Hawaii Babymoon 2007

We had a fantastic, 5 days vacation to Oahu, Hawaii during the Memorial Day weekend. Since we didn't really have a honeymoon after our wedding ceremony last November, Wye decided to call this our 'babymoon' hehe..probably our last vacation with just 2 of us. I'm a week shy of being 6mths now, so i'm getting quite big for the photos...hehe

We arrived on a Friday which was a good day as most of the hotels by the beach in Waikiki had open stage performances and dance, and it was busy and festive. We spent the rest of the day just walking along the beaches, enjoying the beautiful sunset and sea breeze.


The next morning, we took the bus to the US Pearl Harbour Memorial, where it all happened on Dec 7th 1941. As it was Memorial Day, you could imagine how crowded the place was, and security was tight, we were not allowed any bags in. The memorial was built on top of the sunken USS Missouri battle ship, and there was a boat to take us out to the actual spot for Free. There were some other museums and the bowfin warship which required an admittance fee, so we didn't go...hehe..anyway we were in a tight schedule for the other half of the day.


A friend of Wye recommended that we attend a Luau ( Hawaii ceremony of welcoming guests). It was pretty expensive USD98/person for a half day event, lei (flower ring)making, performances, hula dance, cocktails and dinner. But i guess, a trip to Hawaii is not complete without on of these excellent performances. We were taught how to weave our own flowers, got some souveniers for games which included a Kokuina necklace, and had 'poi' and 'lomi-lomi' for dinner.


On Sunday we decided to take a short trip to Honolulu downtown district. We climbed up the Aloha Tower marketplace for a nice view of the piers. There were a few cruise ships and yatchs docked by the harbour, and it was luxurious. How envious!!


The Chinatown in Honolulu was just about the same as any other, busy, with grocery shops and restaurants, so we decided not to spend time there. We then headed back to our hotel room at the Hyatt Regency where we had a bottle of champagne ( which was complimentary as i told the front desk we're on honeymoon...hehe) Of course, Wye had the courtesy to finish the whole bottle, no alcohol for me ;(


The next morning, our 4th day, we decided between Diamond Head Crater and Hanauma Bay. We chose the latter to spend our lovely day. Diamond Head Crater is actually the world's biggest crater from an erupted volcano years ago, and a recommended hike. Unfortunately due my physical condition, (the hike required headlamps into the cave and steep steps to the peak), we decided against it. The bus ride to the bay was about 1/2hr for USD2. It was a spectacular view from the top when we arrive, as you can see from the photo below. Hanauma Bay is one of the most popular places in Oahu for snorkeling. We quickly saw our introductory video at the information center before rushing off to the beach. Wye and I could already see the little fishes and reefs just off the beach with 1-2foot of water. It was great to spend the afternoon picnicking and sun-bathing. We got acquainted with 2 Malaysians from Oklahoma and ended up sitting together.




The last day finally came, sad to leave our holiday behind. Wye decided to spend the entire day, just sitting at Waikiki beach one last time ( of course he took hundreds of photos of girls in bikini and guys on surf-boards...ahem) We took the late night flight back to Portland and arrive the following morning....sigh..it was a nice needed vacation ;)