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Manoa Falls and Hanauma Bay

Today was probably the closest thing to a perfect day I've ever experienced. Where else can you start the day with a rainforest hike up to a waterfall and wind up snorkeling along a coral reef swimming among tropical fish?

We started off at the Manoa Falls Hiking Trail. This is classified as an "easy" trail. It's about a half hour up to the fall and a half hour back. Although it was fairly easy, there were parts of the trail that were quite slippery. You have to really watch your step.

It's a fairly easy hike through a gorgeous rainforest.
You feel like you are on the set of "Jurassic Park" because the plants are so huge and thick.


Look at the size of that tree!


The two Emilys (Emily squared) in front of some wild bamboo.


Kerry hanging from a tree.

Ben climbing the same tree.

The waterfall at the end of the trail. It's amazingly tall and just a spectacular sight!


Then we drove over to Hanauma Bay.

Emily took a nap on the way.


Hanauma Bay is a protected nature preserve. The dark areas in the water are coral reefs. You can swim and snorkel along the coral and look at all the fish. I was amazed at the variety of fish that swam all around us. Next time I am definitely taking an underwater camera to get pictures. You have to be careful not to touch the coral or feed the fish. It's difficult when you are swimming inches above the coral, but if you swim slowly (and suck your gut in) it can be done! Mostly we swam next to the coral. Ben got to see a fish poop as it swam by him.


While we were snorkeling, it started to rain and we realized all our stuff on the beach would get wet. Kerry, Ben, my friend Jennifer and I started swimming for the shore to go move the important things (cameras, cell phones) to a dry spot. Kerry split off from us at some point, so Jennifer and I were following Ben back to the shore. He was swimming pretty fast and we were staying right at the tip of his flippers so as not to lose him on the way in. Suddenly he stopped and stood up on a sandy patch and tuned to face us. Jennifer and I both stopped and stood up to look at him and then realized it wasn't Ben! It was a grown man who was wearing a swim suit identical to Ben's and probably wondering why the heck these two crazy women were swimming right on top of him!


Ooops!!

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