Well, it's been quite an adjustment getting used to Michigan again after spending nine days in a warm tropical paradise. The trip was absolutely A-MAZ-ING! We saw whales and sea turtles nearly every day from shore, our lodging was fantastic everywhere we stayed, and the weather was perfect (after a bit of rain just the first couple of days).
We spent the first couple of days there driving the road to Hana. We stopped at many of the little pull-offs along the way, taking short hikes and checking out the waterfalls. We swam in one of them!
There were fantastic little stands along the way where people were selling shell jewelry, coconut candy, and coconut ice-cream! YUMM!
We spent one night in Hana, renting a house across the street from the ocean, before heading back to the other side of the island for the rest of our trip.
We did the bike trip down Mount Haleakala. It was a beautiful ride, starting above the clouds and going all the way down to the beach.
Many days we just lounged around on the beaches, and checked out nearby tide pools like the Olivine Pools. This place was really cool! The waves crashed around us while these serene little pools remained calm and still with large fish criuising around in them.
We went on a whale watch one day with the Pacific Whale Foundation. There were three male whales all "fighting" for a female who had a calf. The female and calf stayed near the boat while the males circled us, pushing each other and smacking each other in the face with their tails. It was all very exciting, absolutely breathtaking.
What magnificent creatures! 
We also spent a day with the Ultimate Whale Watch Company. They took us out to the island Lanai on an intimate little raft boat. We saw more whales along the way, snorkeled with sea turtles in the reefs off the coast of
Lanai, and had lunch with the dolphins! they took us to the back side of the island where nearly a hundred dolphins jumped, spun, and danced around the boat for us. It was like no other experience I have ever had.Here are some videos of the whales and dolphins:
We said goodbye to the island at a the Old Lahaina Luau on our last night. What a way to say goodbye! Local food, traditional dance and music, and all the Lava Flows and Pina Coladas you can drink! It made it very hard to say goodbye.
We had a wonderful time, and can't wait to one day make it back.
It was very nice to get to vacation with Mom and Dad again, which I haven't done since I was a teenager. And to have Chris and my family together made it expecially nice. These are just some highlights of the trip, it's really hard to narrow down the pictures when everything was so beautiful. To see a few more pics from the trip, check out our photo slideshow.
1 comment:
Wow! Looks great Bri! You must have had an amazing time! I can't wait until this summer. 3 weeks in Korea here I come! ^_^
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