A home for my words.

My flight landed around 11am and my Airbnb check-in time wasn’t until 3pm. I’d considered taking the bus into Waikiki, which would’ve only cost $3, but it was going to make 40 stops over the course of 11 miles and take an hour to arrive. I was too eager to be on the beach. Plus, I’d read somewhere that I might be denied entry with a roller suitcase even though it was a carry-on size. I decided to just take an Uber, which did cost a steep $37. The Uber driver said taxis from HNL Airport to Waikiki normally cost between $40-$80, depending on how busy things are. And we discussed how the airport doesn’t have good enough signage to explain that Uber is the only pick up point located on the second floor of arrivals. I’d mistakenly gone to a different landing level first.

I was informed of where to store luggage for cheap in Waikiki: 808 Smart Car Rentals. It only cost $5 to store my carry-on suitcase and then, I set off! I got lunch to-go from Five Star Shrimp at the Waikiki Food Hall, and then chilled out at Waikiki Beach. Once I had food in my belly, the elation set in. Despite not having a bikini or even a beach blanket, I enjoyed myself. It was great to simply walk along the beach and feel the ice cold waves hit my legs.

That all burned enough time to check in, shower, and meet an old Japanese language exchange partner! We’d met on Tandem and carried out a Japanese-English language exchange for months and she’d given me insights on what it was like to live in Osaka. Finally meeting in the flesh for the first time, we grabbed dinner at Aloha Melt while catching up. We got to see sunset (around 7pm in May) and enjoy the weekly Friday Night Fireworks at DeRussy Beach Park at 7:45pm. The fireworks show switches to 8pm if it’s during a time of year with later sunsets. Be sure to bring a sweater or a jacket because it gets pretty chilly by the shore at night. I was completely spent after that and returned home to shower and sleep. The next day would be an early one.

I woke up early the next morning and paid $11.94 for an Uber to Diamond Head from Waikiki. Google Maps left me with the impression that walking to the Diamond Head Visitor Center would be impossible, but I found that as my driver began to enter the park that there was indeed a pedestrian path straight up to the entrance.

You must pay $5 online in advance to reserve a time to hike Diamond Head. My reservation was for 7-8am, and I assumed they wouldn’t let me in since I arrived about 20 minutes early. But all they did was scan my QR code and wave me in, which I heard from other locals and travelers was a common experience. I was feeling particularly energetic the morning of this hike and was able to make it to the top of Diamond Head in about 20 minutes, but that included some periods of speed-walking and even light jogging. It was the easiest hike I did during my one-week stay but I have a decent fitness level (otherwise I’ve read that it can take 40 minutes to an hour) and the other hikes I did, which you will soon read about, are known to be challenging. The views at Diamond Head were nice, but as the minutes ticked by things got increasingly busier and I skedaddle outta there!

Now knowing better about the ability to walk out of Diamond Head, I set off on foot to the KCC Farmers Market (open on Saturdays from 7:30am-11am) and arrived just as it was opening. I was happy with my local haul of fresh produce and could have walked the less than two miles back to my Airbnb but I didn’t want my beet hummus and other goods to melt in the heat. So, I took an Uber from the KCC Farmers Market to Waikiki, cost me $9.90. 

I enjoyed some fresh pineapples from the farmers market on my Airbnb balcony and recovered from what was already a long day (I’d woken up at 4am that morning and settled on Starbucks for breakfast since it didn’t appear anything else was open yet for coffee in Waikiki). I found myself waking up pretty early every day during my stay in Hawaii and feeling wiped out shortly after sunset. 

Once I was rejuvenated, I set off on foot for Ala Moana beach. It was still the a.m. hours! The 2-mile walk took about 40mins and I was able to spend most of that time walking along the canal, which made the commute on foot feel more peaceful. The beach wasn’t crowded and if anything, there seemed to be more families on the grassy outskirts having picnics together than on the sand. Sadly, it was too windy (and/or I was too inept?) to get the beach umbrella I grabbed from my Airbnb to work correctly. I resigned myself to just taking in full sun exposure. The wind continued to be intermittent and every now and then it would push large clouds in front of the sun that provided a bit of relief from the heat. Dipping into the icy waters also helped, but I’ve never been great at taking one big plunge. I instead apparently like to torture my body with adjusting to the cold temperatures limb by limb B-) And if you’re curious, Ala Moana beach didn’t seem to get busy until the afternoon hours.

Once I was ready to head back, I once again set off for the long walk. I’d wanted to get a cocktail from Koa Oasis Booze Shack up by Waikiki Beach, but found that they only accepted card and I’d happened to leave with only cash for my for the beach segment of my day. But I stuck with the next part of my plan, which was getting food from Steak Shack. Unfortunately, I switched from my plan of getting only the chicken platter to getting the combo platter of chicken and steak. For me, the medium-rare steak was too chewy 😦 

Then, I’ll be honest. I spent the entire rest of the day recovering in my Airbnb — simply watching true crime marathons on the large screen TV. I’d done so much walking, hiking, and sunbathing that my system just wanted to rest in an air-conditioned room.

This is the day that I did the most humbling hike of my life: the Wiliwilinui Ridge Trail. I’d seen someone describe it as good but “traumatizing” and a hike that they would never do again… That should’ve been warning enough. It wasn’t. I thought I knew what I was in for, but wasn’t mentally prepared enough for just how arduous using ropes to work my way further up the muddy ridge would be. I suppose that when I was able to make it past the first few ropes along the trail without needing their assistance, I grew a false sense of confidence.

You want to do this hike on a clear day as the amazing views can be completely washed out by clouds. I experienced varying climate changes during my hike, including periods among the trees with ominous winds, tunnels on the trail where a sprinkling of rain was trapped, as well as bright, sunny views. Also keep in mind that this hike is actually located in a gated community (I Iater heard from a tour guide that the homes in this area start at $10 million!). If you arrive in a car rental, they will take note of your driver’s ID and license plate. In an Uber, you simply let them know you’re being dropped off at the trail. I heard that they have a cap of the number of outsiders they allow on the trail at once, so arriving earlier may be better. It’s for the best anyway as the parts of the trail with ropes are narrow and only one person can scale up at a time. I can imagine that a really crowded day would create quite a bottle neck. You want to proceed with caution because I did see some people “eat it” and go tumbling or sliding down the mud until they made contact with a tree or managed to stop their body’s momentum. The Uber ride each way was roughly $20. Consider bringing a change of clothes or shoes because people leave the trail covered in varying amounts of mud.

The bright side? It’s the kind of hike where you form camaraderie with anyone you come across because you all are surviving through the same thing. So while I didn’t see many people at all during this hike, each of the limited exchanges was exceptionally friendly. I finished the entirety of the hike in a few hours and told myself that if all I did the rest of my vacation was lay on the beach, then I’d deserve it!

I’d heard that Kaimana beach was much less busy than Waikiki Beach and decided to crash there for the rest of the day. Thing about that is that Kaimana beach is also much, much smaller than the others along the Waikiki coast. So, it doesn’t take too many people for it to feel crowded. Especially since this happened to be Mother’s Day Sunday! It is cool that I was able to see the monk seal that Oahu designates a spot on the beach for, roping off the area. The sand is also more coarse than the other beaches along the coast on this portion of the island, but I tend to like that. I always like to say “it’s a free pedicure” because I like to grind my heels into the thick sand. I managed to still find a spot in the first row on the sand facing the shore. This was around 2:30 PM. I heard a lifeguard explain that within two hours, it would be high tide the entire first row on the sand was likely to get washed out.

Later, I walked westward through each of the beaches ending once again at Waikiki as I had done so many other days already on this week.

While I was planning my Hawaii vacation back on the mainland, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to do a Circle Island Tour, but I figured it would be a good way to get around all the island without having to coordinate much transportation. Plus, I booked “Hawaii’s Cheapest Circle Island Tour,” which saved a considerable amount of money when compared to identical tours. I was picked up around 7am and didn’t get back until about 5:30pm at night, so it’s a long day. We visited the Halona Blowhole, Waimanalo, Nu’uanu Pali, a Macademia Nut outlet, Kualoa Regional Park, stopped for a shrimp lunch at Tanaka’s, Turtle Bay Beach, the North Shore, and the Dole Pineapple Plantation before turning to Honolulu. It turned out that doing this tour the day after the Wiliwiliuni Ridge Trail was a great idea! I was so worn out from that hike that I truly did prefer knowing that someone else would be taking me around.

The stops make for good photo opportunities although most are brief. You learn tons of facts, including about some of the programs that have been filmed in Oahu like Hawaii Five-0 and 50 dates. We were also kept entertained with plenty of food. I got the famous malasadas (Portuguese deep-fried donuts) from Leonard’s Bakery, followed by our actual lunch where I got *surprise* *surprise* spicy garlic shrimp with another slice of pineapple. Then, we stopped at a fruit stand where I was able to try my first banana lumpia, a Filipino treat where the fruit is wrapped in a spring roll with cinnamon and brown sugar before being deep fried and drizzled in a caramel sauce. Are you drooling yet!? It was delicious and they’re only a dollar each!

Turtle Island Beach was the best stop! I got to swim near some large turtles and dry off on the sand. This was also where the macadamia nut store was located and where you could try a sample of free coffee.

One thing to note is that there were tons of chickens all over Oahu. In public parks, on the side the roads, and all over the macadamia nut stop. I’d seen a chicken with a unique crown of feathers atop its head hop onto our tour van as my guide grabbed my snorkel equipment from the trunk. When I returned from Turtle Bay, I asked him if he’d gotten the chicken off of the bus and he told me he eventually did. Another tour guide used a broom to rid it from his vehicle earlier and had helped my tour guide do the same. As our tour guide pulled onto the highway, I noticed a small, white object rolling towards the front of the van. It seems the chicken was just looking for a place to lay an egg!!

I ended up being pretty disappointed with the Dole Plantation section of the day. It’s funny because it was one of the main reasons that I booked the tour, but I was glad that Turtle Bay was such a success because it made up for disappointment at Dole. It’s fine if you go with family and that’s your only plan for the day as it takes a long time to be able to access the maze and the line for the train takes even longer, but both are for a separate fee. If you stop at Dole as part of a Circle Island Tour, it is mainly a shopping opportunity. There are some adorable pineapple, goods though!

My original plan was to leave the Circle Island Tour and get dinner from the Waikiki Farmers Market, but I learned that it was inside of a mall and that calling it a farmers market was a stretch, so I decided against even checking it out. If you go and find that it was worth it, please let me know! Instead, I got food and mai tais and saw a gecko =)

I’d originally planned to hike the Wa’ahila Ridge Trail but when the day arrived I decided it would be too similar to the Wiliwilinui Ridge Trail hike re: mud and ropes, and I didn’t want to re-live that (lol). Instead, I had a slow morning and woke up to catch the bus up to Castles Beach, which was one of the biggest highlights of my trip! I bought a Holo Card at Duke’s Lane Market and Eatery, but you can also buy the transportation pass at one of the many ABC stores in Waikiki.

The first bus from Waikiki, the 20, was pretty unpleasant. It was crowded, incredibly loud at some points, and the windows were actually too fogged over to clearly see your surroundings. One of the reasons I love not driving is that I can simply stare out of the window as the world goes by. Thankfully, once I transferred to the 66 bus things really brightened up. There were only a few, mostly elderly, people on the bus. And it was a new bus with crystal clear windows for what turned out to be a ride with great views of mountains and lush foliage. The 66 bus pretty much goes express across Route 61 (or the Pali Highway), so it covers a lot of ground in a short amount of time. 

Once off of the bus, not every street had proper sidewalks but thankfully the roads weren’t too busy. I found that Google Maps didn’t guide me to the correct public access alley that leads to the beach, but I asked some surfers grabbing boards from their vehicle parked on a residential road and they guided me in the right direction.

It’s almost hard to describe the joy that washed over me as I stepped out of the sandy public access alley and onto Castles Beach. There was a backdrop of mountains and a calm expansive sea before me. Best of all, the beach was sparsely populated. I couldn’t even count a dozen people in total as far as my eye could see, and I went on to enjoy my day at the beach in general seclusion.

I’d heard people complain about crowds at the beaches along Waikiki, but I didn’t think of it as much of a nuisance. But visiting Castles Beach was like stepping into a whole different island. It was devoid of crowds and I knew that I could spend all day just lounging there. It also had many pieces of logs that I could place my items on such as my shoes and my beach bag. I was bummed when I realized that I’d forgotten my Kindle at the Airbnb, but tanning and enjoying the peace felt good enough. I actually felt so comfortably alone that I was inspired to do an extravagant self-timer photo shoot with outfit changes and all 😀 There were practically no interruptions.

It is a beach that allows dogs though so every now and then there were a few rambunctious dogs running around off leash. I was surprised it wasn’t more of a popular beach considering that it’s not terribly difficult to get to via public transportation. It did take over an hour to get there but considering it’s local transportation, I think that that’s fair. A $3 ride each way or a $7 day-pass on a Holo Card and you get to enjoy yourself on what feels like a world class beach.

After hours of beach euphoria, I decided it was best to pack up and slowly begin my journey back. I grabbed a pre-dinner dessert at the Please Come Again ice cream shop (the Vietnamese coffee flavor and a chocolate option.. because I am very predictable when it comes to ice cream flavors) before grabbing dinner at Banyans Craft Kitchen and Lounge. Banyans is known for their 8-hour oxtail pot pie but I overheard that the oxtail wouldn’t be ready for another hour or so and I already had my eyes set on the octopus and chorizo tacos; two of my favorite meats! I would’ve loved to try a few dishes from Faria, a nearby Portuguese restaurant, but they are closed Sunday – Tuesday.

I’ll say this flat out: I wouldn’t recommend the Waikiki Trolley unless you are strapped for time or just want to experience it for the novelty. It was nice being in the air until we drove through one of the famous Hawaiian downpours (lol) and I’d already heard 90% of the facts shared on the Trolley during my Circle Island Tour. Then, I realized I was foolish to think that when the blue line trolley mentioned stopping at “Koko” they meant somewhere nearby the Koko Crater Trail. Nope. It drops you at a mall a 30-minute walk away. I paid $5 for an Uber, figuring I’d better preserve my energy for the trail.

Koko Crater was challenging since it’s pretty much all stairs. Note that when you get to the section where there are large holes that you and your items can fall through, as demonstrated by the shattered glass water bottles below, you can just walk up a footpath to the right and spare yourself. Although it feels like the steps will never end, they ultimately do and you will be rewarded with beautiful views.

I wanted to treat myself for the trolley let down and the strenuous hike up Koko Head Crater, so I went to Betty’s Burgers. It was delicious! I got a burger patty stuffed with blue cheese and topped with bacon and equally exciting were the thick cut fries (the fries had actually been my main motivator as I am most partial to steak fries).

I spent most of the day watching re-runs of MMA fights on the Combate Global channel and took a liking to a fighter named Gerardo Graniel fighting out of Mexico. After my initial days of true crime marathons in the Airbnb, I’d switched over to MMA matches. They are far more entertaining and (ironically) less violent.

I figured I should get some more time outdoors since I only had one more day in Hawaii. So, I returned to Hideout, where I’d had my first mai tai in Oahu, and read a book by the pool about a fellow female nomad and writer.

My last full day in Hawaii arrived and I realized there was one thing I’d planned but still hadn’t done: going for a run! I pulled on pink clothing and my dirtied trail running sneakers and took off. I ran south past all of the Waikiki beaches, then cut across the large grassy field at Kapi’olani Regional Park, before running back up the canal trail. It’s where you’ll see fellow runners day and night. I made it back to my Airbnb sweaty, but feeling alive and ready for a shower.

Things came full circle when I met up with my language exchange partner again for my last full day, just as I’d met with her on my first day in Oahu. We had lunch at ALOH Health Bar & Cafe and chatted until I had to get ready for my first ever luau: the Mauka Warriors Luau Honoring Polynesia’s Forgotten History. You learn a lot about various stories of Polynesian history and I ate far beyond my fill.

The next day, I was off to return to Phoenix, AZ.