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So a very early wake up this morning, the alarm was set for 5.30am for Adam and I so we could head off to Diamond Head for sunrise. We were just hoping there would not be cloud cover like yesterday and it looked like we were in luck. Adam got us an Uber to the entrance and we weren't the only ones to be there. Couldn't believe how busy it was. From the start, it was uphill and the ground was quite uneven. Our eyes adjusted to the dark as best it could when lots of people had torches on. They weren't really needed but I guess it made people feel comfortable. It wasn't as difficult as I was expecting. The two flights of steps were the worst but then you were pretty much at the top. Glad we did it. Beautiful colours in the sky and we were up the top enjoying the view for quite a while before the sun rose. Looking down into the crater floor, really reminded me of Africa. Could just image giraffes and zebra's wandering around the crater floor.
While up there, we saw this older lady who had obviously ran up and then we heard her say this was her 2nd trip of the day. On our way down, we saw her running back up again, a 3rd trip for her. Good exercise I guess. She was also picking up rubbish so just a concerned local maybe. Walking down we actually got to see the trail and enjoy the view too. At the bottom, tried to wash the rust off our hands. We didn't realise that the rust transferred from the railings to our hands and in my case...my face as I had used my hands to swipe sweat off my face...my fake tan for the day.
Adam and I got the bus back and found mum still in bed. We were back in time for brekky and afterwards, mum went for a walk down the street towards the Duke's statue while Adam and I took advantage of the beautiful day to enjoy a couple of hours down at the beach. It was only after we were leaving that I found out it would have been worth bringing the snorkelling gear down as sea turtles are often seen just off shore...bummer.
Met mum back at the hotel and then we headed to Iolani Palace, which was the official royal residence until the royal family was overthrown. It was a self guided audio tour through the two levels which has been restored as well as it can be to what it was like in it's heyday. Some good history lessons today.
The palace is also opposite the building that is used for Hawaii 5-0's headquarters facade so being big fans it was good to see that. We also checked out the Town Hall Christmas Decorations and inside the building they have a Christmas Tree competition between all the different city departments. Some fun went into those.
Back at the hotel, we enjoyed a couple of cocktails before starting the mammoth task of packing. We had bought quite a bit of stuff over for Adam so he had to try and fit it in his two suitcases which he managed. We had an 8.15pm reservation for dinner at the Trump hotel next door. Yes, I know what you are thinking...TRUMP. But we checked it out and he doesn't own the hotel and has no affiliation with him apart from his name. I would never willingly give him money. Adam and I shared a Seafood Bouillabaisse which had plenty of seafood in it and quite good. Mum ordered a chicken dish and found it to be quite dry but she had a chowder to start so said she didn't need anything else. They did take the chicken off the bill.
So this was our last night together because tomorrow Adam is heading home and mum and I are heading off to the Big Island for the next part of our trip. It has been great spending some relaxing time together, enjoying some cocktails and good meals but best of all, just catching up.
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