FRIDAY: MAHALO, HAWAII!!

Aloha!!

Today was unfortunately our last day in Hawaii. This morning we went to a reef called “Hanauama Bay“to go snorkeling. It is one of the most beautiful places in the world that I have been to. We got our masks and flippers from the van-drivers and after we stand in line for a while we could finally see the bay. It was a wonderful view with the blue clear water and the hills around it. There were so many colorful fishes that we took pictures of with our underwater cameras, but also a lot of sea urchins on the reef. We were told not to touch the reef because it is nature reserve; however, because of the sea urchins I did not want to touch it anyways. Unfortunately, we did not see sea turtles.

Who was not interested in exploring the reef could just lay at the beach and get tanned.

After a couple hours we went back to the hotel to get ready for the Luau, the Hawaiian party.

There we could get tattoos and make flower crowns and bracelets. After that, we had a the Luau dinner and watched the Hula dance show. Some people from our group went on the stage and participated in the program. They also had a fascinating fire show.

On our way back we had a lot of fun partying in the bus. It was a nice ending for our awesome week in Hawaii. We want to thank all people who made it possible for us to be here and explore this little paradise. Mahalo!

Laura from Germany

THURSDAY: BATTLE SHIPS AND BEACH FUN!

Aloha!

Today we had a historical day. We went to see a navy battleship, the U.S.S. Missouri, followed by the memorial of the U.S.S. Arizona

On the battle ship we got taken around on a free tour. We went up, down, under and between every room in the ship, and got to learn about how over 2,500 men lived on the boat.

The memorial is placed out in the water, so to get there we had to be shipped by a boat. Everything was pretty serious and we had to act respectful for the people who passed away during WW2.  The memorial was on top of one of the ships form the war, so we could actually see it. Inside on a big wall, all the names of the people that got killed were written; it was sad to see so many names.

After a short lunch stop on our way back, we spent rest of the day chilling at the beach tanning (burning). Then we went out for dinner and almost everyone had a Hawaiian chicken steak. Then we had free time (more shopping), and we also got the pictures from our surfing lessons on Sunday. Some of them were so funny!!

Inga - Norway

WEDNESDAY: HERE COMES THE SUN!

Aloha!

Today’s agenda: hiking to the Diamond Head crater. The sun was up and we were all very excited for this trip. After our walk from the hotel to the foot of the volcano we began our competition to break the 7 minute record to the top. We, Ingrid and Beate, power walked and actually broke the record with 2 minutes. BEAT THAT, NEXT BELO GROUP!!  (Disclaimer: Belo USA makes no guarantees to the accuracy of these statements :-).  After a sweaty hike up it was time for all the red Belo faces (not just from the sun burn) to be photographed.   The amazing view we witnessed will be captured forever with all the cameras and smart phones (check them out on Instagram). When we were done with the hiking, almost everyone enjoyed a cool, lovely shave ice. YUUUUUUUMMY! As a surprise we were picked up by the bus, enjoyed lunch and half of the group went on to the Catamaran (more descriptions about the Catamaran in post #1(we fell asleep so we do not really know what happened on the boat)) while the other half had some free time in Waikiki. Next, it was time for pizza. We ended this good day with some free time.

TUESDAY: LOOKOUTS AND LYING AROUND ON THE BEACH

Aloha!!

We were pretty excited about today because we were able to see the Pali Lookout, which is a cliff where King Kamehameha fought to gain the Oahu Island #swag

Then we headed to Waimanalo Beach, which we had almost entirely to ourselves, and where we had our own personal lifeguard who was pretty hot, so the girls were really into that.  And then we all turned to bright red lobsters.

On our way back to the Hotel we stopped to see the whales at a lookout point called the Blow Hole. To be honest I personally only saw water coming out of the ocean, but everybody seemed to really enjoy seeing whales from that close up (or maybe that was because the lifeguard was still with us).

We ended by the day by eating at the Hard Rock Café, it’s a really nice place with loud music and good food.  A lot of students bought Hard Rock gear, like tshirts and sweaters.

Xoxo Hawaiian gossip girl

MONDAY: PALACE, PINEAPPLES, AND POLYNESIAN CULTURE!

Aloha!
Today was the second day of our big Hawaiian adventure, and it was awesome!
After eating pancakes for breakfast, we headed to the ONLY palace in the US. We saw three statues of important people who had a major role in the Hawaiian history.

Then we drove through the beautiful landscape of Hawaii and made it to the Dole plantation. There we ate some of the best ice cream, which was made of sugar and pineapples.

The next stop was the North Shore, a really famous surfing area. We enjoyed the calm and colorful atmosphere. After lunch we visited some shops and some of us went to see some surfboard art. On the way to our next destination, we got to see a lot of beaches, surfers, and not to mention, the beach houses. We are sure all of us started dreaming about living here.. Still on the way to our next destination we made a quick stop at Sunset Beach, where some of us might or might not have gotten soaked by the HUGE waves. 

After some pictures, we were ready to hit our final destination,  the Polynesian Cultural Center. We enjoyed the drum show at Tonga Island where we laughed until we cried. Next on our agenda was a lesson in Hawaiian hula dance. We got some free time. Some of us got airbrush tattoos, took a canoe trip and some learned how to play the ukulele. Then we went to another show. We got to see how you make fire in a funny way, plus other Samoan traditions.

 4D movie was the next on our agenda. We got to see some amazing nature from the 6 amazing islands. After that everyone was really hungry and we enjoyed the really good buffet. Then it was time for more free time and exploring before we went to the "HA" show. "HA" means the breath of life. The show had a lot of dancing and overall it was really entertaining. Some of the people in the show even sat and danced on fire! We are sure we were not the only ones who enjoyed watching the "smoking hot" guys in the show.
Despite the cloudy weather we had an awesome second day in paradise. We were all exhausted when we finally made it back to the bus, therefore, 95% of the group was sound asleep after 5 minutes of driving.

Malaho Belo USA for this amazing trip!

Guro Sofie (Norway)
Kamilla (Norway)

SUNDAY: SURF'S UP AND SHOPPING!

Alohaaaa!

Today has been great!

Everyone has finally arrived and started to get to know each other.

We started the day by heading to Waikiki beach.  There, Emily divided us into two different groups. One half of our group of 55 people got to try their surfing skills by catching the waves. It started to rain so the other group didn’t get to go out in the catamaran, but they had a great time playing on the beach: volleyball, soccer, and Frisbee!

Then it was time to switch activities. It cleared up a little bit so the second group went out in the catamaran.

Since the weather wasn’t the best, the plans were changed and we went shopping Ala Moana, which is the biggest outdoor shopping center in the world! The girls had a blast burning their credit cards, while the boys had fun watching. Then Dinner time was up! We had reservations at Bubba Gump, shrimp co. Everyone who loves the movie Forrest Gump should eat there.

We got a few hours of free time back at the hotel and most of the girls went crazy at Forever 21. Others went exploring Waikiki at night. Tomorrow will be another fun day filled with pineapples.

Inga, Lisa From Norway. 

Welcome to Hawaii!!!

ALOHA!

Get ready for a week in paradise...the Hawaii Expedition is here!  With its breathtaking natural beauty, its never-ending list of fun and exciting things to do, and its spirit of "aloha," Hawaii is a dream destination for anyone!

We will be staying in beautiful Waikiki on the island of Oahu, and we will spend each day exploring a new and facinating aspect of Hawaii's unique culture.

Join us as we test our surfing abilities, celebrate a traditional luau, and hike to one of the island's best-known lookout points.  We'll come face to face with Hawaii's rich history...and maybe even a sea turtle or two!  And along the way, we'll get to know eachother, forming friendships to last beyond our week together. 

This will be our day-to-day journal... Each day, you'll get news, information, and pictures from the students.  Join us on our adventure!