Visit from the foreigners

As promised I have been working on the the video and pics from when our foreign friends visited. As far as the blog entry itself, our friend Helene from France keeps her own blog that she has in French and translated to English, so I will just copy and paste that. Her English is very good, but a few things get lost in translation, but I'm sure you will enjoy it. Jen and her friend Sarah left last week and my friend Dan left yesterday We have lots of pictures to share, but not much video. It will be up soon.



Here are Helene's blog posts:

Aloha Hawaii

Leah dropped me at the airport early in the morning. After a 3 hour flight from Tampa to Dallas, and then a 8h30 flight from Dallas to Honolulu, I finally arrived on the main Island called Oahu. The weather is cloudy, with showers, but it is warm 75°F. It is the humid season here. Honolulu looks like a big american city with high buildings. The mountains looked wonderful from the plane.
Rachel and Nathan welcomed me at the airport and we went back to home. They live in a little house on the hills of Honolulu. Later in the evening we went to pick up Nathalie ( my ex roomate from Germany when I was in Chicago). She arrived from Germany with a stop over in San francisco and 11 hour time difference from Europe!!!!!!


Day at Waikiki

Today, Rachel, Nathalie and I took the Jeep and went to see Waikiki .
A lot of shops, famous brands, lots of boutiques, beautiful hotels and a very nice beach called Waikiki Beach. Waikiki is the most touristic place on the island. Nathalie and I were crazy about the shops !!!!!! We had a drink at Margaritaville ( Jimmy buffet's Chain Restaurant), on the terrasse. So nice.
Then, in the afternoon, we went to visit Pearl Harbor Memorial Historic Site. We saw the USS Arizona battleship which was sink on Dec, 7th 1941 and still reminds under the water. Very emotional


Another Day at Waikiki

Today, we went to the south east of the Island, south from Waikiki. Wild landscape, rocks, and steep coast. We spent the day walking on rocks, taking photos, and enjoying the wonderful/ magic/ incredible landscape. We spent most of the afternoon on the "Hidden Beach", because very hard to notice it from the road. Back home, Rachel cooked a vey nice Brown Pie for my birthday. Delicious! We will all go to party friday night in Waikiki for my birthday! Cannot wait!


Northshore

Today, Nathalie, Rachel and I took the Jeep and went to the north of the Island, called “North Shore”, very famous for surf tournaments and wonderful wild coasts. The weather was very windy and the waves were huge. We stopped at “Turtle Beach”, where we saw big turtles swimming in the waves. Very nice! Then we went to Waimea Bay, famous for the nice beach and a big rock where you can jump from. Then, we visited Waimea Valley, which is a botanical garden. After a quarter a mile of walking on the paths, we discovered a very nice waterfall. Rachel and I decided to swim in the very cold water. So much fun to go under the waterfall. Then we went to the “sunset beach”, huge sandy beach, and we watched surfers and Kitesurfers having so much fun on the huge waves! We ended our trip to Hahuku, very famous for its shrimp cabins.


Helene's 25th Birthday!!

On the evening, we went to party for my birthday. First, we went to a house party ( Rachel’s friend) in the military area of Honolulu, and then we went to a club in Waikiki called ‘Senior frogs’. We had so much fun!


Whale Watching

Today Nathan, Rach and I woke up at 7am and went to the harbor to get on the Starlett boat to go watch for whales. After one hour of concentration to find some whales, we finally saw a tale !!! The boat cannot get closer than 100 yards from whales. But the whales can come closer to us if they want. A little bit later we saw a group of 3/4 whales jumping out the water,but very far from our boat. It is really the good time here to see whales ( from December to March). We had a wonderful view of Honolulu and Waikiki skylines as well! For dinner, Rachel cooked a some pastas and a very nice homemade apple pie! A very good surprise to see Miss Rachel cooking !


Shopping Day

Today we spent the day in the biggest shopping Mall in Honolulu: Abercrombie & Fitch, American Eagle, Guess, Old Navy... favorite american brands that we do not have in Europe!!!


Maui Trip Part 1

Nathan drove us to the aiport at 7am, and then we took a plane to go to Maui. After a 30min- flight, we arrived on the island where the weather was very cloudy.We rent a car and directly went on the very touristic '' Road of Hana". 40 miles road from Nord East to South East of the island. Many scenic points, waterfalls, black sandy beaches, volcanic landscapes... Then, instead of coming back by the same road, we decided to cross the island , by a road which was recently closed because of an earthquake in 2006. We thus accrossed the island from North to South: volcanic rocks, cattle in the middle of the roads, huge cliffs... Pictures won't show the real beauty of the island! On the evening we went to eat some shrimps in a restaurant and then back to our hotel in Kihei, on the east side of the island ( many resorts are located in this area). Leah ( also named " Flat -Leah", was with us in Maui ! In our hearts...)


Maui Trip Part 2

Today we decided to explore the Nort West of the Island. First, we stopped to a craft market , where Rachel and I found many Maui made souvenirs. We drove by beautiful sandy beaches, with palm trees ( as you can imagine in Heaven). After a little while tanning on the beach, we drove and stopped in a little town called Lahaina. The main street was very cute. First we had some 'tropical drinks' and then we spent the rest of the afternoon, walking and shopping in the town. Rachel found her engagement dress picture! After dinner, we drove back to the airport and flu back to Honolulu, where Nathan picked up us. Wonderful trip!


Germaine's Lu'au

Today, we went to Waikiki and enjoy to enjoy the beach and the sun. On the evening we went to see the famous show '' Germaine's Luau" which is a rich cultural heritage of the Pacific Islands show. We watched how they cooked the "Kalua Pua's" ( roasted pig) under the ground, different danses, typical hawaiian songs... Very entertaining !


Hanauma Bay

Today we went to Hanaumay Bay, the best area on the island to do some snorkling. Hanaumay Bay is a wildlife preservation. Fishes have amazing colors. Beautiful bay!


Last Days in Hawaii

We spent our last days enjoying the relaxing hawaian life. We went to the beach, doing some shopping. The weather was windy and a little bit chilly these last days. Nathalie and I arrived two weeks ago exactly: time run so fast . It is the end of our trip. We had such a good time with Nathan and Rachel who welcomed us so well! Thank you so much guys and cannot wait to see you in Europe next time! ;)