Our first real day in Hawaii was amazing. We got about 11 hours of sleep last night on the most comfortable bed I've ever slept on. I must get me a bed like this one. Our room in general is very nice. Very spacious. It's basically as big as a small apartment. With super high standards and fancy stuff.
After waking up we got ready for the day then went to a little mall-type area across from our resort hotels. There we went to a little coffee shop for breakfast. They had the most amazing pineapple, macadamia nut muffins! And it was huge, I couldn't even eat it all. Along with my iced latte, which was a little too strong for my likings but still drinkable. Our next stop was to Snorkel Bob's to pick up our rental snorkel gear that we have for the week. I was real excited about this. I love the ocean. I love the water. I love the animals that live in it too. So, snorkeling was definitely at the top of my list.
They gave us a little map and went over some of the best snorkel spots with us. Then, we were on our way to our first beach for some snorkel action. When we very first arrived it was amazing. It had this huge tent/hut thingy on it for shade and picnics or whatnot. The best part? There were only like 4 other people on it. I didn't really expect to come to Hawaii and find beaches where we were like the only people on it. It was amazing. Our first ocean encounter was with a giant, female sea turtle (we know it was female because of her color). It was so cool. She didn't seemed bothered by us at all and we got to get very close to her. Unfortunately at the time I didn't have my snorkel gear or water camera so my photographs are limited to above water only. When we got all geared up for our first snorkel adventure it was hilarious.
Cory, kept freaking out about it. It's not a natural instinct at all to breathe while underwater, so he was having a hard time with it. Finally, he accepted it and was able to do it. We got to view a lot of fun little fish. Very colorful and most were quite small. We did get lucky with a few large ones.
However, they were too quick to get a picture of. I hope my underwater pictures are turning out okay. We won't know until we develop the film. Next, we had to go geocaching. Our first geocache in Hawaii. It was fun. When we got to the location our GPS was leading us in a direction that caused us to move our car down another road so that we could be at the bottom of the hill from our previous location. There were some trees down there that we were looking through when I noticed two people at the top of the hill feeling around on the railing there. I pointed them out to Cory. He looked up and asked if they'd found it. They had. So we got back in our car and drove around to be back on top of the hill. The cache was in a huge bolt that had a strong magnet on it that held it to the railing and blended in quite nicely with all the other real bolts that were there. It was pretty fun. We've never ran into other geocachers before. Especially while in the act of hunting a cache.
After that, we went to a much prettier beach. With white sand and water that appeared to be neon blue. It was gorgeous. Though, it was also much more populated. The waves were much bigger and stronger there and we almost decided not to try snorkeling. I'm glad that we did though. There were lots of fun fish at this location as well. My favorite was this little bright pink and orange guy. I took a few pictures of him. I hope they turn out well. However, I'm sure they could never do him justice for his actual appearance.
We came back to the resort after that. My swimsuit was pretty much filled with sand and I was so ready to get a shower. Upon showering and dressing into real clothes we took a shuttle over to the part of the resort that has dolphins on it! I am an orca and dolphin fanatic. If I had it in me to move away from my family I would have without doubt became an orca trainer. It's what I've wanted to do since I was 8-years-old. That said, I couldn't help but be very sad as I looked at this mimicked beach that looked way too small to house 6 dolphins. Especially when I could look right over my shoulder and see the ocean. Their homes. Where they belong. As much as their appearances and actions hypnotize me, it's sad to know that they're in captivity for entertainment for people...like me.
That also goes for any animal. I'm sad our little salt water fish died, but I will never again have one. Seeing those little guys out there in their little reefs and corals. In their homes. It, again, was just sad for me to think about why so many of these animals are captive. I guess that goes for all animals.
After that we decided to eat at this fancy restaurant. It was way too expensive and their food was yucky to me. Except the amazing chocolate cake/ice cream dessert I had. When we arrived back at the resort hotel it was just in time for the sunset. We hurried out to the beach and snapped photographs like the torists we are - about ever few minutes.
When the sun had lowered down below our horizon I walked down to the waterline. The gentle waves caused the water to flow up over my feet just ever so often. I was dazed by the view. At my feet the clear, yet bluish turquoise waters stretched out as far as my eyes could see where they met the bluish grey sky in the horizon. At that meeting point it was the same as far as my vision could reach left or right. The waters looked still and calm. The darkness from my left was slowly spreading across to the right where there was just a little bit of pink and orange light shining through the clouds from where the sun had gone down. A few stars started to appear in the sky along side the moon. It was beautiful. It captured my intense focus and attention. As the sky continued to darken it caused the ocean to look more black than blue. As I would look out across the water I could see black shapes popping up and moving about. Sometimes I could make out the full shape, like a turtle's shell and his head. Other times I could just see the black shape speed across the water, just barely brushing the surface. Every once in a while way, way out there something would jump.
I could have stood there and stared out at that image for hours. Watching as the ocean became quieter, calmer and more still. Yet at the same time becoming more alive. The sky slowly turning from that pinkish orange to the dark blue and black of night. With the bright white moonlight coming out. Completely amazing. Totally beautiful.
When I decided I had stood there long enough I walked back up the the beach chairs and picked up both flip flops to hold them in my left hand. As the hubby and I started to walk back up the beach I grabbed his left hand and nestled in closer to him as we made our way back up to the hotel [walking across the sandy beach, barefoot while holding my husbands hand after watching the sunset -- how movie perfect is that?].
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