Hawaii | Kauai Highlights

Fun Memories:

- Stumbling upon our favorite free hula show, & getting up & dancing! They thought we were on our honeymoon : ) 

- Seeing (& hearing) chickens/roosters everywhere!

- Seeing the lush, jungle-y, beautiful fauna & flora for the first time. 

- Being given free burritos on our ill-prepared for, muddy hike along the Napoli Coast (thank you, crew of the women's athletic wear, shooting your commercial!)

- Meeting Preston & staying in the "Moon Room" at a hippie mansion...

- Navigating our way to find the perfect boogey boarding beach. Definitely got pummeled at a few beaches along the way.

- Borrowing a kind couple's second boogey board & understanding the difference between a real board & a $20 knock-off from K-Mart. 

- Stumbling across the "local's" beach.
- Enjoying some of the best food of our entire trip.  

- Going to Costco again...

- Getting a glimpse of the Marriott Resort - what an amazing pool!

- Making a video of my indecisive nature. Nothing better than a good life lesson while devouring a delicious slice of chocolate pie. Conclusion: a fancy night at Tidepool's can always wait : )

- Driving through Waimea Canyon & spotting a mountain goat!

- Finding some great snorkeling spots including Poipu & Lawa'i Beach

- Trying all the samples at the Coffee Plantation Tour

Not to Miss:

Waimea Canyon - it's a gorgeous drive & will satisfy the national-park lover part of you.

Poipu Beach - very popular beach. It's where we saw our first monk seal & sea turtles!

McArthur's Beach - my favorite beach from the whole vacation. It's vast & beautiful, perfect for sunset.

Hanalei Beach - we didn't stay here long due to weather, but it's really beautiful. If we go back, I'd take a surfing lesson here. 

Hee Fat General Store - they serve the best shaved ice in the islands, no doubt about it. 

Hanapepe Friday Art Market - such a fun event. We explored lots of little shops, admiring everything form pottery to photography. We also ventured into the western most book store in the U.S.!

Queen's Bath - a short little hike that takes you down to some fun spots to explore

Where to Eat:

Shrimp Station - Kauai is known for their shrimp. The garlic shrimp & coconut shrimp were both amazing!

Puka Dog - a funky hot dog place with fruity sauces. Busy, but worth it. 

Right Slice Pie - So delicious! They were a vendor at the night market. 

Chicken in a Barrel - really yummy BBQ chicken. Like, really, really tender chicken. 

Lei Petite Cafe & Bakery - part of a shopping complex, but a wonderful breakfast spot. They accidentally gave us an extra acai bowl, which we gladly devoured : )

 

I could go for another slice of pie,

SJW

Hawaii | Oahu Highlights

Fun Memories:

- Driving around most of the island - it's all so beautiful! 

- Staying in the "Hobbit Hut" on the north shore

- Snorkeling for the first time at Shark's Cove and last time at Hanauma Bay

- Walking the streets of Waikiki late at night & being entertained by crazy street performers

- Staying with our friend & having a home base to chill

- Eating a dole whip at the Dole Plantation Factory - riding the train to escape the rain! 

- Stumbling upon a couple free hula shows in the marketplace

- Having the pool to ourselves on Super Bowl Sunday

- Shopping at the local Japanese store, Don Quijote, and trying bentos/spam musubi/mochi etc.

- Getting a bonus day when our flight to Seattle was canceled due to the PNW snowstorm

Not to Miss:

- Visiting Pearl Harbor Memorial 

- Hiking Diamond Head

- Walking along Waikiki & seeing all of "Old Hawaii's" hotels like the pink Royal Hawaiian 

- Eating at The Elephant Truck (one of my favorite spots across all the islands. Delicious Thai food on the north shore. Try their Thai iced tea!)

- Enjoying malasadas (Portuguese donuts) from Leonard's Bakery 

Where to Eat:

-  Goofy's (favorite spot in Waikiki)

- Hokkaido Ramen Santouku (a local's favorite)

- Arvo Cafe (super cute coffee shop with yummy avocado toast)

- Island Brew Coffeehouse (a great hang out spot when you lock your keys in your car in the parking lot of Costco :) )

Living that Honolulu life,

SJW

Hawaii | An Overview

Summarizing a two and a half week vacation to Hawaii is a bit difficult. We saw, tasted, & experienced so many different things! I'll share highlights from each island, but for now, here are some overarching thoughts that can serve as a general recap: 

• Long vacations allow time to truly relax & unplug. I highly recommend them!
• Hawaii is so incredibly beautiful!
• The seemingly infinite ocean with amazing fish & boundless skies with countless stars helped remind me that the God of the Bible is truly infinite, boundless, majestic, & powerful. 
• We're glad we visited the islands that we did. Oahu was fun because we got great time with our friend, KT and experienced an insider's take on the city of Honolulu & Waikiki. Kauai has the most stunning lush landscape with some gorgeous beaches. We had our favorite shaved ice here and would fly back for that alone! However, I enjoyed our week on the Big Island the best - a combination of where we stayed, lots of pool time, taking some larger excursions, and of course, seeing lava! 
• Trying to pronounce all the Hawaiian street names while giving directions to Mr. Fleece on our outings provided a daily laugh. 
• I really like spam musubi and mochi. 
• Discontentment, unmet expectations, miscommunication, rainy days, long lines, indecision, locked keys in the car, & a cancelled flight can all still happen while on vacation.
• Our favorite memory was an evening at Uncle Robert's in Pahoa (the Big Island). Picture an outdoor market, with a covered pavilion almost cafeteria like gathering space, run by local Hawaiians with lots of food vendors & an awesome band. We spent several hours just listening to the music & even ended up on the dance floor : )
• We reapplied sunblock like crazy which prevented us from becoming the commonplace lobster-faced/shouldered tourist.
• We spent most of our mornings out snorkeling & boogie boarding - I fell in love with both activities! But more than just seeing Hawaii for the fun activities, beautiful scenery, & luxurious resorts - we got a better sense of the rich culture & history. From Polynesian navigation and the Pearl Harbor attack, to the story of Pele the goddess of fire and the formation of the islands, there's lots to learn. 
• Mr. Fleece, true to his namesake, packed and wore a couple fleeces. 
• We feel like we experienced a lot of different aspects of Hawaii including "hippie" Hawaii by staying on several sustainable farms, the "local" Hawaii by staying with our friend/interaction with one amazing tour guide/the night market I already mentioned, and "tourist" Hawaii because we did indeed go to lots of popular spots & even stayed one night at a fancy hotel!
• Other activities included lots of short hikes with big payoffs, some food tours, & pool time. 
• We saw dolphins, sea turtles, whales, mongoose, wild boar, & many many cook-a-doodle-doo-ing roosters. 
• Mr. Fleece & I have a lot of fun together. He's really great!
• Per my mother's recommendation, I started the book Hawaii by James Mischner - thought it was fitting : )

Rainbow Shave Ice over Macadamia Nut Ice Cream from The Hee Fat General Store in Kaapa on Kauai.

Sporting the faintest of tan lines,

SJW