It’s impossible not to love Hawaii given the natural beauty that surrounds you at every turn. We found Oahu to be particularly awe inspiring especially along the north shore where we were staying. The jungle along the highway is dense and the jagged green mountains look like something right out of Jurassic Park. This is EXACTLY what I thought Hawai’i should look like.
The town of Hau’ula had little to offer us other than a quiet place to sleep by the ocean but the places to the north and south of it were incredible. A little research on the internet showed us that there was yet another cliff jumping spot mere minutes from where we lived. This one was about twice as high as Black Rock on Maui so that meant twice the fun for Hollis and Bowen. NO!! I didn’t take the plunge but Remy did! I don’t think our boys appreciate that most people our age know better than to do such childish things.
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IF YOU LOOK CLOSELY YOU WILL SEE HOLLIS JUMPING FROM A VERY HIGH CLIFF! |
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LOOK CLOSELY AND YOU WILL SEE BOWEN DOING THE EXACT SAME THING
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| The cool rock formations at La'ie Point, Oahu. A very un-cool stocking cap on Remy's head to protect the bald spot from the sun. |
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| La'ie Point. Our kids jumped from way up here |
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| La'ie Point was spectacular! |
Our first day on Oahu was spent being a real tourist. By some miracle we managed to get the boys out of the house before 9am and off we went to see Pearl Harbour. Now I realize that a terrible thing happened here and it is a super sacred place but would it be terrible to make it a slightly comfortable place for the millions of visitors that come to pay their respects every year? I’m going to vent a little here….. It’s Hawai’i so it’s hot and humid which is great if you are at the beach but hellish if you are at an open air museum. A little overhead fan even would have made the experience so much more enjoyable. They expect people to stay about 6-8 hours visiting the awesome exhibits yet there is no way to sustain yourself other than with ice cream, lemon drops or beef jerky from the snack bar. That’s right, no restaurant or cafe. Forget about bringing a picnic lunch either as the signs are very clear- NO BAGS ALLOWED, ALL BAGS MUST BE CHECKED $3 You have never seen so much junk being consumed by famished families in all your life. Oh, and it was CASH ONLY.
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| The main attraction at Pearl Harbour |
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| Over 900 men buried at sea just below us in what is left of the USS Arizona |
Just in case we didn’t have enough punishment for the day, Hollis really wanted to see Honolulu and we thought we might as well see Waikiki Beach while we were there. I’m sure most of you have seen Waikiki so I don’t need to elaborate. For Remy and I this was salt on the already sweaty wound. We did enjoy watching the surfing and the incredible boogie boarding before the 2.5 hr drive home through rush hour traffic though. Sorry, no photos.
The rest of our time on Oahu was spent in or near the water which is a no brainer. Our time in Hawai'i was great but it feels very familiar and easy so we are looking forward to the culture shock of Bangkok. We are ready to submit.
~Liz
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