Hawaii Trip (Nov 27 to Dec 4)

What a wonderful getaway for a week before the Christmas holidays and also to escape from the cold to a nice and warm place. I think I am just spoiled from this awesome vacation. I would go back to Hawaii again for the third time if there is an opportunity in the near future. The food and shopping in the Waikiki area were pretty expensive because of the high population of tourists but if you go a couple blocks away from the main strip, everything seems to be a little cheaper. Regardless of all these, I still went for the shopping and the food. It was great.
Ray and I did a lot of activities when we were there for the week. We went hiking at Diamond Head Crater and Koko Head Crater and running a couple of times around Diamond Head and Ala Wai Canal which was beautiful. We also went snorkeling in Hanauma Bay, one of the most beautiful bay areas to do swimming, snorkeling and other water sports. The picture above were taken in Hanauma Bay. At first, I was freaking out a few times at immersing my head in the water with the snorkel gear and trying to breathe differently than normal but after a few attempts and using another snorkel gear, I finally overcame the fear and had the most fun in my life because of the gorgeous coral reefs and astounding marine wildlife. God's creation is just beyond amazing. I feel so privileged to be able to experience this other world in the water. Apart from all these, we took the time to see the historic site of Pearl Harbor. I felt overwhelmed and also sad at the same time about the background history of the attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese on Dec 7, 1941. We visited the memorial site of the USS Arizona where it sunk from the attack. It truly was an unforgettable historic incident.

The next fun thing from the trip was the Paradise Cove Luau. It was my first time to a Luau. Luau means an elaborate Hawaiian feast featuring traditional food and entertainment that consisted of the Imu Ceremony (roasting of the pig) followed by Hula dancing, fire dancing and singing. There were also other activities organized that night when we were there like arts and crafts, traditional activities like spear throwing and making of flower leis. The picture below was taken at Paradise Cove which was about an hour away from the Waikiki area.
As the vacation was coming to an end, I really didn't want to be going home to be back to work. I can really see myself retiring in Hawaii because of the lay-back and relaxing life. I can just picture myself walking on the beach, sipping on pina colada's and just simply lounging by the beach. What a nice life, don't you think so? I guess I am just spoiled from this vacation and am looking forward to going to Brunei next year in July. Until then, I guess I have to save up A LOT and I really mean A LOT!! :o)