Usually the first thing I want to get out of the way is journaling my experience once I arrive from a trip. However, I have recently been experiencing writer's block. As much as I would like to blame this on my love for staying outdoors, I think it is more to do with me still being in holiday mode and the unplanned trips that keep creeping up this summer.
Hawaii has been on my bucket list for the longest time, I was supposed to tag along with my friend about three years ago but due to visa restrictions, I missed out on the opportunity. Ever since, I have not been able to justify the long hours given Maldives, Seychelles and Mauritius are equally stunning. Although, it is the Indian ocean, even the taste of the oysters attests to the difference.
This year, I decided to take the plunge. Given I spend a lot of my time in America these days, the decision was quite easy one. Hence, I planned my solo birthday trip around it.
The trip to Honolulu was approximately 13 hours, I arrived at night which meant I did not see the amazing views from the plane, I later try to console myself that based on how exhausted I felt when I arrived, I doubt the last thing I would want to do take pictures. It was a long trip indeed! On arrival, my shuttle was already at the airport waiting to collect me, it was private so we did not have to wait for other people. The hotel was exactly what I expected to be, it was stunning and I was offered an upgrade with amazing views of the ocean which was perfect for sunrise.
Once I unpacked my suitcase, I reviewed my tour itinerary and ensured that my outfit (usually swim suit and a cover)for the following day was ready incase I did not wake up early enough. My itinerary was preplanned and missing any of them would really upset me.
Day 1 : Snorkelling and King Kamehameha Parade.
I have not snorkelled since 2019, oh how I miss the sea, so this activity was at the top of my to-do list. The snorkelling trip was scheduled for 11:00am, there was no pick up associated so I needed to find my way to the dock. I did a quick look up on google based on the address I had on my confirmation slip and It said It should take 45 minutes so I walked. Unbeknownst to me, the address I had was for the tour operator office, they had sent the address of the harbour to my phone which I did not bother to check, I only realised when I got to the venue. I was 40 minutes in when I found out which meant I only had 5 minute to my appointment so I decided to order an Uber that turned out to be a failure because June 11th was King Kamehameha day which caused for a grand parade and led to road closures.
I put a call through to the tour company, luckily they were aware of the parade and other tourist had called stating the same reason so they were happy to delay the trip by an hour. This meant I could then watch the parade on my way to the harbour and enjoy another sightseeing that has miraculously included itself in my itinerary.
The parade was beautiful, different princeses from the different islands such as Molokai and Oahu were dressed in elegant attires while riding on their horses adorned with floral arrangements. I got to see the cultural tradition of the island which included live music and hula dancers. For an event I had not planned upfront, it was such a privilege.
I finally made it to the harbour and we embarked on the snorkelling trip, the weather was just perfect. I had purchased my snorkelling mask as I sometime struggle to find my size so that was perfect. The underwater in Hawaii is not short of undersea creatures, I made sure I did not swim too far from the instructor as they tend to spot all the lovely creatures before anyone else. I saw turtles and Eels, I was spoilt for choice. The water later became choppy with aggressive current but I had spent a good 45 minutes in water so I was happy. Overall, I got my money worth from the snorkelling trip. I later went back to the hotel to freshen up and got ready for my dinner at "House without a Key"
"House without a key" is exactly what I would gravitate towards during a vacation, there was a live Hawaiian music band right by the sunset with the view of diamond head. The food was amazing too and I could not have wished for a better ending to my first day at the paradise:)
Day 2: Hiking and Day by the beach/pool.
Given my first day had a lot of itinerary, I decided to take it easy on day 2. I woke up early for an early morning hike with the views of diamond head. I'm not usually the type that get excited by hikes except there is a reward, Once I heard the view of the diamond head was the reward, It did not take long to convince me to embark on hike. On getting back, I was tired, I had lunch and decided to spend the day by the pool and bask myself in sunshine while having bottomless Mai Tai's.
When it was time for dinner, I decided to walk to Waikiki where I found an amazing Thai restaurant called Noi, again this was a hit and the food met my expectations. I later bought a bottle of tequila on my way back (a friend had told me about his trip with Patron to Jalisco and how they have the best 100% agave tequila without preservatives so I thought it would be a great opportunity to try it out).
On getting to the hotel, my neighbours were having a party, given the terrace was not totally private I joined in the fun and shared my drink with them. They agree that I have great taste in tequila, they were Mexicans so I believe them.
Day 3: Island of Oahu, Byodo and turtle spotting tour.
This was an entire day tour that started first thing in the morning. We toured the entire island and saw different beaches. It is one of those tours that should be at the top of ones itinerary. Based on the variety, you will be able to know the activity you would like to do again, at least that worked well for me. On this tour, we had a lot of lookout points with crystal clear and white sandy beaches. We also had the opportunity of visiting Byodo temple where I rang the bell of good luck into ThirtyFree. Given it was a guided tour, it provided a lot of insights on the history of the islands. We had stops at Diamond head volcano, Halona Blowhole, Makapu'u points, Kuala valley, Mokoli'i island (Chinaman's Hat), sunset beach and Dole plantation where I had a lovely pineapple ice cream (famously called dole whip). I realised I would like to see the "sunset beach" again so I planned another day around it.
Overall, I believe it was an exciting tour, but the stops were more like tourist trap to lure people to buy things they do not need. I would drive myself If I were to do it again and probably read up about the island for an wholesome experience.
It was late by the time i arrived at the hotel, so I had some food and drinks by the pool and called it a day. Afterall, it was my birthday the following day so i needed some energy for what is to come:)
Day 4 aka ThirtyFree: Ioloni palace, Scuba Diving, Dinner at La Vie.
And the day of my birth was finally here! I woke up with a lot of energy and was ready to take the world, after responding to all the messages and calls from my family and friends, I decided to go to Ioloni palace for some history about Hawaii and how it was home to the last reigning monarchs of Hawaii, I opted for an audio guided tour which was really insightful and I did learn a thing or two about the last King Kalakaua and his sister Queen Liliuokalani. It is actually the first time I hear of a king that never had his own biological children and it was not an issue. Also, his sister was allowed to reign after his demise so it must have been a forward driven culture.
I was fascinated about Liliuokalani story, she was the only queen and the last sovereign monarch before the overthrow of the kingdom by the Americans, she was also a great musician amongst other things. Talk about a diversified Queen:)
After my palace tour ended, I took a walk back to my hotel to get ready for my diving. I had already started getting several calls from the diving company inquiring about my size to get my gear ready, I was a bit irritated given the details was provided before but it's an extreme sport so I thought it is best they have it right than giving room for any casualties. On arriving on the boat, the captain asked to see my certificate (apparently he was not told that I was not a certified scuba diver). So I asked why he had not asked the hotel prior, at this point I started feeling uneasy, he basically said everything to ensure that I give up but I said to him, it is your fault that you have not verified the required information, at the same time, my life is going to be in the hands of one of his crew so I sprinkled it with a bit of niceness. He was a proper military bloke from Texas! When he realised that I was not going to give up, he designated one of his instructors to me and we had couple of dry runs before my dives. He later ended up being the sweetest person, we made an acquaintance, talked about life experiences and he even got the crew and other scuba divers to sing me a happy birthday song:)
The dive was incredible, I saw turtles, eels and other fishes, the coral was beautiful. After my first dive, I became so relaxed and I actually enjoyed my following dives. Never thought I would say this but my experience was similar to doing Yoga and I doubt I would be snorkelling again. I'm already looking into getting certified so I do not encounter the same problem in the future.
As you would have guessed, I was exhausted by the time I got back to the hotel, It was one hour to dinner, I was due to get ready and make my way out but needed a nap at the same time so I called the restaurant to delay my reservation for an hour. I manage to get a 30 minute nap, got ready and went for the most anticipated birthday dinner.
La vie is an upscale french restaurant, not only did it resonate with me celebrating life but I do enjoy french cuisine. I had read a lot of nice reviews about the place so I was confident that the food will be amazing, the only downside was that it was annoyingly expensive. I had booked a view with the sunset but given this time of the year the sun set behind the mountains, it was not so prominent. Nonetheless, the view was picturesque, almost felt like it was something from the magazine. I had a three course meal and champagne for one. Oh, the oysters was definitely the one for the books. The waiters were knowledgeable and walked through every course that was presented. If you live in America, you would know that you hardly get this type of service so I was impressed. I ended the night taking some pictures and chatted with equally amazing people.
Day 5: Sunset Beach, Chronicles of Mai Tai's and a lost tourist.
I decided I would like to come back to sunset beach during my Oahu tour, I am a sucker for sunset and I was told that the best place to watch the most beautiful sunset was at this beach. Sunset beach is up north and almost three hours from waikiki so I decided to spend the day at the beach snorkelling and stay until after sunset. The ocean had a high current which will be a perfect beach for surfing, I only spent a few minutes in the sea then went to get an Açai bowl for lunch, I later came back and had a walk on the beach while absorbing all the goodness nature had to offer.
Once it was 6PM, I sat down by the beach anticipating the sunset, then it began to rain. I was so devastated, then a stranger whom I later made an acquaintance with started chatting with me, so I told him how my entire day was planned around this event and it would be disappointing not seeing the sunset. It stopped raining at 7:00pm but the sky was covered in clouds. Sunset was meant to be at 8PM so I was not going to give up, it then occurred to me that the last bus to the city was for 8:00PM. So I had two options, either to wait for the sunset or grab my bus and head back to the city. As you would have guessed, I went with the first option and let the universe decide how I would make it home.
Kalani, my new acquaintance suddenly showed up around 7:50PM to chat about the sunset so I used the opportunity to chat about my dilemma. He then offered to drive me to another station where I could grab another bus so I stayed to watch the sunset which did not meet my expectations but was still beautiful.
On the drive to the station at around 8:45PM, I was so scared given there was no one on the road and it was pitch black, I said every prayer I knew but Kalani did come across as a genuine person so I held on to that thought. He finally dropped me off at the station and even gave me a towel to wrap myself as I had no dry clothes and $10 to board the bus given I had lost my bus ticket. He was indeed God sent! I'm working on being better but I would not have these exciting memories if I were risk averse. The ride back to the city was long, I arrived at 11:30PM, took a shower and went to bed.
Day 6: Surfing, day by the beach and departure.
My flight was scheduled for late departure so I took the opportunity to take some surfing classes in the morning, spent the day by the beach, drank more Mai Tai's, went to a place called the signature steak house where I was offered one of the best tables in the house. The view was lovely:)
And yes! the irony is I saw the best sunset on the drive to the airport which was a consolation for the hassle I had been through the previous day and a perfect way to end the holiday.
My experience on this trip was exactly how I had envisioned it would turn out asides from the fact that Hawaii did not have a nightlife, places tend to close early even in the city and the traditional Hawaiian cuisine was not easily accessible. I only had poke bowl once and it was not really exceptional. It tasted same as any poke bowls I have had in other parts of the world.
If I ever come back, the visit would be attributed to the stunning beaches and I would definitely include Maui in my itinerary.
Also, in comparison to other islands I have visited, Hawaii seem to be very expensive. However, one thing they all have in common is people are nicer.
