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Sunday, February 13 – Honolulu

Went kind of low-key today. Spent the morning working on the journal and some domestic necessities (email, finances, etc.). Maybe a little loafing around too. It is Sunday after all!

Now, it is Super Bowl Sunday, but I didn’t have a lot of interest in watching the game. If need be, I could watch the highlights on YouTube later (check out the commercials too!). Plus, the kickoff was around 1:30pm here, and it was just too nice outside to stay in watching TV. So, I ventured out this afternoon, with my favorite spot in mind – Magic Island. When I arrived there I was SHOCKED by what I saw – the park and beaches were nearly deserted, on a normally very busy Sunday. Wow! The Super Bowl is indeed a force of nature, even in Hawaii! And on the way back to the apartment I stopped at the grocery store. Same thing. Empty. Crazy!!

Tripnote: There’s a funny tale behind how Magic Island got its name. It’s actually a man-made peninsula (not an island), and the story goes that residents from the other side of the island would visit Honolulu on occasion. Well, on one of their trips they discovered that this peninsula had Magically appeared where nothing had been there before!

Monday, February 14 – Honolulu

This morning I’m back to slip F28 for my snorkeling adventure on the Honu Lani. And this time, it actually is a three-hour tour!

Not a huge amount of pictures to share today because, well, I was in the water, and I sadly don’t have a waterproof camera!

A little overcast as we depart the harbor

It was windy too, so it’s time to raise the sail!

…and the ceramic tile artwork on the Hilton

So, today was Valentine’s Day, and in honor of that the Captain announced there would be an open bar throughout the trip. Nice! I know this is going to surprise most of you, but I took advantage and sampled a mix of the tropical drinks (Mai Tai, Seabreeze, Pina Colada…). And yes, I did tip generously!

I would rate today’s snorkeling experience as average at best. The overcast skies didn’t help the visibility, which was a little murky to start with. I did see some turtles and interesting fish though. It was a good day however; with some fun conversations with the crew and other passengers. I’m sure the alcohol didn’t hurt either!

Tuesday, February 15 – Honolulu

I made a return visit to Pearl Harbor today. I wanted to tour the Missouri and spend more time viewing the exhibits on the island.