Christmas in Oahu

After braving the cold Sakhalin winter last year, we decided to spend Christmas in a warmer place.  Hawaii was the chosen destination, as it was only a 7 hour flight from Tokyo.  Actually, our flight there was just shy of 6 hours, but our return flight was a little over 9, but whatever.  Neither of us had ever been, and it was definitely on our list of places we would like to go, so we booked it.  My parents and brother decided to join us for part of the trip, and it was really great to see them.  I didn't really get to spend that much time - quality time - with them when we were all home in August.  Anyway, we all met up in Honolulu a few days before Christmas.  A friend of mine in Sakhalin had recommended a really nice condo/time share hotel (Marriot Ko Olina Vacation Club) on the west coast of Oahu, and it was fantastic.  The man-made lagoons were perfect for Adam to swim in without us having to worry about the currents.  The weather was near perfect, with only 1 day with clouds and a few sprinkles.  When we weren't laying on the beach or playing in the water, we visited other parts of the island.  We went up to the North Shore to see the enormous waves, visited the Dole Plantation, went snorkeling, went to a Luau, and even went parasailing.  Needless to say, we had a great time in Oahu!  My only regret is that we missed out on seeing Pearl Harbor.  We went, but unbeknownst to us, there are only 4000 tickets to the Arizona Memorial per day, and they were all sold out by 7:20 am....we arrived at 9.  Next time, we will put it at the beginning of our trip instead of the ending....

Here are a few selected pictures from our time in Oahu...

Adam ready to hit the beach

relaxing on the beach

Shane trying to get some color

Fun in the water

we found Santa Claus!

Mom, me and Joseph at a luau

Snorkeling

Shane and Joseph feeding the fish

family pic on the North Shore

Shane and Adam watching the huge waves

getting ready to parasail

looking out on Waikiki

sunset at Ko Olina

getting ready to board the Pineapple Express train

sunset on the beach

Adam loves these "rocket ships" at Pearl Harbor

Making friends on Waikiki beach