A Not So White Christmas

I'm not really sure why people hope for white Christmases.  Spending Christmas in Hawaii with 75 degree weather all week was one of the best holidays I've ever had.  I can't really say that I missed anything about the snow and cold.  After spending the last couple months shivering in a winter coat at work all day, walking around in shorts and a tank top was quite liberating.

The day we left was the first day we had snow that actually stuck in Ulsan.  And the entire city freaked out.  It normally takes me 45 minutes to an hour to get to work in the morning.  But with the light dusting we had, it took me two hours once on the bus to get there.  I was already only supposed to work a half day, but I was an hour late to work.  And, when I was nearly there (At least in terms of distance, not time) my supervisor called me and said that none of the kids were really showing up anyways and I didn't have to come in.  After spending an hour and a half on the bus at this point, I assured her that I wasn't turning back now.  When I finally got there, I sat in the office for an hour  while the few kids who braved the glitter watched a movie. Then left. I'd say it was a pretty easy last day of work.  

Our backyard from the condo

Our flights went smoothly and we met up with Alan's dad and brother at the airport in Lihue on Kauai.  The first thing we did when we got to the condo was swim in the ocean.  The weather was gorgeous and the water was warm.  Having a beach for a backyard is pretty darn nice.  

Throughout the week, we had a great mixture of rest and excitement. We took a helicopter tour around the island and saw some of the most beautiful scenery I've ever seen.

We also went snorkeling.  I had never done it before and I was awestruck by life, diversity, and colors in just the shallows of the ocean. 

This poor sea turtle washed up on the beach tangled in fishing line.  They roped him off while waiting for a vet to arrive.

Sea urchin...ouch!

We took a boat tour around the island.  And coming to Hawaii, I had only one goal in mind.  I wanted to see a whale. It was all I could think about on this tour.    And I did!  I saw a whale!  Better yet, I saw four!  I couldn't snap a picture in time, but I did get a shot of the friendly neighborhood dolphins.  

The boat tour was really enjoyable.  We had to get up well before dawn, but seeing the sunrise on the ocean was quite the experience.  

And the term "sea legs" has a whole new meaning for me.  It wasn't exactly a relaxing cruise through the waters.  The crew somehow seemed to move about the cabin and deck as if we bobbing along rather than chopping our way through the waves at high speeds.  But the rest of us had to cling to the rails, walls, tables, and each other to keep from falling or flying.  

The crew was really pleasant and they all had cool stories to tell.  I was somewhat disappointed with the snorkeling location since there wasn't as much to see, but if sea sickness doesn't bother you, then I'd say the day was overall a great experience.  

The Filer men and I rented bikes one of the days and we took a long bike ride to a remote beach. 

We took a nice long hiking trip in Kokee State Park.  At the top of one of the mountains, there's a green picnic table to find.  We hiked all the way up to the top and found it.  

Green picnic table at the top

Alan and I took a kayak/hiking trip down the Wailua River.  We were the first ones out on the river that morning and we got to be the first ones to hike to the "Secret Falls".  The way there was long, hard to follow at times, and as dry as it could be.  

I don't think Alan appreciated the mud too much.

But it was well worth the hike.  

We also had some adventures just relaxing around the condo.  Feral chickens are ubiquitous on Kauai and we had a couple of chicks that kept coming back to see us.  After luring them in with some pretzels, I managed to catch one.  He wasn't necessarily happy.

The board games made their debut as well.  We had an epic game of Settlers of Catan and spent a couple of nights getting our butts kicked by Alec at Set.






Christmas Day itself was lovely and relaxing.  Alan's mom set up a scavenger hunt for us and the two teams raced for the finish.  We exchanged gifts and cards and just enjoyed the time in each other's company.


Overall the trip was great.  I loved getting outside and doing things in the warm sun.  It was luxurious to have everything be in English.  It was great to not go to work for a week.  And it was wonderful to make some memories with my new family.