I guess I can't really consider it island hopping even though we DO live on an island and went on vacation to another island... even if it is far away like Hawaii. Although, Hawaii really isn't THAT far away from Japan- only a 6-7 hour flight from Tokyo! The really really tough thing is crossing that darned International Date Line both ways! For example, we left Tokyo on Monday night and arrived in HI on Monday morning... we actually got to re-live that day (and let me tell you the 2nd time around at the beach was much better!!!) And then on the way back we left Saturday AM (St. Patty's day) and got home on Sunday afternoon which means we really didn't have a St. Patty's day this year..... booooooo!!!! It's all pretty crazy right???Well, our Hawaiian vacation was amazing in every way and we really enjoyed the time away and the time together! We went to the Big Island and stayed in Kona and had a really fun trip!
We spent a lot of time at the beach just reading and getting some Vitamin D, and we also made time for a few little adventures too! One thing we really waned to do while were there was swim at night with the manta rays because it was the one thing we didn't do last time we visited the Big Island. There are only 3 places in the world you can swim with these animals and 2 are right on the Big Island! You go out on a boat right before sunset and get to the spot that the manta rays always come to feed at night... *side note and fun fact: the manta rays feed on Plankton in the water and there is a higher concentration on plankton when there is light on the water (e.g. full moon), but one of the hotels on the coast has these HUGE flood lights they shine into the water and attracts mantas almost every night... our guide has never gone out at night and not seen at least a few manta rays... until the night we went! Yup, that's right, the manta's stayed away from us.... grrrrrrrrrrr!!! I got seasick (which I don't usually get), but apparently more people get seasick at night because of the darkness and not being able to see the horizon- interesting, right?
Anyway, I was feeling a little sick but once we got into the dark creepy ocean waters so did Damian! The swells and bobbing around waiting to see the manta rays really got to us! We stayed in the water for about an hour waiting and waiting for the supposed "butterflies of the sea" and they never showed.... I felt stood up! The ride back to the docks was a little rough and we were pretty bummed out too! We finally were able to get a voucher from the company to go out another time on another trip!!!! At least we had a nice sunset... 
One morning we drove down to Kealakekua Bay home of the famous Captain Cook monument and went sea kayaking! Soooooooo super fun! And if Damian says I didn't row he is lying... I did my best- I just got tired faster than him! We got a 2 person kayak and paddled all over the bay! For a minute I felt like Pocahontas and even did my own rendition of "Colors of the Wind" which did not go over well with my co-paddler... hahaha!!! We spent about 2 hours out in the bay rowing around, it was really relaxing and fun. We even saw a huge boat in the bay from Massachusetts!!!!! *Fun Fact Alert: Jerry Garcia, the lead singer of the Grateful Dead was an avid diver and LOVED diving on the Big Island and before he died he donated lots of money to the BIg Island to set up boat moorings off the coast so boats could anchor without destroying all the precious coral around the island- there are now over 100 moorings all around the island! 
The Kona Brewing Company was also on our list of places to visit. We had lunch there one afternoon that was very yummy as well as the beer... or "liquid aloha." The next morning we went back for a tour of the brewery and some beer tasting!!! It was fun and very informative! The tour was pretty short, not too much different from any other brewery tour! Then we had the tasting session and got to try 4 different beers. They were all good, although a few were a little too heavy for my liking... and all this by 11 AM! After the tasting we headed to the beach for the rest of the day.... absolutely perfect day! Our last day/night there was our 1 year anniversary!
We spent the day at the beach and had a really nice dinner out in town! It was the perfect end to a perfect trip! Now, back to reality in Japan... not that living in Japan is anywhere near reality... BUT here we are! Damian is back to work on the ship and I went back to subbing yesterday. As far as islands go I think I would choose Hawaii over Japan any day!
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