Day 2…..

I am an early riser and was eyes open out of bed by 7 ish….showered ready, went downstairs while The Princess sleeps. Got a cup of coffee in a mug and continued reading this incredible book. Thinking i may finish it tomorrow and move on to book number 2, The Tatooist of Aushwitz. Sari makes her way down by 9, we depart for the first adventure of the day.

We jump in our convertible car in workout clothes, i want a convertible now SO bad we drive on the freeway again, big city buildings in the distance, Honolulu is a bustling city yet in slow motion and relaxed. Again the turquoise sea is surrounding us with majestic views and the breeze slapping my face and blowing my hair is magnificent. 

We arrive at Diamond Head State Park, also referred to as the stairway to heaven. We parked in a cemetery as the lot was full. There are many cemetery’s and they all are filled with such colorful fresh flowers in front of many graves.  The floral arrangements are in every color, even blues. Also Terri & Jackie…..penis flowers are everywhere. Inside joke when we were kids lol . This is Sari’s first time to Hawaii and my 4th.  Its truly an adventure. We walk and make our way up to the start of the trail, i get the brochure to learn some history about what we are gonna experience. Its a crater that was created in 1908 from the eruption of a volcano. There are many stairs, a tunnel, paths filled with people, and breathtaking views of a 360 degree sighting of this city. The tunnel part caused some claustrophobia for me but i made it out A ok. The hike was beautiful but the temperatures were sweltering. I was sweaty hot, finished my whole bottle of water. I treated myself to a shaved ice at the bottom. Omg, this was delicious….i got half watermelon/half pineapple. For a hot girl this was such a treat and brought up so many childhood memories. I started sharing stories about Track and Field day. Funny what tastes jog your brain. 

We made it back to our car by chance as i swear a bus didn’t see us and almost ran us over. It was a scary moment. We are both starving…..we had heard from a local friend of Saris about a hole in the wall cafe. It was just mediocre but for my tummy which was ready for my favorite meal of the day it hit the spot. I had a spinach, mushroom cheese scramble, and a huge hot coffee. Sari has already commented, she thinks im more into all the food more than her, no shit I’m a true Shelton, oink oink lol. We watched all this sweet food come out that at some point i will have to get a pancake or waffle, they are smothered and flavored and always look SO good!

We drive back to hotel to pack up and check out. This is where the day turned from good to great, actually mind blowing to some degrees. As if our eyes were on steroids because the views from this 1.5 hr drive made my eyes pop. Im the navigator and Sari drives….i get us to the freeway and she connects her phone for blue tooth. She is a big time music junkie. She appreciates music like i do movies. She gets Spotify on and selects 80’s music. Im happy. We are singing along and she is be-bopping in her seat. Such fun energy is felt in this little VWBug. Happy souls this morning. The lush green trees and the green dense lush filled mountains surrounds us. Its like no where else, they are too massive to do them justice with description. Its like the scene from a movie. 50 firsts dates and soul surfer keep coming to mind. We stopped along the way at a gift shack. The store owner gave a shell necklace to keep. He was  so friendly with a thick accent. So i asked where he was from and his name. He said he Palestinian, a lovely man. I wasn’t sure if this meant he was good or bad-politics. None the less i was grateful  for my new trinket and his company. Bear in mind we have been driving with the top down along water and sun. My shoulders are appearing a bit crispy. Im psyched… I’m getting my Hawaiian base coat! Im a bit like a toasted tomato. I like it ….we are seriously enjoying the scenery, smells of approaching shrimp trucks. The salt in the area with surfers at every distance in sight. 

We make our way to the famous Giovannis Shrimp Food Tuck. The line was 30-40 min. We decided lets do it. We order the 12 shrimp scampi with 2 orders of rice, comes all together. I must say this was Yummy, a pain in the ass to eat as it all needs to be pulled by you. Yuck!

We continue the drive and are finally 3 miles from our new luxury. We drive up the property of the Turtle Bay Resort. It is surrounded on all sides by water…ocean and bay. We check in, have an ocean view. Get our room, best part is sitting on the balcony listening to waves crashing not stop. Best sounds filled with relaxation. We immediately put on suits to go explore the pool and/ beach. Im definitely  ready. I suggest we leave our phones up stairs, brilliant! Minus we have know way to take a photo, all good..Our pool is packed with family’s and kids. We opt to go lay at the beach on the bay side. We grab towels, and chairs. Im on vacation. The feeling just washed over me. Laying all stretched out . We hang here reading resting for a while until its too cold and we must move to the pool. Better views and its where everyone congregates for the magical sunset. We meet at couple from Australia, super nice and friendly. We opt for a light dinner here. I get these incredible aka hula Pulled Pork Tacos, my first mai tai,Sari orders fish tacos. Again she comments im more into food that her….compliment taken  We watch the magical big yellow bright ball fall into the sea.  Make our way to the pool gift mart, where i buy my first macadamia nut caramel chew. Omg,,,,, i may be back for more. Sari bought a shirt and a hat. We go home to rest and shower. My hair is straight and blown for the first time yet. We both wear cute dresses, we check out all the property restaurants. I cant believe one of the bars has the nerve to charge a $ 10 cover meanwhile this is a sleepy place. No serious action is gonna happen here. 

We meet 2 bartenders we talk too. One in particular moved me…..his name Andrew and he is a boxer. He used to help troubled teens by teaching them boxing which kept them off the streets. He showed us a recent video on his phone of this girls life he has helped transform her life to the better, i was impressed, nice guy. I had onion soup here, it was okay, Sari a couple slices of pizza. We are on a mission tomorrow to do sushi. Make our way back to room, I’m currently in bed. Have become a lil behind on mediation. Will do fist thing in the morning again to wake up to gratitude!

We are truly winding down getting on island speed, not used to the slow pace but i left my phone in the room tonight and it was a real treat. Ok…..falling asleep! Until tomorrow. Love you miss u xo xo

PS. Driving with a top down for 3 hours without sunscreen is why im burnt. I like it, my mom may not b happy. None the less ill be darker upon reentry, pray we get our glider flight tomorrow. 

Love Dora