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I brought my family to the Big Island
of Hawaii
for our vacation during the Spring Break. Three other families in my
daughter’s class were also on this vacation which made it more fun for
the kids.
We stayed at Hilton Waikoloa
Village Resort in
Kona located on the west side of the island. Eleven years ago, we were
visiting the resort without kids and were impressed by its facilities.
Eleven years later, we are back to the resort with our children. Our kids
had fun swimming in the pools with waterfalls and slides. They also had
fun kayaking in the lagoon. My kids had a good time relaxing on the
hammock scattered throughout the resort playing game and listening to the
sound of the ocean waves.
I also signed up my kids and me for the Dolphin
Quest in the resort. We had a chance to actually touch the dolphin and
see them doing tricks. The skin of the dolphin feels like rubber. With
the help from the trainer, we were able to command the dolphin to do some
simple tricks such as jumping, splashing water and standing with its tail
touching the bottom of the lagoon.
The Hilton Resort has plenty of facilities for
us to enjoy but we did not spend our entire vacation there. We spent one
day snorkeling at Kahaluu Beach approximately 30 minutes drive south of
our resort. This beach is ideal for snorkeling. The water is shallow so
we can stand on our feet most of the time. We do not even need to swim
out to see the colorful tropical fishes but the underwater scenery is
much nicer if we swim out a bit further. When the sun comes out, I have a
feeling I am inside a salt water aquarium with colorful tropical fishes,
mushroom like coral and sometimes, sea turtles. I, at one time, swam
along side a blue sea turtle which gave me an incredible feeling. One
experience I learn is we need water shoes due to the rocky surface on the
beach. Big Island is, after all, the
youngest island of the Hawaiian island chain.
We also spent one day in the Volcano National Park
on the southeast of the island. I brought my kids there for educational
purpose. I want them to see what they have learned from the book. We had
a long and difficult walk at night to see the actual lava flowing from
the volcano
directly to the ocean. It was a fantastic view seeing what I could only
see in the movie up to this point. We were all tired from the walk but it
was worth the time and effort.
During this vacation, I realize if I want to do
something, I need to do it as soon as I can so I still have the energy to
enjoy it. If I come to Hawaii
later in my life, I will not have the energy to snorkel and to make the
long walk to see the lava flow. I won’t be able to drive and will have to
rely on the organized bus tours which will take away most of the fun and
flexibility. I feel lucky I have a job that gives me flexible working
hours to make a living and enjoy life.
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