Austin & Cami Richards: Hawaii

Saturday, June 10, 2017

Hawaii | Part 2.

We started the next day with an early morning hike. We hiked around 2 miles round trip to Manoa Falls. This hike was so picturesque. You feel like you stepped into Jurassic Park as you climb through the dense, green jungle. It was just clearing up from a rainstorm so the lingering mist was an added bonus. It was such a beautiful hike, If you are ever in Oahu, I would highly recommend it. Our next stop was the famous Swap Meet. You can find any souvenir imaginable here! We wandered too many shops and probably bought too many things. Austin was pumped to purchase a bunch of hawaiian sea salt and I got some shirts for the girls and I. After the hike, we figured we deserved some rest and relaxation so we spent the afternoon soaking up rays from the pool and at the beach. Once we got bored at one pool, we moved our stuff to another pool. And this cycle continued. The pools and beach at the resort were awesome. That evening we ate at one of the fancier, beach side restaurants at the hotel and then walked the beach during sunset.There is nothing prettier than a Hawaiian sunset. Nothing.

The next day we decided to hit the cute little town of Laie. As we drove up towards the north end of the island, we stopped by the Byodo-In Temple. This is a beautiful Japanese style temple but it was in an unusual location -- the middle of a cemetery. We walked around the site, banged the peace bell, and went to see Buddah. After that temple, our next stop was the LDS Temple. I absolutely love this temple and the temple grounds. It is so peaceful and beautiful. We stopped by the visitor center, walked through the grounds, and then went to our next stop - Seven Brothers Burgers! This was one of my favorite food destinations during our trip. The burgers were huge and so delicious and addicting. I wish it wasn't an hour from our hotel, or I would have had one every day.

After lunch, we went to the Polynesian Culture Center. I loved learning about the different cultures and traditions. We rode canoes, learned how to hula dance, made fires, got tattoos, and saw some amazing performances. That night we stuffed our faces at a traditional luau and watched a night show complete with fire dancers. It was pretty amazing.