Friday...Surfing with the Hawaiian Fire School

While in Oahu....well you know the rest. So what is Hawaii famous for??? besides the beautiful coast line? Yes your right the birth place of surfing...so we had to try it!!! I was a little apprehensive at first because the water was so rough and the waves were pretty big (from my point of view) The school is taught by off duty firemen so that in itself is enough reason to learn to surf. I was the first one in the water (not by my choice) and I paddled like a crazy person to get out into the surf!!!lol I don't know if it was fear or excitement that was driving me but either way the adrenaline was pumping!! My goal for the day was to stand up on the board at least one time....well I done better than that...I stood up almost every time however my ride was short lived. I think about 20 seconds was my longest ride. But it is so much fun and I am ready to go back and get to be a amateur at this!!lol

Thursday..ahhhhhhhh a day for relaxation

Today was a spa day. We went to pure Joy Spa in Honolulu and got a 90 minute massage and a 90 minute facial. It was magnificent and was a much needed break from having fun on the beach!!! That night we went to Amuse Wine Bar. I have never been in a place like this. It was a restaurant and bar with a very lounge type feel. They had live acoustic music and a local crowd. I think JoAnn and I were the only tourist in the whole place. They had machine's with various types of wine and you chose what you wanted to taste, inserted a pre-paid card into the machine and dispensed your wine. You could dispense from 1 oz to 6 oz and each one was priced differently. It is a very unique idea that would only go over in a large city.

More scenic views on our drive

A drive around the Island

After leaving Hanauma Bay we decided to take a drive around the island. We came across this ranch which had the ocean on one side and as you can see the mountains on the other.

Snorkeling at Hanauma Bay

On Wednesday we went to Hanauma Bay. This area is full of coral and has the most
magnificent marine life. We identified at least a dozen different fish and at the end of the day a sea turtle came up close to shore and I was able to snorkel with him. He was amazing, such grace, and he just let me swim beside him like I was suppose to be there.

More Beaches

Happy Birthday To Me!! Sept 28th

Today we went to Waikiki Beach and hung out for a few hours then walked over to a colonial style hotel named the Surfrider. It is an old colonial style hotel with a beach front bar. The bar and hotel is built around an 109 year old Banyan Tree which is actually pretty remarkable. We had lunch here then drove around the island to other beaches to site see. By the way....we rented a car to have for the week...a red mustang convertible!! How cool is that??