Alright, so here are some of what I did in Hawaii...
Sea Life Park
The number one thing I wanted to do in Hawaii was to "dance with dolphins." Also known as interaction in the water with dolphins. That was fulfilled by my second day in Hawaii. It was more than magical and everything I could ever imagine. Ever wonder what dolphins feel like? Like leather. Hard and rubbery. Oh my, they were so smart! One of my favorite movies in the entire world is 50 First Dates, and I have seen it over 50 times. Come to find out, one of the dolphins I "danced" with, Mikioi, was a star in the movie. How cool is that?! Besides dancing with the dolphins, I got to explore the park. It wasn't much. There were some sea turtles, penguins, sharks, birds, a whale, and sea lions. You can go around the whole place in probably less than 45 minutes. It's pretty small. The place overlooks the beautiful blue ocean and that's definitely a sight to see.
Shrimp Trucks
I heard that it is a must to try the shrimp trucks on the island. I didn't know there were so many!!! I only had time to try 2 shrimp trucks. The first was called Ono Steaks & Shrimp Wagon, located in Waimanalo just down the road from Sea Life Park. I got a garlic shrimp plate and 1 shredded beef taco. The garlic shrimp plate was my favorite! It was perfectly seasoned, and not overwhelmed with garlic. My taco was filled with lettuce, mango salsa, and the meat, it was heaven on earth! The second shrimp truck that I tried was in Hahuku called Giovanni's Shrimp Truck. They have another location in Haleiwa. I don't eat spicy food, but my friend got their spicy shrimp plate and said it was extremely hot! But, good. I played it safe and got a shrimp scampi plate (it's just a garlic shrimp plate). It was $13, a little more pricier than Ono Steaks & Shrimp Wagon ($7 and some change). I thought Giovanni's shrimp plate was alright. It was as flavorful as the Ono's shrimp plate. I think what really made a difference is that at Ono's, the white rice was drizzled in the same garlic sauce that the shrimp had. So it was very flavorful. Giovanni's Shrimp Truck is a well known place. It was way more packed than Ono's. Try them both out!
I don't think I need to write a description for this place at all. It is known worldwide. Shaved ice. It's definitely a tourist place. Must go if you're in the area... just because. I thought their shaved ice just tastes like any other shaved ice. Don't get me wrong, I'm in no way dissing this place. It's one of the originals and very hyped up, there's nothing different about their ice or flavors. But it was cool to just be there.. haha.
Swap Meet at the Stadium
If you want to buy gifts for friends and family back at home, this is the place to go. You can find really neat things starting from just one dollar. You can buy a cool HI t-shirt for just $4 here along with other HI souvenirs.
Diamond Head State Monument
Major tourist spot. A short hike to the top where you can see a 180 degrees view of the island. Pretty nice up top, but very populated with people... yuck. There's a tunnel you can go through. Warning, it's dark and has huge bugs! There are stairs you're going to have to climb up. Parking is $5 and very limited. I got there around 8 o'clock and the lot was full, but I waited in line and eventually there was a spot open up within minutes. Not too bad. Go here if you have an hour to kill. Other than that, you can get more by doing a 3 mile hike in the neck of the woods somewhere on the island.
Liliha Bakery
If you're looking for a sweet treat at the godly hour of the night, go here. They have all types of desserts ranging from cheescakes to donuts. They also have food food here, but I only got an oreo mint chocolate chip cupcake here. I went at midnight and they had a lot of options!
Tantalus Dr.
This place is a must go. I got a chance to see it in the day and at night. Doesn't matter what time of the day you go, you will not be disappointed. During the day, make sure to drop by the Puu Ualakaa State Park up the road, go to the viewpoint (there'll be signs guiding you to it) there and absorb all of Oahu's beauty! I was speechless. At night, along the road, there's a lookout viewpoint, you can see half of Oahu lit up in perfection.
Manoa Falls
If you have better places to see, don't go here. Probably one of the most disappointed things I did in Hawaii. It wasn't much of a hike and when I went, it was very slippery and muddy. The waterfall was the saddest thing I have ever seen. Normally, I would spend at least 30 minutes at the end to soak it all in but as soon as I reached the waterfall, I just wanted to get out of there. I do like the fact that it was in a tropical forest. I think if the hike was longer, more challenging, and less muddy, I'd enjoy it.
I was this close to leave Hawaii without knowing what the heck The Spitting Caves was. It's exactly what the name is. A bunch of water rushes into a cave and then it spits it back out. Voila. This place was a gem! Very hard to find, we had to drive by it twice very slowly in order to find it. You can Yelp it and it will guide you to it, but you'll be so confused as it is in a neighborhood with very nice houses. Plus, the people on Yelp won't tell you how to get there because they want to reserve its beauty, and after seeing it, I now understand why, and they have done a great job doing so. The path that leads you to it is located between two houses, you will see a construction crew working on a house right next to it. You must look closely for it or else you won't find it. Once you walk through the beaten path, it'll open up to an amazing view of the ocean. Walk to your left and there's a rusty ladder that'll lead you to the whirlpool underneath. This was my favorite place out of all the places I've been to on the island.
The Beaches
Best thing about Hawaii beaches... no parking fee and you can find a beach anywhere! I was at the beach almost every single day. The water was so warm and... "blue". There were a few beaches where it was crazy packed... there were some that were so secluded, and that takes some time driving down the road and through the neighborhoods to discover.
- Lani Kai
- Waimea
- Kailua
- All other beaches that we stumbled upon but do not know the name of
I'm so glad I had a chance to soak it all up. Oahu was beautiful and I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to explore such an incredible place. Until next time... aloha.
xoxo
