A very long vacation recap

Upon arrival we walked down the beach and had dinner at The Dukes. Next day, we headed to the beach and spent about 2 hours there, later in the afternoon we drove around and did a loop starting from south-central-north-east. Towards north we stopped by the Dole Plantation which is on Central Oahu but bordering the north. Here we had a pineapple sherbet which is almost a foot tall. Had we known, we would have just ordered one and shared it but in the end we managed to gobble our individual cones. The North shore is famous for the Banzai pipeline with up to 30 foot+ swells, Sunset beach and Haleiwa Ali'i Beach Park which is where Baywatch Hawaii was filmed. We saw the big waves but decided to not take photos and just enjoy the drive, it was pretty late already at that time. Along The East, we saw the Ko'olau mountain ranges, I find this side the most scenic of them all since it combines both the mountains and the beach. On The South side is Honolulu and Waikiki. This is where most of the hotels are and the beach is much calmer compared to the other areas.

During our second day, we were suppose to go to The USS Arizona Memorial but since I didn't get up in time we decided to do the Diamond Head hike instead. The hike was easy, there was a lot of traffic on the trail but nonetheless it was a good workout. J enjoyed the hike himself, we took it easy and so he didn't get too tired. He felt very accomplished and brave after the hike. After the hike, we wanted to check out the Hanauma bay, most popular snorkeling destination in Hawaii, but then since it was packed already they closed the area until it frees up again. So we decided to go to Sandy beach instead. On our way there, J felt asleep and so we again drove around. We too wanted to check out the Koko Crater but then can't find the entrance so we ended checking out the Halona blow hole, this particular blowhole is a blowhard, all talk but no show. However it does have a great view, on a good day you can view the other neighboring Hawaiian islands of Lanai,Molokai, and Maui. Later on, when J woke up we headed back to Sandy beach where I only lasted a good 2 minutes on the water, not because it was cold but because the current was so strong I am certain I wouldn't last to see tomorrow. So, J and I stayed ashore while P braved the water. Sandy beach is one of the best spot for body surfing. P really had a lot of fun playing in the water, he almost managed to break his ribs or should I say the sea almost broke him into two - but he still went on! Anyway, later in the evening we continued swimming back in the calmer water of Waikiki beach by our hotel.

Third day, this time we made it to the USS Arizona memorial. We left around 6:15AM and got there about 7AM, the line was about halfway long already but we knew we will make it to the 4500 guest a day cutoff. The tour started at 7:30AM and we got on the second tour at 8AM. The tour started at a theater to watch the well-made movie on the attack on Pearl Harbor which is then preceded with a short boat ride to the memorial building. I was worried that J might find the movie terrifying but he did well. He even kind of summarized the show for us and had some interesting interpretations of what happened on that day. The whole tour lasted about 2 hrs, then we too checked out USS Bowfin Submarine, we didn't get on the museum though but we checked out some missile and weapons displayed in the area. In the afternoon, we just pretty much rested and relaxed and walked along the streets of Waikiki.

Fourth day, we hike Likeke Falls Trail which is about 2.5 miles hike. It is also an easy hike with majestic view of the Nu'uanu Pali along the Ko'olua Mountain Range. I loved the hike since it made me feel at home. I had flashback of my younger years when I used to spend hours hiking in the hills near our house, the trail is the same - muddy, lined with ferns, surrounded with a canopy of trees usually fruit bearing, beautiful exotic flowers while listening to the nice chirping of the birds. The hike was pretty serene, and the view along the trail is beautiful. J did a wonderful job again during the entire hike. He was happy to listen to my stories while I reminisce my childhood years. After the 3 hour hike, J felt asleep again and so we decided to check out the Nu'uanu Pali State Park. We alternately checked out the park since J is asleep.

According to Wikipedia: The Nuʻuanu Pali was the site of one of the bloodiest battles in Hawaiian history, in which Kamehameha I conquered the island of Oʻahu, bringing it under his rule. In 1795 Kamehameha I sailed from his home island of Hawaiʻi with an army of 10,000 soldiers. After conquering the islands of Maui and Molokaʻi, he moved on to Oʻahu. The pivotal battle for the island occurred in Nʻuanu Valley, where the defenders of Oʻahu, led by Kalanikupule, were driven back up into the valley where they were trapped above the cliff. Thousands of Kalanikupule's soldiers were driven off the edge of the cliff to their deaths 1,000 feet below.

The view from the lookout is wonderful, however I didn't stay too long because the wind was really strong. Actually, when P went to check it out he got drenched by the heavy downpour of rain. Fortunately he found a little area where he can wait the rain out, but was still soaked and cold since the wind was also blowing strong. Anyway, after our adventure we sure were ready to call the day off. In the evening, we went out to watch a fireworks display on our hotel beach front courtesy of a Japanese cosmetic company celebrating some 100+ anniversary. We don't know much details about the event but we sure encountered a lot of the attendees but they were nice enough to share the fireworks display to everybody. J actually hardly watched the show he instead played with the sand...he he he.

Last day, we spent the morning on the beach. The water was cool and calm, J even tried to swim on it several times which is good since he was pretty skeptical about swimming in it during the last few days of stay there. Later on around 11AM we checked out of our hotel and headed out for lunch and scouted the area for closeby activities. Again, J felt asleep and so we all ended up in the car for two hours while he naps, we too had a little nap in the car. We then walked the streets of Waikiki then after dinner we headed back to the hotel and used their complementary suite for guest use who has a later departure. Met a filipino couple there, one of the few who were actually there visiting and not serving you. At some point, I kind of felt awkward seeing so much Filipinos in the area who were mostly doing all the service type of jobs from janitorial, hotel cleaner, cashier,waitress, drivers, porters etc. I don't want to judge them for the type of job they had but I did felt sad and at the same remained positive about the fact that at least they had a job. And indeed it reminded me of the struggles that most of my countrymen including my family back home has to go through just to find a greener pasture.

On a side note, dining was really expensive. Almost every single meal was over $40 even on breakfast, fastfood was available and cheaper but still pricey. Our whole dining experience was not great at all...and here I was looking forward to seafood and fruits diet while visiting. None of that happened except for the fruit smoothies, sherbet and a slice of P's fish and chips- yikes!

Overall, the trip was a great experience, we had fun, bonded as a family, revisited history, circled an island and learned several more things including about ourselves and our goals in life.

~M