O'ahu - Part 2

We left the hotel on Monday morning about 9:30 a.m. to visit the Diamond Head Crater.
In hindsight, we should have caught the first bus at 6:30 a.m.  The temperature was probably in the mid-80's by the time we arrived, and as we climbed, it seemed the temperature did too!  A bit much for a Saskatchewan girl used to much lower temps.

 My first clue this was not going to be an easy walk in the park was the trek from the highway into the crater.  The scenery was beautiful though and I was determined to keep up with my more fit friend!

At first the path was paved and the slope was gentle...that didn't very long.

Can you imagine there are people who run this trail?

The signs warning of falling rocks did little to dispel my concerns either.

Eventually Soon, I let K go ahead of me K went on ahead without me as it was clear to both of us achieving the summit was beyond my capacity.

The arrow in the next picture marks her progress, to approximately the mid-way point of the trek.

I did eventually make it that far as well, but that was the turn around point for me. While the view was incredible, the heat was too much.  I also knew since there were a series of steps coming up I wasn't prepared to attempt.  K told me later, the first were 79 steps followed by a dark tunnel, and finally another 99 steps to climb to the summit. I'll have to ask her to send me a few pictures of the view from the top.

Returning back to Waikiki, and after lots of water and a refreshing nap, we did the Mai-Tai cruise in the late afternoon.  Now this was an adventure more to my liking.  We boarded the catamaran and sailed out into the ocean.  We were too late in the year to see whales, but being on the water, enjoying the sun and the breezes was absolutely wonderful none the less.

To the right of this picture you can see the Diamond Head Crater.  Gotta say, this is my favorite view of it!

After disembarking the catamaran we walked down the beach to the Shorebird restaurant for the early evening dinner special.  For $14.99 per person we got the "all you can eat" salad bar and a six ounce steak which we grilled ourselves under the watchful eyes of a roving chef.  Not only was the food terrific (the salad bar was phenomenal and I can't complain about the steak), the service staff were excellent, and the atmosphere was fun.  We didn't stay long enough to watch the sunset as our table was near the back of the restaurant, but we were told the tables closest to the beach had an awesome view.

Tomorrow: Pearl Harbor and a walking tour of downtown Honolulu

O'ahu - Part 1

I've been home for over a week and it's been a busy one!  Between work, company, and photography class, and the darned jet lag, I'm just now starting to feel like there is some time to sit down and write about my vacation.

We left Regina at 6:30 a.m. on Friday April 5 and landed in Honolulu at about 7:30 p.m.  After getting our luggage we snagged a shuttle to our hotel.

Our room was on the 5th floor, with a view of the canal, distant hills, and golf course.  While the hotel was a few blocks from the beach it was centrally located, had a kitchen, and the price was definitely right.  The decor was definitely out-dated but everything was clean and generally well-maintained.

That evening we wandered down the street to an ABC for drinks, fruit and yogurt (for the next day's breakfast.  We were told there were about 50 ABC stores in Honolulu...well, there must be 25 of them in Waikiki alone.  For Canadian readers, think 7-11 on steroids, they sold almost everything you could need.

The next day we spent acclimatizing to our location.  We visited the International market (just a block away), grabbed the free trolley to the Hilo-Hattie store (so K could replace a pair of shoes) and back to the Al Moana shopping center for the grocery store.  On the recommendation of the trolley driver we visited Slipper City in the mall.  Both of us picked up new pairs of sandals for under $20!

While we were waiting for the trolley to depart the store, we were chatting with a couple from San Diego.  When I got off the trolley to snap a picture of K....this happened!


After returning the hotel with our purchases, I went to spend some time on the sundeck, while K had a rest.  We wandered back out for a walk before grabbing a quick Bento dinner of salmon, rice and veg for dinner from the Food Pantry.

The following day we did a walking tour of Waikiki.

The beach is quite long, so there parts full of people, and other less so.  One of the busiest spots was at the Duke Kahanamoku Statue.  Just trying to get a photo without people standing in the way was challenging, but I eventually got it!












We walked past the zoo, but didn't venture in.  With this inhabitant, we didn't have too, since he (or she) was quite happy to allow us to take her picture from across the street!



We also visited a small park, the Queen Kapiolani garden, and stopped to enjoy some of the blooms.

There were also some interesting things to see not on the official walking tour.

The sign says "beware of dog".

Apparently, no one told the pigeons!



That evening we went out to dinner at near-by restaurant, which shall remain nameless, unless you're planning to travel to Waikiki.  The service was fine, but the food was less than good.

Tomorrow - Diamond Head Crater and the Mai-tai cruise