View from Holona Blowhole

Waikiki is a fun place to be in really but i feel that you oughta get out of Waikiki to really appreciate what Oahu has to offer . After we touched down at the Honolulu International Airport , the first stop was Nuannu Pali which is supposed to be windy all year round . The views out to sea were panaromic . After that we visited HiloHattie which is a big store selling hawaiian products . They have a gigantic aloha shirt at the entrance.

Tornado (circled in red)

The first night i visited the Paradise Cove Luau which is quite interesting and authentic to me but then i am not that familiar with the real thing . Alright it rained while we were there , fortunately it ended after a short while . There were games ( traditional games like spear throwing , throwing a horse shoe unto a wooden pole , etc ) , performances ( like how they used to go fishing ), and of course Hawaiian food which is served buffet style . Joanne , Shirley and I had pictures drawn on our skin which unfortunately i don't have a picture of .The tornado you see in the picture above was seen en route to Paradise Cove Luau . After that , at night , around midnight , Shirley and me went in search of Waikiki Beach but unfortunately we went searching the wrong direction . We found the Ala Moana Canal instead which we didn't know at that time.

Paradise Cove Luau

The first stop the next day was Pearl Harbor which put me in a contemplative mood as it's really serene but yet tragic . Before taking the ferry over to the Commemorative structure , we watched a video show on the Second World War and the bombing of Pearl Harbor and it made us feel more for the place and what i stood for . Over at the structure , we could see parts of the sunken ship and oil was still seeping out of it . They call it the Tears of Arizona . How apt yet sad . I would say that if there's nothing else you visit in Hawaii , you should visit the Pearl Harbor.

Diamond Head Crater is nice but i think you oughta go for a hike to really appreciate it fully which i didn't because i didn't have the time . The view from the top is amazing or so i heard as you can get a bird's eye view of Waikiki . This is a must-do the next time i ever get to Hawaii . The view in the middle of the crater is unspectacular bacause it was flat like a football field and though the volcanic ridges surrounds us on all sides , it didn't really feel like we were in a crater.

Punchbowl which is a cemetery didn't really stick in my mind bacause i only viewed it from the tour bus . King Kamahameha's statue and the Iolani Palace was only a picture taking spot so i won't comment too much on it either.

After that , it was only around lunch so we had the whole stretch till dinner all to ourselves . However , after a visit to the toilet , i couldn't find the rest and so i spent the entire afternoon by myself in Waikiki where i walked to the Hard Rock Cafe , shopping at Armani(which is really cheap here) and watching the sunset on Waikiki Beach . At night , when i joined up with the rest , we shopped around the International Market where Joanne left earlier as she wasn't feeling well.

Arizona Memorial, Pearl Harbor

Next morning , we visited Sandy Beach which has great waves and stretches quite far (Right) but the Holona Blowhole was a letdown . It didn't blow the day i was there . Hanauma Bay is a major tourist spot and it's easy to see why as it's really beautiful with clear blue water and the ridge beside it which resembles a lizard . This was also the day we left for Big Island.

Sandy Beach

After our return from Big Island , we visited the Maui Divers where we were shown a video of how they dive for pearls. At night , Juanjuan baked us all a cake in the hotel. After it we all went down to the swimming pool at the ground floor of our hotel to chit chat and gawk at the many prostitutes plying the streets after midnight as usual . It was really kinda interesting . Heard that they approached one of the undergraduates that came along for the trip.

Diamond Head

On the last day we visited the Waikele Factory Outlets where we spent more than half a day shopping for goods at a quarter of their original price . The supposed defects were actually quite invisible to the naked eye . At night , we visited Ala Moana Shopping Centre where Juanjuan spent much time at a shop which sold baking stuff . Thereafter , when the rest have retire to their hotel rooms , Dawn and me went to do shopping for souvenirs for our friends before heading to Waikiki Beach to recount our experiences over the past few days.

Hanauma Bay

On the last day, I woke up late with less than 15 minutes to spare before we had to meet in the lobby to get on the bus which will bring us to the airport. Thus it was a mad rush to pack up my stuff and to get ready. But fortunately, I managed to get to the lobby in time.

Nuuanu Pali