Once we had docked, we went to get some breakfast – my last meal onboard the ship!
bacon, eggs & toast
I rushed back to my room to finish packing my luggage and then there was a long queue to get through the US Customs before we could disembark.
As soon as we stepped off the ship, I felt like another chapter of our holiday had ended and our last chapter was beginning. We’re on the island of Oahu, with Honolulu as its capital city. We took a shuttle to our hotel in Waikiki – the Pacific Beach Hotel. It was right on the beach and our rooms had their own balconies overlooking the ocean. It’s a pity we didn’t have enough time to spend any of it sitting out there with a glass of wine. As it was, we have two to make the most of.
We left our bags with the hotel as it was too early for check-in and headed out on foot. I had my map of Waikiki that I had photocopied from Keith’s ‘Lonely Planet’ guide and it served me well. We took a bus to our first destination.
This is a volcanic crater that was named as such when British sailors discovered it and noticed that it sparkled in the daylight. Of course they thought that they were diamonds in the mountainside, but it was actually just the calcite crystals in the lava rock from the extinct volcano that was glistening in the sunlight.
We hiked up the trail and through a tunnel that was carved through the side of the crater by the US defense when this site was used as a defence post in the early 1900’s.
where the Stargate programme is being run
Once through the tunnel, the view reminded me of the barren deserts of Vegas. The sun was getting higher in the sky and we decided against doing the extra hike to reach an observation deck to see views of the island.Everyone wanted to go to the shopping malls, whereas I was set on getting to Hanauma Bay Nature Park to try snorkelling for the first time. I hopped on a bus going in the opposite direction to them. Alas I found out that the park was closed on Tuesdays. Today is a Tuesday. Of all the luck! =(
I asked the bus driver where the nearest beach was, and he said he would be driving near the coast but would be going through residential area first. I saw a few people who were about my age and in beach gear, so I thought perhaps I could just get off when they do. After about half an hour on the bus, I was starting to get nervous as we seemed to be just driving around amidst suburbia. I thought of getting off a few times, but the younger couple with the beach towels were still on the bus, so I stuck it out.
Good thing I was patient, we soon came to a T-junction and I saw ocean! The youths got off and so did I. I headed out in the same direction as them, but alot slower so that I could take in the views. To the left of me was a looming mountain. No doubt it was the crater wall of some long extinct volcano. To the left I saw shrubbery but every now and then I saw the blueness of water peep through.
I decided to break off from the trail that the younger people were taking and went to explore the beach to my left. There was alot of old lava rock at the sand’s edge. I had wanted to go for a swim, but didn’t fancy getting smashed up on these rocks by the waves. Instead, I took out my camera and went to see what I could find in the rock pools.
After hopping from rock pool to rock pool for over an hour, I finally thought I’d better get a move on. I walked back up to the road and continued in the direction that I was heading earlier. I was beginning to feel really dehydrated as I didn’t have any water with me and it was getting really hot. I walked and walked, praying that amongst the cars up ahead I’d find some sort of kiosk to get a drink. Nope...they turned out to be public toilets. I pressed on. There were many more cars further up and I soon saw the beach I had been seeking.
Yay! I found a surge of renewed energy and practically skipped down the beach, threw my bags down and tore my clothes off. The water was so refreshingly cold! I couldn’t go out too far though because the waves were pretty strong. I struggled a bit to stay on my feet. There were some rocks in the water and I didn’t fancy being thrown against them. There were plenty of people out in the distance surfing and paddling kayaks.
Soon, I was beginning to get really hungry so I reluctantly said goodbye to this beautiful beach and headed up the road from whence I came. I spotted a lunch wagon and went to check out the menu.
I asked for a taco and the guy asked me what meat I wanted in it. I asked him what meats he had.
He said, “Fish, chicken, beef, lamb...”
Fish? A fish taco? This sounded much too strange so I chose this.
I found a bench overlooking the ocean and sat there while I had my lunch. The taco with the fish was surprisingly fantastic!!
I headed back to where the bus had dropped me off, and crossed the road to wait on the other side for the bus that would be going in the opposite direction. Or at least I hoped. The sun was high in the sky now and it was really hot. I sat in the shade of a road sign ha ha. I waited about ten minutes before the bus came rumbling around the corner.
The ride back to the hotel took almost an hour due to the traffic. I nodded off several times and was so worried I had missed my stop. I got back to the hotel safe and sound, a little browner (if I could possibly have gotten any browner) and sticky from the salt water of the ocean. I went to the hotel to check-in.
I grabbed a beach towel from the hotel and then quickly headed down to Waikiki Beach for a quick dip in the water. This beach was a lot different to Sandy Beach. There were two walls of rock extending out from both left and right sides to protect the beach from the waves that were further out. It made the water calm and warm. It was perfect for families with young children to enjoy themselves without the worry of being swept away by a huge wave. However, if you did want to surf or kayak, you simply had to swim out past the walls of rock (there was an opening in the middle) and into the open ocean.After my swim, I walked around to explore the nearby streets.
I took the chips to Waikiki Beach and watched the other beach-goers while nibbling on them. As I’ve been to the USA before, I am very well aware of the large serving sizes and was not surprised when I got fries that could have filled four regular plastic takeaway containers. I took the rest back to the hotel so I could shower and get ready to head out for dinner.
As the sun began to set, I caught some of the traditional Hawaiin dance and song show further up Waikiki Beach. They had a few musicians singing and playing music while different groups of dancers performed. There was a young boy on his own, a group of older women and three young girls. I stayed for a little while to watch and then my grumbling tummy got the best of me.
I headed to the International Market Place where I spotted Noel, Fleurette, Grant and Julia. We decided to go and try a place that served steak and lobster. On the way out, I came across an artist doing caricatures so I had to sit down and have one done.
I eventually caught up with the gang, but not at the restaurant we’d decided on. It turned out to be some sort of backpackers hostel, so we went down the road to a really awesome 50’s themed diner. They had all the usual memorabilia from the decade – it’s a pity we weren’t really allowed to take photos of the inside decor. I felt like breaking out into an Elvis Presley song.
After dinner we went to a bar that’s one of the hotspots in Waikiki - Dukes. We had some drinks and I also ordered some food since I had only had a small meal at dinner.
From here we went barhopping at a few places. Most of them had tanks filled with tropical fish – how befitting! While at one nightclub, Grant was drinking Coronas and someone walked past and put a little ‘Corona’ poncho onto his beer. It looked so damn cute, I spent the next ten minutes asking every staff who walked past if I could have one. Finally, one of the barchicks brought us a whole heap of them and gave us those plastic party favour necklaces with pendants that light up. Too bad we didn’t get free drinks!
A great day! I stayed out a little later than the rest of them who decided to head back. I got back to the hotel, showered, and made myself a hot cup of tea before bed.
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