day 2 in oahu

it's only after 4 pm, but i'm feeling exhausted!  we woke up after 5 am due to jetlag so we had an early breakfast  and took a drive to hanauma bay to go snorkeling.  i wanted us to go early to hanauma bay because i read that the parking lot fills up and the beach gets crowded.  the only drawback to leaving before 7 am is we caught some rush hour traffic in honolulu.  parking in hanauma bay is $1 but entrance fee for each adult is $7.50.  after paying the fee, we watched a 10 minute video about how the bay was formed and what types of marine life we can expect to see.  the bay was beautiful!  paul and my dad went snorkeling first while i played by the beach with michelle.  the water was super clear, but the seabed was a bit rocky.  we saw quite a number of fish (but not schools of them).  

after hanauma bay, we went looking for ono seafood for what i was told was the best poke in hawaii.  it's a hole in the wall place that's quite challenging to find.  after we found, we bought two pounds of poke (it is expensive at $15/pound) and contemplated driving back to the hotel and eat lunch there...but we were all starving after spending the morning in the beach.  we succumbed to the call of the nearest kfc and ate greasy fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and coleslaw.  we ate our poke, too...and my...there's a reason why it's expensive.  the fish was sooo fresh and flavor was perfect!!!!  we had quite a bit left over so we bought beer and we'll have beer and poke later tonight.  =D


back in the hotel, we spent some time again in the beach and the pool.  i am the darkest i have been in a while because of spending the entire day under the sun...but this time, i don't mind so much.  i just want to have a great time with my family who slathers me with sunscreen SPF 50 because they know how paranoid i am about the sun.  

tomorrow, i turn 31 and i am spending it in paradise with the people i love.  i am truly blessed!  =D