Nothing special planned for today. I did pick up some things at the local grocery store, which is about a 10 minute walk from my apartment. There is a significant Japanese population in Honolulu, and you can see that influence with the type of foods offered at the store. I did have a surprising (pleasant?) discovery while roaming the aisles…
Price Check Update: Apologies Honolulu! This is more like it. Lesson learned! My previous yogurt price check was at a mini-mart in Waikiki located a couple blocks from the beach.
I went for a walk in the afternoon and had another pleasant surprise: there’s a Subway shop close to my apartment that offers a daily $3.99 six-inch sub special. Wow! That’s a bargain here! I can see being a regular there. (I’m so cheap!)
Took a break on my walk to do some reading on a bench in what’s becoming my favorite spot in Waikiki/Honolulu – Magic Island.
Oh, and for dinner I had a $3.99 sub! 😉
Steps Update: Yesterday marked two weeks into the trip, and I’m averaging 17k steps per day, with a maximum of 30k and a minimum of 10k.
Tuesday, January 25 – Honolulu
Today I hiked the Koko Crater Tramway. This is a 1,000+ step walking track consisting of abandoned railroad ties that run along the west side to the top of the crater. The military used it during World War II as part of an incline tram to transport supplies to a lookout post at the summit. Located to the east of Honolulu, it was about a 50 minute bus ride to get there.
Duly warned. Let’s do this!The tramway path up the craterHere we go!About halfway up the path there is a “bridge” portion without ground underneath – approximately 50 rail steps – there is a bypass trail option howeverMmmmm…Yeah, I took the bypass. You’re right, I’m a wimp!Are we there yet?!?So close!Made it! And the views from the top were worth it. That’s Diamond Head and Waikiki in the background.
The ascent took me about 50 minutes, with many stops along the way. It was fun though because there was a comradery amongst the hikers – a lot on conversations and encouragement along the way. While I was taking a break at the top I spoke to a recent college grad who played DII football. He did the climb in 17 minutes. Yikes!
View of Hanauma Bay. Note the baseball diamonds in the center right.View from the east side of the crater. That is Hawaii Kai Golf Course to the left.
I spent about 40 minutes at the top. There was a nice breeze on the east side of the crater, which felt great because I was sweating bullets!
I think the decent may be even harder than the ascent!I was in no hurry!Side stepping was a popular (and smart!) methodology!This guy (and his partner behind him) were adding to their workout by carrying these timbers!
The trip down took about 40 minutes. And yes, I bypassed the “bridge” again! The descent wasn’t as strenuous as the ascent, but taking the time to maintain proper footing was a must. A tough hike (especially for an old guy!), but definitely worth it! I’m sure I’ll feel it my quads tomorrow.
Ground level view of one of the baseball diamonds I mentioned earlier. I just thought it was a cool location, with Diamond Head in the background.Had some home cooking for dinner tonight. Well, about as close to home cooking as I can get!
Spent this morning getting caught up on my journal entries and then ventured out to explore a little bit of downtown Honolulu. It turned out that Sunday is a good day for this activity, because the area was pretty much deserted! (Although, on the down side, it was deserted because everything was closed!) I will definitely return though to take some tours of these buildings.
A little photo essay…
Kawaiahaʻo Church. Construction completed in 1842.The Lunalilo Mausoleum (also called Lunalilo’s Tomb) is the final resting place of Hawaii’s sixth monarch King Lunalilo and his father Charles Kanaʻina. It is located adjacent to the Kawaiahaʻo Church.Honolulu Hale (City Hall), c. 1928Hawaiian Mission Houses. In the foreground is the Chamberlain House (Ka Hale Kamalani), c. 1831The Royal Brewery (c. 1900) is the oldest remaining structure associated with brewing in the state of HawaiiBuilt in 1882 by King Kalakaua, Iolani Palace was the home of Hawaii’s last reigning monarchs and served as the official royal residence until the overthrow of the monarchy in 1893.Iolani Palace grounds. The Coronation Pavilion is on the right. Iolani Palace grounds. The Barracks. YWCA Building, c. 1927 (and it is still home to the YWCA!)Hawaii State Art Museum, c. 1928Aliʻiōlani Hale (c. 1874) is home to the Hawaii State Supreme Court. In the foreground is the gold-leaf statue of Kamehameha the Great.Aloha Tower (c. 1926) is a retired lighthouseImpressive yacht moored near Aloha Tower
Here’s a link to an interesting article I found about this yacht touring the waters of Alaska.
Finally, I realized that I had made references to my bus excursions, but provided no photos of the luxury cruisers (!). So, here you go!
I’m back! Apologies for not posting the past few days; I’ve been a little busy, but probably more likely – lazy!
Wednesday, January 19 – Waikiki
After loafing around the hotel for a while this morning, I decided to go on a little recon mission. Before booking an Airbnb you’re just given a general location of the property. Afterwards, an address is provided. So, with address in hand, I went to check out my new neighborhood. It was only about a 15 minute walk from my hotel; just on the other side of the canal (further away from the beach). I think it’s on the edge between the border of Honolulu and Waikiki. It’s a quiet area, which is nice. And within walking distance of grocery stores and dining options. All good. I met one of the other residents of the complex when I was walking by, who also happens to serve as the maintenance person. Nice guy. So hopefully this will be a good situation. Watch this space…
I spent the rest of the afternoon just kind of roaming around this eastern edge of Honolulu. I only have one photo to post though unfortunately. I came across this interesting statue outside the Hawaii Convention Center…
The statue, “The Water Giver“, was created by local artist Shige Yamada. It symbolically acknowledges the Hawaiian people for their generosity and expressions of goodwill to newcomers. Apparently it has a sister statue called “The Storyteller” located in Waikiki. I’ll have to check that out!
I finished the day by heading back to the Indian take away spot near my hotel. Went with Chickpea Masala this time. Very good!
Sidenote: I spoke with the woman at the take away counter for a few minutes. The discussion centered around the amount of tourists in Waikiki. I felt like it was rather crowded here, considering the Covid situation. She somewhat agreed with that, but also said that pre-Covid the streets and beaches of Waikiki were packed with people. Even though it is surely detrimental to her business, she likes it better now. Interesting…
Thursday, January 20 – Waikiki
I’m out early for an experiment today. I’m planning on spending the day exploring The North Shore of Oahu. It’s an area known for big waves, beaches, parks, and yes, a few tourist traps (quilty – I hit one!) It normally takes about an hour to get there by car from Waikiki, but here’s where the experiment comes into play – I’m going to take the bus. Not a tour bus. A regular city bus. Very cool that they offer a city bus service throughout the island! Why am I doing this? A few reasons (and I’m probably reiterating what I talked about regarding the Pearl Harbor bus ride): interaction with the locals; I can enjoy the scenery rather than worry about driving directions (no co-pilot); it’s not like I’m short on time (as Chuck reminded me!); and most importantly, I’m cheap!
Payment on the bus is either by cash (exact only – no change) or by a pre-paid HOLO card. The fare for each trip is $2.75. However, by using a HOLO card, the maximum a rider will be charged for a single day is $5.50 (in other words, no charge after two trips). There are two bus routes going back and forth from Waikiki/Honolulu to the north – one up the middle of the island, or a scenic drive along the east coast. The former takes about 2 hours, the latter around 2 1/2. Obviously, I went scenic!
Sidenote: There are roughly 160 stops on the scenic bus route from Honolulu to The North Shore! Of course, the bus doesn’t actually make a stop at every one. At least it didn’t on my trip!
I left the hotel around 7:30am, caught the first bus closeby, made a transfer in Honolulu, and arrived in the North around 10:15. The bus wasn’t even close to being crowded throughout the trip, which was nice. I sat on the right side to get the best views. And the scenery was beautiful!
It’s hard to get a decent picture from a moving bus (or train for that matter!), but here are a few… (this is a picture of Mokoliʻi, commonly known as Chinaman’s Hat)Right up against the coast!This is St. Joachim Mission Church. Cute!
I ended doing a lot of walking along the coast, but it’s pretty spread out, so I also used the bus to get to various spots too (and frankly, at some points the road along the coast is rather narrow and not the best for walking)
Waimea Bay BeachThese signs were posted all along the North Shore beachesKalua o Mana “Three Tables”Pupukea “Sharks Cove”Haleiwa BeachNo surfers. No swimmers.
I must confess I did make a stop in Haleiwa, a little North Shore tourist town.
This is Liliuokalani Protestant Church. The interesting part is this archway, built in 1910.This is Matsumoto Shave Ice. With a line out the door, I have to stop and try one!I went with a large (only 50 cents more than a small!) Matsumoto’s with Azuki BeansThe shave ice assembly line. I’m sure an even more impressive sight pre-covid, without the plastic between the staff and customersThe Matsumoto’s Combination: Lemon/Pineapple/CoconutThe Azuki Beans on the bottom. They are Japanese red beans coated in sugar. I’m not sure this was a good add-on choice because: a) it was hard to taste them amongst the syrup, and b) the beans plugged up the straw!More souvenirs – a pin and a sticker ($5.50)
I was going to take the central bus route back to Honolulu, but a coastal bus came by first, so I took that. Terrible! I ended up getting back to Honolulu around 6pm. A long, but very enjoyable day! And the transportation only cost me $5.50!
Sidenote: For those of you interested in Pearl Harbor history, Haleiwa was a rather important place, which I hadn’t realized. Here’s a link to the story.
Friday, January 21 – Waikiki
Moving day! Time to check out of the hotel and take up residence in my Airbnb home for the next month. I admit I have a little apprehension, because although I’ve viewed the exterior and I like the neighborhood, I’ve only seen pictures of the unit’s interior. But hey, worst case, it’s only for a month, right?
The walk from my hotel to the apartment took about 20 minutes (minimal luggage, too cheap for an Uber!).
And with the caveat that I had low expectations going in, I’m pleased with the unit. It’s clean, has strong internet (more on that tomorrow), hot water, good water pressure. What more could you ask?!?
Here are a few pictures (remember, low expectations!)…
The entrance to my unit in the back is through the accessway on the right. And I do have a reserved parking space. Which will be nice in the event I decide to rent a car.A little patio off the bedroom
I spent the rest of the day unpacking and getting the place sorted.
As many of you know, today was my birthday. And thank you to everyone who reached out to me throughout the day. It was wonderful to hear from all of you! But, I’m sad to say it turned out to be a rather boring day. I didn’t even get anything special to eat. Embarrassingly, my dinner was a tuna sandwich from a local convenience store! Oh well, as many of you told me, a boring birthday in Hawaii is still a pretty good day!
I remember a phone call I had with my Dad on my birthday during my first winter escape in 2019. He made the comment that I was rarely in Madison for my birthday. I really hadn’t thought about it, but he was right. So for my journal entry that day I put together a list of where I had been on my birthday over the past several years. Here’s that list, appended to present day…
2000: working in Houston
2001: working in Corpus Christi
2002: working offshore, Bay of Campeche
2003: working offshore, Bay of Campeche
2004: working in Kuwait
2005: working in Kuwait
2006: working in Houston
2007: working in London
2008: working in London
2009: on vacation in Malta
2010: on vacation in Paris
2011: working in Yokohama
2012: working in Perth, Australia
2013: working in Perth
2014: on a business trip in London
2015: working in Houston
2016: on a business trip in Yokohama
2017: in transit to Tokyo for a business trip
2018: working in Houston
2019: on vacation in Buenos Aires
2020: on vacation in London
2021: Madison (Covid lockdown)
2022: on vacation in Honolulu
Saturday, January 22 – Honolulu
I hate to say it, but I think today is going to be a rest day.
I did make a run to Target though (about a 15 minute walk), and here’s why. I made a mention in yesterday’s entry about the internet here at the apartment, and it is fine. The issue is my 10 year old laptop. It keeps losing the wireless signal. I had that problem at the hotel too, but not as severe. Very annoying. And I remember I had the same issue a couple years ago at a hotel in Argentina. Fortunately there they actually had ethernet wall outlets that I was able to utilize in place of the wireless (with a borrowed cable). Well, I should have remembered that and brought an ethernet cable with me on this trip. But no. So I bought one at Target ($15) and plugged it into the router here in the apartment. Problem solved! (until I get to the next place that doesn’t have an ethernet option!)
I spent the rest of the day reading, getting caught on my day-to-day life stuff, and oh, watching the Packer game (3:15pm start here). Wow, was that ugly!
I’m sorry these last couple days have been rather boring. I’m hopeful this coming week will be better!
Today I visited the Lyon Arboretum. It covers nearly 200 acres in the Manoa Valley near Waikiki, and has 7 miles of hiking trails. Due to Covid, the arboretum is only open on weekdays, and the number of visitors is restricted via an online reservation system (free). It was a great day for hiking – beautiful weather. I spent a lot of time on the secondary trails; so, thanks to that and the capacity limit, I barely saw anyone else while I was there.
I journeyed to the arboretum by, you guessed it, bus.
Bunch of pictures to follow, so feel free to quickly scroll through! And no, I’m sadly not able to identify the various flora…
Sukhothai-Style Walking Buddha StatueThis is awesome!Oh Oh! Should I turn back??More awesomeness!
I finished up the day by taking the bus to what’s becoming a favorite place – Ala Moana Park / Magic Island. I hung out there for awhile and then walked back to the hotel via the canal.
Today was devoted to travel planning, and I discovered that my “no itinerary” methodology is probably not the best way to go in Hawaii. At least with the smaller islands of Maui and Kauai. That’s because the availability of accommodation and vehicles is limited there, so the costs can be high. And there are not a lot of support services in place like there are in Honolulu. These are not locations where you show up, hang out for a while, and figure out a plan. I’ll need to get that all sorted before I go. This realization came to me after spending a few hours researching online bookings.
Basically, I’m an idiot!
I also checked on the latest regarding international travel. Not looking good on this front either. Towards the end of last year Thailand had eased entry requirements related to Covid. Well, just recently they’ve tightened things up again with quarantine mandates, even for the vaccinated. I’m not getting a good feeling about leaving the U.S. at the moment, so it looks like my worst case scenario (entire stay in Hawaii) will come to fruition. Oh no!!
Based on all the above I made the decision to stay in Honolulu for a while – like probably a month. That will give me time to finalize a plan for visiting the other islands. Honolulu (and Oahu in general) is known as the most urban and touristy of the islands, which I agree with. But I think it also makes it the best place to park for a while. There is a plethora of dining, grocery, and laundry options. It’s easy to walk from place to place. There’s a shared bike system. And the bus network to all parts of the island is great – at a maximum cost of $5.50 per day. As a result, no (or minimal) need for a rental car.
As I looked for places to rent for a month, it became apparent that Airbnb was my best option. I’ve found a few possibilities, but I think I’m going have a sleep on it before I pull the trigger.
My final travel planning task of the day was to revise my return flights on Southwest. I switched my return date from April 19 to April 11, and my city of departure from Honolulu to Kona (figured I didn’t need to come back to Oahu, I could just finish on the Big Island). And there was some good news! I received a $35 credit for making that change! Whoo hoo!
Okay, time to clear my head and get something to eat.
I ventured to the Diamond Head Market & Grill. The bus driver I was talking to a couple days ago actually told me about it. Popular with the locals. It was a little bit of a walk from my hotel, but I needed the exercise!No seating, just take away service (order on the left, pickup on the right). The doors to the far left are to the market. They have some great bakery items in there.I went with the Garlic Herb Chicken Breast with brown rice and salad ($11.50). Very good! I’ll definitely be back!
I mentioned the high yogurt (which infers grocery too) prices in a previous post. But honestly, the prices for the prepared meals I have had here so far seem right inline with what I’d see back home.
In the window at the Diamond Head Market & Grill was posted this excerpt from an Esquire magazine article entitled “100 Restaurants America Can’t Afford to Lose”…
Diamond Head Grill (Honolulu, HI): This takeout counter on the mauka (mountain) side of Diamond Head isn’t a scenic spot — just a sun-beaten parking lot with a few picnic tables along a concrete wall (Tim’s note: the picnic tables are gone) — but the plate lunches spill over with the likes of miso ginger salmon, kalbi beef and char siu pork, plus a heap of rice: white, brown or, the best, hapa, brown and white together. —Ligaya Mishan
Monday, January 17 – Waikiki
I was scheduled to check out of the hotel today, so I extended once again. This time for four nights at rate of about $150 per. Cheapest so far!
I went back to Airbnb to look at some of the long term rentals I had highlighted, and a couple of them were no longer available. Great! This was probably due to the fact that these places are typically available to rent on a daily basis and I was looking for something that would need to have one month clear of any bookings. I did find a possibility that was fairly close to my hotel though and was able to arrange a viewing for later this morning (I was impressed with the quick response from the Host). Once I saw it though, it seemed a little old and worn. So I decided to hold off on that one. Then another listing I liked abruptly disappeared from my list of options (again, booked – at least for part of the month I was requesting). Doh! I was beginning to think I need to pull the trigger on something soon.
There was another listing that intrigued me though. It was a newly refurbished studio cottage behind a house on a residential street that’s close to a lot of stuff. It wasn’t possible to view it today unfortunately, but based on the pictures, I decided to go for it. So I move in Friday, and I’ll be there for a month. It has a full kitchen, internet, TV, AC, and a parking spot (in case I ever do rent a car). The rate ended up being about $120/night. Not great. Not terrible (for Honolulu). This unit was discounted, but once again, I’m guessing I probably could have done better if I had booked this further in advance. Or at least I definitely would have had more options.
Now now that that’s sorted I need to get out and enjoy the rest of the day (and get something to eat!)!
I decided to take a walk around the outside of Diamond Head Crater (not the hike INTO the crater, just around the outside). Most the walk will be similar to the one I took a few days ago (along the ocean), with the difference this time being that I will be walking clockwise and starting at about the 9 o’clock position.
Price Check 2: This is much more straight forward then the fuel price checks I did previously overseas – no volume or currency conversions required here!So, coincidentally my walk around the crater just happened to take me by the Diamond Head Market & Grill. I told you I’d be back! Today’s choice? Teriyaki Beef Steak Sandwich ($10). Messy, but good! I liked this shot from the road looking down on the two people sitting on the beach, along with the surfers close by and further out. Note all the footprints on the beach, mainly from the surfers. It’s the end of a long holiday weekend, and Waikiki Beach is a little more crowded!
I was scheduled to check out from the hotel today, but decided to extend my reservation another three nights. It’s a nice place, good location, reasonably priced (for Waikiki), and most importantly, I’m still trying decide how I want to see the rest of the island. I’m in no rush, so let’s see how it plays out (can you tell that I’ve already assimilated some of that surfer vibe!)
My rate for the new reservation is $183/night all-in. A little higher than my original reservation, but that’s the price you pay for flexibility (or more likely in my case, indecision/laziness!)! I forgot to mention earlier that the rate includes a “to go” breakfast. It’s basically a pre-boxed meal consisting of fruit, pastries and a hard boiled egg. About the best you can ask for in a Covid world.
Also meant to talk about the local Covid policies. Basically it’s the same as Madison/Dane County – masks are required indoors, but not outdoors. There are some exceptions to the latter part though. For example masks were required at all times while at Pearl Harbor.
Today was pretty low key day. After sorting out my reservation I took a walk to Ala Moana Park. It’s not super far from my hotel, but it’s in the direction away from the tourist part of Waikiki and towards Honolulu. This area includes some beaches and is popular with the locals, but not so much the tourists. Perfect!
Surfers and Diamond Head. ’nuff said!Crowded? Not!I like this picture with the lifeguard station in the foreground and Diamond Head in the background.I found a bench nearby and parked there…for quite a while!
I stopped by the grocery store on my way back to the hotel. Which led to…
Price Check Number 1: I think these go for about $1.25 at my local Madison Pick N Save!
Saturday, January 15 – Waikiki
I woke up this morning to a text from Ali asking me if there were any local concerns regarding the tsunami. What?!? Wait! There’s a tsunami?!? Fortunately, there was only an advisory issued here, with no major wave impact expected. Whew! Disaster averted.
(And thanks for checking in Ali. I’m not the greatest at following the news while away. Especially the local stuff. As we all learned a couple years ago when Kait suggested I might want to take Covid seriously and get my butt on the next flight out of Argentina!)
Today is looking to be only moderately busy. I’m going to hike the Manoa Falls Trail. This is a 1.7 mile out and back trail located near Honolulu. And how do you think I’m going to get to the trailhead? You got it! Back on the bus!
Travel Note: Google Maps is great for providing local bus routes, schedules and real-time arrival status updates.
The trailhead is about a 15 minute walk from the bus stopThis hike was more treacherous than strenuous. That’s because the trail is mainly rocks covered with mud, which was rather slippery – especially on the descent.Clever use of a shipping container! (Although, with the current supply chain issues, they may want to consider putting it back into service!)The trail passes through many different ecosystems……and was used for filming scenes in Jurassic Park and LOSTQuoting from my guidebook, “The 150 foot waterfall can be an impressive cascade or, if rain has been sparse, little more than a trickle. This hike is more about the journey than the destination.” Have to agree on that one!
The bus stop near the trail happens to be at the end of the route, so when the bus arrives it parks for a few minutes to give the driver a break. For my trip back I happened to be the only one waiting at the stop, so was able to have a nice conversation with the driver. I found her and the other locals I’ve interacted with to be very friendly.
I decided to get a little more walking (and exploring) in on the return trip, so ended up exiting the bus well before it approached the area of my hotel. As I meandered along I happened to approach a McDonalds and got a sudden urge for an ice cream cone ($2). I can’t remember the last time I’ve be in a McDs, but I must say the cone tasted pretty good!
This is the canal that runs by my hotel. It has a nice path that’s popular with walkers and joggers.
For dinner tonight, a little Korean place near my hotel. I thought it would be a good choice after I saw some local Five-O* eating there a couple days ago!
*Five-O: Urban slang for police officers. Derived from the police drama “Hawaii Five-0.” In this case, a rather appropriate use of the term, if I do say so!
While were on the subject of Hawaii Five-0, who’s with me in saying that that show (the original, 1960s version) has the greatest theme song of all time?? Take a listen…
Marinated Kalbi (Boneless Short Ribs), Fried Egg, Rice and Side Salad ($16). Tasty!
Another beautiful day! I ended up spending most of it at Pearl Harbor. To get there I decided to take the local bus. It took about an hour and cost $2.75. I like taking public transportation when traveling for a few reasons: interaction with the locals; see different parts of the city; and most importantly, I’m cheap!
The grounds of the Pearl Harbor Memorial are beautiful. In the background are the USS Missouri and the USS Arizona Memorial.One of the Arizona’s three 19,585-pound anchors. The USS Missouri and USS Arizona Memorial are once again in the background.Lone Sailor Statue, the base of which contains steel from the USS Arizona.The short Navy shuttle boat ride taking visitors out to the USS Arizona Memorial. Reservations for the shuttle can be made in advance online at a cost of $1. Fortunately I did that. Those that came to Pearl Harbor without a reservation were required to queue for standby tickets.
Sidenote 1: As I travel I find it interesting that there are times when my perception of something that I have seen over and over again in photos and film are completely different from reality. The USS Arizona Memorial is one such case. For some reason, I thought it was further offshore; more isolated. Maybe it’s because I only ever recall seeing photos of it from overhead and by itself.
At the far end of the Memorial is a shrine made of marble bearing the names of all those killed on the USS Arizona. The bases on the left and right are inscribed with the names of those crew members who survived the 1941 sinking, have subsequently passed away and had their ashes interred within the wreck by U.S. Navy divers.
Sidenote 2: As I was looking at the names on the shrine I discovered that an admiral, Isaac Campbell Kidd, was one those killed on the USS Arizona. He was the highest ranking casualty of Pearl Harbor.
Oil leaking from the sunken battleship can still be seen rising from the wreckage to the water’s surface. This oil is sometimes referred to as “the tears of the Arizona” or “black tears”.I also visited the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum (ticket cost: $25). The Museum includes two hangers with many historic aircraft on display inside as well as on the surrounding grounds. Douglas SBD Dauntless (Dive Bomber)Curtiss P-40E Warhawk (Fighter); with a Harley-Davidson motorcycle alongsideBoeing B-17E Flying Fortress (Multi-Engine Bomber). This plane was recovered after spending 50 years in a New Guinea swamp!Another pin for my bulletin board
It was a wonderful day at Pearl Harbor. There is so much to see; I could have definitely spent more time there. A very sobering experience.
Picked up some Indian take away on the walk back to the hotelVeggie Korma ($10). Hit the spot!
After dinner it was time to head to the beach…
Lining up to watch the sunset (with Diamond Head in the background)And it didn’t disappoint!
I slept somewhat better last night, and am ready to do some exploring! It’s another beautiful day, so trekking Diamond Head (DH) seems like the perfect choice.
From my hotel in Waikiki, walking the direct inland route to the DH park entrance would probably take about 45 minutes (taking a bus is also an option). I’ve read though that an alternate wraparound route along the coast is a beautiful walk. It’s takes about double the time, but I went for it. Very happy I did! Took that route back too.
Here’s a rough sketch of the route I used to walk from my hotel to the entrance of Diamond Head. As you can see, not the most direct!Cool surfboard storage area along a path down to the beachNot a typical sight in Wisconsin!A view of Diamond Head from a little coastal park I came across on the walk Hard to see, but there are surfers out there! I wanted to include the sign because I thought it was funny that the Hazard warning was covered up with stickers!
The trail to the summit of Leʻahi (Hawaiian name for Diamond Head Crater) was built in 1908 as part of Oahu’s coastal defense system. Round trip, the hike is 1.6 miles, with an elevation gain of 560 feet. So, pretty easy. There are some steep stairs and a narrow, lighted 225-foot tunnel to traverse, but that’s about it.
You can see part of the crater in the background.**INFLATION ALERT!!** This sign near the entrance indicates the fee for those walking into the park is $1 (cash only). Well, in actuality the cost was $5! (credit card only) Are you kidding me?!?Hikers along a switchback can be seen at the bottom of the pictureNot very crowded, which was nice!Diamond Head Lighthouse, dating to 1899. The road adjacent to the lighthouse was part of my walk to and from the park.View of Waikiki and Honolulu from the summit of the crater.The first souvenir of the trip ($4). Will go on my bulletin board at home. Found this cool seaside path on my walk.Oh Oh! Fortunately I survived.Came across tonight’s dinner spot on my way back to the hotel. Luckily I arrived there a little early. By the time I got my food the place had filled up.Ahi tuna in pineapple teriyaki sauce with potato/macaroni salad ($14). Mmmm!
Ended up doing over 30k steps today. Hopefully I’ll sleep better tonight!
Monday, January 10 – transit from Madison to Honolulu
After a one year hiatus (thanks Covid!), the Winter Escape is back!!! Omicron be damned!
So, once I made the decision to risk my life to flee another Wisconsin winter, I faced a more important choice: Where should this battle against Covid take place? Warm weather overseas escape options were severely limited due to lockdown scenarios. Once my focus pivoted to the States, Hawaii pretty much became my main focus. I’d never been there (I prefer visiting new places); it has the allure of a foreign country; and they’re open for business! The pieces ultimately came together in October when I received an email from Scott’s Cheap Flights (thanks Kait!). Hawaii was on sale!
I ended up booking a round trip flight from Milwaukee to Honolulu for $440 on Southwest Airlines (as in previous posts, I plan on being transparent regarding the costs I incur; hopefully it will assist you in future travel planning). The duration is set for about three months. I consider spending the entire time in Hawaii the “worst case” scenario. Terrible, I know! Basically, what I mean by that is my hope is to travel to other places in the region as pandemic restrictions ease. Thailand is open, so that is a possibility. However, thanks to a tip from Holly, I’ve discovered that Fiji and Tahiti have also recently reopened. Those two are both high on my wish list. I’m following the same approach on this trip as I did when I went to South America for three months in 2019 – no set itinerary, just a list of places to see and things to do. I’ll figure it out as I go.
My journey started at 6:45am on Monday in Madison with a ride to the airport from Chuck. I don’t mean Dane County Regional. This is Milwaukee folks. Huge thanks Chuck! And did I mention that is was 2 degrees in Madison as the road trip commenced? Yeah, risking my life to escape that wasn’t a concern!
The trip included a layover in Las Vegas of about 5 hours. I should note here that I paid an additional $25 total to get early boarding on both the flight to Vegas (4 hours) and Honolulu (6 hours). Considering Southwest charges no bag fees, I didn’t feel too bad about the outlay. And it turned out to be a great investment, as I was able to snag an exit row window seat on both flights! (Southwest has open seating – choose any unoccupied seat when you board the plane) As the flight’s departure time in Vegas approached, the gate agents were huddled in discussion. This can’t be good. It turns out one of the flight attendants failed to show up for the flight. Oh oh. Can you say “canceled flight”? Fortunately, they were able to sort it out (not sure how though, as I never saw another FA appear – don’t care). This resulted in our arriving in Honolulu at 11:00pm, around 30 minutes late. Apparently ours was the last arrival of the night. The airport was deserted!
Hawaii has made it easy for vaccinated domestic travelers to visit. No tests. No quarantine. And to expedite the arrival process, they’ve set up a website where visitors can upload their vaccination details. Once this is complete, a QR code is generated, which can be scanned by Hawaii airport personnel. However, Southwest has accelerated the process further by performing the scan at the departure airport and then issuing a wristband to the traveler. Slick!
I ended up getting an Uber from the airport to my hotel in Waikiki for about $23, which I thought was pretty reasonable. (It was only about a 20 minute drive at that time of night) Arrived at the hotel around midnight (4am in Madison). I booked the Coconut Waikiki Hotel for 4 nights at an all-in cost (incl taxes and fees) of $164/night (welcome to Hawaii!).
My room at the Coconut. Impressed that I remembered to take this picture before I crashed? Hope so!
Tuesday, January 11 – Waikiki
Finally fell asleep around 1am. Woke up a 5. A.M. UGH! Hello jetlag.
View from my room’s balcony. Settle down, that’s not the ocean. It’s a canal. It’s about 5 blocks in the other direction to the beach.Exterior of the Coconut
It’s going to be a beautiful day! Clear skies, temps in the 70s. Which way is the beach?
Here it is! The lack of crowds reflect the morning hour – I was up 5am remember!Duke Kahanamoku Statue. He was a competition swimmer who popularized the ancient Hawaiian sport of surfing in the early 1900s.
I did some walking around the beaches and parks of Waikiki today. But I have to admit, after yesterday’s long day of travel followed by the lack of sleep (and probably old age!), many rest stops were required!
Not a bad place to take a break!
By 2pm I was pretty much whipped. So I headed back to the hotel and chilled. I was able to get in about 14k steps though, so not a terrible day. I was a little disappointed that I wasn’t able to do more exploring, but I need to remind myself that this is a three month marathon, not a sprint!
