Ahh, Hawaii! Our hotel was on Waikiki Beach, about a block and a half from the ocean. We were on the 9th floor and had wonderful views. Right below us was the busiest street in Waikiki. Walking around the area in the evening reminded me a lot of Fremont Street in Vegas; so many street vendors and performers. It was really fun to take that all in. The shopping was non-stop, but a bit high-end for me. Except the flea markets. They kept going and going! Lots of fun souvenirs to choose from. The beach was nice. I have to confess something here; I am not a beach person. I really wasn't looking forward to this part of the trip. I don't like parading around in a swimsuit, considering my dad's skin cancer history, I don't like sun-bathing for long periods of time, and I have an unnecessary fear of sharks and jellyfish in shallow water - see Life'95 friends for details on that. But, I was wrong. While still pretty self conscious in my swimsuit (tho I shouldn't have with all the 70 plus leathery skinned ladies in their 2 pieces wandering around quite shamelessly), I really enjoyed sitting in the WARM sun, swimming in the clear blue ocean, and really didn't mind the pounds of sand we'd track back to our hotel room. While I am still a mountain/lake loving gal, Hawaii's beaches may have changed my mind, a little bit!
Morning view from our balcony- NICE!
Sunset view from our balcony- Really NICE!
Soak in that view
Swimming with Aria
The waves were surprisingly powerful!
View down Waikiki Beach
Aria was a tourist attraction herself! I bet we were about the only tall, blond haired people on the island. She at one point had a group of 4 or 5 Asian gals around her taking pictures of her drawing pictures in the sand. Aria would say something to them, which they obviously didn't understand, but they would laugh and giggle at her and take pictures of her. It was funny to watch.
Tony swims with Aria. He tried snorkeling once. I didn't. He found it quite relaxing, but due to his bad eyes, he really couldn't enjoy what he was looking at.
Building sand castles!
Aria is a beach bunny! She loved swimming in the ocean.
