Aloha from Hawaii!!!

Alright, so Hawaii…we came, we saw, we conquered! Well…we were actually only there for about 12 hours, but it was an awesome half day! Let me give you a brief run down of our day.

The morning started for us at 6 a.m. when we awoke to go through the fantastic process of American customs. We have 9/11 to thank for the strict security measures we had to go through. It took more then 3 hours for customs to clear the ship and it was torture being pent up in our cabins waiting to get off and hit the beach. Needless to say by the time we did march down the gangway, nerves were already strained. Myself, Kimmy, and Conor were agitated to begin with and then long line for a cab didn’t make matters any better. We got into a slight scuffle before we all reluctantly decided to head over to Pearl Harbor first which wasn’t quite what I was expecting.

Don’t get me wrong, Pearl Harbor was a nice place, but I was expecting to find a solemn memorial and informative museums. What we really got was a very touristy, commercialized experience. There were souvenir photo booths (which by the way they convinced Conor to buy…you’ll see it when we get home) as well as little concession stands and themed eateries. As for the museums they were okay, but I really expected more from the experience. What was really cool though, was the free audio tours that you got with your admission fee. It was neat having a narration to guide us around.

So all in all, I guess Pearl Harbor was ok.

The next stop on our great tour of Hawaii was actually The Cheesecake Factory. Yes we’re fatties. The ship’s food SUCKS and we were starving. We all got the biggest, greasiest, most American burgers on the menu and wolfed them down. Feeling attractively bloated after our 5 star meal, we headed down to Waikiki beach which although filled with tourists, was pretty nice. We relaxed and went swimming for a few hours and Conor headed off to hike a local waterfall. We spent the rest of the evening wandering around Waikiki shopping and picking out souvenirs for everyone.

It sucks that we only had just the one day in Hawaii, but better 12 hours then none! Next on our itinerary is Japan and we are all SO excited! We plan on heading out to Tokyo, exploring Hiroshima, Yokohama, Kobe, and loads of other places I’m sure. We have Japan rail passes and we plan on using them to the fullest advantage. We have 4 more days to go before we’re in Japan! You’ll hear all about it once we’re done!

<3 Kristen

P.S. Yesterday was Thursday September 6 for us, and today is Saturday, September 8..we crossed the International Date Line and lost a whole day! So our 2007 only has 364 days…riddle me that!

P.P.S. Stay strong Castle!

Semester at Sea...Here We Come!

Look out world...

So in case you've been living under a rock for the last six months, me, Kimmy, and Conor will be circumnavigating the globe this lovely fall semester on a ship called the M.V. Explorer. The program is called Semester at Sea....google it. In the off chance that you're a random stranger who has stumbled upon our blog, let me fill you in. I'm Kristen and I just turned 21. My sister Kimmy (19) and her boyfriend Conor (soon to be 20) are also joining me on what will surely be a hell of a trip. We leave out of Ensenada, Mexico and then head to the following ports of call: Hawaii, Japan, China, Thailand, Vietnam, India, Egypt, Turkey, Croatia, and Spain! It's sure to be a whirlwind trip and we plan to experience everything the world has to offer (literally). Stay tuned for the crazy adventures that will likely be ensuing....but for now, let's get back on topic.

Okay kids, here's the deal. We're out of here in just under a week! Thus, I have created this blog so that everyone we're leaving behind can keep in touch. I predict that Kimmy and Conor will likely be contributing their own thoughts on occasion.

So make sure to bookmark our blog and check up on us from time to time. No cell phones so you better make sure you email us! Remember, no contact, no souvenirs!

See you in December!

Kristen