Day 2 on my own and a very ambitious agenda: snorkeling at Hanauma bay, then hike along the highway all the way to Makapuu lighthouse and to Sea Life Park to catch a bus back.
Bus 22 is called the Beach Bus for obvious reason: its route along the south coast covers many beaches. It's so popular that the whole bus was jammed pack after the Waikiki stop all the way to Hanauma bay. This bay is extremely popular and it has caused the snorkeling quality to deteriorate significantly despite the compulsory "education" video everyone has to go through. It's a good idea but it's in English only. Why? Lots of tourists have no ideas what it's about. There are a number of translation machines available but no time was given for people to get them on before the video started.
I was quite disappointed at the quality of the snorkeling: very murky and no fish at many spots close to shore; crowded and frequent run in with others; expensive admission $7.50 and locker rental $10!!! Despite all these, I still managed to snorkel across most of the bay and saw a whole bunch of fish. Surprisingly, I saw more big fish on this snorkel than most others, sometimes even close to shore. Also, I saw quite a few endemic fish which only exist in Hawaii!
After the snorkel, I hiked along the highway to Makapuu lighthouse. We drove along this stretch of highway last year but walking on it I found many sights and sceneries that I missed last year. The wave actions were just mesmerizing and the eroded patterns were just beautiful. Many people risked their lives climbing on cliffs and dangerous terrains for selfies. I even spotted a big fat seal lying on a rock sleeping.
I took the Kawai seashore trail after Sandy beach and found many unplanned sights like the beautiful and isolated shoreline and Pele's Chair, a sea stack which resembled a chair. The view back were just as incredible. I could see the Hanauma crater and Koloa crater plus the Diamond Head crater all the way back.
The hike up to the lighthouse was steeper than expected. I almost ran out of water at the end. The view was just spectacular. They said you can see Maui and Molokai on a good day.
By the time I arrived at Sea Life Park, it's already 4:30p. I saw bus 22 but made the mistake of waiting for bus 23 instead. I didn't know bus 23 would change ID to 57 and go north loop instead. So I got my grand tour wish semi-fulfilled. By the time I got back to hotel, it's already 6:30p and Yi was worried sick.
For dinner, we tried a poke spot which also served good maki rolls. Very yummy poke bowl which restored Yi's faith in the dish.
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