ADA Meeting in Honolulu, Hawaii
2018
In October 2018 the American Dental Association held their meeting in Hawaii. We knew that we were going to have to find a way to take our Continuing Education classes there! What a wonderful opportunity to travel to Oahu!
We decided that the whole office would go. Dr. Bottoms, Lisa, Jennifer, Amy and Jenna all hopped on the airplane for our long ride over to the Island. We were greeting at the luggage carousal with a leis and an "Aloha"!
We made plans to experience something new each day! We left VERY early on Saturday to start our journey and arrived Saturday at dinner time (due to the time change). We went to dinner that night at Duke's Waikiki, which was named after the famous Duke Kahamamoku who won an Olympic Gold medal for swimming at the age of 21 and then representing the USA for 20 more years and winning more medals. It was unreal to sit staring at the ocean and realize we were Hawaii!
We were able to make tealeaf bracelets, go to a Luau and learn to Hula and drink a tropical drink by the pool on our first full day in Hawaii!
We went snorkeling in Hanauma Bay in what is left of a volcano. That was a favorite day for Lisa, Jenna, Jennifer and Amy. Dr. Bottoms went as well but he decided to lounge by the water and read (and probably nap!) We also went on a food tour of local places in Honolulu and China Town. Definitely a must do! We signed up for a full day "Eco Tour of Oahu" and that was an amazing day! We toured the Dole plantation, had a Poi donut for breakfast, toured a coffee farm, went paddle boarding and kayaking, ate shrimp for lunch from a stand, hiked up to a waterfall and swam in the waterfalls, went to a Buddhist temple, rang a sacred bell(visitors are welcome to), swam in the North Shore beaches that are famous for surfing, and went to the Pali Lookout up in the mountains. That night we were ready to just relax by the pool and listen to the nightly Hawaiian music.
Amy, Jenna and Lisa hiked Diamond Head, which is a volcanic cone. That was a tough hike but they made it all the way to the top, and then had a tropical pineapple slushy at the bottom after the hike to celebrate!
We had amazing food and drink the whole time we were in Hawaii. We laid poolside and by the ocean! And yes, we did spend three days taking our continuing education classes! :)
The flight home was harder than the flight there because it was the middle of the night and we had many plane delays but we made it home with some new ideas and new information to help take the best care our patients!
Hawaii is definitely paradise!