Spring Break felt like one adventurous weekend jam packed into 5 full days of crazy activities and down time. It was too awesome, and too short.
Navy sneakers from Target for $12.99! These sneakers totally made my trip way fun and helped me survive all the walking and hiking I did in Hawaii. Since I've been back, I have been wearing them everyday and everywhere.
They remind me of the Keds that run about $45 a pair, which I have been eye-ing for a long while. When I tried these sneakers on at the store, I knew they were coming with me to Hawaii. My favorite right now is with summer shorts and skinnies.
Take me away!
Night arrival in Oahu, view from hotel balcony, and the smell of fresh air, I'm already experiencing a sense of relaxation just by taking in a breathe of fresh air. Something I really appreciate since living in Los Angeles is like living in between sheets of smog. The only thing captivating about Los Angeles layer of smog are the beautiful sunsets.
Snorkeling at Hanauma Bay was crowded. It was also a windy day, which made snorkeling not so fun because the waves started coming in harder and frequent causing the sand below the surf to lift and fog the water. We were a group of 15, and half of us got scratched up and cuts from the reefs and corals. It was really difficult to snorkel when the waves are coming at you and pushing you against the corals. Only 2 people out of 15 of us truly enjoyed Hanauma Bay. I'm sure all of us would have enjoyed it under better weather conditions. None of us saw turtles, which was a bummer.
Best Fish n' Chips I have ever had, at Loco Moco. Though it looks more like fish patties. I loved the sprinkle bits of seaweed. The french fries were just ordinary frozen fries, so I can't really say the best Fish n' Chips. The fish was definitely delicious.
There was a sign that said 'do not go beyond this sign' but how could we not?
While hiking on a trail along the coast, we spotted mother whale and her calf.
Waiola shave ice, strawberry flavor with Azuki beans at the bottom. The ice is amazing, like snow, melts in your mouth.
My sister got the Azuki beans and mochi over a scoop of vanilla ice cream and shave ice.
Dole Plantation
Soft serve pineapple ice cream was delicious. After the pineapple maze in the hot sun, we did not turn down this yummy dessert. I love how they stick you with a hunk of pineapple fruit. If you're going to do the pineapple maze, look for a buy 1 get 1 Free admission coupon in a booklet that usually comes with the hotel/car rental brochure.
If the Oh-So-Popular Giovanni's Shrimp Truck did not satisfy your taste buds, walk on over to Woody's BBQ corn. It's right next store to the shrimp truck. One of the best roasted corn I've had. Growing up in LA, corn on a stick, slathered in butter and seasoning is easy to find and pretty tasty. So when I took a bite of this, it ranked up there with the one best corn I thought I could ever have. Before this one, the best corn on a stick I've ever had was in New York City, a little shop called Cafe Habana, in Soho. Now I don't know which I like better.
Shark's Cove, was a fun place to stop by while heading over to the North Shore to beach it. You can snorkel here, and the water... so calm and warm. You don't even need snorkeling gear because the water was so clear you can just walk into water and stand around while the school of fishes just swim by you in every different. And it's FREE, except for the snorkeling gear, but that's only if you want to go further out into the cove to explore. Hanauma Bay or Shark's Cove? I like Shark's Cove.
Luau at Paradise Cove
Koko Head Crater Railway Trail
Trying to beat the sunset...
Once we got up to the track, it was about half way. I had to slowly make my way up and across the track, watching my footing every step of the way. It was an 8-10 feet drop under the tracks and the thought of slipping in between the beams made my knees a little shaky. Nonetheless, there were plenty of pro hikers just running across these beams, wow! Once across the beams, it's a straight shot up hill incline, glutes and legs workout!
View of Hanauma Bay
The sun set before we made it to the top of Koko Head, not to feel defeated... once we made it to the very top, the view was breathtaking and you forget you're soaked in sweat from head to toe, truly amazing panoramic view. Koko Head is my Top 5 of Oahu and far better than the Diamond Head Hike. And it's Free! (Diamond Head charges $5 per car)
Teddy's Bigger Burgers after Koko Head, we felt like we burned a bazillion calories... starving.
The morning after Koko Head, Dukes breakfast buffet.
Waimea Falls
Jump THE ROCK at Waimea Bay.
We rented mopeds for the evening ($20/4 hrs) and rode all over the city. And spent $0.75 on gas! we could have taken it everywhere and still not make a dent in the tank. Mopeds around the island is a must-do. And so worth it!
Round 2 for Waiola shave ice.
Who needs coffee when you're on vacation??? Apparently, my group does.
The Jungle Expedition at Kualoa Ranch was awesome. Not only did they take us on a bumpy, rocky 6-wheel drive tour, they let us off to take a 5 minute hike up to the best view at the ranch. I wish my camera could have captured how beautiful the valley was at that moment. The mountains created a deep U-shape valley and straight ahead is the sparkling blue ocean.
It started to rain really hard on our ocean voyage to the turtle reefs, but we didn't mind it too much because we got to see lots of sea turtles. My sister was determined to see the turtles, "We are not leaving Hawaii until I see some sea turtles." This was our last day in Hawaii, so I was glad the turtles finally showed up after our bust at Hanauma Bay.
I love the names of our horses.
ATV. I DO NOT recommend ATV in Hawaii. At least not Kualoa Ranch. We thought it was going to be rough and though, dirt and mud, and most of all speed and off-roading. Nooooo... complete opposite. We did not read details about the ATV tour. We saw "ATV" and thought "Yes! We have to do it." Two minutes into the tour, omg... we wanted it to end. There were lots of restrictions: stay in single-file, can not go past 10 mph, boggle helmets are required, and we had to stay within 6 feet of each other, no closer or further. Riding a merry-go-round would have been more pleasant. Yes, we wasted a lot of money on this sucky tour, and wish we could have got our money back or left when we could. By far the most disappointing activity we did in Hawaii.
View of Honolulu, from Diamond Head
After doing Koko Head's 1,000 steps hike, we went up Diamond Head in a breeze.
Round 3, and last one for Waiola shave ice before we say good-bye to Hawaii.
ALOHA!
Vacation is over. What's next? Paris? Australia? New Zealand?
