Morning Drive

We finally had time to go to breakfast this morning at a popular eatery across the street from where we stayed. It was really tasty, and we got to watch the sun come up.

We had to be to our next adventure by 10am, so we took advantage of some extra time to kill and drove around the shore It was so pretty. 

We made a few stops along the way to whatever spots looked appealing to stop at. I love being a morning person. You find so many great spots people haven't taken over yet.

We even found these really cool plants. I don't know what they are called technically, but they are often referred to as a living plant.

I know, all plants are living. But when you touch these ones, you see the leaves react immediately. It's super interesting (see video below). I guess there they are like weeds and can grow to be really huge plants. We had fun playing with those for a bit.

Then came our next adventure -Kualoa Ranch. Aka Jurassic Park.

https://youtu.be/WRhz0K-6PeQ

Pearl Harbor and a Flea Market

 After the morning hike we drove out to Pearl Harbor. I've always heard it was amazing and worth seeing, and it really is. 

The whole thing is very well taken care of, and the museums are so interesting. Really puts into perspective how sad war is and the amount of loss is incredible. We came back on another day to take the boat ride out to the sunken ship. They remind you that this is a memorial, like visiting Arlington Cemetery. It is a grave site. It just happens to be underwater. And how close to the surface the sunken ship is makes it that much more heartbreaking. The colorful coral you see is just below the water's surface on the top part of the sunken ship. Such a beautiful and sad place.

On the way there we saw a giant flea market happening across the highway at the stadium. It took up the entire parking lot. We decided to stop by there to see what they have (we love a good flea/farmers market) but also see if we could get some fun souvenirs. 

We ended up walking around for a few hours. I wasn't feeling really great and being in the sun and heat wasn't helping. But we got a couple things, and even recommended the place to a few other people. So many vendors. I got a purse, and the husband found some sunglasses he's been watching for. I even had an apple banana for the first time. It's just like what it sounds too. It's a banana that has an apple flavor to it. So yummy.

After that we went to the Honolulu memorial park. Which is basically a cemetery with some beautiful pagodas. They were in disrepair and needed a lot of work. But still beautiful to see. It thoroughly makes me want to go to Japan.

After that we headed to our hotel. Our hotel was located right across the street from a huge shopping area of town. We spent the rest of the day checking out the stores and enjoying the lovely weather. We enjoyed some dinner and decided it was a day well spent.

Manoa Falls Morning Hike

 A new day in Hawaii started with a hiking adventure. We are morning people. Even when I don't have to be up early, years of 4am running is still ingrained so sleeping late is difficult. But it does have its advantages. Like going on a morning hike and watching the sun come. Also avoiding all the heavy traffic and having a trail to yourself for a bit. 

We didn't cross paths with anyone until the trek back to the car, which was really nice.

We decided to try Manoa Falls hike as it was not too far from our hotel and was listed as being a fairly doable hike for those who weren't trying to scale the side of the mountain.

I was still feeling off from the day before and was having a hard time shaking the motion sickness. Sometimes just walking and moving helps. While I still wasn't feeling 100%, and we moved much slower than normal on the hike (I wasn't feeling great, and it was a lot steeper than I anticipated) The view along the way was spectacular. 

The waterfall was a bit disappointing because it hadn't rained in a while. Apparently the best time to hike to a waterfall is after there has been a rainstorm. Good tip to know, but we couldn't be picky.

I'll pause here while I bombard you with the fantastic view and video of the gorgeous morning. The sounds of nature, watching the sun come up, all surrounded by an environment that looks almost prehistoric. I fully believe dinosaurs are somewhere around here now. We were looking for them. Plus, the size of the leaves on some of these plants are incredible. For reference, the husband is 6'5.

https://youtu.be/yCcNuQ1V2MI

As you begin the hike there is a little tourist trap of a restaurant and cafe where you can grab some snacks and drinks. you can also buy bug spray (so many bugs in this tropical rainforest area) for $11 a bottle. We suffered the mosquitos. They were advertising pineapple dole whip and I had to try some. Plus, after a hot and muggy hike something cold sounded amazing. They were just starting to open to we hung around a minute to be able to try some. Worth the wait. So worth the wait. I might have made myself sick eating the whole thing (it may not have been the best choice for my stomach), but I have no regrets. 

North Shore Waikiki

 After the shark excursion, which was totally amazing, I was not feeling well at all. The ocean did not agree with me, and it was not a fun feeling. 

Because it was early, we decided to walk around the shops and grab some snack for breakfast. I needed the chance to walk around, so we enjoyed the morning time getting some souvenirs and enjoying the scenery. 

There were lots of wild chickens around at the cafe where we stopped to get fruit smoothies. One of the best smoothies I have ever had by the way. We even got to experience the poke bowl that I hear all about in Hawaii, which was also really, really good.

By midday the pedestrian and tourist traffic were getting to be a lot, so we gave up our parking spot and went for a drive around the area. We passed by a few beautiful beaches and finally stopped at one to enjoy the sound of the ocean. I'll also include some video below. 

I am really into turtles right now. Someone during out shark diving excursion told us of a beach no one knows about where you can always see turtles. We found the beach but weren't sure we were in the right place. Eventually we found the area and saw some turtles. There will be more posts on this to come as we went back there many times. And I will never tell where this place was, because if people knew they'd probably destroy the habitat, and they'd start charging you a fortune to see them. So don't ask, I won't tell.

After a very long, and queasy for me, day, we made the trek back to our hotel. On the way we passed a local fruit vendor on the side of the road. We had to stop to see what she had and got some of the best pineapple I've ever tasted. While I'm sure you get sick of it if you live in Hawaii, this Texas transplant couldn't get enough.

https://youtu.be/NwSW4nuREK8

Snorkeling With Sharks in Hawaii

After a very early night to get as much sleep as possible, we had an early morning appointment to go swimming with Sharks with a company called One Ocean Diving. This was going to be a snorkeling adventure to see sharks. Because if I'm going to go snorkeling for the first time, it might as well be with sharks, right?

My niece had done this the year before and said it was amazing, so I convinced my husband to give it a try. Maybe it's a bad thing he's up for most anything.

The boat ride for me was rough. I learned I get easily seasick, even with motion sickness meds. They said it was a very calm day, but the ocean sure felt choppy during the three miles out to open sea. Turns out the sharks are attracted to the electricity in the propellers. The boat made it to its stopping place, and as we rocked back and forth getting ready to get in the water, we could see the sharks alongside the boat. And we were still going to get in the water. Internally I may have panicked.

This excursion you really just stay by the boat. You aren't swimming out into ocean water, just staying by the boat looking facedown into the water. If it's safe, the safety experts would allow you to do a short dive. 

The guides with us were very knowledgeable, and I really did feel safe the whole time. I am not a strong swimmer and having not really gone swimming in the ocean, I clung to the side of the boat the whole time and just looked down. I was totally ok with that option too.

We saw a few sharks, as well as a barracuda, and lots of fish. We saw some very interesting needle fish, and we got really lucky and saw a tiger shark. When a tiger shark comes along, they have you stay close to the boat. Then you wait for them to tell you if you need to get out of the water or not. We didn't have to get out of the water, just watched the shark come and go. It was pretty amazing. 

we had about an hour in the water, but the motion of the ocean was really getting to me. Don't get me wrong, it was very calm and peaceful, and the waves were a gentle rocking the whole time. And that's when my seasickness was getting really rough. I moved to sit on the steps on the boat the last 5 minutes of the excursion because I was trying not to get sick from the motion. I would not survive life on the sea.

Eventually everyone got out and we headed back to land. I would absolutely do this again.

The husband took some great video with his go pro during the trip, so links below to the videos to see what we saw. It was absolutely worth getting seasick.

https://youtu.be/uTdZLwmeIZA

https://youtu.be/FHZkprpBPOQ

https://youtu.be/K9gu7gznjoM

Byodo-In Temple

 After the gardens, we saw this place called Byodo Temple not far from where we were. This was supposed to be a replica of a Japanese temple, and since we are definitely wanting to hit Japan one day, we thought this would be a great stop at the end of our day.

The clouds were getting dark and stormy, and it did sprinkle on us a bit. That only added to the beauty of the island though. It's Hawaii, so it's not cold outside. 

You drive through the most beautiful cemetery and Japanese style graves which are all this beautiful polished black stone. It's just gorgeous resting against the lush green of the island. Such a beautiful resting place to be at. 

Then we reach the temple. It is just lovely. I love Japanese style architecture, and this did not disappoint. There was a giant bell that people were in line to hit, as well as coy fishponds all over. You could buy fish food the feed these giant guys. 

We couldn't go into the temple. You could just look through the main doors as you walked by and see a giant statue of Buda. The incense inside was burning very strong. This is a tourist spot, so of course there were a few souvenir places. They did have a local artist there selling jewelry, which was quite beautiful. I did get a few necklaces.

We didn't stay long as the rain was coming, and we were exhausted with an hour drive ahead of us. We'd arrived on the island about midnight the previous night, then had to be at the beach at 7am. We were tired, and starving. There was a McDonald's right by where we were. 

Now, I'm not a fan of McDonald's at home, let alone when I'm on vacation. But it was there, it was fast, and we were starving. We ate burgers and frosties as we sat in traffic on the way back to the hotel. When you're hungry, anything tastes delicious. We were then quickly passed out after a long a busy first day in Hawaii.