been doing so well with being on time and keeping all the rules, we told then they could go swimming after dark if they stayed within a certain part of the beach. A lot of them had been wanting to go night swimming, so this was a nice chance to do that. A couple of us chaperones stayed with the students to make sure everything was safe and that they were making good choices, but I ended up having as much fun as the kids!
I didn't have my swim stuff on, so I didn't get back in the water past my shins, but Fiona and I played games with the kids, built sand castles, did hand stands, and even had running long jump competitions - of which I was the clear champion.
We had the whole beach to ourselves, and it was one of of the best moments for me on this trip. Everyone was having old fashioned fun at the beach.
When it was time for the students to go back to their rooms, we all went back to the hotel, but I was pretty sandy so I walked barefoot. It was around then that I realized how sore I was getting. All the fancy footwork of hiking, swimming, climbing stairs, walking everywhere, and running through sand had really started to get to me. A couple other chaperones and I decided to hit the hotel's Jacuzzi while it was still open. It was really hot but made my legs feel better.
After the Jacuzzi, we still weren't done having fun so we went out for ice cream! I've had more ice cream and smoothies on this trip than I have had in the last year.
There was a prom nearby so there were lots of young couples wearing insane dresses - like, red carpet and limousine level of expensive dresses. We also saw several of them travel up the hotel elevator to the rooms together...yikes.
After all that fun, it was finally time to go to bed. Now, I've been blogging daily about my trip, and I was going to blog that night too, but like I said, I got a little crazy with my sleepiness. My friend texted me, asking if I would be blogging that day, and in my weird sleepy stage, I texted her back saying I was too tired to finish writing.
When I looked at my phone this morning, I saw that my friend had replied saying that my text was silly and that I should go to bed, so I checked my previous message to see what I sent that was silly. I now share with you what kind of text I send when sleepy, unaltered:
"So I'm falling asleep writing my blog. Should I just write it tomorrow, I even me tattoos."
I have NO idea what was going on in my head. I remember writing the first part of the text but dozing off, then waking back up and finishing the text. I also remember proofreading my text for typos - my phone is old and has a button keyboard, so I actually typed those words. Proofreading while sleepy doesn't work, kids.
The day was long, but so great. Be sure to read my next post about my fifth and final day in Hawaii. See you soon!
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