Aloha Hawaii🌺

Dear people

Hawaii has completely captivated us. From Osaka, Japan, we flew nonstop to Honolulu in 8 hours. The flight was relatively bumpy, so we needed an extra dose of sleeping pills, but we landed safely anyway.
We took a taxi to our Airbnb apartment, but we were a bit early. After a short wait, we were able to check into our accommodation. The apartment belonged to Chinese people, and I thought we had just left Asia! Wtf! 😂
After a short break, we took the bus to Waikiki Beach. Since we live a bit outside, we drove through some conflicting areas. Homeless people have set up entire tent camps in parks and streets; I have never seen anything like it. At Waikiki Beach, there is no sign of any of that. There, one hotel bunker is lined up after another, and everyone is sipping their cocktails in relaxation. It is quite interesting to see a glittering world in the front and poverty in the back, and no one cares. So we strolled through the streets and along the beach, and we even got to watch a hula show. Then we went back; unfortunately, both of us had a pretty bad jet lag that would last a few more days. During the day, I felt exhausted, and at night, I lay awake in bed. However, we had a lot planned for the coming days, so I had to endure it. Oahu, the main island of Hawaii, with its capital Honolulu, had a lot to offer. The hike to Diamond Head was at the top of my list. So after oversleeping again, we set off for the volcano crater in the scorching midday heat. The hike was not so strenuous, but the sun was taking a toll on us. Sweating, we reached our destination, and it was worth it. From one side, you could see the ocean, and from the other side, the skyline of Honolulu. We were happy, and then we could cool off in the sea. After that, we had the famous pancakes from ihope. Huge portions and very delicious, I can only say. One thing we noticed here in the USA is that everything is a bit bigger. There are huge cars, huge portions of food... Everything is somehow two sizes larger than what we are used to in Europe. The next day, Lars took the opportunity to fulfill his long-held dream of surfing. So off he went to the beach, and he did well and even stood on the board once. I wanted to try it too, but well, I couldn't even lie on the board, so I decided not to do it, haha. Instead, I discovered sea turtles and swam with them. Unfortunately, Lars got a bad sunburn despite sunscreen. The next day, we went on another small hike to Manoa Falls. The hike went directly through the rainforest, and for the first time, we saw the incredibly beautiful nature of Oahu. Everything was overgrown and surrounded by huge trees and colorful flowers. I can only say it was dreamlike! Unfortunately, it started pouring rain halfway through the path, and we both got soaked. But we were rewarded with a beautiful waterfall at the end. Pearl Harbor should not be missed when visiting Hawaii in my opinion. You can sign up for a free tour and walk through halls with various exhibits. The tour started with a short introductory film explaining what happened on December 7, 1941. Then we went on a small boat and could visit the USS Arizona Memorial. Quite impressive! All in all, it was an exciting and interesting experience that I can recommend to everyone. We ended the evening by peacefully relaxing on the beach. Since we were a bit frustrated with taking the bus all the time, as it takes ages to get from A to B, we decided to rent a car for a few more days. That suited us fine because we had to move to another Airbnb the next day. So we picked up our car early in the morning. A little tip on the side: always book the cheapest car category in Hawaii, as they usually don't have it and are forced to give you a better car. That's what happened in our case too. In the end, we decided on a VW Beetle convertible. Happily, we drove with our speedy convertible to the new accommodation and picked up all our stuff. Then we just drove off to the famous North Shore. They say that's where the big waves are, the surfer's paradise. In Hawaii, you can immediately feel that special Hawaiian way of life. People are laid-back, and the sun is shining, what more could you ask for!? So we visited a few beaches with big waves, but the massive killer waves only come in winter. Nevertheless, I really enjoyed watching the surfers glide smoothly on the waves. Since we liked it so much, we decided to go there again the next day. We even discovered a beach where some turtles were chilling and didn't mind all the tourists at all. After a round of snorkeling, we watched the sunset and let the evening come to an end.
Since we only had the car for one more day, we wanted some action. This time we drove to another side of the island and went hiking again. I would say we found a new hobby, haha. Today it was time for the Pillbox Hike, which promised breathtaking views. The path was rocky and tough, but despite a few drops of sweat, we made it, and it was worth it. The view was spectacular, and we could see the beautiful coastline and Lanikai Beach from above. After a break, we made our way back and jumped straight into the sea. We spent the rest of the afternoon there before we had to return our awesome car. And just like that, the last day arrived. Lars wanted to surf again, so we spent the day in Honolulu at our usual spot on the beach, ate the last fish and chips at our favorite food truck, and had a drink while watching the sunset with a view of the sea. The next day, we continued to Maui, but more on that in the next post.

Warmest regards,

Anita