USA - Hawaii - Oahu, back to Waikiki Part 1

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Aloha!

Thursday 4^th October – Northshore, Oahu to Waikiki

We drove back into Waikiki after our trip around the island… I think we came off the Freeway a bit early as it was touch and go for a minute if we’d find our way! But we appeared on Jonny’s Waikiki map and he directed us towards Diamond Head… a crater just outside of Waikiki. I was quite impressed with myself… driving along the main avenue alongside Waikiki beach. I have to note something about the Hawaiian flag (usually found alongside the USA flag)… it has the Union Jack on it. I asked someone why and it was because Hawaii used to be under British rule… I never knew that so it was interesting and also interesting that they’ve kept the Union Jack on the flag… Canada changed their flag years ago and they’re still proudly part of the Commonwealth.

Anyway… we made it up to Diamond Head and I thought we could drive right into the crater but we had to hike! It was just under a mile but they said most people take 2 hours for the round trip because it’s so steep. Great. There were signs about wearing the right shoes etc but we went for it in flip flops… I just made sure I had my hat and plenty of water. It looked a long way up but it wasn’t really that bad. It was steep and very hot but the thoughts of a nice volcano crater view kept me going. There were a lot of steep steps and one long tunnel which I found claustrophobic. As we got higher I realised that we’d actually been in the crater… the car park was in the middle on it! It was a bit disappointing and not the nicest looking crater. Still… the real highlight was the view from the top out over the ocean and Waikiki. Diamond Head (now a State Monument) used to be a military post so it’s very historic. The walk back down was MUCH easier… I felt for people on their way up and gave some encouragement to some who looked like they were struggling.

We drove back into Wailuku and dropped the car off at the Hyatt Resort & Spa at the very efficient Budget drop off centre (conveniently opposite our hotel, result!). We had a rest and did all of our washing and then popped down the road for a Mexican. I wanted to head back early to study, Jonny popped out for a couple of drinks then came back to watch TV.

Friday 5^th October – Waikiki

We were up at a reasonable time and spent the day on Waikiki bitch… well the grassy verge behind it… which was really wet and we got really muddy. In the late afternoon we went back to get changed and ready for our sunset dinner cruise on the Ali’Kai Catamaran – it was my 30^th birthday trip (my birthday was back in February but I wasn’t home) from Jonny and I was very excited! We got the coach from outside of the Hyatt (now we know why there’s always loads of people and buses out there… it’s a main tour pick up point) and drove through the Honolulu traffic to the harbour. I was excited, quite like sunset cruises! We got off the coach and onto the boat (avoiding the photo opportunity with the pacific dancer, I really don’t like stuff like that) and were taken to our table which we were sharing with people from the USA and the Gold Coast (again, close enough to Brisbane to make me jealous!). The smell from the buffet was amazing but we had to wait until we set off…and for that we were waiting for a big cruise ship to leave. In the end we were allowed up and we got out selection… it was sooooooooo delicious. I could have eaten more but we had to rush up to watch the sunset from the deck which was really pretty. Jonny and I tried to get some nice photos of each other… mine were a disaster. Jonny finally said he got a good one of me… but that it was because he’d zoomed out! Charming! Honolulu and Waikiki were in the background, starting to light up. It’s not the prettiest of skylines; it’s very low and long. We headed back in for the Polynesian show which was really fun… as they do in the other Pacific Islands they don’t just focus on their island… so we had dances from Samoa, Tahiti and New Zealand as well as Hawaii. At the end each of the buses had to compete with their bus chant… ours was amazing and we won J Our prize was to get up and do the Macarena… I think even Jonny enjoyed it 😉 I think the massive beer he had might of helped! Jonny had planned well as we were on the boat to watch the Friday fireworks which were let off from the shore, they were nice. We (well I!) then danced until the boat docked. I’d had a great time, thank you Jonny J We went for a walk along the main Waikiki avenue and as I was a bit tipsy signed up for a pub crawl the next night. It’s not that I wouldn’t want to do these things; I was just VERY low on money and had a lot of studying to do. We had a couple of drinks at the Yard House… a nice smart bar and then headed home… so I could save myself for the pub crawl!

Saturday 6^th October – Waikiki

We were up a bit late so missed the free breakfast… and went to our favourite ‘Cheeseburger in Paradise’ for omelette (not very expensive and keeps you going for the day) with hash brown potatoes (not like hash browns), which I had with Rye Toast (love that you get that choice in the USA). We spent the day on the beach, there was a nice breeze so it was easy to stick it out and in the evening went to meet our pub crawl… it was an ‘interesting night’. It’s a really popular pub crawl that has up to 100 people on it… but it was pretty shocking. I enjoyed it because was away with the fairies but Jonny was disappointed. They took us to some really empty dives (although I guess only the empty bars could accommodate 100 people). We met some nice people though and spent most of our time with two Aussie girls and a Canadian guy who’d had to take his girlfriend home early because she was too drunk. There was one horrible bar (smoking allowed inside again) with the most unpleasant toilets…they made me feel ill and there was a very old lady wearing a very tight, very short green dress. I think she might have been a hooker as there are a lot about Waikiki, even in the posh main streets. We ended up in a club where I had a good dance, I was happy there but Jonny moved on to the final location which he said was shocking. I got home first and he kindly picked up Burger King chips for me, they were so salty we were both gasping for water during the night!

Sunday 7^th October – Waikiki

I had a hangover when I woke up… I don’t understand how I can have drunk mainly wine and beer whenever I’ve drunk in the last 4 weeks (which has been rarely) and not got a hangover (they usually gives me one) and the one time I drink rum I get a terrible hangover (I never usually get one on rum!). Jonny and I figured it was because I was out of practice; that was my first proper night out since I was last in Brisbane in June. Anyway… I tried the beach after a refreshing swim in the sea (although I think Waikiki sea feels and looks like a swimming pool full of chlorine) but just couldn’t bear it… so had to head back to the cool air con where I stayed for the rest of the day. I tried to sleep but couldn’t and couldn’t do a lot, what a waste! I did do about 15 minutes of study whilst Jonny packed. I could have done with a quiet cheap night in but it was Jonny’s last night so we headed to Hard Rock Café for dinner (where it all started). We were both craving potato skins so were relieved to find they had them on the menu… then each had a delicious burger. We were so full. We had a wander back through the shops then Jonny got into bed as he was leaving really early whilst I watched some of Season 2 of Revenge which had started in the USA… it wasn’t the same without Hannah Schiavon though!

Jonny was up at 4am and out by 4.30am… he had a 7am ish flight to LA and then onto London Heathrow. I was sad to see him go, we’d had some great fun (although I think he must have been relieved after spending a couple of weeks with a poor, boring backpacker!) but knew I’d see him soon. And I was jealous because in a few hours my little bruv was going to be picking him up from the airport! Jonny was going back to see all my friends and family 😞 I tried to get myself back off to sleep 😊

Next up…more Waikiki.

Xx

NOTE: I use these updates to capture my memories and share what I'm doing on my travels with friends, family and anyone who’s interested enough to read. The views are my own and I try my best to ensure any information I share is fair and accurate but I do sometimes get things wrong. I welcome any feedback so I can make improvements and corrections for future readers. Thank you.

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