Our Tuesday at the Beach!

This morning started with another amazing breakfast. We drove to Pali Lookout and saw an amazing view of Hawaii! It was so good to take pictures, but also very windy!!!

Next we went to one of the most beautiful beaches in the world...Kailua! The water was so blue and clear...and had not only white sand, but also coral near the shore which is very beautiful. We got to play football, soccer, and volleyball on the beach...then some of us left for kayaking.

Once we started kayaking everyone became so excited, and with good teamwork we all made it to another beautiful beach for lunch. We took awesome pictures and had so much fun! We took funny pictures of our Italian boy buried in the sand.

We then kayaked to another island..the bird island and did kayak surfing here! It was amazing.

Dinner tonight was at hard rock cafe and it was so good! There were heaters on the roof and it was amazing. After dinner everyone shopped and bought a souvenir to remember the night.

It has already been four days and we cannot believe it! We have been having so much fun, it has been an amazing trip so far. We have fallen in love with Hawaii and the beautiful people here. We are so used to saying aloha now! We can't wait for tomorrow, and to experience more days of excitement!

Jigs from India
Hayley from Taiwan
Fernando from Chile

Exploring the North Shore!

Our day started out learning the history of Honolulu. It may sound boring but it was really fun..and the sun came out in the middle of the tour! We saw Father Damien, and all the Belgians took a picture with the statue.

Next we went to the Dole Plantation. We had pineapple whip. We LOVE the pineapple here, as do we love all the tropical fruits.

We stopped in Haleiwa...a great surf town. We went shopping and really felt a strong sense of Hawaii here.  We even heard a family give a concert in a surf board gallery...weird but cool! We ate the "ono" hamburger, which we learned means delicious! Avocado and pineapple on a hamburger is "ono!"

Afterwards we saw some beaches on the North Shore and stopped at Sunset Beach. We saw huge waves and surfers...and now want to live there!!! We took some jumping pictures and then headed towards the Polynesian Cultural Center.

At the Polynesian Cultural Center, we learned the cultures of Tahiti, Tonga, Hawaii, and Samoa. We learned how to dance the hula! and the dance of Tahiti. The birthday boy, Jigs from India, went up to dance on stage...it made the show for us!!!

The dinner here was delicious, and we were serenaded by Hawaiian music and ukuleles. When they started signing "Over the Rainbow" to us, it was magic!!!!

At the end of the day we saw a show called "Ha...Breath of Life." It was pretty impressive and filled with Polynesian dancing...and risky fire dancing too!

Now we are falling asleep, and ready for another big day tomorrow...some of us are kayaking and others will enjoy the beautiful beach of Kailua.

Ludi from Belgium
Javier from Spain

First Day in Hawaii

"Amazing" does not do justice to expressing how fantastic our first full day in Hawaii has been!  The extremely talented, enthusiastic and energetic team of young woman leading Belo USA are to be applauded!  The beauty of Hawaii is more than you can imagine, and the ease with which Belo's team managed to organize and orchestrate our day of adventure is extraordinary!  With expectations now set so high, I cannot wait to experience the rest of our fun-filled week as we learn more about the history of this great State of Hawaii, it's people and culture.  On behalf of RYEFlorida and all of our inbound students, I thank you for the opportunity to participate in this fabulous trip...we cannot wait for the rest of the week; stay tuned for more adventure!
ALOHA, Cyndi Doragh

SURFING & CATAMARAN IN HAWAII!

Day One in Hawaii - Surfing & Catamaran & More!

The day started great with an amazing breakfast...where you even had the choice to eat sushi in the morning! After everybody was energized for the day we started our walk to the beach. Arriving there our surf boards were laying, ready to be used by us!

After we got instructions we were ready to go in the water. A lot of paddling and we were ready to catch the waves...AND WE DID! The time flew by because it was so much fun. After catching the last wave, we paddled back to shore.

There we had some free time to grab some lunch and have fun in the sun...some of us played football and others relaxed from the intense surfing.

Then, the fun continued with a catamaran tour. It was amazing with all the waves..we got soaking wet. With fun music and our awesome captain Mike, we had a blast sitting on the nets of the boat in the ocean. Before we knew it, it was time to go back. Time flies when you're having fun!!!

We had some free time to freshen up and go shopping in the shops of Waikiki. We went to dinner and had Hawaiian pizza with pineapple on it..some of us didn't even know it existed! It was so good.

After dinner we went to the international market and had more free time. We are so excited for the rest of the week...tomorrow we get to see the big waves of North Shore and explore more of the Hawaii sights and culture!

Jessica from the Netherlands
Martin from Austria
Jigs from India

Aloha and Welcome to Hawaii!

Get ready for a week in paradise...the Hawaiian Expedition is here! With its breathtaking natural beauty, its never-ending list of fun and exciting things to do, and its spirit of "aloha," Hawaii is a dream destination for anyone!

We will be staying in beautiful Waikiki on the island of Oahu, and we will spend each day exploring a new and fascinating aspect of Hawaii's unique culture.

Join us as we test our surfing abilities, celebrate in a traditional luau, and hike to one of the island's best-known lookout points. We'll come face-to-face with Hawaii's rich history...and maybe even a sea turtle or two! And along the way, we'll get to know each other, forming friendships to last beyond our week together.

This will be our day-to-day journal... each day, you'll get news, information and pictures from the students. Join us on our adventure!

Have fun!!! MAHALO!