Moses' Make-a-Wish Trip to Hawaii-Days 3 and 4

All four of us agree that Day Three might have been our favorite.  It was definitely proof that it's the little things that you remember.  We first went on a pinterest-inspired quest to find that breathtaking view I kept pulling up in ever blog/pinterest/google search I'd been on pre-trip, Lanikai Beach.  And it did not disappoint.  In fact, it was even more amazing in person.  Calm water in six different colors, ranging from clear to Make-a-Wish blue, and soft sand.  Because we chose a weekday morning, we also seemed to have avoided excessive crowds.

    The only problem-jelly fish.  We spent a large part of the morning huddled around a carefully constructed sand castle, with our eyes on the ground and circles drawn around the tiny villains that kept washing up on shore.  I even warned some barefooted walkers who kind of ignored me.

    Finally Dan asked a local, dressed in spearfishing gear about them.
    "Oh these!" he said, picking one up.  "They're just man of war.  They hurt but they're not deadly.  And their sting deadens the second they hit the sand so don't worry about them on the shore.
   I felt a bit dumb but we relaxed and finally started truly taking advantage of the beautiful swimming conditions.

  Now, on a side note I want to say that last night Dan and I were watching "Beach Patrol Honolulu" and there was a man on the show in serious pain and danger after going into shock following a man-of-war sting.  Sooo...maybe don't take advice from people who go spearfishing.  But, sometimes ignorance is bliss and we truly had a fantastic morning at one of the most beautiful beaches on earth.

  The next special part of our day was lunchtime.  I'm planning on writing an entire post just on food allergies and traveling to Hawaii, for reference purposes.  But, I can't write about Day 3 without at least mentioning "Grylt".
   We left the beach a little unsure of where to feed our hungry kid.  Sometimes, at times like this I get sinfully jealous of the old me that used to just think, "I'm hungry" and then pull into the first place that offered food.  Feeding Moses is an event.  Every time.
  We saw a place that advertised fresh, healthy foods.  Not everyone understands this, but that kind of thing can go either way.  Because for many not in our shoes, the term healthy means lots and lots of nuts in every possible form.  So, we stood close to the door, ready to leave as I handed the cashier Moses' dining card and asked "Is there anything that we could possibly make work?"
    The girl cautiously read through the list, nodding.
    "We could definitely accommodate this," she smiled.
   Turns out he could eat almost everything on their menu.  Really with just the exception of the almonds and cheese at their salad station so he just didn't have salad.  The food was awesome.  It made all of our vacation-fed bodies feel renewed and what a blessing to fill Moses up with a nutritious, balanced lunch.  We spent a lot of time talking with the manager and even found out about another location in Waikiki.  It was definitely a highlight.

salmon, rice veggies and basil lemon sauce.  I had the garlic shrimp-amazing!

On the way home we made a quick stop at a look out on the windward side.  At some points you could literally lean into the wind and it could hold you up.  Plus, can't you just imagine a pterodactyl flying over one of these hills?  I know we had to be close to Jurassic Park.

  Day 4-SHARKS!!!!

   That's right.  Friday we headed to the side of the island known for Jack Johnson, sea turtles and the North Shore Shark Adventure tour.
  What did I think about it?
 

So we had to try to take a better picture...

  I don't know if I've ever been so scared in my life.  Maybe the day we road the ski lift during the summer in Winter Park.  I guess that was maybe worse.  But, the guys in charge of our boat wanted to make sure that Moses got his wish but that he also stayed as safe and comfortable as possible so we decided him and I would just climb in to the cage for a few minutes to check out the sharks around the boat before they launched the cage from the boat.  So, I started feeling a little better about the whole thing

  At least until the Dramamine started to wear off and I made the very poor decision to take a second one.  Don't do that.  Anyway, despite my fears, the boys were thrilled...

  After traveling approximately three miles out to sea, we stopped next to the shark cage.  They explained that they actually do not bait the water.  The boat itself and the electricity given off of the Go-Pro cameras actually was all the bait they needed.  Excellent, right?!  Almost immediately we spotted several large Galapagos sharks, lurking around the boat.

The group split into two twenty minute shifts.  Moses and I only spent about three minutes inside the cage but we were close enough to pet the sharks and that was plenty of adventure for us!  Dan and Daniel stayed in. Dan said the water was choppy and he struggled at times to keep it all together but Daniel looked like a natural.  He's a real Wild Krat brother at heart.  We'd all earned our t-shirts.

  After leaving the boat we made a quick stop at a turtle beach.

    

Honu!

We'd also decided to make a stop at the popular Dole Plantation.  We kept it pretty short because I still wasn't feeling myself yet.  But it was a truly neat place with excellent food and interesting sights.

  We couldn't leave without this picture.

  And then it was time to go because we were exhausted.  Because Friday wasn't a day for chickens.

But we weren't chickens!