Hawaiian Vacation/Adventure

[LL112 63]

Hello fellow banders! I just came back from a week long journey in Hawaii and couldn't wait to share with you guys some of experiences and photos. I had planned a trip to Hawaii for the purpose of a wedding since February, but I decided to extend my stay to 1 whole week to explore the island. The trip was supposed to be minimal with no specific agenda, aside from the wedding and a Spartan Race. My original intention was to do the Hawaii Spartan Sprint (5K), but at my companion's suggestion, we upgraded to the Spartan Super (8K!!) instead for a greater challenge. My adventure in a nutshell:

food - although i did not make the best of food choices but i didn't feel guilty what so ever. of course i had to try all the local specialties including Masubi (love spam), Malasadas (these little fried donuts), Locomoco (omg loved this). Dolewhip at the world's largest hedge maze pineapple plantation. and the Hawaiian shaved ice is definitely superior in Hawaii! As you can see, not the healthiest of foods, I paid with bloating and sleepless nights but hey! how often do i get to go to Hawaii (not very)

Walking: My companion and I decided that our trip would be restricted to local attractions so we opted out on the car rental. We walked everywhere. To the zoo were i hand fed a platoon of peacocks, aquarium, eateries etc.

Snorkeling: first time ever, I was 3 inches away from a giant turtle! i started back pedaling so he won't ram me...life changing experience.

Hiking: hiked to the top of Diamond Head.

THE RUN: ok now for the culmination of the trip, the Spartan 8K race. on the day of the race, we found out it was a 1.5mi hike from the parking lot to the starting zone, which turned out to be a nice little warm up. It took about 30min for us to sign in and get ourselves mentally prepped for the upcoming challenge and then off we went like a herd of buffalos. About a mile in, i realized this wasn't like any other 5Ks i have ever done. The entire trail was covered in mud, grass, rocks and sweat and tears of my predecessors. Most of the trail was uphill! I don’t even know if that’s possible according to the laws of physics….. Months of training while running flat trails did me little to no good in this land forgotten by modern technology! Driven by the encouragement of our Spartan brothers and sisters, replenished by the fresh guavas from nearby trees, by no minor miracle, 3hrs later, i somehow managed to cross the finish line with minor bruising and scratches, yay! We were all given our medals and our victory banana. I knew bananas can taste so glorious until that moment. The race was definitely the highlight of my trip. The 1.5mile walk back to the car after the race however, was a death march.... what made the exhaustion even worse was seeing tourists on the trail riding their ATVs or busses, "can i buy a ride pleaaaaase?!!" Blinded by my elation for completing the race, i hastily signed myself up for the Spartan Beast (12K) in a few months. And of course after the adrenalin died down, i questioned my sanity for making such a monumental decision.

Long post, but in short: Hawaii is awesome. Food is delicious. Can’t beat the scenery, lost 4 lbs

[allielee 263]

Sounds amazing!!!!! We went for our 20th anniversary and loved it! We have booked to go again dec 2-11 for our 24th anniversary. My all time favorite place to vacation!!!!!