Aloha

So we finally passed over the international date line and in doing so gained a whole day. An extra day in Hawaii - could be worse!

We flew directly into Honolulu on O'Ahu island, the third largest Hawaiian island. Known as a meeting place, it's said people have been gathering here since the 15th century.

No dramas at security so we were straight out to catch the bus to downtown Waikiki, our base for a few days. We were a little tired but so very keen to explore, the excitement of a new place always outweighs
our heavy eyelids. So as we stepped out from Waikiki backpackers into the thick of it, we were ready for the ahola experience.

It's been 7 years since we were stateside and it felt kind of nice to be back even if the airport security side of things is now just a total nightmare. This is now one security conscious nation, to the point of paranoia! But the people watching is just off the scale. We think we should be able to cope here for a couple of weeks plus no mozzies, sand flies or anything else that decides to have a nibble.

We walked along the evenly spaced 'blocks' and took in views of apartments and high rise buildings. Of course we had a quick look at the famous beach which was pretty busy as it was Sunday and producing
inviting 3ft clean wave sets. Back at the hostel we met some great guys and girls and picked up some good tips on Hawaii but after our 36 hour day it was early to bed.