{"id":2630,"date":"2014-02-18T18:53:01","date_gmt":"2014-02-19T02:53:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.andrewlorenzlong.com\/?p=2630"},"modified":"2017-03-06T07:30:11","modified_gmt":"2017-03-06T15:30:11","slug":"hanauma-bay","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.andrewlorenzlong.com\/?p=2630","title":{"rendered":"Hanauma Bay"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"position: relative; height: 0; padding-bottom: 56.25%;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"position: absolute; width: 100%; height: 100%; left: 0;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/H-0Y71OyjyU?ecver=2\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">(more and higher resolution photos\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/andrewlong\/sets\/72157641818733885\/\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a>)<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">On Monday we went around the corner from our airbnb to a Korean hole-in-the-wall that our host had recommended. \u00a0The place was called <a href=\"http:\/\/www.yelp.com\/biz\/mes-bbq-honolulu\" target=\"_blank\">Me\u2019s Korean<\/a>\u00a0and our host was right, the food was cheap (for Hawaii) and delicious. \u00a0After eating we boarded the #19 bus to the airport and rode for an hour and a half to cover only nine miles. \u00a0There was a very peculiar proliferation of senior citizens jamming themselves on the bus. \u00a0One would think retired folks with gold watches and union hats travelling to Hawaii could afford a rental car, but instead they all jammed aboard and one by one realized there weren&#8217;t enough seats on the entire bus for every senior to be offered a seat. \u00a0When we finally got to the airport we picked up our rental car and headed to Snorkel Bob\u2019s to rent equipment. \u00a0On the way there, two blocks away, we passed <a href=\"http:\/\/www.leonardshawaii.com\/malasadas\/\" target=\"_blank\">Leonard\u2019s Malasadas<\/a> and swerved into the parking lot. \u00a0Leonard&#8217;s had already been recommended as a \u201cmust do\u201d from a co-worker.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/farm4.staticflickr.com\/3811\/12897364983_15755c410f.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">They were right, the malasadas (Portuguese donuts) are just like creme filled \u201camerican\u201d donuts but they have powdered sugar on the outside. I ordered pineapple ice cream to top each one with.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/scontent-b-pao.xx.fbcdn.net\/hphotos-prn2\/t1\/1779741_10202649205167993_995814398_n.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"576\" height=\"768\" \/><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Half an hour later with our snorkels in the back seat we went to <a href=\"http:\/\/www.hawaiistateparks.org\/parks\/oahu\/Index.cfm?park_id=15\" target=\"_blank\">diamond head<\/a>. \u00a0The rain that had started pouring the moment our plane touched down in Oahu two days ago would not let up all day.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"HAa Eha\" src=\"https:\/\/lh4.googleusercontent.com\/-k2yQFUX3eKM\/UxQUP2CoqEI\/AAAAAAAAK6I\/QF2yM7tHKvY\/w600-h450-no\/P1060276.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">We had considered skipping our outdoor activities, but then realized that with the rain it would actually be less taxing in the heat.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"HAa Eha\" src=\"https:\/\/lh3.googleusercontent.com\/-XkxuHM6FoLg\/UxQUQnDbvUI\/AAAAAAAAK6E\/cMegG1eXc5s\/w600-h800-no\/P1060278.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">However, it wouldn&#8217;t have mattered for our first hike as diamond head is surprisingly easy and surprisingly \u201csafe\u201d (lots of rails everywhere, etc.) compared to the more \u201craw\u201d hiking experience back at home.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Unfortunately the experience would get more \u201craw\u201d than we ever could have hoped for. \u00a0At the very top of the volcano crest there is a small viewing area which would be great for photos, however, the entire place was swarming with perhaps millions of flies. \u00a0There were flies everywhere, on every surface, in the air, on your face, under your clothes, in your ear, in your eyes, in your mouth and up your nose. \u00a0It was impossible to even focus on taking a photo as you couldn&#8217;t keep your eyes open long enough. \u00a0We basically closed our eyes and clicked the shutter a few times and then hurried the hell out of there.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/farm4.staticflickr.com\/3817\/12897284685_e2d85f73e8.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/farm4.staticflickr.com\/3699\/12917801144_8fc2d26a06.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"HAa Eha\" src=\"https:\/\/lh5.googleusercontent.com\/-JqStWAndEkY\/UxQUSA6r47I\/AAAAAAAAK6c\/K7RtDvs3fmA\/w600-h800-no\/P1060280.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">We both had hundreds of little black flies caked into our sunscreen covered flesh all over. \u00a0It was disgusting, but now we were looking forward even more to our next destination; snorkeling in <a href=\"https:\/\/www1.honolulu.gov\/parks\/facility\/hanaumabay\/information.htm\" target=\"_blank\">hanauma bay<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">We got to Hanauma bay around 3:30 in the afternoon and were dismayed to see signs saying the bay closed at 6pm. \u00a0We hurriedly got our clothes changed and paid for entry, only to find we had to wait until 3:45 to watch a ten minute \u201cintroductory\u201d film that\u2019s mandatory. \u00a0By 4 we were finally at the bay. \u00a0The sky was churning with rain clouds, but the water had actually stopped falling when we got to Diamond Head earlier, and it was still holding off for us now.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">We got in the water and instantly started having a better time snorkeling than we had the day before on the expensive \u201cdolphin snorkel.\u201d<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"HAa Eha\" src=\"https:\/\/lh5.googleusercontent.com\/-1-A4EtslLg8\/UxQUBW7L3LI\/AAAAAAAAK14\/uvtgt7Jn7vo\/w600-h450-no\/DSCF0119.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"HAa Eha\" src=\"https:\/\/lh3.googleusercontent.com\/-I9VHS8MziCg\/UxQUBbBFzEI\/AAAAAAAAK10\/aVYeYaujrK4\/w600-h450-no\/DSCF0121.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"HAa Eha\" src=\"https:\/\/lh5.googleusercontent.com\/-Kd3Al7CJaJY\/UxQUD4YJkYI\/AAAAAAAAK2g\/s4OZa-A0TBM\/w600-h450-no\/DSCF0230.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"HAa Eha\" src=\"https:\/\/lh6.googleusercontent.com\/-4c37xebU4ok\/UxQUCS84uaI\/AAAAAAAAK2A\/NImao5Z8sgI\/w600-h450-no\/DSCF0134.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/farm3.staticflickr.com\/2866\/12897325505_e2132e5412.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/farm3.staticflickr.com\/2876\/12897406893_465c3abb53.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/farm4.staticflickr.com\/3740\/12897311035_825be84a21.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/farm4.staticflickr.com\/3675\/12897290845_dd5fc4278c.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">\u00a0However, after forty-five minutes I was getting perturbed that there were no turtles. \u00a0It was then, drifting towards the north that I saw a turtle hiding from the current in a little \u201ccave\u201d in the coral. \u00a0For ten or fifteen minutes I drifted along with the sea turtle until another snorkeler started crowding me into it. \u00a0By that time the lifeguards had started barking about the beach closing. \u00a0The lifeguards started demanding we leave the water around 5pm, but by that time I\u2019d seen more interesting fish than we ever saw on any other snorkel (including Thailand).<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/farm8.staticflickr.com\/7376\/12897424873_18b2480a85.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/farm8.staticflickr.com\/7317\/12897768564_d6cf0b786e.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/farm4.staticflickr.com\/3739\/12897380595_55f9d4a7f0.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/farm4.staticflickr.com\/3802\/12897439923_658c0fa034.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"HAa Eha\" src=\"https:\/\/lh3.googleusercontent.com\/-NwqAehUas8c\/UxQUDXARqGI\/AAAAAAAAK2M\/fBmhkQn8ovI\/w600-h450-no\/DSCF0165.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"HAa Eha\" src=\"https:\/\/lh4.googleusercontent.com\/-60YhCJQeh1I\/UxQUDsUQ_7I\/AAAAAAAAK2c\/Ql1ku9MJlFc\/w600-h800-no\/DSCF0166.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/farm8.staticflickr.com\/7308\/12897480153_f7a7a8e5b2_c.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/farm8.staticflickr.com\/7351\/12897813944_57ca33258b.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">For dinner we went to a tiny hole-in-the-wall Japanese musubi restaurant called <a href=\"http:\/\/www.yelp.com\/biz\/iyasume-musubi-honolulu\" target=\"_blank\">Musubi Cafe Iyasume<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/farm4.staticflickr.com\/3709\/12897488873_0a62f9fece_c.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>(more and higher resolution photos\u00a0here) On Monday we went around the corner from our airbnb to a Korean hole-in-the-wall that our host had recommended. \u00a0The place was called Me\u2019s Korean\u00a0and our host was right, the food was cheap (for Hawaii) and delicious. \u00a0After eating we boarded the #19 bus to the airport and rode for [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":99,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2630","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.andrewlorenzlong.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2630","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.andrewlorenzlong.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.andrewlorenzlong.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.andrewlorenzlong.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/99"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.andrewlorenzlong.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2630"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/blog.andrewlorenzlong.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2630\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3377,"href":"https:\/\/blog.andrewlorenzlong.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2630\/revisions\/3377"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.andrewlorenzlong.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2630"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.andrewlorenzlong.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2630"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.andrewlorenzlong.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2630"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}