So before I officially indenture myself to Anderson for the next two years, I want to make sure that I get some much-needed trips out of the way. Being a native Californian and never having been to Hawaii, I felt a bit of shame and mentally told myself that I should--no, that I must--go. After five years of willing this to happen, it finally did this past June.
The trip was about eight days long, but my mom, brother, and I were able to pack in all the Rick Steves'-approved tourist activities during the trip. My family opted to go to two islands, Oahu and Maui. In Oahu, we stayed at a hotel near Waikiki in Honolulu, and those who've been know that it can get super-congested and it's quite the (almost) metropolis! And of course, the first thing I did when I picked up the rental car was to make a beeline to Waiola Shave Ice (lore has it that President Obama frequented this shop as a kid) while ignoring my family's desperate pleas to stop for a bathroom break:
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The rest of the trip took a backseat to the amazing shaved ice, so I won't bother writing about it...Ok that was a lame joke.
A mere three hours after landing at Honolulu International Airport (and after the shaved ice), my family bravely ventured to Diamond Head, which is the most famous hiking site in Honolulu. The tourist organization really needs to advertise this hike correctly. It most definitely isn't for non-fit folk. In fact, I found it way more tough than Hollywood's Runyon Canyon because of the endless tower of steps leading to the summit. Mildly jet-lagged, quads burning, and wearing flip-flops (several others proclaimed we were crazy), our family of three bravely trudged onward and upward and finally reached the top. It was nice...But the thought of the impending doom of descending back down all those steps and rubble quickly snapped me back to reality.
And yes, that is a thick smear of sunscreen on my forehead that I forgot to blend in.
After the monstrosity that was Diamond Head, we proceeded to relax on the admittedly-touristy-Waikiki Beach. We also ventured to Hanauma Bay and made sure to stop by the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor. It was a sobering experience to see the battleship in its final resting place right beneath the surface of the water. After a brief three-day stay in Oahu, we hopped on the plane to go to Maui. If Oahu is the "city," then Maui is the "country." There are basically four corners to Maui, with the Kahului Airport being dead in the center (north). And to get to any of the corners, one has to get to the airport area first and then venture east, west, or south. Completely ridiculous from an urban planning perspective, but understandable given that Maui-ans most likely want to preserve their island.
Either way, as soon as we land in Maui what's the first thing I go for?
And then the next morning we did the treacherously windy Haleakala drive at 3 AM in the morning. Yes, you read that right. In order to see the sunrise above the clouds, we dragged oursevles out of bed at 2:30 AM and made it out the door by 3. By the time we reached the summit, it was already after 5! But it was well worth the effort:
What started out as this...
And then of course we did some snorkeling, some more hiking, and a whole lot of driving, but it was a fantastically memorable experience overall.
Oh, and who can forget about the luau? On our last night in Maui, we attended the traditional luau at Old Lahaina Luau. Here's my plate of traditional Hawaiian fare:
And of course, I had to get in on a picture with two of the hula dancers!
