Late 2017, my life was flipped when my dad fell at work and spent almost a year in the hospital. As a celebration of life and his 50th birthday, he decided to take my brothers and I to Hawaii.
Our adventure started on Tuesday, 12/18 at the Minneapolis airport. We had one stop in Los Angeles, then it was over the big blue for us. Arriving anywhere in the late afternoon is always weird because I never know what to do. I don't want to risk my plane being delayed, so I try not to book or plan anything particular. I'm not the relaxing type, so I end up walking around and figuring out my surroundings. We hadn't ate all day so we found ourselves at Cheeseburger in Paradise. I will never deny pineapple on a burger. The California Cheeseburger had not only avocado and pineapple, but also, my heart.
My parents had gone to Hawaii many years prior and wouldn't stop talking about the zoo there. Most of the animals there were the only ones of their kind within 2,500 miles! My dad also hyped up how the hippo came right up to the glass. So of course, visiting the Honolulu Zoo was a huge priority for us. Wednesday we woke up, lost dad, found dad, and were on our way to the zoo in no time!
A statue of Gandhi greeted us as we left the zoo. It brought his sense of peace to the shaded area. We came across a food truck behind the Waikiki Laundromat which served squid. As someone who likes to try everything, I was all about it. I'll be honest, I wasn't a fan. Squid doesn't seam to hold much flavor and takes forever to chew. But, that's my hot take. I also grabbed a Spam Musubi from a local convenience store and thoroughly enjoyed it. My family has always been big on Spam and I fell hard for the popular Hawaiian dish. The rest of our Wednesday was spent walking around downtown Honolulu, exploring other hotels, and shopping.
If you've ever talked to me about traveling, I will never stop praising the GoPass. I've used it in multiple cities now, and it's my go-to whenever I'm in someplace new. Dad had booked the trip and didn't give us much info, but we quickly found out nothing was really planned for our 7 day trip. So, I used GoPass to book some attractions. I always try to do a tour first and go from there. We started with a tour of Oahu with Roberts Hawaii.
We were shown many formations on Oahu from Diamond Head to Nuuanu Pali Lookout. We also saw the Kahala Estates where many celebrities have summer homes. The Hawaiian Coral Factory was a great stop to purchase various seashells and gifts.
Coral Kingdom was our lunch stop with a restaurant, gift shop, and beautiful outdoor area. The Tropical Farms Macadamia Nut Factory had a huge assortment of macadamia nuts, almost every flavor you could imagine.
Our last big stop was at the Dole Plantation. I enjoyed looking at all the pineapple themed gifts and we all enjoyed some famous Dole Whip before hitting the road again.
December 21st, Friday, we spent the early morning at the nearby mall. I caught the Disney Store being officially opened by cast members. Our mode of transportation was foot, so we spent most of our vacation walking back and forth to destinations. I love this because it gives us the opportunity to see things we may not catch in a bus or taxi, a "stop and smell the roses". It also means hauling a 24-pack of bottled water from the local Walmart all the way back to the hotel.
We caught a bus that took tourists from Honolulu to the Polynesian Cultural Center, one of the options on our Go Pass. This was the most memorable stop for me. The park is sectioned off into the various island villages-Tonga, Tahiti, Hawaii, Fiji, Aotearoa, and Samoa. I learned a lot about what is was like living in these cultures. Ha-Breath of Life, was a spectacular stage show the whole family enjoyed.
There is also a luau option that we also enjoyed. I loved the various food creations on the buffet. The show was entertaining and their dancers were so talented!
Saturday, we set off on another adventure. GoPass offers a ride to Diamondhead, one of the main focal points of Honolulu. It. Is. A. Hike. Definitely worth it at the end. When I hike, especially upwards, I tend to take my time to observe what's around me, and the view from where I'm currently at. It was kind of hard to do that with so many tourists hitting up the trail for sunrise. My siblings reduced the traffic a little bit by spreading up, not out. The staircase was so steep! My hands are also oddly small, which makes doing the "shaka" hard for me to do.
Diamondhead wasn't the only stop of the day. Most of it was spent at Pearl Harbor. We received a recorded walk through tour, which made it easier to catch everything in the museum area. We even met an island resident who was 8 years old on December 7, 1941. He said as an 8 year old boy, the attack was the coolest thing ever when it first started. Then he realized what was actually going on and he took cover in fear. It was nice to hear his honesty, as I think I would also have thought the big planes and fire was cool too until i realized it wasn't a drill. There are varying levels of Pearl Harbor, so if you visit, be sure to plan for them all.
My good friend was stationed in Hawaii at the time of our visit, so I spent the night with her. We went to King's Village and watched street performers. I loved the architecture in the area. It was like being in a mini city! We ate a plate of sushi at Doraku.
The 23rd I spent mainly on my own. I walked around the city a bit and hung out on the beach. I enjoyed watching the birds, northern cardinals. I came upon a few surfer statues which had been honored with fresh leis.
I took a $55 Uber to Aulani (and $55 to come back) for a dinner reservation. I made sure to have some time to explore as much of the resort as I could beforehand. The pool area had a ton of plants and there was access to their beach area. Stitch was pretty prominent throughout the resort.
Dinner at Makahiki was amazing! I mean, you can never go wrong with unlimited seafood. Character meet and greets can be awkward for me, but also absolutely precious. Dale wasn't too happy I was by myself, so he joined me for a bit. And look how precious my Donald looks. I could cry. Stitch was also overjoyed to see me reppin' Kalikimaka and himself. A part of Menehune Mischief was an Uncle telling an interactive story. Not my thing, but a few kids got really into it.
December 24th, a Monday and Christmas Eve, was our last day on the island. I made sure we ate at Hard Rock Cafe, a must stop in all my travels. I got a pomegranate cider sangria from their seasonal drink section and the Local Legendary, which I wish for the life of me I could remember what comes on it. Guess I'll just have to go back.
My brother and I took one last look through the area, stopping at Waikiki Yokocho. And with that, it was time to catch our flight.
I hope you've enjoyed reading this blog and living through the photos. I highly encourage you stop at these places if you ever go to Hawaii yourself. Aloha!
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