Alooooooooooha!
I’m writing from my lanai eating my cheese, fruit and crackers compliments of the Marriott. What nice folks here at the Marriott. This hotel is absolutely amazing! And right across from the international market place!
Well, both yesterday and today were completely amazing days. We were up bright and early to check out of the Ilikai yesterday morning then traveled all the way across the island to Turtle Bay. Turtle bay is the resort where they filmed Forgetting Sarah Marshal and it is gorgeous! We toured the property then went horseback riding on the beach. I remembered that I really don’t like horseback riding… but I was already on the horse so there was nothing I could do. It was beautiful and I’m sure very peaceful if I wasn’t completely TERRIFIED of the horse. We saw where they were starting to build a set for a new movie… I can’t tell you what one or who is in it though. Then we had lunch at Olas which is the restaurant from, you guessed it, Forgetting Sarah Marshal! I am not typically so star struck, especially by something that is not even a star… but I was pretty excited about all of this Forgetting Sarah Marshal stuff.
After we were done at Turtle Bay we ventured on to Dillingham Airfield to learn about Glider Rides which is a really cool thing for the adventurous types. It’s basically these planes that are propelled almost entirely by wind and you go up and can get amazing views of the island with a visibility of 30-40 miles. The man who ran the company was super cool and has been doing it for years.
We also visited a polo field and learned about the history of the game in Hawaii. Polo matches are held on Sundays and would be a really neat thing to see if you’re looking for something different. From there we went to Waimea Valley to learn about the history of the Hawaiian ancestors and the nature preserve in the valley. All in all, it was an amazing day!
Today we were in the lobby by 7:15am which is earlier than I consider getting out of bed at home; this was to get on the bus to Waianae Harbor. We went on a cruise with Wild Side Specialty Tours, they took us to see the Hawaiian Spinner Dolphins — we even got to swim with them! It was amazing to see these animals out in the wild and to get so close to them. They’re smaller than the dolphins we see on TV or typically think of but they were beautiful and so playful! Then we moved to a reef and snorkeled a bit more. We saw a Green Sea Turtle cleansing station which was by far the highlight of my LIFE! I was completely mesmerized by these beautiful turtles just chilling out at the “Spa” as the fish cleaned all of the algae and barnacles off of them. I just can’t believe it yet!
We also went to Wet & Wild, a water park here on Oahu. It was pretty cool but not really my thing. I did go down one slide with a group of agents and Stacey’s son. It was TERRIFYING. It is defiantly an excellent place to take kids though! From there we did some more site inspections then arrived back at the Marriott to be greeted with our special treats!
I’m going to finish watching the sunset now and then find some supper and off to bed. Tomorrow is another early morning, we have to help the University conserve wildlife and visit a ton of beaches… work work work!
Oh, and by the way, if it does not stop raining at home, I’m not coming home.
Uniglobe Carefree Travel Group's Blog 
It sounds like you are having a wonderful time. We miss you and can’t wait to hear all about it when you get back next week. The rain has stopped so you can come home 🙂