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On one hot summer day, my family decided to go to Hawaii. Since it was going to
be my first time there, I arrived from the airplane with high expectations and a
bolstered spirit. At precisely 8:44 AM, Hawai͛i time, the plane landed on the island of
O͛ahu. Coming off the plane, we were tired and disoriented, and took quite a long time
to find out luggage and get our rental car. From there, I was expecting a short drive to
our condominium, but no. The endless one-way streets, side roads, and confusing
highway exits baffled us continually. Even our GPS, usually always trusty and reliable,
couldn͛t comprehend this strange labyrinth of boulevards and avenues. After a long
drive, we got to our condo and the day ended.

I woke up with the crack of dawn, ready for a first day of adventure in Hawai͛i.

͞Time to go grocery shopping!͟ my dad exclaimed.

My first day in Hawaii was not going so well. A whole day͛s worth of grocery
shopping passed sluggishly, and made even more long and tedious by my toddler sister.
Eventually, we finished up, and went to the world famous Waikiki Beach. From afar out
of the window of the car, Waikiki beach already looked like such a wonderful beach. But
that could not compare with the real, up-close beauty of it. The sand was soft and
golden, a picture perfect beach one always saw in the postcards and textbooks. The
water was also clear and blue, completely unlike the dark green-blue of the California
beaches. However, the beach was marred by a seawall that ran parallel to the sand,
about 50 yards out. The ugly, black concrete wall had a purpose in keeping the large
waves out, but scarred the serene, natural beauty of this beach. We stayed here for a
long time, and an amazing first day ended.

The second day, we made plans to visit the Bishop Museum and Pearl Harbor. I
was pretty excited to visit the Pearl Harbor, as I would get to see the historical
memorials from the World War II Era. However, it turned out to be a total letdown. The
only memorial from the Pearl Harbor attack that we could visit was the USS Arizona
memorial. The Arizona memorial was just a small structure built on top of the wreckage
of the USS Arizona, with the names of soldiers that died in that attack. Although it was
sort of awe inspiring to see the view and discern the wreckage of the Arizona, it was a
letdown compared to what I thought it would be like. A great thing is that we got to tour
the inside of a submarine, the USS Bowfin. It was very amazing to tour the inside of this
submarine, and see the giant engines and torpedoes that brought it through years of
war. Looking over the cramped cabins, kitchen, bunk beds, and bathrooms, I could
almost imagine what it would be like to live in the USS Bowfin. There was also an
included audio tour, and it really allowed me to understand what went on in the
submarine and what all the machines were for. That submarine made the admission
price and the long drive worth it.

My family later decided to visit Waikiki beach and see the sunset. It was an
opportunity that we never had in California, and we were all determined to make the
most out of it. The yellow, orange, and red hues of the setting sun blended together into
the slowly darkening sky, and tendrils of dark orange stretched out above us. Everyone
watched as the glowing sun sank lower and lower into the sky, and eventually only the
tip of the bright sphere was visible above the mountains. Then, in a fraction of a second,
the sun simply disappeared. The O͛ahu sunset was a great memento to take back to
California.

The next day, I felt very excited. We were going to what I thought would be the
highlight of our trip, the Polynesian Cultural Center (PCC). Although the name made it
sound like some sort of museum, all the reviews I read on the internet made it sound
more like an amusement park of some sort. At around 11 o͛clock, we left for the PCC.
Right when we got there, it already felt like we had stepped back in time to the era of
the Polynesians, with the thatched straw huts and dark skinned people wearing native
garb. Half of the day was spent looking at inhabitants from 7 different islands educating
us about their culture. While this sounds boring, it was all actually really fun and the
good humored natives there told jokes that made us laugh while having fun. Tree
climbing, fire starting, fishing, drumming, spear-throwing, and more were taught to us,
and I was already enjoying today very much. There was still more to come, though.

I learned that the ͞Islands͟ of the PCC weren͛t even the main attractions! At
around seven, we ate a hearty dinner at the PCC͛s Gateway Buffet and went to watch
the main show, named H : The Breath of Life.

Within minutes of entering the pavilion, the show began. The first minutes of the
show were already breathtaking. The choreography and precision of all the performers
were of those that had been practicing for years, the light and visual effects were
stunning, and it was all just so overwhelming. Words alone cannot describe it. The
twirling fire knives, fire breathers, dancers, warriors, all made it such an enjoyable
experience. I feel that this 90 minute show was the highlight of my whole trip of Hawaii.
This incredible day in Hawai͛i was well worth the time and the 50 dollar admission price.

The next day was also packed with action and wonders. At around 7:00, we left
for the calm blue waters and yellow-gold beaches of Hanauma Bay. When we got there,
bright and early, I was incredibly excited. I had heard from all of my friends and the
magazines that Hanauma bay was incredible. Even as we walked away from the visitor͛s
center and down the walkway to the bay itself, the crescent shaped bay and the patches
of coral spread out below us, a rippling, ever changing tapestry laid out as if to tempt us
to walk faster. It was truly the best beach that I have ever seen in Hawaii and California,
but that wasn͛t what we came here for.
 After getting all of our snorkel equipment ready, my mom, my sister and I got
ready to dive into the frigid water. I almost instantly got the hang of snorkeling, and
decided to go farther out to where the coral and the fish were. But on the way there, I
caught a glimpse of 3 silvery white fish with yellow bellies, and got distracted by them. I
followed them until another snorkeler scared them away, and traveled back to the
beach to report my findings. Turns out, though, that while I was swimming around my
sister and mom were both having trouble with the equipment. It was another hour and
a half or so until I could finally explore the coral reef.

The coral reefs weren͛t colorful, like I expected them to be, but the variety of fish
there was incredible. In what seemed like mere minutes, I already saw over 10 fish, long
and thin and fat and short, colorful and dull, all types of fish. There were fish only an
inch thick but over a foot long and fish that could only be described as sunset colored.
The sheer majesty of this underwater world struck me, and I spent over a half hour
drifting around this spot to observe. After a while I started to explore other areas, and
unknowingly entered a coral ͞depression͟. I was in the middle of a ring of coral, and it
just so happened to be that this was a home base for the fish. Here I saw large, purple
fish and a couple of blue yellow fish that looked straight out of Finding Nemo. Also, I
stumbled upon a haven of smaller fish, wish colors so vivid that my eyes hurt. But
floating in the ocean, with the fish around me and the flashes of sunlight penetrating
the water, it seemed like a whole new world that we had not yet actually discovered.
While learning about the planets beyond, I had not even bothered to wonder about
what might still be on the earth itself.

This snorkeling event was a great way to top off an awesome vacation to Hawai͛i.
All the wonderful things I experienced here will stay in my mind for the rest of my life.
Before coming, I had a narrower experience. But now, I feel that I witnessed something
truly beautiful and majestic.