ALOOOOHA. What a very beautiful and relaxing adventure
Day 1 - Jan 14
Toothpaste - check
Sunblock - check
It was a long night packing since Leens had 50 types of beauty cream, but we made in time for the airport. Fast forward a couple of hours and we're in Hawaii. Weather is pretty decent (Good). There was some minor complications at the car rental place, but we were out and about after 12:00. Good thing I didn't get any insurance for the car rental...WHAT A SCAM!
Our first stop was our hotel/airbnb room. Unfortunately, no pictures were taken, but it was an overall ok place.
Once we were settled, we headed straight for the Dole Plantation. I've already been there, but I had to take Leens at least once since it's first time in Hawaii. What a total tourist trap :)
On our way there we stopped by for ramen at IchiBen. To my surprise, this place gets a decent rating as well (4/5). The food was good for the price and best of all, it was very clean and quiet. Also, seeing an old asian lady cooking my ramen reassured me that the food was legit. After a satisfying meal, we went to grab boba at a 4 star place on Yelp. We got the recommended wintermelon with Panda pearls drink which sucked and tasted like water.
At the Dole Plantation, we decided to check the world famous pineapple maze. Since I had already completed the maze before, the plan was for Leens to lead the way. Unfortunately, I had to take the reins due to her lack of direction skills - Refer to the picture on the bottom left. Again, very glad the weather was nice. I did the Dole maze 2 years ago in the summer and it was brutal. Gladly, we had our favorite Dole Whip which tasted great, but we couldn't finish the whole thing. Also Leens got a tatoo!
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Now we're out in the ocean. This is a rare occurrence where I've actually been this far out. Our tour guide was chill and as everyone went to do the submarine adventure, Leens and I went to go snorkel. Before I jumped in, she somehow pushed me into the railing and scraped my ankle. I will forgive her once for her actions.
My assessment of the water activities: Snorkeling - 7.8/10. Better experience than last time I went snorkeling and I got to see a turtle for a slight moment. Also, pretty cool to be swimming and relaxing with leens in the ocean. Underwater Scooter - 9/10. Pretty fun although, I wished the scooter was a little faster so I could roam around. I would definitely recommend it as an activity, but make sure not to get seasick (bring medicine). I almost puked towards the 2nd half of the ride which probably would've attracted sharks (I am quite delicious). |
Next stop: Koko Head Cafe
For some reason I've been really craving sweets. Leens got the cereal french toast and I got some salty dish that I don't remember the name. I thought the cereal french toast was really good, but this place was a bit too expensive for what they gave you. 2 dollars for a slice of bread?! really..
For some reason I've been really craving sweets. Leens got the cereal french toast and I got some salty dish that I don't remember the name. I thought the cereal french toast was really good, but this place was a bit too expensive for what they gave you. 2 dollars for a slice of bread?! really..
Afterwards, we proceeded to our Jet skiing adventures. To my surprise, Jet skiing was pretty dam scary in the beginning. You felt like the ski was going to flip over, but slowly we got the hang of it. I think Eileen was kind of scared too. I wish I had more pics, but our GoPro was out of battery. Luckily, the owner was nice enough to take us a pic on his cellphone!
The rest of the day...was EAT EAT EAT. We stopped by a really highly yelp rated restaurant called Nico's. I think we may have went to the wrong store since the reviews were meant for the actual restaurant, but we got Pokebowl at a fish shop next door. Nonetheless, the food was decent. Leens was not too fond of that much fish. so picky... I'd also like to note that up to this point, she injured me again by stomping on my pinky toe with a chair.
Later that day we headed back to attend the famous Hilton Fireworks. I love how it's so "Hawaii". They play the same "Over the Rainbow" song and it never gets old. We both enjoyed the event very much.
We toured the city beaches at night as we held each other's hand. As I stared into her eyes, I realized that the vacation wasn't Hawaii, it was each others company. Chapter 2...
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Day 3 - Jan 16
I wish we had an extra day here, but today is the last full day. Our first stop is CHING CHONG CHINA TOWN. I've been here a few times, but for some reason, I love waking up early and seeing Chinese people early in the morning doing their day to day routine. We stopped by this 4.5 star place called CHAR HUNG SUT. They sold Cha Siu Bao which is called BBQ Pork Bun in America (CHAR-SEEEEW BOW). The bun tasted good although, the 4.5 star may be a little high. I didn't find the bun much different from other Char Siu Bows besides it being huge and fluffy. I am kinda craving it though as I type this. |
We strolled around Chinatown a little longer and grabbed mango lychee juice! The juice got us really full so we didn't eat anything else. Out to Wakiki beach we go.
Wakiki beach is one of the most busiest, but also the nicest. For some reason, the water looked super blue that day like from what you see in the movies. Leens was super happy which is good. Maybe we should have stayed here a bit longer. Next time we come to Hawaii, we'll get a place by the beach :)
While we walked back to our hotel, we got a quick snack at Island Vintage Coffee. I got a coffee since I was sleepy and Leens got her first Acai bowl. It was $10 bucks for a fruit bowl, but it was pretty good. It tasted more like blueberries than anything.
Due to some "complications" we weren't able to go to Sushi Sasabune, but went to some other Japanese spot which tasted pretty good called: Izakaya Torae Torae. I drinked a little too much which was a bad idea. Overall, I shall give this place a 4/5 star on the Kevin Perfection Scale. |
Day 4.5. Day of the departure.
We decided to do something crazy that we wouldn't usually do, wake up early. Our plan was to make it to the top of Kokohead before the sunrises. The great thing about Hawaii is that waking up early is not too bad even at 4 AM.
We got to Kokohead and it was pitch dark up the trail! No worries though, we made it to the top relatively quick. Not gonna lie, it was a little scary, but I look at fear and I laugh at it.
We decided to do something crazy that we wouldn't usually do, wake up early. Our plan was to make it to the top of Kokohead before the sunrises. The great thing about Hawaii is that waking up early is not too bad even at 4 AM.
We got to Kokohead and it was pitch dark up the trail! No worries though, we made it to the top relatively quick. Not gonna lie, it was a little scary, but I look at fear and I laugh at it.
After the PDA and sunset pictures, we headed back down. Walking down was actually tougher than I thought, but again, I laugh at fear. I also decided to take advantage of the rugged terrain to work out my back. I totally recommend it for people who are trying to strengthen their core.