Honolulu--amazing race style :)

Yesterday morning I set out for a big adventure. I had to go into Honolulu to take a test to see if I can get into the school of education. The test was at 9 am and I was supposed to be there at 8:30. The bus ride from Laie (where I am at) to Honolulu takes about a hour to two hours. So the day before e the test I called the bus people so they could tell me what buses I needed to get on. They told me to catch the one that was supposed to come around 5:55 am and ride that into town till I get to the Honda dealership, then get off cross the street and either take the 20 or 19 to the place and get off at home depot stop or best buy. What awesome directions they gave me…

So early I get up at 4:30 and get ready and am out my door at 5:35. It is super dark and no one was around so it was kinda creepy. I walk to the bus stop, a stop I have never been before. The light across from it would go off and on every 3 min or so. So at this bus stop there were 2 weird characters one boy one girl. The girl was talking on the phone asking the person on the other line where he was and the boy go up to go look. I was scared out of my mind so I just sat there minding my own business and then another guy in an old car shows up and they all three go into the dark scary house right behind the bus stop. After a good 30 min they start coming out and walking really weird and go to their cars and drive away. It was crazy.

Meanwhile the bus was supposed to be there and it eventually came at 640… ya really late. Basically I thought that there was no way that I was going to make it to the test, but then the amazing racer came out in me. So I get on the bus and the locals were all sitting by me and so I tell them where I was going, but not exactly where I was going because me being silly forgot to write the exact address of the place. Anyway thanks to Kathleen who gave me the address, so then the locals could start debating where I should get off. I could barley understand them cause they talk so fast and with lots of vowels but in the end they told me to just go with what I already had.. Thanks.

So I get off at like 8:05 thinking that I could possibly make it. I find the other bus stop and stand there looking at my direction paper when this guy comes up asking if I need help. I show him the address and he thinks he knows where I should go…great. Oh side note he also told me his name was Irving and that I should put his number in my phone in case I ever needed any other direction. Kinda nice but creepy. So the bus 19 gets there first so I get on and go sit by this nice looking lady. I ask her if she knew where the place was and she didn’t , so then I ask the bus driver and he says he will let me know which stop. So after going through the rough downtown, we get to the stop and thank goodness for big addresses cause I easily found the place and with time to spare! I got there at 8:20 and was so happy and relieved.

I go into take the test and it seemed really easy, and I found out I passed so I was happy. I asked the lady there how to get to the closest beach and she said Waikiki. So I run, literally, to catch the nest bus and it was so packed that I was standing up by the driver. His name was Jake and he was very nice. Not creepy just a local that had kids older than me. He didn’t make me pay which was very nice because the bus is like 2.25. Expensive! Then he even gave me at transfer ticket. I was feeling so lucky. The ride to the beach took about 30 min and the whole time I was chatting with the bus driver and this German guy who lives in California. I realized that I probably should find out how to get home so I asked Jake and he gave me 2 more transfer tickets, and told me what I am going to start calling “local directions”. Local directions aren’t very clear and if you don’t catch what they say the first time, they don’t like repeating it or they repeat it in a different way making you more confused.

At Waikiki, I just laid on the beach for 4 hours. But I wasn’t impressed with it at all. The sand was not has fine and the water was like a lake. Very little waves. And the beach was very populated. So n ot like the North shore. At 5 I decided to go try to find my way back. Anyway the nest part is boring so I sit on a bus and then go to the big mall in Honolulu which is the big transfer part for buses. Below is pictures of Waikiki beach, and this really cool tree right in front of it.







When I get off the bus this old Chinese guy starts talking to me and then told me he recognized me form the beach…CREEPER! After that guy left, these guys my age sarted talking to me. They were nice and it turns out they are the army. They are stationed at the base in Hawaii until they are deployed in June. They are very excited about it though. We were on the same bus for a while. After they got off I asked the bus driver how much longer to Laie and he said a hour and a half. Woo hoo I was on a roll. I got off at a different stop then the one I got on at and walked home.

It was a very eventful day. Lots of crazies, but there were lots of nice people too. Oh and I didn’t even get burned at the beach..Just tan!