An exercise in creative writing

The alarm on my phone began ringing at 6:30am. I rolled over, tempted to turn it off and get some more sleep but then I remembered why I'd set it in the first place. I climbed out of bed, threw on my bathing suit, grabbed my bag and a piece of cold pizza and headed out the door. Where were the boys?

By 7 the four of us were walking uphill in the drizzling rain. "Are you sure you know where the bus stop is?" someone asked. No, I wasnt sure, but the people in Hawaii were so friendly I'm sure someone would be able to help us. An hour later we were standing in front of a shopping center facing the task of walking uphill about a mile. I really hoped this was worth it.

I was excited. This was the only free morning we had in Hawaii and from day one I'd known exactly what I wanted to do with it. I was going to go snorkeling in Hanauma Bay. The weather wasn't perfect today, but I would live.

We caught our first glimpse on the way downhill after the orientation video. The beautiful blue water contrasted nicely with the sandy beach and green vegetation. From above you could see the difference in color- darker shades of blue almost becoming green where the reef was close to the surface.

We sat on the beach struggling to put on our snorkeling gear. Michaela and I had never been before so it was an adventure trying to put on the mask and fins- and then walk in them but we figured it out. Close to shore all we could see was the sand being kicked up by the other swimmers, but then... Imagine stepping into the pages of a National Geographic magazine. I always thought the pictures had to be edited somehow. The was no way the colors could be so vibrant, so rich. But they were. You could reach out and touch fish that were bright yellow and orange, blue, white, black. Rainbow fish. Fish of all shapes and colors. I was in awe. The only thing that disappointed me was the reef. So many people have stepped on it that it was dying and in most places it was nothing more than a big grey blob. If we went out further though there was a little more color because less people had been that far. It wasnt easy. Between the reef and the surface of the water was about a foot in which to swim. Tricky, but definately worth it.

And I'm running out of time so I've got to go. I am in Samoa now though and I'll tell you all about it later. :)