Oahu, Hawai’i

Hawaii was absolutely gorgeous and it was great to see so many old friends.

Because Dad is retired military, we got to fly on a C117 from San Fransisco to Hickam. We had to wait several hours and be flexible, because you can’t actually reserve seats on a Space A flight. Dad had warned us that the flight would probably be cold, uncomfortable, and extremely loud. There was no wifi or TVs like we are used to on a commercial airline. To his surprise, all the kids loved flying in a cargo plane! We got to stretch out and sleep for most of the ride.

C117_Fotor.jpg

On our second day here, we went with the our friends from NOVA to Laniakea Beach. Sea turtles came up to the shoreline, despite all the people watching to nibble on the plants growing on the rocks. There were volunteers around making sure everyone kept a safe distance away from the turtles. Afterwards, we went to Matsumoto for shaved ice with a snowcap (condensed milk).

Initially we thought we would stay in Maui too but we ended up renting a car and staying on Oahu the entire trip. We stayed in 3 different places on Oahu, however. A hotel in the middle of Honolulu, an Airbnb on the northeast shore, and a condo on Bellows military rec area. As we were trying to leave Hawaii, we didn’t make it on to any of the military hops, so we stayed with our great friends for a couple nights.

Sunrise outside of Airbnb
Airbnb
We bought dresses and beach towels at the swap meet at the Aloha Stadium.
Shrimp shack by our Airbnb for dinner
Mini hike on Trippler
Mini hike near Trippler hospital.

We were blown away by the luau we went to at the Hale Koa. We received shell necklaces, had the opportunity to make leis. The wonderful entertainment including people climbing up a coconut tree and traditional dances and songs from different Polynesian countries MC’ed by Glenn Medeiros (Mom and Dad remember his big hit, Never Gonna Change My Love For You from the 80s).

Fire dancer

One of our favorite day trips we did was to Sharks Cove with one of my good friends. There were colorful fish, pufferfish, we walked along the rocks, found lots of crabs, hermit crabs in the little tide pools.

We spent the most time with another family from Virginia. We hiked to the top of Diamond Head, paddle boarded, ate shaved ice, swam with turtles, went to the Pearl Harbor Memorial and barbecued with them.

Diamond Head hike
Diamond Head hike
Diamond Head hike
Leaving Pearl Harbor memorial
USS Arizona

We tried surfing! Dad’s friend let us use his board and taught us how. C got up first but was also the first (and only) to get a black eye from the board.

At Sea Life Park we saw so much! It was an outdoor aquarium. They had a dolphin show featuring a wholfin, a sea lion show, lots of aquariums and a bird enclosure.

Along with sightseeing, we started homeschool! Everyone has done lots of math and reading.

In general, we were surprised by the egrets that are everywhere, chickens, mongooses, wild pigs, stray cats, we heard lots of different languages since it’s such a touristy island. The beaches were all different from one another (we visited Waikiki, Three Tables, Sharks Cove, Turtle Bay, Bellows, and Kailua) but they all had very soft sand. We were surprised how little jellyfish stings sting. The landscapes were spectacular, Dad kept coming up with new metaphors describing the tree-covered mountains.

Three tables beach–had very good snorkeling!
Bellows

Thank you to everyone who hosted us or met up with us on this leg of our trip! It was great seeing all of you.

Aloha! Next stop–Seoul, South Korea

 

26 thoughts on “Oahu, Hawai’i”

  4. Well you are having the time of your life. So good you can do this as a young family.You may recall the 2 1/2 year olds Sunday School Class you taught at PoPLC. Nicole, Keihly and your son. That was fun as well. Godspeed. Rachel (Tiffany’s Mom)

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  9. Gorgeous, spectacular, and adorable photos of Hawaii😍. I think I could feel the ocean breezes and feel the sand in my toes from your vivid descriptions and pictures! Wrapping you in love as you continue on yourglorious adventure. I have been overwhelmed these last 2 weeks as I have stood as a witness as 4 friends have entered the gates of paradise. A sobering journey. And a reminder to treasure our time together and make the most of each day. You are certainly an example of a family who is doing that very thing,. Thank you for your example of cherishing each other…..and each.
    Hugs. Am soooooooooooo excited for you to get to Australia and meet The Priettos.😍🤗👏perhaps you will even drive by 13 Bullsgarden Rd. In Whitebridge, and go to Redhead beach.
    🙏👍😊safe journey.💞💋

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  10. Cindy — What a great blog! The people, the food, the experiences that await you — can’t wait to read about them. And a priceless opportunity for your kids to literally experience the world. So much for BUNAC in the UK! 😂 Looking forward to new posts & excited to see where you take this, post-RTW! Cheers & travel safely.

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    2. BUNAC was a part of what motivated us to do this for our kids! For the rest of you, BUNAC enabled me to get a student work visa and live in London after college for a while. Thanks for the note, Christine!

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