One of my most wonderful friends came out to visit me here in Hawaii a while ago. Leslie Aldridge was one of the students who attended the BYU London Study Abroad in the Fall Semester of 2003 with me. We travelled all over England, visiting other places as well, including Scotland, Wales, and Paris. So, when I decided to attend the University of Hawaii at Manoa, she knew she'd be coming out to visit me.
While here, we went all over the island of Oahu, snorkeling, hiking, going to the beach, playing tennis, visiting Laie (where the temple is and the Polynesian Cultural Center), eating at local restaurants, and taking lots of pictures. She stayed for a week and I think I wore her out. The best part of the visit, which I don't know if she would agree, was the Polynesian Cultural Center. Seeing so many of the peoples of the polynesian islands was fascinating and educational. It was definately an eye-opener. The second best thing was snorkling at Shark's Cove. Unfortunately, we didn't see any sharks but we saw a lot of really cool fish. The water is fairly clear and beautiful here.
It was sad to see Leslie go home when the week ended, but she was heading back home for her own adventures in starting her master's degree at Utah State University. It was great having a friend from the mainland come and see what I have been able to experience for the last year.
