I'm trying to take full advantage of B working for Skywest because I don't know how long these benefits will last. :) And since I've never been to Hawaii, I decided this was the perfect time! Especially in the doldrums of cold February. I invited B to go with me and he was on board. However, he doesn't get vacation time yet, so he was able to stay for about 24 hours. :0 What a guy! I took about a million pics, so I'm dividing it up into two posts.
Here we go!
Sometimes when I fly standby, I end up in the exit row!
Look at how roomy this one was!
My legs can't even reach that row in front of me!
I laid over in Chicago on the way out.
Isn't this CUTE?
I have a bad impression of Chicago O'Hare
because in the past I often have delayed or
cancelled flights there, but I had a great experience
this time! Yay!
Chicago to Honolulu! Here we go!
I didn't know they still served meals on flights!
I guess when they're super long like this one, they do.
Yum! I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Made it to Hawaii! Yippee!
I rented a car.
Honolulu traffic is no joke.
First stop:
Birding, of course!
Hawaiian words are beautiful, but they're so hard for me
to remember. So many vowels. The first birding stop:
Kapapapuhi Point Park
When I'm traveling, I use eBird to see where
birds have been seen in the last seven days and go there.
This one was a hit!
13 species-- 10 new lifers!
Look at those views!
I'm used to Caribbean islands that are pretty flats.
Love these mountainous islands.
Common Myna
Red-vented Bulbul
Red-crested Cardinal
Pacific Golden Plover
Java sparrow--this was one of my favorites,
but they flit about quickly and are hard to get pics of.
This is another attempt
This was another favorite--Saffron Finch.
So pretty!
Then it was time to head to my hotel.
Honolulu is a big city!
I was impressed.
And a little intimidated.
I didn't get tickets to Cirque, but found the
theater where they have the show.
I LOVED my hotel--Vive Hotel Waikiki
Look at the beautiful pineapple juice they
gave me when I checked in.
The lobby
It's walking distance from the beach, so I walked down
there in the evening at sunset.
And found a yummy place for poke bowls
right across the street--Maguro Spot.
I loved it and went back a couple of times.
I don't often travel across multiple time zones
and it does do a number on your sleep patterns!
I was up and raring to go before sunrise...
In the past, we've used an app called GuideAlong
for some of the National Parks we've visited.
He had an Oahu pack, so I downloaded that
and he was a fantastic guide.
I drove to Lanikai to watch the sunrise.
Oh, it was fantastic. I loved it so much.
I loved these outrigger canoes on the shore.
Before I left, a bunch of people were getting ready
to take them out on the water. So cool!
This little "toy library" was on the side
of the path to the beach. Isn't that a great idea?
Cool car parked nearby
Beautiful sunrise
I continued in a westward loop toward Laie.
Look at those cool mountains!
Chinaman's hat
More beautiful, lush moutains
And more cool birds
These just look like roosters to me, but
they show up in Merlin and eBird
as Junglefowl. Interesting.
I think this part of the island is where they filmed
Lost and Jurassic Park. There's a ranch you can pay
to go to and have a movie tour, but I didn't do that this time.
The Laie Temple!
So gorgeous!
They have beautiful flowers
like this just lying on the ground!
I had an appointment to do sealings.
It was a fabulous experience.
I loved hearing all the Hawaiian names
of ancestors that other patrons had brought.
The visitors center has a Christus.
And beautiful locally-inspired artwork.
This is real close to the temple, Laie Point.
Great place to watch the waves break for a bit.
Bird of paradise plant
My app suggested that I stop and buy fresh
fruit from a roadside stand.
BEST ADVICE EVER!
This was lunch and it was amazing.
I wish I was eating it right now!
After the temple, I continued my westward loop
around the island.
I stopped at Banzai Pipeline.
HOLY COW!
Those waves are so powerful!
I can see why surfing is so big here.
I would be scared.
Look at that!
My app suggested a stop at Puu O Mahuka State Monument.
It's a quiet spot, different from lots of the crowded areas
of the island.
It has ruins from an old temple or religious site.
The ruins are not much to see.
But the views from up there of the ocean
down below are SPECTACULAR!
That was as far as I made it on the loop.
I never made it all the way around the island.
Instead, after that visit, I headed back toward
Laie to visit the Polynesian Cultural Center.
It is PRICEY. It was $160 for the cheapest
package that included dinner and the luau.
It was one of the moments that I was grateful
to be traveling solo because that's A LOT to pay
for a whole family!
The entrance
It's such a unique experience.
They have different "islands" that you can visit,
representing several of the Polynesian cultures.
There are a couple different opportunities to be
in boats on the water. Almost all of the employees
are BYU-Hawaii students like this lovely guide.
They are fun to chat with.
There are lots of interactive exhibits.
Like trying to start a friction fire.
I failed.
Overall, I had a good experience here,
but there were a few times where it was
obvious that the center is geared toward families
and not solo travelers. So I had a few awkward
moments that gave me empathy for people who
always travel alone.
I got to watch a haka.
I hadn't seen once since I was at BYU.
And learn a little about Aotearoa (New Zealand).
Fascinating.
Always birding--found a Black-crowned Night Heron
in one of the trees!
We got to taste breadfruit.
It's yummy!
Reminds me of potatoes.
Also got to taste Coconut bread.
Also delicious.
The dances were wonderful.
And so were the costumes.
I got to take a little ukulele lesson.
And learn a bit about the Hawaiian language,
which unfortunately didn't stick.
I got to help row the boat with this guy.
This was a fun tree-climbing demo.
Made me think of B-train.
Then it was time for the buffet.
I think I don't eat enough food to make this worth it for me.
I probably should've just gotten other food.
Isn't this a cool building where they serve the buffet?
LOTS of meat options--
Andrew would've loved it.
And check out this GIANT fish they were fileting!!
What the heck???
I did enjoy the food that I ate, though.
Everything was tasty.
I think this was Raspberry Lychee Panna Cotta
for dessert. Yum.
I also got tickets for the luau show that evening.
There's a little bit of time between dinner
and the show.
Perfect time for me to visit the Polynesian
Football Hall of Fame! My SECOND football hall
of fame in the last twelve months. I'm so lucky!
I loved looking around.
It featured athletes such as
Vai Sikahema
Dwayne the rock Johnson
And Kalani Sitake!
The luau was good, but my jet lag was kicking in. and I still had to drive back to Honolulu, just over an hour away. And I was driving by myself and didn't want to fall asleep at the wheel. So I LEFT EARLY. How lame is that? But I made it to my hotel safely, so I think it was the right choice. So many fun adventures.
Here are some of my thoughts on traveling solo. I like being completely in charge of the itinerary and not worrying about if everyone else is happy. I also like being able to eat what I want, when I want. And when I'm birding, I can stay as long or as short as I want. But part of the fun of new experiences or seeing cool things is sharing them someone. So it's weird to not have anyone to share that with. At least not in-person. I find myself texting Andrew or the kids a lot to share what I'm seeing and experiencing. And I sometimes worry about being safe while I travel by myself.
