Took an early morning walk down Laniakea Beach looking for turtles and seals, but no luck. I did find some plastic garbage though to add to my collection.
Haleiwa
Walked the streets of Haleiwa and visited some shops. Got an Ube Latte. Yum😋
Waialua
North Shore soap factory tour.
Krystal wanted to go on a soap factory tour, which sounded interesting but as soon as we went through the door, I knew I had to leave. The air was thick and so smelly. I couldn’t breathe in. I thought I was going to pass out. Even Noa said it was stinky😂 so, here I am, by myself, out front, waiting lol. Oh well, that gives me time for some blogging and grounding😁
All by myself lol
Stopped for food at Ted’s Bakery and got Ted’s bento box. It had a little bit of everything. Spam, Mahi Mahi, chicken katsu, teriyaki beef and rice. Yum. So good!
We went on a hike to the northern most point of Oahu. It was about 2.5 miles round trip. Krystal had wanted to see a turtle or a seal the whole trip. On the way back we literally stumbled upon a Hawaiian Monk seal. It was taking a nap under a tree.
Checked out of the Circle Hotel. I loved this hotel. The location was perfect. Right across from the beach and a lanai to watch people. Check out wasn’t until noon but we are heading to the Aulani Disney Resort for one night.
Aulani Resort
At the Aulani if you get there before check in, they will store your bags until your room is ready. That means you are cleared to enjoy the pools and water slides!
The sun was out and it was getting hot. Camden and I went to the big fish tank and snorkeled. You wear an inflatable life jacket, snorkel gear and basically just float on top of the water. No splashing is allowed and you can’t go under the water. We saw a lot of big fish in there and the water was really cold lol.
Camden and Noa went down the slides on a double tube with Randy, Krystal and then me. Krystal wanted to go down together. I had been watching the double tubes with grown-ups come down together and they always crashed big-time. I tried to warn her that we would probably crash and she didn’t believe me. So we went down the slide and I sat in front. At the end of the tunnel I went down under water and Krystal launched over the top of me. She got all of her hair wet, which never happens lol. I almost died laughing. I wish we would have gotten a video of that!
We ate lunch and I got a Mickey Mouse musubi and a shave ice in the shape of Mickey ears. I wanted a banana but they were $4.00 😲
We went down to the Kohola lagoon. The four Ko Olina Lagoons are man made. They were formed back in the 80’s. Currently they are all open to the public but there was a time when they tried to restrict access. Also, the water quality and bacteria levels have to be monitored or they will shut them down if its too high.
There was a jellyfish warning but I don’t think they can make it into the cove. The openings are not that big. They usually come out 9-12 days after the full moon. We all went swimming and Camden and Noa caught some little waves on the boogie boards.
Randy got a notification that our room was ready. Our room was on the quiet side of the resort which was nice. It had one bedroom, one giant bathroom with two rooms, a large lanai, a hideabed and a Murphy bed. We told Camden that I got the hideabed and he had to sleep on the floor😂😂 I think he believed us. He did almost freeze though. Both the hideabed and the murphy bed only had sheets, no blankets. Good thing I brought my blanket lol. Poor Camden.
All the electrical outlets were upside down?
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Day 4 Wednesday
Check out day, but not really. You are allowed to store your luggage and continue water park fun. The weather was a little chilly so Krystal and I opted to stay dry lol.
We hung out so that Noa could see her hero, Stitch. So funny that she loves Stitch because I love Stitch and in another life, my coworker, Gary, called me Stitch. He said we had the same personality 😂
There is another Cat Cafe Moff! The Ala Meow-ona location at the Ala Moana Center. It’s about 1.9 miles from my hotel 😻 it shouldn’t take that long to walk there.
I watched the MLK Jr. Parade as I was walking. It was pretty awesome and inspiring.
Along the way I crossed over the Ala Wai Canal. In 2019 they started the Genki Ala Wai project to clean up the water in the canal with Genki balls. Genki balls are tennis ball sized and made from soil, rice bran, and microorganisms to improve the water quality. This may or may not have worked depending on which study you read. I’m still not jumping in but it would be perfect for a couple of waterski passes lol.
The maps took me down some sketchy alleyway and I came across a cell phone laying face down, right in the middle of the sidewalk. It looked brand new and was probably fine but I stepped over it. Not today lol not today.
I made it to the cat cafe just in time for kau kau time! There was a lot of meowing going on and they lined all the cats up with a bell. The cats chowed down pretty quickly and there were only two slow eaters. After that, the cats went back to begging for treats lol. This Cafe didn’t have a bandana system so it was basically a free for all. Treats and pets for all!
Waiting for lunch to be served
I walked around the Ala Moana Center for a while. All the snobby stores were on the second floor and the regular ones were on the third floor. My toe was starting to hurt from walking and hitting my shoe. My toenail will probably fall off. I considered buying new shoes for the walk back lol but I couldn’t find anything that looked normal. Well, normal for me. Black, low profile, and cushioned lol.
On the way back I stopped at Ululani’s shave ice. My favorite!
The taxi service picked me up from the airport. The driver was very nice but either he needed new glasses or he didn’t realize he was drifting lol. I made it to the Circle Hotel alive and got checked in. They upgraded me to an ocean view room for free. I took the elevator up to my floor. Yes, there is an elevator lol. My room really is shaped like a piece of pie and it has a lanai that overlooks Kuhio Beach. Perfect 😁
It was 7 pm here in Oahu but back home it was 9 pm. Starting to feel a bit hangry so I walked down the sidewalk. Right next to the hotel is McDonald’s 😂 I ordered on the app and took it to my Lanai to eat and watch people.
Kalakaua Avenue is the street in front of my hotel and it is around 2.75 miles long. It is the main road down Waikiki Beach with all restaurants, shopping, and hotels. I think it’s the street people cruise at night because there is a lot of traffic. It’s three lanes and is one way. There is no street mirroring it in the other direction. If you need to turn around you have to take a side street and hope for the best. I’m glad I’m not driving lol. There is going to be a parade on Monday for Martin Luther King Jr Day. Maybe I will watch it from my Lanai.
I woke up really early because of the time difference. Two hours too early lol. I hope I don’t get used to it or waking up for work is going to be terrible.
I walked down to the ABC Store and got a banana to go with my protein bar. In my opinion, eating is such a waste of time. When is someone going to make a breakfast lunch and dinner pill like on Willy Wonka? This would be so much easier than deciding what or where to eat and then don’t get me started on cooking. I just wouldn’t want to turn into a blueberry lol. iykyk 😂
Now one of the reasons I was so excited to go back to Oahu was because of the Cat Cafe Moff. (The International Market Paws). It opened right before we left in 2023 and I didn’t find out about it until the day of departure. It’s located at the International Market Place on the second floor. It’s $28 for an hour of cat petting and treat giving but it was worth it. The cats wore colored bandanas to put them into categories. Treats, no treats, crunchy treats, and soft treats. It also let you know where it was advisable to touch them. No touching, head pets only and all okay. If you visit during the hours of 12pm or 5 pm that’s kau kau time (feeding time) I might have to go back lol
After all that cat excitement, I walked around the mall and found a pen store and it had all my favorite pens. Uni Jetstream. I know. Lame😂😂
I had to get shave ice so I walked farther down the street to Island Vintage Shave Ice. The first place I had ever tried shave ice. I was sitting there eating my shave ice and some strange lady came up and sat down next to me. Really close.. I side-eyed her thinking who is this weirdo invading my space. I took another look and it was Rachel lol. Then Krystal, Randy, Camden, and Noa came around the corner. They have arrived a couple of days earlier than me, but I hadn’t seen them yet.
I went back to the hotel and went swimming and then met Greg and Rachel and the kids for dinner.
Okay. It’s the night before the flight and I tried one more time to cram all my stuff into the small suitcase and I just can’t do it. No matter how big my backpack is, (31 liter) I can’t fit all of my stuff within the two bags. So instead of the 20 inch suitcase I’m taking the next size up. It’s amazing what a difference four inches makes. I get to check one bag for free regardless so I will be utilizing the backpack along with a duffle bag, (personal item) for my pillow😂
I checked my bag and made it through Eugene TSA in five minutes. I just had to take off my jacket and pile all my stuff in one plastic bin. Shoes on and electronics still in the bag. They did stop me to check my hat lol. So much easier than flying out of Portland.
Both flights were relatively uneventful. Eugene to Seattle was quick. Seattle to Honolulu was perfect. Well except for when I was boarding. First, the flight attendant saw my duffle bag and backpack and said I needed to put one in the overhead compartment. I told him that it was just my pillow lol. He waited to watch me pull my pillow out and then left me alone. I always book a window seat on the right side of the airplane. Don’t ask me why, I just do. A guy who was boarding late said, “I think you’re in my seat”? Me? I have been waiting all my traveling life to be confronted over a seat so I confidently pulled out my phone and brought up my boarding pass. It said 11A. He said,”that’s over on the other side”. I wanted to crawl under my seat and die because the two other passengers were already settled in and they would have to get up for me to move. The guy was nice though and he just switched me seats lol. So lesson learned. Read the letters above the seats 😂
Me watching this screen 😂
For the first three nights I’m staying at the Circle Hotel on Waikiki Beach. It looks really cool. It’s a circular building in the shape of a Chinese lantern. It has thirteen floors and the rooms are shaped like pie wedges. It’s right across from the beach and within walking distance of everything. Hmm, I wonder if they have an elevator 😂. Oh well, I can just let my suitcase slide down the stairs. Right Krystal? 😂 oh wait. I might need it to be functional for the rest of the trip hahaha.
Two weeks out and I have packed and repacked my suitcase seven times and practiced lifting it up over my head. I need to be able to get it into the overhead bin by myself. No, I’m not asking for help. I’ll die on that hill lol.
I have been trying to get all my stuff to fit in the carry-on along with my backpack. I even switched to my biggest and most manageable backpack and all my things still barely fit. I guess I could leave out the bulk of my food and purchase it when I get there but I’m a weird sleeper and I need my pillow. I really can’t live without it lol. I wonder if they don’t count it as your personal item?
I’m debating extending my trip three days, returning Saturday so Kris can drop me off and pick me up. Then I’m not driving home in the dark but I’ve found that changing flights is a pain. I have to say I want to change the return flight to Friday and then take a red eye in order to get back Saturday morning. That would add four hours to the trip back and messes up the seats I’ve already picked out. It does give me all of Wednesday, Thursday and Friday to do stuff on the island before leaving. I wouldn’t fly out until 630pm. Normally doing anything on a fly out day is unheard of. At least for me lol.
Meeting up with Krystal and Randy and the kids on Oahu. I will hang out with them for a week and then fly over to the Big Island solo to blog and decompress.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. I’m doing carry-on only for this trip. I know, I know, I have talked myself out of it in the past but I will be flying to two islands and I want the flying situation to be as simple as possible. I don’t want to drag a giant bag and have to check it and then wait for it at baggage claim. This does pose a problem though. No self defense weapons are allowed in your carry-on. Well knives and I don’t know about pepper spray. I will probably be fine in Oahu with Krystal and Randy but once I get to the Big Island I want to be prepared. I’m going to ask my local sporting goods store what is legal to pack on board. I guess when I go through TSA I will find out.
So, what’s on my packing list? I need to pack light and in the past I have always over packed. I also need to be able to lift it above my head into the bin lol. I’m not saying that I will be packing (Kris) light lol. I need more than three pairs of underwear and a swimsuit. So somewhere in between, Kris and Krystal (who packs her whole closet) 😂
I will have my carry-on suitcase, backpack and pillow. The backpack houses the stuff I can’t live without. Like my iPad, headphones and car food. For those of you that don’t know what car food is, it’s quick food that I can stuff in my mouth if I feel my blood sugar dropping. I keep a bag in the car and try to remember to bring it when we go out on the boat. I am gluten free, dairy free, apple free, onion free… the list goes on. So, protein bars, nuts and fruit snacks. Maybe a little candy too lol. I’m flying Delta and I don’t know what the food situation will be. Normally I go with Hawaiian Airlines and they always feed you but I couldn’t get any flights out of Eugene that I wanted.
I will wear all the bulky stuff that takes up a lot of room in the suitcase. Water/hiking shoes, pocket jacket (with all my important stuff in the internal pockets) some stretchy pants with shorts underneath, headphones and a hat. I have found if I wear a hat and headphones my seatmate won’t try to make idle chit chat with me. No, I don’t need to know your life story and although encouraged by the government, I won’t be wearing formal attire to ride six hours on an airplane lol.
foxpartyofone 