Our 2 Day Gathering in Oahu Island
We arrived at around 5PM on Nov 8th at Honolulu from Maui. Hungry as ever, we tried our luck at the Rangoon Burmese kitchen. We had booked a 2 night stay at the Hilton Garden Inn at Waikiki Beach.
Day 1
Our day 1 started with leaving the hotel early at 6:30 AM to hike the Diamond head trail. This hike was super easy and heavily trafficked. We didn't know that our first reward of views in Honolulu would be so easy. The views of the Honolulu bay were spectacular. Also we got see our first pillbox on our hike!
From there we munched on our favorite bar(Kate's real food) and headed to the China walls. No not in China but in Koko Kai Beach Mini park. I would definitely not recommend this area as it was stinking but I have heard that you get a good view of the sunset here. For a breeze of fresh air, we drove to the Makapuʻu Lookout on the Kalanianaʻole Highway.The lookout is beautiful with blue ocean water all around.Also if you are in the right season you can definitely witness some wildlife in the open blue waters.
Being in a tropical island, I never wanted to miss any chance of eating fresh tropical fruits, so we went straight to Frankie's nursery LLC. This is place where I ate fresh jackfruit after literally 10 years. My husband on the other hand had the road side Huli Huli chicken at Fired Up Huli Huli chicken on the 41-1800 Kalanianaʻole Hwy, Waimānalo, HI 96795.
With our filled stomach, we went for a long stroll to the Hoomaluhia Botanical Garden. This place is absolutely free and is a doorway to heaven. I mean that; because I would be more than happy to pay for an entry ticket to a place like that, so do not miss this. This place is a hub for photography geeks and is as educational as it can get.
After spending good 2 hours, we headed to the Nu‘uanu Pali Lookout, a place of utmost significance importance. Later we grabbed a mango bubble tea at Thắng‘s French Coffee & Bubble Tea in Aiea along our way to the Ala Moana Center. After doing some rudimentary shopping , we watched a beautiful sunset at Waikiki Beach. Later, we strolled along the streets of the Waikiki beach, before calling in for the night at Hilton Garden Inn, Waikiki.
Day 2
Day 2 was a beach day starting for sunrise at the Kailua beach park. Pro Tip: Parking at Lanikai beach can be tricky so head to Kailua beach, park there and take 0.5 mile walk towards the Lanikai beach. We had a good chat with a local woman that told us that cars get towed at 9AM that are parked outside at Lanikai beach.
After swimming for some time and sun bathing, we had our lunch at sweet little town of Kailua. From there we were on to some touristy things. Starting with Green world coffee farms. I picked some souvenirs and good coffee for the family before heading to the Dole plantation. If you love pineapple, you have to visit this place. Both of us not being such great fans of pineapple, we found this place to be less enjoyable than others. But if you have kids with you they are surely going to enjoy this place with dollops of pineapple ice creams all over them.
Our next stop along the way was Laniakea Beach, where my bucket list of watching green sea turtles was fulfilled. We were unable to take any pics being cognizant of our distance to these endangered species but the experience was so wonderful.
You must be wondering why didn’t we hike yet in Day 2. That’s because we had saved all our energy for the Kualoa Ranch. Yes, we did an ATV ride here and it was so much fun. Our hosts were so much fun and informative and that itself was worth the money. We left at around 5PM from the ranch and grabbed a dinner at Waiahole Poi Factory. Do not miss the Sweet Lady dessert there. That's when I fell in love with Kulolo.
