Kauai pictures and band videos

Aloha all! Got the videos of the band going up now. The first one is the parade, just a short clip of them marching. Notice Al in the convertible in front of them, just a funny old guy having the time of his life. The next ones going up are the six videos of them at Ala Moana mall. These were all the easy ones. The last one I will put up tomorrow will be the first performance they did at the USS Missouri. All the videos can be found at the link to the right on YouTube.

And I have a bunch of pictures I have put up today from Kauai (Kauai set). About half way done with them, and their are videos on Flickr also, one of the White Tip reef shark that we snorkeled up on when he was sleeping (thank goodness!) and the other is a Hawaiian green sea turtle we swam with at Tunnels on the North Shore of Kauai. Just a lot of scenic pictures, and hanging out at the pool, around town, and the beaches. More to come this weekend, enjoy these for now.

Parade day and the Jazz Performance

The next day was the big parade day, but first we got to go play in the morning. We all headed off on a Catamaran ride out into the Pacific Ocean, aboard the Dolphin Catamaran. It is a wet ride out into the ocean aboard a catamaran with a front net for all the kids to lay out on. They got absolutely drenched, and it was great fun to watch so many kids who had never been in the ocean enjoy the ride so much.

After everyone was back it was off to get ready for the parade. It started at 5pm, with the staging area being the historic Fort DeRussy park. All the performers from other countries, the other marching bands, and other musical groups all getting warmed up and showing off in this one area. Lots of pictures of the various groups, and then as many individual pictures of the kids as I could get are up.

The Horizon High School Marching Band was one of only three marching bands to perform. This is an invitation parade for them, and only one other came from the mainland, the last being a local Oahu band. It was a great honor, and Al (our Pearl Harbor survivor) rode in a convertible wearing a matching shirt in front of them.

The final day was a late, lazy morning as we had nothing scheduled till noon. We all went to breakfast over at Perry Smorgey's and then wandered through the International Market until we need to go up and pack up. We got all our luggage and instruments loaded on the buses and then headed over to Ala Moana mall for the final performance for the Jazz Band. They got 30 minutes of stage time, played 6 songs, and sounded great. Lots of pictures of this are up, and I will get the video of all the performances up later this week.

After this performance was dinner at Bubba Gump's and off to the airport for our evening flight. It was sad to break ties with the rest of the group, but the Snouffer's were happy because we were flying inter-island to Kauai for 5 days of fun there. Look for the pictures from that soon.

Day 2 and 3 of the trip

The second night was the beginning of the Pan-Pacific Festival, the event that we were all there for. It begins with a huge street fair, with performers from Hawaii and the Pacific Rim, and with food and vendor shops along 1-1/2 miles of the street fronting Waikiki Beach. We took about 6 kids and went out to explore and try new foods, both Hawaiian and other ethnicities. We had some that was very good, and most of the kids were adventurous enough to try a lot of things that they had never heard of.

We also watched a lot of the performances, and all the kids really enjoyed the Matsuri Drums that many of them used. The music is very agressive sounding, almost as a battle preparation, and it was very neat for them all to be a part of all this.

The next morning brought another early wake up call for a south island tour to Hanauma bay, Sprouting Horn, Pali Lookout and finally to Kailua Beach for some beach time and lunch. The beach was on the windward side, and although rated one of the best in world, it did not have any options for snorkeling as the reef is too far out to swim to. We stayed here for most of the day, just playing in the water, playing some volleyball, having lunch, and then headed back. On the way back to the hotel we stopped at the Punchbowl Cemetary, a national veterans cemetary created in the crater of an extinct volcano. From this vantage point you can see all the way across Hololulu to Diamond Head on the south end. It is a very beautiful location and the burial site for many unknown soldiers from Pearl Harbor and other wars. We also toured some of the other historic locations on our way back through the city, but did not have time to stop at any of them. The history of Honolulu and Oahu would be fascinating to take in if you had the time.

Once back at the hotel, we gathered up some kids and went down to the beach, their first time to actually be able to go to Waikiki Beach and play in the ocean. Some went to lay out, others went to people watch, we went to play in the ocean. The only incident of the whole trip happened here when Joe cut the bottom of his big toe on some coral, bad enough that he had to go to the local clinic and get stiches in it. He did not let is dampen his spirit and continued to have a good time, and even marched in the parade the next evening.

Later this night we went to Germaines Luau. The kids had a good time, and it was a fun event, but it is not something I would recommend for the true Luau experience. Some good pictures from it are up though. After this, we all headed back and got some shut eye after a long day.

What a trip of memories...

Wow, where to begin...so much to share I thought I would hit some high points and then start breaking it out in segments. Go here for the latest photos, I will keep them all in this collection, and put them as sets as I put them online. There are also going to be short videos on Flickr that were taken of various experience. Then there will be a lot of music and videos on youTube that I will post and let you know about.

To start with, we got to Honolulu about 4 hours ahead of everyone else, so we were able to check in to the hotel, go explore Waikiki, and get familiar with the surroundings. Waikiki is most likely similar to South Beach in Miami, people watching is fun, there are all different walks of life, and it is a very commercialized city with more to do than you could ever have time for. The biggest thing that struck us was how busy it is, not peaceful and laid back like we are used to in our beach vacations, and the prominence of Asian influence, mainly Japanese. How ironic when you stop to think about it, but nearly every sign is in Japanese first, or English with Japanese below. And the out of reach (for the middle class) retail is everywhere as noted in the Ferarri store pictures. You could have actually bought the car in the store for $2,100,000 if you so desired!

Once the rest of the group got there we headed off to dinner at Planet Hollywood for a run down of things. Then it was off in small groups to explore. We took some kids and headed down the streets and then to the beach to explore. We were only 2 blocks off the beach, so we walked everywhere.

The first morning 6am wakeup call was wayyyy too early...but the day is one the kids will remember the rest of their lives. We were off to Pearl Harbor. The entire group was so respectful of the place they were at, and it was such a solemn experience. Spending the time at the USS Arizona Memorial is something every person should try to do. It truly brings you to stop and think about your freedom, and about those that have paid the ultimate price in laying down their lives, and who continue to fight for us daily. Whether or not you believe in war and it's consequences, you will be in awe. After spending time there, dropping the flowers from their lei's in the water as thanks, we went on to lunch at a park outside the USS Missouri Battleship (where the surrender to end the war was signed). At the park we were pleasantly surprised to have a survivor from Pearl Harbor (Allen Bodenlos) come to tell them about that day, and join them many more times while in Hawaii.

Al had lunch with them, and what a crack-up he is for 88 years-old. He is still 20 in his mind, sharp as a tack, funny, spry, and loves the cute girls. He conducted their first song for them, posed in photos for them (including the whole band on the USS Missouri), and rode in the parade wearing a matching shirt they presented to him.

Pictures of all of this are up, and I will continue as I sort through them...hope you enjoy as much as we did.

Reef Shark!

Wow! Getting ready to leave Kauai for the north shore of Oahu, and we have had a great time! We swam up on a reef shark, saw turtles and swam with them, saw an endangered Hawaiian Monk Seal, and lobsters and eels. We'll have a lot of pictures and video when we get back.

And off we go...

We'll take a long awaited break for 2 weeks, and leave you with our little Hona. We will flood you with pictures and videos when we get back. You all take care, and keep an eye on Flickr for some live uploads...