Oahu Day Two

Today was less stellar than yesterday, mostly because of the little tropical storm we experienced on the north shore. It's so odd having it be rainy, super windy, but oddly warm. We still managed a decent time but I want sunshine, darn it!

Ricky and I rolled out of bed and into swimsuits this morning. We walked the 30 or so steps to the beach and had a little swim, afterwhich we lounged on the beach until breakfast. I still haven't grown accustomed to all of the sounds from our house: waves, rustling palm leaves, etc. I'm used to the trains and ships by our house in Seattle.

Our first stop on the road today was a shrimp truck on the north shore (I had a hotdog). Ricky and Chris shared a couple different types of shrimp, made a mess and licked their fingers. Ricky said that it was the best shrimp he had ever eaten. :)

After lunch we spent the entire rest of the day at the Polynesian Cultural Center. We spent the afternoon wandering around and visiting the different "islands" and seeing the various ways they represented their cultures. We saw a Samoan climb to the top of a coconut tree, listened to some awesome Tongan drumming, had a few little dance lessons, and listened to a group of Aotearoans sing so beautifully that I was moved to tears.

In the evening we went to the luau. This bit was pretty cheesy; it felt about as far from authentic as could be. The pork was pretty tasty nonetheless. After dinner we hung about until it was time for the big show where all of the Pacific Island nations were represented through music and dancing. It was pretty neat to see the different types of clothing and hear about the different traditions that each nation has. The most awesome part was probably the flame throwers--totally epic. And I must say, I've never seen so many shirtless, tan, muscular, well-oiled men in all my life...merry Christmas!

Tomorrow we are hoping to snorkel at Hanama Bay and do a hike. I sure hope the weather improves because I want to see ALL of the fish.