Marathon and Monterey

Star runners

Day 9 was the 47th Honolulu Marathon, my first time running that distance. If you recall, there was a car break-in on Day 1 and I lost a couple of things meant for the race. This included my Ultraboost, water bottle and sunglasses. But I decided that was okay, I was here to enjoy myself and see whether I could complete the distance in the hot sun. When I first told my wife that I had signed up for the marathon, she had concerns I would collapse and die of a heart attack. So I reminded myself to take it slow and if I have to walk or pull out, I would do so.  I woke up at 3.15am to get myself ready for the 5am race. It took me 6hrs 56 min to finish 

Last 5km

the run. I don't even sleep that long on most nights, so at least that is an achievement! The volunteers, supporters and hydration points were just amazing. My family came out to see me at the finishing line which was awesome. I was as stiff as a plank walking back from Kapiolani Park to the apartment. We took the rest of the day easy.

The next morning, my eldest son and I went to the Hawaiian Convention Centre to collect my Finisher certificate and managed to take photos with the winners. After that we drove out to the west looking for a suitable beach for the kids. We wanted to have lunch at a organic farm but turns out that it is closed on Mondays. I should have checked. We came across a Taco Bell so that was our lunch, the first time trying it. We went as far west as Kae'na Point

Kae'na Point

but the waves were too big for the kidsto swim in. Besides the afternoon sun was scorching. We saw a monk seal though. The west is quieter compared to the east and south but we noticed more homeless people camping along some of
the beaches. We decided to go back to Waikiki for beach time, which made a lot of sense. We haven't spent any time on Waikiki Beach even though it is right in front of the apartment. The stretch we were at had calm waters because it is protected by sea walls. We were there from about 4pm to 7pm and witnessed the beautiful sunset. We made reservations for dinner at Roy's Hawaii Kai. 

Day 11 was our final day in Oahu. We went to the Tantalus Lookout for a breathtaking view of Honolulu and Diamond Head. Not too far away is the Manoa Falls but it had been closed to the public for the past few weeks due to a land slide. We were about to turn the car around but saw another

car drive up a hill. We decided to follow the car and it led us to the Lyon Arboretum. What a perfect find - we took a hike through the tropical forest to Aihualama Falls. For lunch, we made the customary visit to the Ala Moana Center. We are not shopping people and got everything we needed from the ABC stores during our week's stay in Honolulu. It took me a while to locate the car after lunch.

The Kelp Forest,

We flew back to SFO that evening and drove out to Monterey when we arrived the next morning. The highlight in Monterey is the Monterey Bay Aquarium. It has many unique exhibits so don't skip it even if you have been to many aquariums. Next morning, we drove south on US Hwy 1 making many stops along the way to take in the stunning views including Point Lobos, Rocky Creek Bridge, Bixby Creek Bridge, Pfeiffer Beach and Mcways Falls. We ended the lovely day with 

Bixby Creek Bridge

dinner at Portabella in Carmel-by-the-Sea, a charming seaside town with interesting shops decked in Christmas decorations.

On our final day in the US, we drove around Pacific Grove, the 17 Mile Drive and Pebble Beach. There were so many

The Lone Pine

pictureque spots to choose from but try not to miss Lovers Point, Reckless Sea and The Lone Pine. We also managed to see some Monach Butterflies, which make their winter migration to a santuary here each year. We had lunch at The Bench, overlooks the 18th hole at the Pebble Beach Golf Link. What an awesome way to end the holiday.

After lunch we drove to SFO just in time for our 16 1/2 hour flight home to sunny Singapore.