This is the Life

Wow! I can't believe we have been here almost a week! We have seen so many beautiful places and met quite a few interesting people. Our first day at Waikiki we met many marine men that had not seen girls or alcohol in 7 months...enough said! They were quite entertaining to say the least. Some even let us borrow their canoes! That night we went to a great restaurant where we cooked our own meat (with the expertise of Chef Jeff), and Ashley and Jessica did a little rendition of "Summer Nights" from Grease. We started classes the next day, and it turns out my class is actually interesting! I'm taking intercultural communications which basically means our prof. tells gross stories about cannibalism and genitalia! 

We have been exploring Waikiki for the perfect laying out spot. We have yet to find one that meets our strict requirements: soft sand, no rocks in the ocean (so Libby can doggie paddle around, of course), a lively social scene, and some hot lifeguards nearby. One night we stayed at the beach until dark and explored the streets of Waikiki. Much to our fancy we found Elmo, live bands, balloon makers, karate choppers, break dancers, and much more! We were quite enthralled with them, just as the Asian tourists were with us. I felt like B Spears with the flashing lights and constant video cameras! Yesterday we went on a hike to Manoa Falls. This "beginner" trail was beautiful (don't worry I took thousands of great pics). After finally catching a cab home (more on the horrendous transportation prob later) we got ready for our first Friday in Hawaii! We met our neighbors from Kentucky and decided we would all go to a club by Waikiki. After wondering the streets for a while we decided on Club Lulu. Thanks to some friendly Brazilian boys we got in for free and danced the night away! We ended the night with Libby being chased out of the club by the bouncer. I think she is still hyperventilating! 

This morning Libby and I hiked Maunawili Falls. We were a bit groggy and arrived a tad bit late at the meeting place. We learned our lesson because riding 30 minutes in the trunk of a van is not my cup of tea! However, this hike was absolutely amazing!!!!! At the end there was a big waterfall that we jumped off of! In fear of catching lepriotirosis (??) we hurried home to shower off! Libby and I wondered the Ala Moana (the biggest outdoor shopping mall in the US) and then attempted to get home for dinner. As I mentioned earlier, we have not quite mastered the whole transportation thing around here. Thank goodness for tomorrow when our bus passes start so we don't have to shell out moolah for cabs and bus rides. Buuuut Libby and I thought we were getting the hang of THEBUS and climbed right on the "A" and prepared to go home. However, after 45 min of going in the wrong direction we realized our mistake! We found a cab immediately and returned to the mall for dinner (this impressive mall also hails the largest food court in the US). We finally got back to our apt and are currently uploading all of our pics!!