OMG so we literally JUST got back from a trip to Hawaii, me, my sisters and my mom.
Can I just say it was absolutely wonderful?! I would love to go back, maybe stay for a while.
The beautiful turquoise waters so clear that even chest deep you can see clearly to your pedicures, the majestic mountains that disappear into the fog and clouds, the dense lush foliage that hums with life-beautiful, beautiful, beautiful.
The people are so kind and welcoming in general-my sisters and I concluded it must be from laid back island weather.
And even though the weather was not as warm as anticipated (high 70s, low 80s with rain and so. much. WIND!), it was snowing and in freezing temperatures here in New Jersey.
Every bend there was something new to appreciate, whether it was the sights of the effortlessly blue beaches or the miles and miles of pineapple farmland against a backdrop of towering green mountains.
Day 1: (coincidentally it’s my 28th birthday) we leave for Hawaii and arrive in Honolulu at 1PM. We get our rental care ( a white Chevy Trac) from Alamo and check into our hotel. By the time we get settled and have Marukame Udon for lunch/dinner and a short walk along the water, we are tired and go to bed early (7PM which is 1AM in NJ time)
Day 2: Everyone gets up early, it’s the effect of the time difference (6hours!) And we decide due to the rainy forecast, we will do some sightseeing. We start with a Hawaiian McDonald’s breakfast (rice and spam! Why don’t they have this in the East Coast?!) then go to Pearl Harbor.
We literally take like 30minutes at Pearl Harbor, take a few photos and go on our way to the Dole Plantation.
Dole whip is SO GOOD. Basically pineapple soft serve. Apparently pineapples are a thing in Hawaii.
Turtle Beach. TURTLES. OMG. That is all. Plus, the beach is so picturesque, it’s beautiful, the jewel tone greens and blues of the algae and water. And the turtles have such soulful, big black eyes that are just so penetrating. I love turtles 🙂
Then we head to the Polynesian Cultural Center which opens at 12PM. We have food truck lunch first, North Shore Shrimp and Surf and Turf fish tacos. The four of us are thoroughly underwhelmed and think perhaps Giovanni’s Shrimp Truck will be better.
The afternoon flies by at the PCC, we enjoy all the cultural exhibits and opt out of the pricey luau (the admission to the PCC is 60$ pp, the luau is another 60$ pp and is basically the same thing as the shows they put on for the PCC).
We drive along the Windward Coast and are enthralled by the giant mountain going onto Highway 3. It’s such a pretty drive even with the rain 🙂
Back at the hotel (the Waikiki Banyan) we are exhausted. Dinner is poke bowls from Foodland and we head to bed early.
Day 3: Breakfast is Acai bowls! Yum! From Hawaiian Crown Plantation.
We start off with a hike at Waimea Valley which is beautiful. TONS of photos are taken there 🙂
(And shameless use of the selfie stick happens here-actually all vacation the selfie stick made an appearance!)
(We are shamelessly Korean LOL)
The waterfalls at the end are also underwhelming as the falls back here on the East Coast are more stately. But they allow people to swim in the lagoon! Amazing!
Lunch again is food trucks but Giovanni’s this time and it’s much better.
Then we try to go to Kailua Beach and Lanikai beach but due to the weather (it’s freezing in the mid 70s with crazy winds) we head back to Waikiki to find it’s nice and sunny there.
(Albeit still windy)
The sun is still nice and hot so I get a few minutes to sunbathe and we spend around 3 hours at the beach.
Dinner is cup ramen and spam musubis as we are all too exhausted to leave the hotel to eat out and it was cold so we were craving something hot and soupy.
We walk around a bit in Waikiki at night and I end up buying a Maxi dress from Muse.
Day 4: In the AM we head up Diamond Head Crater hike. The hike is a little arduous and it’s hot and sunny with barely any reprieve from the sun.
But the views are amazing and once we reach midway, the wind starts to pick up and it feels so refreshing.
Vista views of Honolulu and the ocean, the mountains steals our breath away despite the crowds and we enjoy the panoramic views of the coast.
For lunch we have Teddy’s Bigger Burgers-pineapple burgers with famous fries, onion rings…etc. Mom enjoys herself 🙂 And I become obsessed with trying local Hawaiian fare (actually this started with Papa Ole and missing out while we were in the area on Tuesday LOL)
After eating, we take a stroll around Waikiki beach taking yet even more pictures before heading back for a dip in the water.
Dinner is Me BBQ and I get 육계장 of all things LOL but it was delicious and we liked it ok (not as good as Korean food here in the East Coast but it hit our Korean food craving quite nicely)
Again we walk the streets of Waikiki at night and we end up getting Hawaiian Shaved Ice at the Island Vintage Shaved Ice and it’s amazing! Esp. the heavenly lillikoi! Pink island is not as good but still refreshing!
Day 5: Already our last full day in Hawaii 🙁
After quickly getting breakfast from ABC, we go to Hanauma Bay Nature Reserve for snorkeling and we go early (we arrive at 7AM) and while the water is freezing, we have SO MUCH FUN!
(Well it’s me and JH, because my mom and HJ get panic attacks with snorkeling)
OMG there are so many different types of fish and coral and marine life! It totally blows Punta Cana snorkeling out of the water! And the water is so clear and shallow!
The fishes swim right up to us due to the shallow water and there’s just so many different types, all colorful and tropical. Some are gigantic and in the colors of the rainbow and others are tiny, the size of my thumb, and black and white spotted!
We spot a puffer fish, a parrot fish, thousands of others I can’t name but are neon and beautiful. There are rumors of turtle sightings but unfortunately we don’t get to see it.
Lunch we have Spam Musubis that we pick up from ABC, then after a brief nap while everyone showers, we head to Walmart to pick up some souvenirs/gifts.
Dinner is local Hawaiian fare from Rainbow Drive In, a mixed bbq plate and a loco moco (finally!) but the food is underwhelming, on account of the food is too much gravy, sodium and well…just not good LOL (to our palates, I’m sure if you are a hardcore meat lover, you’d’ve liked it LOL)
Korean Midweek Meeting 🙂 (we get lost finding it, but it looks exactly like an apartment building LOL)
(they go 25 minutes over time and I am about to die from sleepiness)
Our last evening in Hawaii is spent packing :T
Day 6: We start off with breakfast at Teddy’s Bigger Burgers for their pancaks, acai bowls and the egg and tofu plate. 🙂
(although the waiter dude gave us attitude because we asked for another fork. Well wth, the fork you gave us was DIRTY.)
Then we went for a quick drive to the Pali Lookout to look over the windward side and it was again very beautiful.
Lunch was Marukame Udon LOL and we pick up food for the flight from Food Pantry 🙂
Then a hullaballoo as we rush to get to the Alamo rental care center to return our car and get to the airport in time.
(Boarding time is 2:05, lift off is 2:55 but for some reason I had thought boarding was 2:55 so I thought we had a lot of time at 1PM when were were still on our way to Alamo. We rush like crazy and somehow manage to get to our gate by 1:30!)
We get in first and the flight is terrible. So much turbulence and OMG they turned off the ac so we all got airsick. Plus the seats were so hard, the cushions on the seats so thin we could feel everything if the person sitting behind us touched the tray LOL
It was so bad that JH threw up when we got home.
But then we all took long naps and everything was ok. LOL
And while we were in Hawaii, the Korean Chinese Language Class was being held and we had guests, LOL. They apparently came in late everyday and so it was kinda weird. They left this morning as we were coming home.
I said hello and it was a little awkward but oh wells.
And then we had the K’s GoodBye Party at our house later in the evening. But that’s a whole other entry.
NOw I have to sleep 🙂
Mahalo, Hawaii!
