When it came to the honeymoon, I had no clue what was going on. Brian decided from the very beginning that this was going to be his thing and he wanted to plan and I was going to have no part in it. This was very difficult for me because I like to know what's going on at all times. I would constantly bug Brian with questions about where we were going or what I needed to pack, or did I need to get an international plan on my phone, etc. The only clues I had was that it was going to be warm/tropical weather, and that I can bring my passport. So, with that information I was completely stumped. The day after the wedding (June 6th) we headed to the airport. We had a flight at 7am, but when we arrived at 6am we discovered that our flight (to San Francisco, which I obviously knew was just a stop on the way wherever we were going) had been canceled. Who knows why. Anyway, we went to talk to a ticket agent to see what we needed to do and it was there that I found out our final destination. Brian told the agent that we were headed to KONA. Now, it took me a moment and then I thought, hey the only KONA I know of is in HAWAII (on the Big Island called Hawaii). I don't need my passport! Brian told me that I asked if I can bring my passport and he said sure (even though he knew we wouldn't need it). We ended up waiting for a flight around 10am and arrived in San Fran to wait another 5 hours for our fight to Kona. We wanted to do something fun in those 5 hours in SF, but the airport is really no where near downtown and it would have cost quite a bit to take a taxi. So, then we considered the public transportation (BART), but that would have cost us almost $30 just to go to the closest town so that seemed like a waste for us. We ended up just sticking it out at the airport. We tried to make the best of the situation, and I really don't remember it being too awful. When we finally arrived in Kona I think it was already dark. We picked up our rental car and drove to our hotel, The Royal Kona. Here's a picture of Brian with it from a different day.
We got there unloaded our stuff wandered around for a little bit and then went to bed. We were pretty tired and Brian said we would have to wake up pretty early for something planned the next day.
Monday June 7, 2010
So, we got up early and realized that we got a super sweet room with an amazing view! Here's the proof:
It was awesome! We were also right next to a little private beach area and lagoon that was just for hotel guests. The big island of Hawaii doesn't actually have beach, as you would think. It's more of the rocky shores, but it was still beautiful.
Here's a fun little video that Brian took. He's the camera man...
After spending quite a lot of time on our balcony, we decided to eat breakfast at the hotel. The name of the restraunt is Don the Beachcomber and they had a yummy buffet. Here are some pictures:
Yes, we were sitting outside, right next to the water! It was beautiful!
After breakfast we drove to Hilo, which is the other big town on the island besides Kona, but it happens to be on the other side of the island. There are 2 airports on the big island, Kona, and Hilo. So, since I have the handy i phone I was the navigator. We found a little short cut which was going to shave time off the drive, but it took us though some real desert looking areas (which I don't really imagine when I think of Hawaii). Some of you may know that I am known for having a very small bladder. I mean, I really have to pee, a lot. This happens most often when traveling and when I'm unsure of my surroundings. Who knows why really, I'm sure it's a mental thing. But, once I realized that there was no actual civilization near by, boy did I have to go. So, we pulled over and I went on the side of the road (yes I will do that if need be) not once but three times. Poor Brian...what a trooper! On one of the stops we did enjoy some nice lava rock.
(if you were wondering, I am not peeing in this picture..ha ha)
Once we finally made it, we walked around the historic downtown area where we stopped at the Farmer's Market and got me a cute Hawaiian flower to put in my hair.
We had lunch at Cafe Pesto.
Brian had an open faced seafood sandwich and I had a Caesar salad (not cool enough to have a picture).
We wandered around some more and went into a cute candy store where we got some yummy taffy (lots of tropical flavors). After exploring Hilo it was time to head to the airport. There we got ready for one of the surprises that Brian had planned...
We went on a helicopter ride! It was awesome! It was a 45 minute ride over some really beautiful parts of the island. First stop, the active Volcano!!!
Here's the helicopter coming up to it. You can see the smoke. As, I'm sure you can also see, the door to the helicopter is open. This ride was called the open door experience. I made sure I was nice and safe in the middle, but Brian was brave and right next to the door (he even got to open and close it). With the door open you could really feel the heat of the volcano. Here's some more pictures:
It was flowing right before our eyes! It was so cool!
The beautiful rainbow we saw.
Here's a video from the ride (note: you may want to turn down the volume, all you're going to hear is the helicopter).
After being with the volcano, we got to go to a very lush area of the island and see waterfalls. We only have that via a video too. It's a little long, but it's beautiful.
Here we are at the end of the ride with our pilot. He was really great and knew tons about the island that he shared and made sure that everyone was able to see the sights.
When we got off, Brian and I just kept saying wow, that was so awesome! It was seriously one of the coolest things I've ever done. I thought I was going to be really scared to be in a helicopter, but I wasn't at all. I was amazed at the beauty that Hawaii has and by the volcano.
After leaving the airport we headed to find a "beach" because we had been told there were some near the airport. We actually didn't find it, but we did come across a really pretty area right as it started to rain.
Then, we came across something we couldn't pass up, so we stopped and had,
After eating our ice cream we started the trek back to Kona, where upon arriving, we immediately fell asleep!
It was a long but perfect first full day in Hawaii!
Stay tuned for more. Lots of days left!
1 comment:
You guys are too cute! Mmmm that ice cream looks delicious! Love ya!
<3 Britt
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