We did! My dad's colleague has some connections and got us in for free which was amazing. They sure do charge an arm and a leg there. (I'm pretty sure our tickets cost more than tickets to Disneyland.)
On our way to the PCC, we walked around the beautiful temple grounds.
Andrew tasting coconut
Learning to Hula
Fortunately, there were strollers available to rent at the PCC. We made the mistake of not bringing one for James this trip. Had I known what our airport experience would be like, I would have packed a stroller in a heartbeat.
Sadly, James had a fever the last couple days of the trip. I shouldn't admit this, but it actually ended up working out in our favor. We were at the Polynesian Cultural Center for nearly 10 hours. (James left after dinner) He likes to wiggle and move around a ton, but in his feverish state, he remained in the stroller laying down/sleeping nearly all day. Poor guy.
Sick baby
By the time the night show began, there were only four of us remaining. We sure did sleep well that night. After experiencing the PCC once, I think I've had my fix. If there were to be a next time, I think I would only stay for a few hours. There were definitely some interesting things to see and do, but it was exhausting and by the end of the day, I needed a long shower.
Did you do any hiking while in Hawaii?
Yes, we went on 2 hikes--1) Diamond Head 2) Maunawili Falls Trail. Some of my favorite moments happened while exploring. First, we walked "Diamond Head" which was full of tourists. (I guess we're included in that term.) It was blazing, but the view at the top was gorgeous.
My favorite part of the hike may have been the pineapple smoothie at the end. It really hit the spot.
Missing Lindsey
Secondly, we trekked Maunawili Falls. This hike wasn't what I expected. In some of the reviews online mud was mentioned. I don't think we quite understood to what extent. Basically, we had mud baths. The fact that it rained on our way to the trail-head probably didn't help. Jill nicknamed the hike "The Mud Slip-n-Slide" and I think that's much more fitting and catchy than "Main Falls Trail."
I've honestly never seen so much mud. It was hard to stay on my feet. We thought about turning around. We asked lots of people who were headed down how much longer we had. Each time, we would get extremely differing answers making our decision even harder. I'm glad we decided to stick with it. The waterfall at the end was breathtaking and wading through the river felt nice, especially since it helped clean off some of the mud.
I will admit that I slipped and fell 3 times. Luckily my falls weren't anything major, but it was extra scary because I'm pregnant. Don't worry, I didn't end up having my baby in Hawaii. (That would have made for a cool story though.)
We pulled into the airbnb several hours later. I don't know that the shoes I wore will ever be the same again and I think I'm still finding mud stuck between my toes. What an adventure!
No comments:
Post a Comment