This morning, Rob, Bill, and I got up extra early to do some hikes. We left a little after 6AM, and got to Diamond Head around 7AM. When we got there, we timed it just right. There was at least one bus full of people finishing the hike just as we were starting. Most of the way up the hike, we saw very few people. When we made it to the summit, there were only about six other people that were there with us. The view was spectacular. Then, on the way down, we noticed there was at least one bus who was on it's way up the hike. Our timing couldn't have been any better for doing the hike. We finished our hike around 10AM, which is exactly what they said it would be. We had an awesome hike.
After Diamond Head we headed to Manoa falls. Along the way, we took a wrong turn. It worked to our advantage, as we came across two scenic overlooks. The first was the Nuuanu Pali State Park. That overlook has a beautiful view, but is between two valleys that funnel the wind right up the valley. It was extremely windy there - probably 40-50 miles per hour.
The second scenic overlook was of a Chinese pagoda and a large cemetery. There were some trees with orange flowers on them, and a large American flag flying above the trees, too.
We arrived at Manoa Falls trail head around 11:15am. This is a wonderful hike that has a very rewarding finish at the falls. Magnificent. The hike is through a rain forest with gigantic ferns, bamboo, huge trees, and more. It follows a stream with little waterfalls, which sound refreshing and relaxing. There are apparently a couple of spots along this path that the show Lost was filmed at. I didn't know what to look for, so I don't know if I took a picture of the spots. I did take a lot of pictures, though.
While Dave, Rob, and Bill went on their hikes, Marie and Domino went back to the Dole Plantation with Sandy and John. While there, Marie and Domino attempted to do the world's biggest maze. It took them one hour and forty five minutes to make it out!
Today was the best weather of the week. The sun was out, and the wind had died down to a mere 15 miles per hour instead of the 25 miles per hour we've been getting.
We spent the afternoon in the pool. First, Domino and Dave swam in the new pool, where there are several waterfalls and a really cool tube slide. Domino had been denied access to it earlier in the week because she's too short and she couldn't pass the swim test without her floaties on. Today, I put her in her swimming suit that has a built-in life vest, and the lady let her do the slide. She was a little scared at first, but then once she went down, she loved it. It really is a great slide. Rob eventually joined us in the pool, and we swam around the various waterfalls for a little while, and then Domino and I went looking for Marie, who wanted to swim after her nap. After not finding her in the room, we found her walking around looking for us. I brought Marie and Domino over to the slide, but this time, they wouldn't let Domino on. Apparently, they shouldn't have let her on in the first place - she needs to be able to do the swim test without any floatation devices. Ugh. So Marie and Domino went to another pool to do their swimming.
After swimming, we were hoping to see a nice sunset. Unfortunately, the clouds took over the horizon, so we didn't get to see it. We only have one more day to get a good sunset, and I don't think we're going to get one.
Finally, we had dinner at Tacos and More. I loved this place. It's kind of a hole-in-the-wall, but the waitress had a wonderfully happy personality, was very helpful, and fun. I was very impressed that she was working all of the tables by herself, and the service was still very good. We need more waitresses like her. The food was fantastic. I had a chimichanga, Marie had a tamale (which was the biggest tamale I've ever seen), Domino had cheese quesadilla, and Rob had the enchiladas. I highly recommend the soup, and the desserts, too. Awesome dinner.
When we got back from dinner, we were all exhausted, and went to bed.
