Saturday, April 8, 2017: Day Two

Getting used to Island time may take me a while. Since I crashed so early last night (9ish), I woke up at 3 am well-rested, hungry and ready for some exploring.  I sneaked downstairs, ate a granola bar and spent some time preparing my first blog.  When daylight finally appeared I stepped outside to check out the grounds. Imagine the sight of fountains and flower gardens, the smell of fragrant blossoms, and the sound of exotic birds. It really is paradise.

 

 

 

After everybody else got up, we had a quick breakfast of cereal, granola bars, and fruit and then headed out for some sight-seeing.

 

Our first stop was the Farmer's Market.  We enjoyed walking through the booths and looking at all the souvenirs, as well as the fresh fruit. We made quite a haul.

 

 

 

 

After stowing our purchases in the car, we headed out on foot down Ali'i Drive for some sight-seeing. 

 

We were impressed with the massive banyan trees that we saw ( or as one kid called it - the Bunion tree!)

 

 

We walked down to the water's edge at a local park and couldn't help but laugh at a shrine that we saw.

 

We saw more lava and admired the shoreline.

 

Our next stop was the Mokuaikaua Church.  Founded in 1820, it is the oldest Christian church in the Hawaiian islands.We wanted to go inside but there was some kind of private event. 

 

Next, we crossed the road and checked out the Hulihee Palace. Jenny and Jeff toured the building while the rest of us explored the grounds.  

 

 

We ventured even farther down the road to check out the Kailua Pier. We saw lots of people snorkeling. 

 

 

Even though we managed to cover a lot of ground, there were still a lot of things to see, but our stomachs were telling us it was time to eat. We headed back for lunch at Longboards.  

 

After lunch we went back to the house to rest our tired legs and aching feet!  We relaxed with fruit Smoothies, hot tub, and some pool time!