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| click photo for panarama shot. |
We got a late start on Thursday, our last day in Hawaii (sniff), and it was 4:30 by the time we got to Hanama Bay, rented snorkeling gear, and waded on in. It was another lovely day in the water (only our second, surfing day being the first, proving that there's more to do in Hawaii than just going to the beach).
I remember snorkeling in Hawaii when I was a kid; as part of the group tour I was on with my parents, we went out in a boat from which we were encouraged to jump overboard with snorkel gear to observe the schools of tropical fish - hundreds of them swirling around crystal clear water as though we had somehow found ourselves in a well-stocked salt-water aquarium. This wasn't like that, but it was very nice. The water was fairly clear and warm, and there were colorful fish moseying about, and we even saw a sea turtle out for a dip. The reef was right below us though, just a few feet (sometimes less) from where we swam, and since you're not supposed to touch it let alone stand on it, it was sometimes difficult to keep a good position in the water. Next time, I think we go back on the boat to deeper water.
After snorkeling, Gary took me to dinner at Sarento's which is an Italian restaurant at the top of the Ilikai Tower at the Hilton Hawaiian Village, which had the added convenience of being practically next door to the tower we were staying in. Dinner was lovely, with views of the lights of Honolulu and the bay, impeccable service, and wonderful food. We had opah again, this time with a macadamia nut romesco and grilled fennel, and we started with a seafood sausage over lilikoi mustard which was great, but the real star was the fresh mozzarella wrapped in ham and grilled, making the cheese just a bit warm and just a bit gooey... we were so enthralled with eating it that I forgot to take a picture. It was a divine meal capping a perfect vacation.
