Patrick (and his new runners) were on run duty today with Bill. Today was our Luau day, which was my pick of the holiday. When Bill and I visited Honolulu for the first time back in the 80's, we attended the best luau. We have never been able to duplicate that experience again, and I was hoping to do so this trip especially since this was Ethan's first trip to the islands. So today we headed off to the Polynesian Cultural Center (PCC) It is located on the north side of the island, so the drive was between 60 to 90 minutes. Since we were going to be on the North side of the island, we decided to take the scenic route (or long route) and stop at the infamous North Shore to see some "big" waves. We weren't disappointed.
A large stretch of the beach was roped off as the waves had been extreme, and in the news they were showing some homes falling into the ocean as the beach below them was eroding away from the large waves.
We stopped for a quick bite to eat at a local restaurant and then continued on to the PCC.
We arrived around 1:30 (we had hoped for 12:00 noon). We were assigned a guide; a nice young man named Kala, whom we shared with 20 other people. Our group consisted of folks from Alaska, Arkansas, Florida and even Saskatoon.
We learned to weave the coconut leaves, making fish on fishing poles. I had hope to take mine home to show mom, but who knew once the leaves hit Calgary they would dry and break. We watched the boat pageant which consisted of island dances of the various islands. They lagoon that the pageant was on was stocked with fish and you could buy fish food and feed the fish. But if you wanted to see the actual fish, you just had to put your arm out and the fish automatically come to the surface (looking for the food).
Ashley also found a duck near the lagoon, and it wouldn't be a vacation if Ashley didn't ask for a pet to name Bob.
We watched a drumming presentation, which was by far my favorite part of the day.
And we even got a hula lesson. I'm sure with a little practice we could still all perform it.
At 5:00 we headed for our prime rib buffet. The food was delicious and plentiful.
After dinner Bill and Patrick went on a tour of the Morman temple near by. Many of the young people working at the Cultural center are students of the BYU (Brigham Young University) on the island. They apply for scholarships and then they work at the PCC to pay for their room and board.
When they guys returned from their tour we watched the Fire Show "Ka". It was very similar to that of a Cirque Du Soleil show, but without the acrobatics. Very entertaining.
When the show was finished we headed back to the Waikiki area and despite the spats of rain along the way, made it to our hotel in great time.
Paradise is near.
Stacey
No comments:
Post a Comment