Hawaii

Yesterday we were in Hawaii, the most isolated population center in the world. Our final port. And our reintroduction to the US. It was strange to be in a port where everyone speaks English, and odd to be using American currency again. We didn’t have to do any conversions in our head when making purchases because everything was marked in US dollars. We were docked in Honolulu, where it is extremely touristy. It was like we went from being travelers, to tourists.

But it was a beautiful day, so we headed out, wandering around and checking things out in the area. We didn’t stay out too long before we had to be back at the ship to be picked up to go skydiving. Yes, I went skydiving yesterday. It was amazing! I was really antsy as we waited for our turn to go up in the plane. I jumped tandem with Jim, who has been doing this for years and was really cool. When it was our turn to go, we just tipped out of the plane, flipped in the air, and then started falling. It was such a crazy feeling, falling through the air. And then Jim let out the parachute, and we floated down. He even let me fly the parachute for a while. It was an incredible view.

After getting back on the ground, adrenaline still high, we went down to the beach for sunset and dinner. The sunset was breathtaking. And there were tiki torches lit all along the beach. We ate at a restaurant right on the beach with a live band and hula performance. It was an extremely relaxing evening. Then it was back to the ship, and back out to sea for one more week.

I think spending the day in Hawaii was an odd feeling for many of us on the ship. To be back in the US was weird. Watching everyone pull out their cell phones and make call after call I realized how much I’ve gotten used to not carrying a phone with me. (It takes 100 days to form a habit) I’ve gotten used to being able to just walk outside my room and have everything I need right there. There are a lot of little things that I think I’m going to have to readjust to.