Summer in Paradise

All the time people are stressed out about school or work or dating or whatever is going on in their lives, and you hear them say, “I just need a vacation where I can relax and get away from all my problems for awhile.” May I suggest Hawaii? I have been to Hawaii twice but only the most recent trip do I remember, because the first trip I went on I was one I think. Of course, I wanted to go back because I would hear stories about the first trip from my parents and see the pictures; and, after all, it is Hawaii. My parents said that, since I was graduating the following year, I could pick our summer vacation spot. We had saved up a lot of Delta Skymiles, so cost wasn’t too big of an issue. I enjoy some sight-seeing, but I prefer vacations where you learn and walk less and just relax and have fun more. Hawaii is mostly relaxation but has many amazing sights, so that seemed like the idea vacation spot to me. So, one morning very early but not so bright, we got up and drove down to Roanoke “International” Airport (that’s what my dad calls our airport as a joke because it’s so small) and got on a plane to Atlanta. Atlanta is one massive airport if you haven’t been there; it is very easy to get lost, but for us expert travelers, it was fairly easy for us to follow the signs and get to our gate. The plane we got on in Atlanta was massive; it had two aisles and seven seats in each row. I mean, for a nine hour flight from Atlanta to Honolulu it’s got to be one heck of a plane right? During the flight, they served us two meals, and they played Fool’s Gold and National Treasure 2. The entire flight I had Follow You Home by Nickelback in my head, and I thought I was going to die it was so annoying. Anyway, we land in Honolulu, Hawaii and it was so weird because of the time change. We had flown for nine hours but it was still only the afternoon. In order to get to where we were staying on Oahu, we had to get on one more small plane to go from one island to the other. Once we landed in Oahu, I saw the weirdest looking airport I had ever seen. It wasn’t the traditional metal building with windows everywhere; it was little shacks and places where there was just a roof with columns supporting it but there were no walls. The whole airport was just open to the elements and had a very beachy look. As we were driving to the place we were staying, the air was full of what looked like smoke or fog; later we learned that it was neither, but it was I think it was called vog. It was the smoke that came from the volcanoes that made the air thick and dark. Also, instead of grass or forests, much of the area was just black rocks. They were igneous rocks from years of volcanic activity that had covered the ground. Later that night, we get to the place we were staying, get unpacked and situated, and just kinda chill for the rest of the night, excited about the rest of the trip.
The next day it was hard for us to get up, because our bodies were still on Roanoke time. However, once we realized we were in Hawaii and not boring ole Roanoke, it didn’t take long for us to get up and moving. We went down to the beach, and marveled at how gorgeous it was. Hawaii has some of the most clear, blue water you will ever see. I could stand in the ocean with the water all the way up to my neck and look down, and I could clearly see my feet. One time I was completely scared to death, because I saw out of the corner of my eye a big black thing swimming through the water, but it ended up only being a sea turtle. Another day, my dad and I went to play golf at one of the many beautiful courses in Hawaii. Instead of grass, the course had that same black rock everywhere that we saw earlier, which made it easier to find all our bad shots that missed the fairway (there were many of those). One particular hole was so scenic that it looked like something you would see in a magazine or on TV. The green was backed up to the ocean, and there were a few palm trees surrounding the green with a couple bunkers next to it. For the rest of the time on Oahu, we went to the pool and the beach and shopped a bit and enjoyed some of the great food that Hawaii has. We went on a short hike to this waterfall that was in the middle of this massive open area in the mountain, and we drove along the road, stopping here and there to take pictures of all the beautiful views. That was the first of our islands; then, we went back to that cool little airport, got on another plane and headed back to Honolulu for the last half of our trip.

Honolulu reminded me of a smaller New York City. There were plenty of big buildings, lots of pedestrians on the sidewalks, and crazy night life. Even though it was highly urbanized, Honolulu also had many beautiful, well-known attractions just like Oahu. Some of those that we saw included Diamond Head Crater, Waikiki Beach, Black Sand Beach, and Pearl Harbor. We took a boat out to where the U.S.S. Arizona had sunk and went to the monument there. It was really quiet, because it was an interesting thought to think that this was the place where so many people had died that day. There were still oil bubbles floating up to the surface of the water from the Arizona. All these things were beautiful and lots of fun, but nothing we did compared to when we went snorkeling. We went to this place that was a volcano crater, but one side of it was gone, letting it fill up with ocean water; and over time, it had grown coral and become inhabited with hundreds of fish and sea creatures. None of us had ever been snorkeling before, and I thought it was one of the coolest things I had ever done in my life. The only downside to it was my back got burnt to a crisp from being right at the surface of the water for hours. One of the last nights we were there, we went to a luau where they had some good Hawaiian music and food including some purple rolls, no joke. Eventually the end of the trip came around and none of us wanted to leave, because it was like living in paradise. The trip back was horrible; that day I spent about 22 hours including time change flying back to Roanoke and sitting in airports. One cool thing about coming back was that I saw both the Staples Center in Los Angeles and the Georgia Dome in Atlanta in the same day which I thought was neat. I could easily write another 1300 words about my trip to Hawaii, but I won’t do that because I’m getting tired of sitting here typing but if you want to know more about it just ask. I would highly recommend Hawaii for anyone who wants to go on an incredible vacation; I would go back in a heartbeat. Just make sure you take me if you go!