Last full day in Paradise!

Yesterday was a sad day because we knew it was our last one for now, but we were also excited about checking out another beach at the Northern side of the island and visiting the Polynesian Cultural Center. We loaded our charterbus at 9:00 am and drove for about an hour or so, to a beach called Kailua. Unfortunetly, the wind was very strong, at least for us who just wanted to tan and relax. It was to windy to go kayaking as well, so after a while we headed back to Waikiki which was less windy and hung out there, doing last minute shopping and such. It was really hot and I sure did enjoy another day at the beach, it's going to be a while until next time!

At 4:00 pm we departed for the Polynesian Cultural Center, that was during the afternoon rush, so it took us an hour and a half to get back to the North Shore. The PCC is a park with small "villages" from the Polynesian islands: Tahiti, Samoa, Hawaii, Fiji, New Zealand and Tonga. It was kind of cool, and the Horizon Night Show was pretty amazing, lots of dancing and torches and shaking of "tha booty"!

Today is our departure day, and some students have left already. Personally, this has been a great week, maybe the best in the U.S. I had so much fun doing all the activities and meeting these new, amazing fellow students. My favorite activities were Diamond Head Trail, snorkeling at Hanauma Bay and hanging out at Waikiki. I met this awesome girl from Germany/Missouri, my roommate, Milena. We just got along like we had known each other forever, and I'm sure going to miss her. This trip was fantastic and I am so glad I decided to go.

Thank you Belo for letting me have such a fabolous experience and finding my future call: Moving to Hawaii and selling pineapples!

- Ingelin, NORWAY

One of the best days in my life

We woke up at 7:30 then we ate our awesome breakfast that John made for us. at 9:00 a.m. we left and went to the only palace in America which was pretty cool. Our next stop was the Pineapple Plantation with the biggest Pineapple Maze in the world. It took us about 40 min to get all the checkpoints and as we got back we got really nice pineapple icecream. Another highlight on this day was to see the sea turtle on the beach. It probable weighs about 400 pounds. At 7:00 we ate some nice pizza at a pizza place which was really good because of its italian taste. It really was one of the best days in our life ...

Pascal Merkl (Germany)

Abdullah Motahar (Saudia Arabia)

(from Feb 10th 2009)

After a pretty exhausting day surfing, we got to relax the next day- free time the whole morning! So enjoying the sun and the fresh air we went shopping and lay down on the beach. We got back to the hotel at 12:30 to get ready and leave for Pearl Harbor. There, we watched a movie that reminded us of the events of December 1941. We then took a boat and visited the memorial. We were watching for those big grey clouds and they finally came to us...it started rainning on Pearl Harbor.

After a walk in the museum and of course, gift shop we all went back to the bus, back to the hotel for some free time before our dinner in the famous Hard Rock Cafe, Honolulu:) We had a great time eating together in a such amazing place. Group pictures taken, we went back to our hotel to enjoy one more warm and beautiful night in Waikiki!

Laurence from Belgium and

Orane from France

snorkeling

Have you ever been to a paradise with the shining sea and the sparkling fish? Today, the Belo group students went to the Hanuama Bay to go snorkeling. With the breeze blowing on the face, the waves were washing up and down from the beach, welcoming us!
Without hesitancy, we jumped into the water after we watched the short instruction video about what we are supposed to do during the snorkeling and what we are not supposed to do in the Bay. Stretching from the sea shore to the rim of the sky, sea was looked like a peaceful baby, waiting for someone to give a splash. Looking through the sea, colorful fish and various shaped rocks scattered at the bottom of the sea.
I ducked my face under the sea, watching small fish darting out of the cracks of rocks, giving me a big surprise. Mesmerized by the glamorous sea creatures, I rushed onto the beach, got my camera and immersed myself into the sea again. Surely, I got a lot of pictures in my underwater camera.
Pitifully, I had to leave the Bay when the sky started to drizzle and the weather was getting really sultry and oppressive. Overlooking the whole Hanuama Bay from the cliff, the sea was shimmering in a greenish color, not eerie, but full of power and control. I love the ocean all the time. Not wanting to miss anything that can be happen in this vast sea, I casted another glimpse at the last minute, the minute I had to turn around and left.
On the vehicle I took to go back to the hotel, I looked out of the window, imagined the amazing, awesome sea. Off in the distance, I could still hear the lullaby, singing by the sea.

Haoyuan Wang Annabelle from China

snorkel & shopping

A great day again!
After an early breakfast and a funny drive, we finally arrived at Hanauma Bay. Beautiful clear water and tons of tropical fish! we split in groups and discovered the corals with it's inhabitans.
After three hours of snorkeling, we had some freetime in our hotel rooms.
Then we went to the big Mall! Believe me: BIG Mall! another two hours of shopping and then we ate in the "Forrest Gump"-restaurant, called *Bubber Gump*.
Another great day is over, and we're all very tired =)

Berenike from Germany

Sunrise over Waikiki

Yesterday, Milena, Megan and Ingelin woke up at 5:30 am. We had decided to hike back up the Diamond Head trail and watch the sunrise, so obviously it was dark when we first started. Even though it was really early for us, people were already walking outside and the temperature was nice. Waikiki never sleeps, apperently. It took us approximately an hour to reach the top, which was crammed with tourists having the same idea as we did. At about 7:15 the beautiful, pink sun came into view, and boy was that amazing. We took lots of pictures and captured this moment to keep forever! It was an early start of the day, and definitely so worth it. The hike was so incredible, and we had the greatest view over Waikiki and the ocean. We had a blast of a time!

-Ingelin, NORWAY

Michelle, Verena and Katrin are "hanging loose" in front of the statue of fertility :D






















Katrin, Verena and Michelle make a new friend called the "statue of always having food on the table" :P

random pics from across the past coublle of days

A little late but her are some photos from our hike up diamond peak. Along with some shots I have taken from the balcony and on the beach.

Julian Ballatore-South From the main land

Surfing, Sun and Smiles

The second day of our trip, wow, was awesome. =] We started out with a really relaxing catamaran tour. It was so nice just laying on the boat and enjoying the sun. At the end of the tour we got to jump into the water which was really refreshing.

When came back, we got some free time to grab some lunch and then we divided the group into three smaller groups. Ingelin and I were in the first group for surfing. First they showed us how to surf while we were still on the beach and we all got to try. Then we went into the water until we were far enough out to catch some waves. Everybody got to go a couple of times and it was so much fun. Unfortunately the time went over way to fast.
Afterwards Ingelin and I went to the beach. We laid on the beach for the rest of the day. We got to watch the beautiful sunset and the incredibly blue ocean.

I loved today. =] I had so much fun and I can not wait for tomorrow!

Milena Menzl from Germany

Viva la Luau!!

Best day ever! After our hike (hard, swetty but GREAT!), we had ruffly two hours freetime. We used this time for eating lunch, swimming the first time in the cristal-clear-blue water of the ocean. After that it was tim eto get on the bus for the Luau. Unfortunately the bus came 30 minutes too late, no problem, because time flows different here on the island :)

After a kind of long ride, we arrived at the Luau place. A lot to do! The first thing a bunch of girls and i did was getting pictures with birds on our heads and hands! We bought flowers for our hear, got tatoos (dont worry, fake ones), enjoyed the beautiful sunset and were fascitated by the amazingly beautiful Luau-dancers (male and female).

After that, we all were very, very tired and were very lad to finally fall into our beds.

The Perfect Day!

Today was just a perfect day! In the morning we were hiking Diamond Head and it was terrific- weather was hot but the wind didn’t let us burn up. The sites from the top were breathtaking! After hiking I went for a walk to see Waikiki’s shops and take some good pictures. It is really amazing how Honolulu people appear to be very free and without any problems! After lunch we went to a Luau – it was unforgettable. Food was very good and the people were very nice. And, the most cool thing is that we have another 6 days in Honolulu!!

Inessa Lotonina – Russia

Our first day in Hawaii!

Today was our first whole day in Hawaii. We had a good breakfast and got ready for a hiking tour to Diamond Head Trail. We climbed for over 200 stairs, but when we were at the top it was so amazing and worth it (with the wind in our hair)! The way back down was much easierJ In the afternoon we had some time to relax. Some people went to the beach, others to the pool, shopping, etc. Then we went visiting Paradise Cove for a Luau. We saw a show there and had a great dinner! We learned how to dance a Polynesian dance- it was so nice there with the sunset. We could make necklaces with flowers, take pictures with birds and so much more! Now it’s time for bed because we will have an amazing and busy day tomorrow! Bye!

Charlotte De Smet – Belgium

ALOHA FROM HAWAII!!

Get ready for a week in paradise...the Hawaiian Expedition is here! With its breathtaking natural beauty, its never-ending list of fun and exciting things to do, and its spirit of "aloha," Hawaii is a dream destination for anyone!
We will be staying in beautiful Waikiki on the island of Oahu, and we will spend each day exploring a new and fascinating aspect of Hawaii's unique culture.
Join us as we test our surfing abilities, celebrate in a traditional luau, and hike to one of the island's best-known lookout points. We'll come face-to-face with Hawaii's rich history...and maybe even a sea turtle or two! And along the way, we'll get to know each other, forming friendships to last beyond our week together.
This will be our day-to-day journal... each day, you'll get news, information and pictures from the students. Join us on our adventure! Have fun!!!