Something to Make You Jealous

Published on January 15, 2006 By Texas Wahine In Life Journals

Is it cold where you are? Snowing? Raining? The grass is yellow and crispy and the trees are bare? Are you lips chapped? Your skin dry?

Well, then you'll love to see some photos from our family outing yesterday, right?

Hehe.

We stuffed our big black backpack with towels and sunscreen and snacks and books and other must-have beach items and headed out to Hanauma Bay.

The bay can be really crowded, so much so that the parking lot is full and no new visitors are allowed in until someone leaves, but we were fortunate. The parking lot had several open spaces, and there wasn't even a line for admission.

Except for the gas it takes to drive to Hanauma Bay, it is an essentially free day of fun in the sun. Parking is a beyond reasonable $1, and Kama'aina can play in the bay for free. We're technically not Kama'aina, but military stationed on the island gets free admission, too. And children are free. Pretty neat.

We had to watch the video...again...because it had been too long since the last time we'd visited, but the kids enjoy the short little movie about the formation of the bay with cautions about snorkeling and not stepping on the reef, harassing the sea turtles, or feeding any fish in the bay. The seating is just carpet-covered bars at about butt-height that you can kind of sit on or lean up against. A girl (early 20s maybe?) in front of us fell off her bar in the middle of the film. That was sincerely great. She wasn't hurt, and it was really funny.

The bay is pretty far down, Adrian estimated it at about a quarter mile. Going downhill is great, it's uphill that's a pain in the ass. Here's a pic of the bay from the walk down:

And here's a picture of an aerial image of part of the island. The bay is (obviously) the little open doo-dad near the bottom left. Pretty neat.

We had a lot of fun. Adrian and the boys played tag for and nearly knocked over an old lady. Adrian and I took turns snorkeling (I know you're really supposed to go with a buddy, but one of us has to stay behind with the kids).

Everytime I snorkel, I always have trouble getting used to it. The water is so shallow for the longest way out into the ocean, but when I stick my head in the water, I always breath like I'm about to be executed. I try so hard to suck in air like it's in short supply. I have to remind myself to calm down. Eventually my breathing will become more normal and I'll feel more confident about exploring. It's weird that I get so freaked out considering that if I really were having trouble breathing all I'd have to do is stand up. Haha.

The water was wave-y yesterday so we didn't go out too far. It's no big deal, really, since many fish will come almost all the way up to the shore. I swam (using the term loosely) out just a small bit and saw all kinds of fish. I saw tons of the white and black striped Convict Tang fish that seem to flourish in the bay. I also saw one that was mostly black with white stripes. And a cool black fish with a rainbow stripe on him. There was a great big scaly fish that was plain off-white. Pretty neat.

Then I saw this HUGE freakin' black fish with big eyes and a scary mouth. And the waves kicked up. And they pushed me toward him. I am scared of fish. I can snorkel so long as I don't come too close to the fish. If I accidentally touched one I might be traumatized for life. So I started pushing myself away from the big black fish, but the waves kept pushing me closer. You can't scream with the snorkel mouthpiece in your mouth. I was able to gargle "Oh no...Oh no...Oh no...Oh no..." over and over again until I made it to shore. I hate fish so much.

One time Adrian got chased by a Puffer fish in the bay. That was funny.

When I got back from snorkeling, Adrian and the boys were eating peanut butter snack bars and they were surrounded by birds. Seriously, surrounded. I handed the snorkeling gear to Adrian and sat down for a snack bar of my own. The birds are very accustomed to people and they will actually eat food right out of your hand. There were a ton of ugly pigeons around and a couple of what Adrian said were Finches. I wanted to feed a Finch.

Damn jerky pigeons were pushy, and they weren't going to let a Finch get anywhere near any food. I gave up and decided to just eat my bar. Bad idea.

One of those pigeons flew at me. Right at me. He tried to steal my peanut butter bar.

OK, I'm not really scared of birds per say, but I don't like having one of them flying close to my face. And I certainly don't like one of them taking my peanut butter bar.

Adrian was out near the water, adjusting the face mask, and saw the would-be pigeon attack. My knight in shining armor came to rescue me from the birds. He shooed them away, and just as he was about to head out for the water again, that pigeon bastard came back by for round two. He still didn't get my peanut butter bar. I ate it fast after that.

There was splashing and playing. Snorkeling and tag. Sand in places where it doesn't belong, and complaints that "he splashed water in my eyes." And there was the part where I stuck my finger in pigeon poop because I thought it was a rock and I planned to sweep it off the beach towel. Ugh. It was a fun day, though.

Not a bad way to spend a January afternoon. Hehe.

Comments (Page 1)

BlueDev

on Jan 15, 2006

Wow. Great photos and it sounds like a great time!

crimson

on Jan 15, 2006

I AM jealous!

(but we had a good day, too. We sprayed the back yard again, and our ice rink is SOLID. Very thick and smooth, but a tad discoloured. Neighbor dog left it looking a little yellow.)

Sounds like a good time!

MasonM

on Jan 15, 2006

Great pics! While I already live in a subtropical climate I would love to at least visit Hawaii. It's so beautiful, and I have a long time friend who I would just live to visit.

I love snorkling, it's just so cool.

Thanks for sharing the great pics.

Gideon MacLeish

on Jan 15, 2006

Meh. We gots WIND here...and enough sand to make a beach to blow yer steenking bay outta the water...LOL!

nice pics, and the information's pretty cool, too (as a sidenote: yer family looks a little pale for living in HAWAII...Y'all really SHOULD get out more!

Locamama

on Jan 15, 2006

It's so beautiful there. I wish I could go. Someday. You should go at least a couple of times a month while you live there. Otherwise when you're off to your next duty station, you'll be wishing you had spent more time at the beach.

Trudygolightly

on Jan 15, 2006

Is it cold where you are? not too bad at 37 degrees in Jan. in Mn.
Snowing? not now
Raining? has been this week
The grass is yellow and crispy and the trees are bare? YUP!
Are you lips chapped? YUP!
Your skin dry? YUP!

Oh it looks like so much fun there!

Happy for you! glad you can do that in January!

KellyW0498

on Jan 15, 2006

I'm jealous too!

The water looks so awesome. Glad you guys had a good day.

That is the one thing I miss about Fl. the beaches.

MasonM

on Jan 15, 2006

We have beaches in Fl?????

JillUser

on Jan 15, 2006

Looks awesome! I am totally jealous of anyone who has sunshine right now. I would take snow with sunshine over warmth with gloom any day. I love the change of seasons but this has been a totally weird January here in Michigan. I never know whether to gear the kids up with raincoats or snow paints!

Our trees are bare but our grass is green....weird!

dynamaso

on Jan 15, 2006

Great photos, Tex. What an awesome looking bay, although the idea of paying to go it is foreign to me. We here in Australia are lucky to have some of the best beaches in the world at our disposal, something I am forever thankful for. I would post some of my local beach for comparison, but I still haven't figured out how to put them up on a blog. I guess I'll have to take some too.

MarcieMoo

on Jan 15, 2006

Wow...too beautiful! Glad you all had a good time together in the sunshine. I'm jealous!

KFC Kickin For Christ

on Jan 15, 2006

me too.....she says as she sits near the woodstove with an empty cup of cocoa already consumed to warm her cold self.......let's see....yup about 20 degrees and falling. I don't belong here......I crave warmth and it's not in the form of crispy logs either.

This is one of my.....life is not fair and then you die moments.

But Joy always comes in the morning....tomorrow will be a better day.

Thanks for the pics!! Enjoyed them.

Texas Wahine

on Jan 15, 2006

BlueDev:

Wow. Great photos and it sounds like a great time!

Thanks. It was fun.

Nicky:

I AM jealous!

Hehe.

(but we had a good day, too. We sprayed the back yard again, and our ice rink is SOLID. Very thick and smooth, but a tad discoloured. Neighbor dog left it looking a little yellow.)

My turn to be jealous. That sounds so fun! I do miss winter.

Mason:

Great pics! While I already live in a subtropical climate I would love to at least visit Hawaii. It's so beautiful, and I have a long time friend who I would just live to visit.

Thanks! It really is beautiful here, and all the different islands have unique points of interest.

I love snorkling, it's just so cool.

Isn't it though? I love that you don't have to be fully immersed. You can just float at the top and see all the fish and neat creatures. Very fun.

Thanks for sharing the great pics.

I'm glad you enjoyed them!

Gideon:

Meh. We gots WIND here...and enough sand to make a beach to blow yer steenking bay outta the water...LOL!

Hahaha. I bet so! I hate wind that throws sand in your face.

as a sidenote: yer family looks a little pale for living in HAWAII...Y'all really SHOULD get out more!

Nothing personal toward you, Gideon, but I really hate when people say things like that. We wouldn't tell a dark-skinned person that they should avoid the sun and stay IN more. My family has pale skin. I think my family is beautiful just as they are, and I see no need for us to risk skin cancer just to fit some beauty ideal.

Locamama:

It's so beautiful there. I wish I could go.

Maybe you guys will get stationed at Pearl Harbor!

You should go at least a couple of times a month while you live there. Otherwise when you're off to your next duty station, you'll be wishing you had spent more time at the beach.

When we first moved here we went to the beach A LOT, but we only go maybe once a month or so now that the novelty has worn off. My favorite beach is Bellows and that's where we usually go.

Trudy:

Oh it looks like so much fun there!

Happy for you! glad you can do that in January!

Thanks!

Kelly:

The water looks so awesome. Glad you guys had a good day.

It's really beautiful. At times it looks this perfect turquoise color. The water here is really nice.

That is the one thing I miss about Fl. the beaches.

I would love to visit Florida. My senior trip was to Florida, but I didn't go because I was pregnant. I'll get there someday, hehe.

Mason:

We have beaches in Fl?????

Jill:

I would take snow with sunshine over warmth with gloom any day. I love the change of seasons but this has been a totally weird January here in Michigan. I never know whether to gear the kids up with raincoats or snow paints!

I know what you mean! That gloomy stuff gets old really quick. I do miss cold and snow and the changing of seasons.

Our trees are bare but our grass is green....weird!

Haha. I wonder why that is? I don't mind dry grass, but I hate the way bare trees look. Ugh. It's nice and green here, and I really do enjoy that.

Maso:

Great photos, Tex.

Thanks.

What an awesome looking bay, although the idea of paying to go it is foreign to me.

Well, this beach is kind of different because it's a nature preserve. The admission fee (and money from snorkel rentals, locker rentals, concessions, and gift shop items) go toward keeping the bay natural and beautiful and toward education about the reef.

We here in Australia are lucky to have some of the best beaches in the world at our disposal, something I am forever thankful for.

I'd love to visit Australia. It seems so large and diverse, and I know the beaches must be fantastic. I keep seeing ads for a trip to Australia (and 3 in-country flights) for $1000. What a great deal. If I only had the money.

I would post some of my local beach for comparison, but I still haven't figured out how to put them up on a blog. I guess I'll have to take some too.

I'd love to see them! If you need help figuring out to post pics, let me know. I'd be glad to help.

Marcie:

Wow...too beautiful! Glad you all had a good time together in the sunshine. I'm jealous!

It really is stunning. The photos don't do the bay justice.

KFC:

me too.....she says as she sits near the woodstove with an empty cup of cocoa already consumed to warm her cold self.......let's see....yup about 20 degrees and falling.

That sounds pretty nice, too!

Thanks for the pics!! Enjoyed them.

Glad you liked them.

Moderateman

on Jan 15, 2006

IU too am so jealous, I spent the entire weekend shoveling sunshine off my green lawn. Swimming in my olympic size pool, and sweating in the hot tub. whew. It's hard work but somebody gotta help tex.

ParaTed2k

on Jan 16, 2006

I can't say I'm jealous for the warm (four seasons make life great... at least for me), but yes, you have me GREEN with being able to just hop on down to the warm surf and sand of a Hawaiian beach whenever you and your family are of a mind to. Sounds like your day was one of the beautiful things too many people forget to notice.

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