So this year I’ve actually done a lot of traveling to places like San Jose, Seattle, and the latest trip; Hawaii! It’s been really awesome to be able to do so much despite the conditions and all that’s going on. It’s been a true blessing to go out and experience life. I think this year has been the most active year I’ve had ever since I can remember. Also, that is an actual picture of me! I haven’t posted anything about myself so I think I’m gonna share a few photos of my trip and explain the trip in chronological order.

• Day 1

Day one was mostly spent traveling, getting to our hotel, checking in, and relaxing for a bit. Our flight left early in the morning, six hours to our destination. I wanted to sleep but I thought it would be better to stay awake so that way I can try to sleep early and wake up early. That was because I knew I had a 6 mile run the next day and I wanted to wake up early and beat the heat. So for the most part, I stayed awake and read a book, watched a movie and tried to find comfort on the awkward seats. When we landed 6 hours later it was about 3 o’clock back home and 12 in Maui. The view outside the window was beautiful. The greenery rising and falling through long and tall rolling mountains was magnificent to behold. I hadn’t seen anything that green in years. When we landed it didn’t take long to grab our stuff and get checked out of the airport. Funny enough, it actually took longer to find the car we rented for the week. It was pretty disastrous and the heat and humidity didn’t make it any better.

Soon after that we drove over to the hotel which was about 30 minutes away. What was awesome was that the hotel we rented for the week was right across the beach. The beach had a magnificently clear view of the islands across from us. The sand was soft to the touch, yet burning hot; the water crystal clear and warm, it was nothing like the beaches in California. If there was a definition for the perfect beach, the beach in Keihei was it. We had to wait to check into the hotel but we left our stuff with the lobby attendants and went out to eat. After lunch we hung out at the beach, soaked in some sun took some photos and went shopping a bit. We got some food and water for the first few days and went back to the hotel and finally got our rooms. We decided then that we would spend the first night making burgers and hanging out in the pool. It was really relaxing except for when a drunk guy joined us in the hot tub and started acting a little crazy. We left and made for our rooms where we all got ready to sleep. I ended up sleeping on the couch every night that week unfortunately because it was so hot that I couldn’t share the bed with my sister. We probably should’ve gotten a room with more beds. And it turns out my parents were hiding an inflatable bed the whole time in their closet. I found this out the last day we were there, when I was rummaging for anything that could’ve been left behind. My parents weren’t actually hiding it, they just didn’t realize it was there. to be dramatic I would say hiding.

• Day 2

This was a running day for me. I had six miles planned and luckily enough for me I had my brother in law there to keep me company. The route we took was very hilly but it was nice and green and beautiful. It took us past the Shoppes, an ultra nice shopping area, and some of the hotels by the beach. We ran 3 miles up and 3 miles back. I unfortunately, did not bring my water bottle that run and got really thirsty. The humidity made running so much harder than I thought. It drained me of more energy than I thought, added only by the hills we ran. My brother in law is really good at running hills, He was an avid runner in high school so he’s much more experienced than me.

After the run we had the chance to relax a bit. My brother in law had to prepare for a meeting he would have after vacation and I had to do some homework. The plan was to go find some food trucks my sister highly recommended and after that go on a small hike to a waterfall. We spent the morning getting ready and then left about noon. The food trucks were located in a parking lot and set up as a square around a tent for tables and such. I ordered some mystery meat, thinking it was chicken but it was spelled checken. I didn’t notice this until after I got the food and realized that the meat looked nothing like chicken, and I would know cooked chicken since working at chick-fil-a. It smelled amazing and didn’t taste half bad. The sandwich was laid over a bed of garlic fries all freshly cooked and prepare on the spot. The fries were honestly my favorite. I didn’t know how to feel about the sandwich. It was good but it had a weird texture.

After the food trucks we went to twin falls. The trip there took about an hour, taking us all the way around the coast and through some rolling hills. The hills were lush and green, made even more beautiful by the fact that it was sprinkling and rainbows were crossing the sky every which way we looked. When we got to the location, I found it a bit odd that there was someone there taking money for parking but gave out no tickets. I’m pretty sure it was a scam but we payed cash and went on our way. The walk to the falls was pretty straight forward. It ran 15 meters from a river and ended with one water fall over another. It was actually pretty nice. There were kids jumping off the edge and families taking pictures. It wasn’t long after we got there that we ended up being alone. I wrestled with the idea of jumping into the water for while after everyone left. I didn’t want to be the only one to do it. My sister ended up being the valiant one who decided to jump with me. It was both exhilarating and terrifying. The edge was scattered with jagged rocks pointing in every direction so you had to jump further out to avoid hitting anything on the way down. I never was good with heights either so looking out the side made me have a tunnel affect which made the jump seem even further than it actually was. I knew if I wanted to jump it would have to be without thinking. So I didn’t give myself any chance to think and just went for it. The water was frigid cold and took my breath away as soon as I hit the surface. In dropping through I actually touched the bottom of the river and sprang back up. My sister followed soon after. At the end I was really glad I was able to do that. The climb back up was a lot easier then I thought thanks to all the rocks from the side. soaking wet we left and walked back to our car satisfied with the little adventure.

Our plans after were to go get some shave ice( Yes my sister made it perfectly clear that it is pronounced shave ice not “shaved ice”) and then head back and find a spot for dinner. on our way to the place for shave ice we found a spot along the coast to take some pictures. My parents were the ones mostly into the idea at first but after stepping out of the car and looking over the cliffs edge we noticed a beach filled with turtles so we had to go see what that was all about.

We drove the car down a path closer to the shoreline and came down to the beach were there were people surfing and watching the turtles off to the side. I got a beautiful video of a turtle sleeping nearby as we walked down the shore. It’s interesting to notice how each beach was very different. The sand at this beach was a lot more rough and you sank in almost immediately after the water rushed over you compared to the one in Keihei, the beach we were staying by.

We stayed only a few minutes to take pictures and such and then head out for shave ice once again. I really don’t care for shave ice very much, so I wasn’t as excited about the dessert but I was pleasantly surprised when we got there and it ended up being really good. I got sour apple, watermelon, and mango for my cup. I didn’t know how good shave ice could be until I had some there. The flavors didn’t have the artificial type taste to it that I expected, it actually tasted as I thought it should taste. The ice was nice and fluffy and melted in your mouth, it didn’t have that rough texture I’ve become familiar with. They also added ice cream on the bottom of the cup which was vanilla. The ice cream was deliciously creamy and just added another layer of goodness to the shave ice.

After we were done, we went back to the supermarket to grab some more food and water for the next day and decided to find a nice little restaurant to eat at. The place was really nice from the outside as well as inside. They had tiki torches lighting the line outside and a bunch of decorations like surfboards and paintings and photographs of the island lining the walls and ceiling. They had a live band singing both modern and island songs and the food was actually pretty good. We were mostly distracted with the music because the guy was actually really good. He was a native to the island and seemed really nice. I was able to talk to him a bit and I don’t know if it was appropriate but my dad put in a song request which he obliged to. Though the day was long it was really nice to be able to wind down and relax.

• Day 3

This day was a rest day from running so I decided to sleep in a little and enjoy the opportunity to rest. I watched some tv and read and spent most of the time working on more homework and quizzes that were due that day. After that we decided to visit the shoppes nearby to get some lunch and go shopping for stuff. We decided to go to Tommy Bahamas located there at the Mall and had a great seat outside overlooking the balcony. There was cool breeze wafting in cooling us off from the humidity. I ended up getting a burger and some fries and shared my meal with my sister who got a salad. We did that a lot the whole time we were there in order to share the calories and not over eat, yet enjoy ourselves. The waiter was really helpful and attentive and I could not recommend enough that place for the service alone. The food was great too. The waiter actually helped us decide where to go next. She knew of a place to go snorkeling that she said she frequented a lot and so right after lunch we went straight there to relax and soak in the sun. The spot she told us was hidden between a few houses off the road a fancy hotel. It was actually pretty empty when we got there. There we spent more time laying back under some trees. The funny part was that the wind was so strong it kept pulling our umbrellas out from the sand. My sister’s umbrella was the worst. It was partly bent and did not, for how hard we tried, stay put. My dad tried to tie it up on the tree, but we all kinda thought it wasn’t the greatest idea and it ended up flying away. My sister went off with her husband to take pictures to post on her instagram and my little sister and I decided to hang back for a bit. Eventually we all went to the beach get into the water which again I thought was surprisingly warm. the only thing was that the w aves were so big that they kept crashing down on us. I thought I was going to flip over at some point. I wish it would’ve been calmer. I really wanted to go snorkeling that day. Either way it was nice to talk and hang out and soak in the sun.

Part of the plans that day was to have my parents go out on their own to enjoy some time for the anniversary, and my older sister and her husband to go have dinner with a friend of theirs. So it was up to my little sister and I to figure out what to do that night. We couldn’t go very far so we decided to go to one of the restaurants near our hotel and check out the sunset on the way there. We ended up at the closest restaurant. We didn’t try very hard I guess. I was looking at maybe going to this pizza place but the layout of the restaurants was very confusing so we ended up at a Mexican restaurant where we filled ourselves up with chips and guacamole. I sat next to a painting of a woman’s butt unfortunately and the restaurant delayed our food for such a long time that we ate mostly chips. luckily we shared a plate of food which didn’t taste too bad but it wasn’t all that good either. My water tasted like cigarettes which completely disgusted me. So we had a great night. Haha. After that we walked a little further down and got some ice cream which actually come out to be really good. The had some soft serve which is my favorite with a chocolate dipped cone. It’s either that or cookies and creme but I was feeling soft serve that night. When we got home I ended falling asleep real quick and deep that even my mom moved me around without me noticing.

• Day 4

Today was another run day. 6 miles planned in the agenda. it started off well enough. No pain, good pace though the weather was kind of hot. My brother in law had to make a quick stop at a restroom so we actually went further than we had originally planned, stopping at the beach that we had spent the day before. While he did his business, I went down to the beach to check out the view in the morning and found an older couple there preparing for a wedding. The were holding each other there, taking photos and listening to someone sing with a ukulele. It was actually really sweet and beautiful, I kind of felt like I was intruding by being there. I wasn’t the only one there though, there were already many beach goers walking along the shore and swimming in the ocean. I didn’t have my phone on me so I took video with my brother in law’s phone. I didn’t want to spend so long there just in case the couple wanted their privacy but they looked so happy being there and I really thought it was a great moment. I mean imagine getting married at a beach in Hawaii as the sun is rising off in the distance?

We ended up running a total of 8 miles which felt really good. I felt smooth and relaxed but the only thing was the weather. The humidity is no joke when it comes to cooling off. I think we both overheated a bit on that run and unfortunately didn’t feel well for the rest of the day. My brother in law especially. I felt bad.

After the run, we got back and got ready for a trip to get lunch and then go to the aquarium. I’ve always loved aquariums. My favorite aquarium would probably have to be the aquarium of the pacific which I haven’t been to in such a long time. I really want to go back. But we were in Hawaii and I was pretty sure they were going to have some awesome stuff to see. The aquarium was right off the coast of a beach nearby. It looked really nice and maintained and the exhibits though short were nice and colorful teeming with all different kinds of fish that live nearby. By far my favorite part of the aquarium was the shark exhibit. They had some hammerheads, mantis’, and swordfish all within a single area. that area lead to a tube surrounded by water with fish swimming all around you in different shapes, sizes and colors. The water gave off a blue hue within the time and made you feel like you were underwater with them. My little sister and I spent a good amount of time, taking photos and making videos of the tube. I think that was the most time of any exhibit that we took. Besides that we saw some sea turtles, some sea urchins, smaller sharks, and reef fish. Then at the end they had a 3D video on whales that was about 15 minutes long. I thought it was okay, but I was expecting more wide shots and actual footage of whales other than some CGI whales floating through the sea. It was interesting to know more about whales and how they are very sensitive creatures and are able to experience emotion like we do. Their songs are all unique as well like a whole other language waiting to be discovered.

After the aquarium, my sisters and I decided to go to the beach to try to snorkel one more time but the ocean was too cloudy and the waves too rough to try to see anything without being carried off. We ended up just wading through the water for about half an hour and then heading back.

we went back to get ready for dinner which we all debated on. I think everyone was pretty exhausted by the end of that day. Before dinner we went down to the beach to take some photos of the sunset and then went to a restaurant which was on the second floor of an area we were always near. It took up the whole second floor in a unique layout. There food was great and I was completely surprised by how it was on the inside. The only thing was that we ended up waiting about 1 hour to be seated. in the meantime I kind of spoiled my food by going to that ice cream shop we had gone the day before and getting some more ice cream. It was just as busy as the day before and it was the same guy by himself taking all the orders. It was crazy. I felt bad for the guy but he said he had taken a few days off to go surfing or something so that was kind of his punishment. And that ended off the night.

• Day 5

Day 5 was suppose to be my 20 mile ling run but after thinking about after a bit I thought it would be better to take the morning to relax and not worry about time and whether I would have enough of it to run. The problem being that there was going to be no way for me to refuel or to get some water. with all the humidity it was going to be a hard run despite the slow pace and I definitely did not want to get injured in the middle of an area I did not know. Heat related injuries are the worst and it takes a while to come back from those.

So I decided to sleep in, eat some breakfast, relax on on the coach before having to get ready and move everything out. The morning went by pretty quickly with all the thoughts of leaving being in the forefront of our minds. Packing, cleaning, throwing out trash. We dropped off all the rental equipment, got some banana bread and did any last minute shopping we wanted to do. Then we went off to the airport to find some food trucks. The food trucks this time were on a whole different other location than the last time and had a few different options. I ended up just getting coffee which I later came to regret when we go to the airport and didn’t grab anything to eat.

The airport experience over there was pretty rough. They were all kind of rude. When checking in our luggage they were talking about people in the airport, they through our luggage onto the conveyor belt like they didn’t care what was inside and they had no patience for us when people would get confused on what to do. So that left a sour taste in my mouth about that. once on the plane we realized it was going to be completely packed. nobody had assigned seating so it was every man for himself. We all ended up getting split up and I got stuck with a man who’s family was way down the line. Throughout the flight each of his family members would come up to him and they would argue over small things and they kept shoving things right in front of my face. Usually I’m pretty okay with things going on once or twice but after the fourth and fifth time I was pretty annoyed because the guy climbed over me twice and there was little room as it was. Thankfully the flight went by pretty quick but I was pretty exhausted by the end. All I could think about was getting home to see my dog and go to sleep. Seeing milo after that week was refreshing especially because he was so excited to see us that he was sprinting all over the front yard and through our legs out of excitement. That night was the best sleep I had in days because I had slept on a couch the whole weekend, and it felt good to sleep on my own bed for once.

And that concludes my trip. We didn’t do a lot of the exciting things but we did have a good time and a lot of down time to relax. Next time I go I would really like to go with a group of friends or if not when/if I get married before then, go with my wife and do all the exciting things. It would be a nice little adventure. Either way I was blessed to have had some time away with family and be able to vacation. Thanks for reading. I know it was a bit long but I appreciate it. God bless!