Wow was I disoriented once I arrived in Honolulu! It confused me (and still does) that I left at 1800 on Wednesday eve in Australia and arrived in Hawaii at 0745 Wednesday morning.. A massive 20 hours time difference.!
Now I have to admit (and yes I know this sounds dumb as) but it didn’t click that Hawaii was actually part of the States until I got there and was surrounded by the thick American accent.!
I spent that first day strolling up and down the foreshore and laying down in the shade for a little nap – I got burnt. Waikiki Beach was stunning but full of tourists as you could imagine.
At the hostel I met a great group of people and we had a few drinks together. It ended up being a few of us Aussies and a Hawaiian dude for a fun night out.
The next day, a little hungover and a bit jetlagged, Leah (Aussie), Titus (Hawaiian dude) and I decided to walk to the top of Diamond Head Crater. It was hot. Cool walk though with a great view once we got to the top!
I spent the rest of the day at the beach swimming and again, having a nap on the beach until a magical sunset. It was truly beautiful and I even managed to check out a hula show down the foreshore.
Another productive day was spent hiring a scooter and riding up the east coast of Oahu with another Aussie, Todd.
It was a great drive with mountains on our left and the ocean on our right. Quick stop for a handstand in front of the Chinaman’s Hat (similar to one in South Australia).. Another stop off for a plate of shrimp scampi was a must (recommended to me by my Dad) and it did not disappoint – yum!!
We kept riding until we got to the North Shore and checked out the stunning beaches. We stopped off at Sharks Cove for a swim, in the amazingly warm water, swimming through some ocean caves and jumping off the rocks.
Slowly slowly we made our way back but not before stopping off at Pipeline (which was dead flat of course) to do a headstand or two.!
The ride back was a bit of a mission but we eventually got back to Waikiki just in time for sunset and some more handstands – fun!! Such a big day and I was buggered.
Leah and I woke early that following morning for an early morning surf – it was magical. We went out at Waikiki Beach and I loved just laying on the board in the sun.
On my final day in Hawaii I had a bit of a sleep in as I woke up all stuffy and not feeling great. Slow start and Liv came over so we could all make the mission to Manoa Falls.
We missed our connecting bus but eventually made it there and it was well worth it – it was stunning!! You could easily tell that some scenes from the movie, Jurassic Park, were shot here with the huge mountains in the background.
We eventually got to the falls, which again, was stunning. There were signs not to swim but there was already someone in the water so we didn’t hesitate and jumped straight in. I even managed to do a headstand on the rocks in front of the falls.
I had the local dish of Ahi Poke and even tried the Musubi (spam sushi roll) which was interesting..
It was a quick goodbye to some pretty amazing people I had met there and on the bus to the airport. It was time to head to Central America..!
Mahalo Hawaii..
