The suns hot, powerful rays warmed my whole body like a sauna as I walked out onto the balcony. It was so hot. After a few minutes I began to sweat. All the people down below looked like ants as I watched from seventeen stories up. The view was amazing. I could see everything; the marina to the right, the shops down the street, and other hotels down the beach line. Growing up in Oregon, I realized what I was missing out on. Eventually, from the heat, I went back inside.
This was a vacation trip for one of my friends who was having his birthday soon. It was him, one of our other friends, his family and I. It was only lunchtime by the time we had our luggage in our hotel rooms and were ready for the beach. The beach had tall, green palm trees that sprouted from the ground everywhere you looked. The soft white sand burnt our feet if we stayed in one spot to long. The view of the ocean stretched for miles. The water was light blue and crystal clear. Both the water and beach were littered with people. Most people were burnt with over tanned faces and bodies.
My two friends and I couldn't wait ant longer. We decided to go swimming after we made fun of everyone we passed. The salt in the water tasted nasty and stuck to your skin. But the warm water was perfect to swim in and was shallow for fifty yards out. Within a few hours of swimming and walking around, the sun had drained all the energy out of our bodies and we went back to the hotel to shower and relax.
Almost every night after we found our first hotel room we went out and walked the strip. It was blocks and blocks of shops and people doing random things for money on the side of the street. Every night hundreds of people were out at the strip whether it was twelve, one or two o'clock in the morning. The lights from the strip lit up the city blocks and music from restaurants and musicians roared down the streets. Limos were everywhere and taxis drove around and around looking for anyone who needed a ride. Surprisingly, even late at night, the air was still warm and humid. The whole atmosphere was really cool.
Every day we did the same as the last. Before we knew it, the last day of our vacation had arrived. On the last day, we packed up our luggage and took some last minute photos. Soon all of us were loaded up in the crowded van and off to the airport. Everything we had done flashed through my head and I wished I could stay. Being Christmas Eve, I had to get back for Christmas with my family. The plane ride was long and I was really tired from all the fun we had but I couldn't fall asleep. Pretty soon I was back in Beaverton. There had been record snowfall the day before so there was tons of snow. White snow covered everything and the roads were still icy and very hard to drive on. The air was cold and most people were still stuck in their house. It was a big change in whether for me. Although Hawaii was fun and exciting, it felt good to be back home.