Aloha! As I'm writing this it is already 2017, but I have yet to tell you about one of my most memorable parts of 2016. I had the very rare opportunity to go on vacation with my family to Oahu, Hawaii this past Christmas and it was honestly the best vacation I've had to date. Not only was it because I was at a beautiful destination for a week, but because it was an actual vacation for my parents. Since my brothers and I are all grown up, it felt good to take the reigns and lead the adventures while my parents got to sit back and truly enjoy themselves.
After a long 11 hour flight, besides being absolutely exhausted we had food on our minds. First stop in Waikiki where we stayed was this extremely popular Japanese restaurant, Marukame Udon (we ended up coming here a few more times throughout our stay). If you're interested in trying this restaurant, I recommend going at less busy hours because we ended up waiting around 40 -50 minutes before getting our food. Portions are large and each bowl ranges from $3.75 to around $7, so you certainly get your bang for your buck!
The Ontama Udon that I ordered.
The next morning we hiked up Diamond Head, a large crater that is one of Hawaii's most recognized landmarks.
The views of Honolulu from the top of Diamond Head were stunning to say the least.
Next stop was Hanauma Bay, which is a well known spot for snorkeling. It was actually my very first time snorkeling, so it was a brand new experience for me to be able to swim along with so many exotic fish.
Hanauma Bay
While planning for this trip, I found out that luaus are pretty expensive to attend for performances and not the greatest food so I found a different alternative. There is a free hula show every Tuesday, Thursday, and on the weekends across from the Hyatt Regency so we took full advantage of it. It was relaxing to lay out a towel on the lawn and enjoy the performances.
We got really lucky because the time of the hula show just happened to be around the same time the sun was setting which was the perfect opportunity to snap some photos.
The colors of the clouds after the sun had set were unreal..
The next morning we headed to Pearl Harbor, which I felt was essential to visit while on Oahu. If you are planning on visiting Pearl Harbor, more specifically the USS Arizona Memorial, know
that the first 1300 people get free walk-in tickets. So make sure you get in line bright and early (and beat those tour buses!). Shown above is the line to the entrance before the doors opened at 7 am.
Even paradise holds a heavy and sad history.
Outside of the USS Arizona Memorial.
After Pearl Harbor we headed towards the North Shore to the Dole Pineapple Plantation. All I can say about this is DON'T GO. All of the pineapples were pretty much harvested on the field therefore there was not much to see anyway. We ended up walking through the botanical garden and getting some nice pictures but it was not worth the trip. Save your time and avoid the plantation entirely.
I think the best part of the plantation was the Dole whip which was delicious.
Now on to one of my favorite parts of this entire trip: the Honolulu fish auction! Fish auctions are well known in Japan, but in fact the Honolulu fish auction is actually the only one in the United States. I've heard that the fish auctions in Japan are very difficult to get into and that you end up waiting in line for hours just to be able to watch the action behind a glass. Here, we were walking around right in the middle of the action. If you are thinking about going here, just do it because you certainly won't regret it. At first I was disappointed that there were no more tours going on during the Christmas time but we decided to chance it and just show up at the auction and see if we could just walk in and observe. I'm glad we did that, because it would have been $25 a person for a tour when you really don't need one at all. Just make sure you stay out of everyone's way and they won't even notice you're there. It was quite hilarious walking around a warehouse area at early hours in the morning trying to find out where the auction was exactly. Ask the locals for directions, they're all very friendly and are willing to help. Auctions begin promptly at 5:30 am.
Locals bidding for fish. It was an extremely fast paced process and everyone was focused on getting fresh quality fish. Some even wore headphones and relayed the prices to a person on the other line. So intense!
Samples of tuna.
As interesting as the fish auction was, I couldn't help but think of the sheer amount of over-fishing happening in the world if they are bringing in this many fish everyday.
One of the many beaches we went to included Nanakuli beach. I really loved this beach because it was not crowded; only locals were around. The waves are also pretty big in comparison to Waikiki which were a lot of fun.
I wanted to post this picture to 1. Note how clear and blue the waters here were and 2. To laugh at my brother getting destroyed by a wave.
Now our main reason for coming to Nanakuli beach was to find the Mermaid Cave. This hole my brothers are sitting around is actually the entrance that you had to hop down to get into the cave. Make sure you wear some kind of foot protection, it gets really rocky in the area up to and in the cave. This was also another favorite part of my trip, getting to see the cave was a very thrilling experience!
The Mermaid Cave
Looking up from inside the cave.
At some point in our trip we caught the sunrise at Lanikai beach. This has been dubbed one of the world's most beautiful beaches, and for good reason. The white soft sand and crystal clear waters were breathtaking. It was hard to believe that such a beautiful place exists.
We stopped briefly at Lanikea Beach (Turtle Beach) on the North Shore to see if we could spot any sea turtles. We only got to see one surfacing in the water; we weren't so lucky in terms of catching one on land.
Continuing with our expedition on the North Shore, we ended up at Shark's Cove. If you're looking for a place to snorkel that isn't crawling with tourists, this is the place to be. It's basically a giant swimming pool made of rocks that is full of fish. Keep in mind that this area is extremely rocky, therefore reefwalkers are a must.
Christmas morning watching the sunrise on Waikiki Beach.
On our last day on Oahu we did one last hike - the Manoa Falls Trail.
There was a huge Jurassic Park feel to the entire trail.
Don't forget your insect repellent. I brought some and still ended up getting a good amount of insect bites..
The stairway to the falls. Use caution - this trail is relatively muddy with slippery rocks.
Manoa Falls
When you're in Hawaii it's hard to believe that you're still within the United States since the whole vibe is much different from the rest of the country. With all of the ups and downs I've had this year, exploring Hawaii with my family was the best way to end 2016. I'm back feeling completely refreshed and blessed for everything I've experienced and thankful for the loved ones in my life. As a new semester of school begins, I'm sitting here already missing Hawaii's friendly people, remarkable views and amazing food.
I'll be back for you Hawaii.
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