We woke up this morning at 5:30am but this time on purpose. We wanted to get to Diamond Head early to beat the heat and the crowds. We can see the top of the point from our room and it looked clear.
We arrived at the base of the mountain and started our accent at 7:03am. We were only a few hundred yards on the paved path before the kids started complaining. We had to coax them along the entire way. It was a really cool hike winding up the side of the hill. The tunnel through the side of the hill with the lighted path was a fun contrast. We drank 3 bottles of water on the way up mostly because of the sun. The climb was not that bad at all but it is hot. Once we climbed the spiral staircase embeded in the mountain to the peak you had to squat under a large slab to emerge on the absolute summit. It was very spectacular. I don't think pictures will do it justice. We'll see.
The decent was easy but still Jonathan complained the whole way down. We had to bride that they would get treats when we reached the bottom of the hill. The way I see it, if a bride eliminates the complaints then it's worth it. We got more snowballs at the bottom concession stand. Everyone was happy.
We continued on to Hanauma Bay to snorkel. We had to wait in a line to get our tickets and a time to watch the informational movie. It took us about an hour to get in. The bay is actually a crater that the ocean has overflowed into over time. There are tons of fish but the corral is very low and more like and algae on the rocks, Jonathan did very well with the snorkeling but Alex had more problems with it. He wanted to stop and stand up and they didn't want you standing on the corral. We saw about 6-7 different varieties of fish. Alex had a freak out on the beach when Anne tried to put spray sun screen on his neck. The day would not be complete without an autism moment. People sitting around us got up and left. It's upsetting that we can't even go one day without an incident. *sigh*
We returned home. When I got in the room I realized that I had left the charger for the new Canon camera in the room at the airport hotel. I used the computer and google maps to look up and Ritz Camera near our hotel. I called and they had a charger for $29, I walked over and picked it up. Problem solved!
We went to dinner at Sam Choi's Seafood resturant and brew pub. Anne and I both had fresh catch of the day. It was fantastic. I got the beer sampler's which included 6 3oz samplers of all the beers made on site. That was delicious as well. I would definitely go to this one again.
One more trip to Walmart for snacks and it was back home. Alex had a incident at Walmart that made me do a lot of thinking about what it really means to have a non-physical disability. Alex walked up to a customer service rep and pointed at a man standing at the counter who was missing his hand and said, "Excuse, me. Where is his hand." The employee said, "That's not very nice now go back to your Dad". So it made me think, this is a classic symptom of his autism disability; his inability to understand why asking a question would hurt someone's feelings. Yet, he is not viewed as having a disability but simply a rude little boy. The irony is sad and made me cry.
We returned to the room and the kids were out by 9pm. I made it until 10pm and Anne toughed it out reading the newspaper until 11pm. zzzzzzzzzz
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