MY FIRST THOUGHTS ON OAHU

The first thing I think of when I think of Hawaii is the ocean waves, the incredibly clear water, how BIG some of the waves were, how far out you could swim in the ocean, and how as far as you could see there is only water. Hawaii is so remote, and you feel it when you go there. It is literally 5 or 6 hours to the nearest landmass. We visited Oahu, which is where Honolulu is. It is the 3rd largest island and the only one we could fly in direct from the east coast.

The second thing I think of is how every day it drizzles or "spritzes" rain on you. It never lasts long, so just stand in it and consider it a nice refresher. One of the locals told us it was like the ocean giving the island butterfly kisses. Its cheesy, but you'll know exactly what they mean when you go there. No wonder all the license plates have rainbows! We saw one our first day and I just knew from there it was going to be a beautiful!

PEARL HARBOR

We booked this as our first tour because it was early and because, well, we were not adjusting 6 hours in one day. The tour started at 5am Hawaiian time (which felt like 11am for us). There is something about seeing the Pearl Harbor Memorial in person that makes it much more real. I learned a lot more about some of the devastating mistakes that caused as many deaths as there were, and the turn of events that triggered Japan to attack. The thing I find so crazy is that Hawaii is like 40% Japanese. The Japanese decided to attack because we wouldn't give them oil after they invaded China. They tried to get us to reconsider but after they invaded China it wasn't going to happen, so they decided to attack so they could try to take over without us interferring.

We saw the planes coming, but the individual in charge told the operators not to worry because we had planes due in from CA that day. He thought thats what was showing up on radar. Sadly, he was very mistaken. Many lives were lost that day, many people ended up trapped in the ships that sank. That's where the really sad stories about hearing people tapping come from. They all didn't die right away, it took a few days, and there wasn't anything we could do.

Today the USS Arizona memorial is build over the ship, which is still underwater. It remains an underwater grave. There were 1,177 members of the 1,400 member crew that died that December day in 1941. The crew members of the Arizona that did survive are cremated and their ashes are taken down to the ship by a scuba diva and placed with their perished crew members so they can "man their post" one last time. This is a bucket list must see. The mood here is very somber, but its a place that somehow has captured the emotion and sadness of that day so we never forget.

HELICOPTER TOUR

We love doing tours at the beginnings of trips. You get to see everything and if there is something that catches your eye you can always add it to the list. Hawaii is amazing to see from a helicopter. There are so many places you just can't get to (legally or easily) or won't have time to see that you really should. Sacred falls is one of those places. Its a beautiful waterfall that you can only see via helicopter. Its off limits to the public because people died in a landslide, so its now deemed unsafe. The other thing you see is the "rivet mountains." Every time it rains heavy, the mountain literally has multiple waterfalls that flow down the rivets and its incredibly beautiful.

Hawaii has all these micro-climates where there are completely different types of life that are able to survive. They have rainforests. They have underwater coral reefs that look incredible from above. They have all the dormant volcano/mountains. The view of the city is beautiful. There is an island that is off-limits to the public because its a bird sanctuary. They also have a beach that has 25 foot waves and is pretty much surfers only. I couldn't take enough pictures!

Hawaii is also where the TV show Lost was filmed, and it was neat to see some of the scenery in person! They also filmed multiple other shows and movies there, like Hawaii 5-0, Godzilla, etc. The tour is definitely one of the more pricey things to do, however it is worth every penny.

DIAMOND HEAD

We did the Moderate Hike up Diamond Head. There are "easy" hikes and also "difficult" hikes. We are both in pretty good shape and we were sweaty when we got to the top. Its all uphill and its definitely not easy. One of the couples on our tour went part of the way up then turned around because they couldn't do it. I think the temptation pops into your brain naturally but there was absolutely no way we were not going to the top. We came this far! So you do a bunch of hiking around the side of the mountain, and the farther up you go the farther down the drop is.

Once you get close to the top, there are 99 steps that get you the rest of the way up to the peak / view point of the mountain. Don't overthink it. just take it a step at a time. There are two caves that you have to walk through too that are pretty scary dark. I'm really not afraid of heights, didn't mind the steps, so looking down from high up sometimes bothers me but most of the time it doesn't phase me at all, however walking through these caves creeped me out. Its too dark and I couldn't see where I was. I'd recommend downloading one of those flashlight apps on your phone and using it when you get there.

Once you get to the top there are platforms where you can see all around you. The views are definitely worth the hike, they are incredible. Take your camera, and make sure its fully charged! Its just an absolutely beautiful island and looking around pretty much takes your breath away (or that could be the hike up, not sure!).

WAIKIKI BEACH

Waikiki beach is having a lot of problems due to erosion. They had a huge multi-million dollar project a few years ago and added a bunch more sand, however they just keep losing it. Apparently they lost several feet this year alone and it just keeps happening. Who knows how long this beach will be there. They said within 5-6 years they will have lost the whole beach if there isn't another restoration project.

This beach is within walking distance of our hotel. Plus, we ate at a Duke's Buffet which was right on the beach. So, eat breakfast then walk right onto the beach - its pretty much perfect. Its so relaxing here, we rented an umbrella and chairs and parked in as much shade as possible. We also rented boogie boards for the ocean. Some of the waves get really big. You'll swim out a little, and won't be able to stand, but if you swim a little further, the water is only up to your waist. Even still, you'll get huge waves come through, so its nice to hang on the boogie board and jump into them. It made it significantly less scary! What else is there really to say about a beach on an island in the middle of nowhere. Its beautiful, and you have to go. Take your water bottle and take some super strong suntan lotion. After the beach, we stopped at Round Table Waikiki and ordered pizza. Its a sports bar, so Greg was right at home. I sipped my strawberry daiquiri and enjoyed the breeze.

DUKE'S BUFFET

Things to add to your bucket list to try - Portugese sausage. Its good! Its probably super unhealthy too, because I couldn't eat very much of it and had to chug water. Pretty sure I'm good on my salt intake for awhile now! This is much better than what you think of as a normal buffet, the food is actually good, and you can try different stuff. I recommend their French toast. Delish!

For some reason Spam is really big in Hawaii too, but since we name junk email after what we called "spam" meat, I just couldn't do it. If you want to though, people in Hawaii seem to love it.

ALOHA STADIUM

The Rainbow Warriors! They have a tradition where the cheerleaders lay on a surfboard, get carried across the field and end up standing on the surfboard. This is very "Hawaii" as surfing is a big deal here. They also had some girls in sumo wrestler costumes running around trying to get around cones. This was hilarious because one girl just kept falling over. Not a lot of people go the games here, its probably the least amount of local interest we've seen in a team anywhere. The locals that were at the game told us its because it is too expensive. Hawaii is not a rich island and their main source of income is tourism. The next biggest source of income is government defense stuff.

Greg talked about getting pizza with one of the locals, and they told us that the pizza sounded good until we would look at the price, it was $6. They recommended to just get the hotdogs because they were like $1 or $2. Greg decided to get the hotdogs because he didn't want them to feel bad. It definitely makes you appreciate what you have. $6 isn't much to us on the mainland.

The game was crazy interesting. We did end up winning somehow rather crazily, which is good because Greg says that Hawaii is better than Wyoming Cowboys. I saw "we" as in Hawaii because we always root for the home team!

Traffic is a nightmere and trying to get out of here is just impossible. Your options are pay 50 bucks for a taxi or take the bus for like 10 but it takes 2 hours. We decided to go the bus route (where do we have to be, right?) and some guy came up to us and said he was giving rides back to Waikiki. I would definitely not have gone for this if Greg was not there! He had a big van with other people in it, and Greg and some local decided that if he tries any funny business Greg would knock him out and the local was going to grab the van. The local talked Gregs ear off the entire ride, and somehow he said he played football with some guy in the NFL who is like 22 (and he's in his 40's?!). Anyway, we made it safely back to Waikiki.. although I don't know if I recommend getting in vans with strange people saying they are giving rides. In this case, it worked out for us!

THE LUAU

They have them at a lot of hotels and its basically food and a big celebration of culture. We tried the Hilton's Luau and it was awesome. Make sure you select the option where you get a lei, its basically a wreath or necklace of fresh flowers. Hawaii has some really interesting beliefs, and they do a lot of dances to please the gods and nature and its really neat to watch. I got a beautiful flower tattoo, and tried some amazing food. The Hawaiian salad was amazing, so was the chicken and all the desserts.

We didn't choose one of the luaus that have a pig roasting on a stick, I don't think I could have handled that! Recommended attire - ladies where your light weight pretty dresses and men, well, Hawaiian shirts are a must! (unless you are like Greg, who wears soccer jerseys everywhere).

ORIGINAL ROYS + ROYS WAIKIKI

Just eat! At both! Order sushi, and eat the weird snowpea looking things that they put at your table. There is an art on how to do it, just ask them to show you. Everything we ate here was amazing. Save room for dessert and even if you don't have room, order it anyway! We had the most amazing chocolate souffle here. I don't even like chocolate that much and I enjoyed every minute of this....

ALAN WONGS

This was the best place we ate at, by far. The food has an amazing level of complexity to it and its just crazy good. Greg got the tasting menu, I ordered a lobster dish and everything was just out of this world. This is a must-go place too. We walked from our hotel and it was a mile or two, which was perfect to "walk it off" after we ate here!

THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW

The flight - We flew direct from Newark to Honolulu. The flight was SO long. I'm pretty sure we both felt like losing it after like hour 7 or 8. Next time, we decided we are flying to the west coast on the way there too, and spending a few days. I don't know that it is really ever necessary to adjust all the way to Hawaiian time, if you can just get to west coast you should be good to go. A lot of the things you do are early in the morning so they cater to the travelers.

Diamond Head hike - Bring workout clothes and sneakers to your hike. Don't be a crazy person and try to where like, open toes or jeans or something. That's just ridiculous. Also, take a bottle of water with you or buy one at the base before you start your hike. You will also need a pouch to easily carry something. Backpacks are a bit much, but maybe a small one? Or if you have cargo shorts with big pockets, that worked well for us.

Helicopter - We didn't do the open door one, although if you think you can handle it go for it. Your pictures and views will be lovely. Just be leery if it rains, which it does rather often in short sprits.

Attire/Shoes - bring one pair of sneakers for the hike, one pair of shoes that are sandals, and one pair of flip flops. Attire in Hawaii is very casual. Go for cottons, breezy feeling stuff. Dresses are fine, leave your jeans at home. Also leave anything slightly heavy at home. Its hot and you just want to be comfortable.

Forget the car rental - At least on Oahu. You don't need it. The cost will be more than its worth. We booked tours that picked us up and used taxis for the airport. Taxis are super expense but its still cheaper than paying for a rental. You won't need it, the island is not that big. Plus, you can just walk most places, so take it all in! Also, traffic is insane. Its more frustration that its worth. Our family told us this prior to going, and it was definitely good advise.

Its more commercial than you think, and its also more remote than you think. If this makes sense, then you've been to Hawaii. Its got the "island in the middle on the ocean" feel, and its also got the "we are a state is the lovely US of A" feel. Its unlike anywhere else. I'm already plotting ways to convince Greg to visit the other islands that don't have sports stadiums. For this, I will have to keep you posted....