Wyndhamvr Waikiki Beach Walk Honolulu

... soon arrived at the bottom. First you have to hike up to the entrance, about a half mile in and all uphill. We left early and started out at around 9 o'clock so the sun wasn't too bad and it wasn't too hot yet. Got to the entrance and read all the signs while we cooled down a bit. We learned (jose and Andrea skip this boring part) that it is Hi'iaki in Hawaiian which means the head of the ahi fish. It got its current name ...

... realized that if you put some quarters into a vending machine, then press the coin return, you get different coins back. By the end of the trip they had collected all 50 states and I had finished off the collection I started on the mainland in 2004 - except for one state. So I'd advise any non-Americans whose kids like collecting stuff to think about getting them into the State Quarters while ...

... had a few bananas and some dounuts and coffee. I managed to meet up with some of the other counselors and found out that we were meeting at 7:30, I also found out that it isn't necessary to wear the tall socks to camp!!! This makes me beyond excited. So I went upstairs changed my socks and got the rest of my things for camp and went back downstairs. We started off by going to the visitor center and getting our passes to get us on base. We then drove to my camp ...

... biological and cultural features that we encountered around Oahu. It was a wonderful, albeit long, day enhanced by the natural beauty of the island and Lani's enthusiasm. We drove through some of the wealthy areas where a home can be a mere $30 million. That's USD too! We saw the north shore beaches where, although relatively flat today, the surf is often at 35 feet. A draw card ...

... go with the flow. When I walked up the driveway, one of the guys who worked there was opening the gate and assumed I was a new guest with the backpack poking up from behind me. I paid for my 4 nights, made small talk with the owner, and was shown my room - 3 sets of bunk beds. Then I had to figure out what to do. It was about 1pm, and I had most of the day ahead of me, with no idea what I should or could do. Feeling awkward doing nothing at the hostel, I decided to ...

... to Diamond Head and hiked to the top... despite what all of the guides say it really is only a 30 min hike up (straight up!) and about 20 mins down. I think I got some great pictures from the top! Spent the rest of the afternoon at Waimanolo Bay... it's a state park that the locals spend time at (have a friend who lives there who told me about it)...to me, it's the perfect kind of beach... lots of shade trees (evergreens - not kidding!) right on the sand ...

... but they are pretty spacious. I share with Krystina. We trained together in San Diego, she was in Germany with me last summer (but at a different part of Wiesbaden), and we ended up here together too- none of that planned. We have two beach volleyball nets outside our barracks, a basketball court, bbq and a nice grass area. I have 2 counselors- Jake and Lindsay, both from Toledo, Ohio. We all about ...