Tag: beach

Oahu 2026

Oahu 2026

Day Two Monday 

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!

Next up swimming and packing in that order! 

Lolol

Oahu 2026

Day one 

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.

Oahu 2026

One more day!

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.

Oahu 2026

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.

2/27/25 Thursday 

Up early wondering what I am doing today.  Oh wait, I’m picking Krystal up from the airport lol. I still can’t believe it.  That is the epitome of spontaneity.  Something I definitely am not.  I have no idea why she is like that😂

Technically today and Friday were free since I couldn’t book the waterfall rappel without a partner 🙄 it was through the same tour group as yesterdays hike.  I talked to the guide and he said maybe he could fit me in as a single on Friday depending if they were booked up enough.  Oh well, I will need to drag someone back to Kauai with me to do it at a later date.  Would Krystal do it?  Highly unlikely 😂

I spent 2 hours on a live chat with Hawaiian Airlines trying to switch my flight to Krystals.  I found out that I could cancel my flight but I would need to book a new one since hers was on Alaska Airlines.  Even though the two companies have merged everything had to be done separately.  At least I got it done in time to pick her up from the airport.

Picked Krystal up and the first thing she wanted to do was go to the beach.  Right off the airplane.  So we went to Lydgate Beach which was only about 10 minutes away.  

Swam around and walked a little farther down the beach.  Picked up some plastic garbage for my collection. Every year I go to Hawaii I bring a little garbage back with me🙂

We decided to go to a chocolate tasting at Lydgate Chocolate Farm.  

Drove up into the mountains and found out the tasting room was actually downtown Kapa’a😂. The address we used was that of the actual farm where the cocoa beans are grown.  For a fee you can do a tour of the farm and learn about their chocolate.  We opted for the tasting room instead and drove back down to Kapa’a.  

We found the store and tasted a bunch of different chocolates.  I mean so many and they weren’t tiny pieces either.  I was on a chocolate overload lol.  It was delicious!

We walked up and down the streets of Kapa’a and went into all of the cute little shops.  Krystal wanted a coconut drink.  Which was an actual coconut lol.  I got regular water.

We drove back to the Condo to check Krystal in and go to the swimming pools.  Took a walk around the mouse maze of condos and houses to see if we could get to the beach for the sunset.  That’s a no.  We are on a cliff lol.

2/26/25 Wednesday 

Da Life Outdoors Waterfall hike and swim. Check in was at 10:30am so I left at 9.  Good thing I did.  Their directions were a little sketchy.    They didn’t give an actual address.  They gave directions and geographical coordinates (21°57’16.3″N 159°23’06.8″W) The coordinates didn’t work.  It led me to the middle of Lihue.  So I looked at their turn by turn directions.  Kauai Community College was close by so I put that into the GPS and went from there.  I made it to the driveway marker.  A big orange rock.  Turned down a red dirt road all while I was thinking that I was probably getting kidnapped or something. There was another woman there with her daughter. They were waiting for me lol so I had to admit I got lost.

The hike to the waterfalls was pretty easy.  The first one was small  but the next one was probably 30 feet high.  I climbed up the rope ladder and went underneath it.  Very refreshing having the water pounding down on you.  I went to the lower level and jumped in and swam around.  Then we hiked back.  The lady and her daughter had taken an Uber there and the guy dropped them off at the end of the driveway lol. They had to walk the half a mile down the road.  I gave them a ride back to the main road and they called the Uber.  Who takes an Uber to go hiking?😂 I mean maybe to the Mall.

Going under
From the top

Stopped at Kukui Grove Center.  Found a pedicure place.  My toes have been bare.  I looked down at my feet and legs. They were still muddy from the hike lol.  I’m sure they appreciated that😂.  It was a little bit of torture.  She used the cheese grater and then cleaned my feet and legs with a brush.  Yow! My fault though for showing up all dirty😆

 

Drove to Lydgate Beach.  Nice. Lots of parking. Long narrow sandy beach.  I walked down a little ways and there is a man made pool for worry free swimming lol.  Perfect😁

Drove back to the room.  Went down to the pool to disinfect lol.  

I’m relaxing by the pool, blogging and I get a call from Krystal. “Mom, look at your text message “. Ok.

She just booked her flight and will be here at 11:00am😂😂. A two day vacation lol.  I can’t believe it!  She wanted to surprise me but she was afraid I would be off on some adventure and out of cell service.  She is crazy! 

Well, since Krystal will be here in the morning I need to tidy up.  My way of organizing my stuff while on vacation is to have it all out where I can see it lol.  I know, weird but it works for me.  So time to pick up my stuff😂

2/25/25 Tuesday 

Kauai Backcountry Adventures tubing.  Drove to Lihue.  A 27 mile drive south took an hour because of construction and the weird way they block off half the north and south lanes.  I assume it’s for people who are working.  There are three lanes and they will allow two lanes north and one south and then switch it back.  It causes some slow down on both sides.

I got checked in, bought some bug spray and scarfed down some car food just in case my blood sugar went weird.  I got my helmet and I’m ready to go.

We rode a trolley over to the canal and on the way had a “get to know each other session”.  We had to say our name, where we were from, tell something we loved doing, what our spirit animal was and what sound they made. Well I was last and the guy before me said he loved cats and meow😂😂So I said, ” hi, my name is Tami, I’m from Roseburg Oregon, I love water skiing and wake surfing and my spirit animal must be a fish since I love the water”. Then they asked me what does a fish say so I said glub, glub? lol.  Good thing I didn’t say fox 😂

We got our safety lessons.  You wear a head lamp so you can see when you go through the tunnels.  If they yell, “butts up” you better lift up or you will drag on the rocks. 

The water wasn’t very swift or deep. If you fell off you could just stand up to avoid drowning. Nothing like tubing on the North Umpqua in Oregon lol.. While in the tunnels I was on the lookout for spiders and bats but I didn’t see any. The last tunnel was super long and very dark.  They had us shut our lights off and it was pitch black and disorienting.  They told a scary story lol. Creepy.  

Towards the end of the float, I ran into the bushes that were sticking out on the side of the canal.  I floated a little farther and the guide wanted to get a picture with me. I think she felt sorry for me because I was there by myself 🙄. I said okay and we took the pic.  Then she looked down at my shirt and said, “oh my god there’s a centipede on you!”😲  I looked down and there was a six inch centipede on my chest.  I froze and screamed.  She quickly plucked it off me and flung it onto the bank where one of the other guides stomped on it lol.  I was so creeped out!  So glad it didn’t sting me or bite me or whatever they do.  Then I was thinking, what if Krystal had been here?  She probably would have fainted and fell off her tube😂

Look closely at my chest next to my phone strap!

Had a quick pit stop for lunch and a port-a-potty (no I didn’t pee in the canal lol and drove back to the warehouse. Of course they had the pictures for sale and of course I bought mine. Normally I don’t let myself get pulled into that tourist trap but the centipede…..

Per Kris there is a Costco on the island so I stopped there on my way back.  Eating out is a crap shoot when it comes to ingredients so I went there for precooked hamburgers but found chicken burgers instead.  They will do.  Seriously I wish there was just a breakfast / lunch / dinner gum.  Like on Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.  (I’ll skip the blueberry pie though lol iykyk) Life would be so much easier.

I went down to the swimming pool to disinfect from the canal water😂and blog.  

Daytona 2024

Day 2

Breakfast at the Hard Rock. Special mimosas. Remind me to only drink one….😂.

And we are off to the Kennedy Space Center! We lucked out and saved $5 each because we are old lol. The center was really amazing. We watched an Imax movie about Nasa’s Webb telescope that was launched in 2021. It took 20 years to build and it is huge! Looking for life on other planets and other galaxies. The images it has taken are beautiful.

The weather has been sunny but cool and breezy. At least it’s not rainy and cold like back home.

Incidentally our rental car has cooling seats. Kris appreciated the cold air blowing on his bum lol. I’m more of a heated seats type of girl🤣

Went down to the beach. I had to put my feet in the Atlantic Ocean. It’s cold lol. The sand is weird. It’s brown and hard by the water and white, lightweight and fluffy by the side. I saw two jellyfish washed up on shore which means I’m not getting in the water lol. Isnt it within two weeks of the full moon they swim around or is that just Hawaii?

Went back to the hotel hot tub to warm up my feet 😂.

Daytona 2024

Daytona 2024

Well I did it. I didn’t pack until the week of the trip. It felt slightly unorganized but I think I got everything. I didn’t really know what to bring because the trip was NOT Hawaii lol. So I winged it. I packed some hot weather clothes along with pants and a jacket. One of the days it’s supposed to rain but be in the 70’s so….🤷‍♀️

We left at 1:30 a.m. Yes, in the morning. Kris went to bed at 6:30p.m. but I couldn’t sleep. All the dogs thought we were crazy except for Ozzy who went outside and went right to bed. Lol😂 he is my early to bed dog.

Initially I cleaned out the car for the drive to the airport. I took all unnecessary stuff out including the tire chains…then when we were halfway there I saw the weather report for Eugene for our return date. ❄️😲🙄. Oh well, never owned chains till now lol.

We made it through the bag drop and TSA in about ten minutes so we were good to go by 3:15 a.m. and boarding started at 4:15 a.m. Perfect!

I’m not going to lie. I’m a little grumpy 😂 poor Kris. First flight is to Seattle. Pretty short so we both got a little cat nap in.

At the restrooms in Seattle airport I had to tell a bunch of women that red light green light was for occupied or not. They were all just milling around lolol. Get outta my way, gotta go!

The gate for Seattle was just around the corner. The gate for Atlanta was a ten minute run away😂. Come on, Kris 😂 faster!

Daytona airport was pretty small. Only 5 miles away from the hotel. We picked up our rental and headed out.

Got to the room. It’s awesome. We are on the same level as the concert for Friday!! Our Lanai faces the stage😁 for the ACDC cover band, the Razors Edge!! Can’t wait!

Grabbed some dinner at the Hard Rock and fell into bed😂