Hawaii used to be that untouchable place, that kind of felt out of reach. While growing up it was always pictured as what we considered as “paradise” back then. Later while growing up, the paradise-ish island, became a synonym for the surfer hotspot in the world, an island where the coolest hippies would hang out. For many years it should have been the perfect spot for a honeymoon, as it would have been a unique destination, expensive to get there, and high probably lots of memories you would never forget.
Just months before traveling to Hawaii, I slipped into the culture of Tiki drinks. Hawaii is part of that world, as it is highly influenced by the Polynesian culture. Just another fascination that turned the state of Hawaii into a special place to visit.
Oahu.
Just before traveling to Hawaii, you gotta figure out which island you plan on visiting. As we had to fit everything into a period of 14 days, considering that San Francisco and Los Angeles shortened our Hawaii stay to 6 nights, we opted for the big island of Oahu.
A few friends thought that Hawaii would look less impressive to us, as we’ve already been to other fascinating places in the world. Comparable places would be Bali or Mauritius. We were eager to find out, if they were right.
A pitstop in San Franicsco.
We decided to start our journey in San Francisco, one of my very favorite cities in the US. It was my second time with Vanessa. Our first US trip after the pandemic. My 9th visit of the city.
San Francisco is a city with many unforgotten memories. There might be prettier cities to visit in the US, as during the last decade, San Francisco went on a downward spiral with its numerous drug addicts and homeless people spreading all over the city center, especially in the Tenderloin neighborhood.
However once you notice the soul of its city, it’s hard to not fall in love with it. On our first day however, I was shocked how deserted some neighborhoods looked after the pandemic. We arrived in the early afternoon and went straight to the fisherman’s wharf. China Town looked empty for the first time since I’ve kept visiting SF. North Beach (italian hood) seemed more lively than what I had in mind. The fisherman’s wharf just looked empty. It felt like we were part of 200 visitors in the whole street stretching along the shore. San Francisco wasn’t the city I was used to see.
Instead of doing the usual touristic places. We decided to make it less stressful. We used UBER rides to make it to all the point we wanted to visit, without any hassle. Spending some time at the Mission Dolores Park with our daughter, gave us the feel of being a local. Visiting our friend Nicole at her shop “Fleedwood” in Clement Street, looked like a different San Francisco as well. Clement street truly looks like a hidden gem. It feels like a small town hidden in a big city.
After visiting Myanmar, I ordered a Burmese cookbook on amazon. There aren’t many good ones, I went for the fanciest one which was “Burma Superstar”, and I remembered that their restaurant used to be in San Francisco. Just by coincidence we found out that “Burma Superstar” was located in Clement Street. On a Friday night, the place was packed, and we were lucky to book one of the last tables by the end of the night.
We visited colorful Castro and the north-west side of San Francisco with its beaches. We did the trail from Ocean Beach to Baker Beach, following its path to the Golden Gate. It was a mix of pure beauty, windy moments, and a big pain in the ass. The weather wasn’t on its peak as we reached Ocean Beach by UBER. We decided to have lunch at a posh beachfront restaurant. I’m not sure if Vanessa liked the place, however it was my second visit, and I just loved the view we got while enjoying our food. Lunch was pretty expensive for what it was. The stuck up customers at the restaurant, felt like being part of the upper society class. A big thumb down for that part.
After lunch we decided to do the trail. It wasn’t easy, as we were carrying our daughter in her stroller. And the trail is really just meant to walk on it. There were too many stairs to carry the stroller up and down. By the end of the trail our shirts were soaking wet.
It took us two runs to see the Golden Gate Bridge in its full size and colors. Due to the fog it seamed like a curse. On our previous trip in 2020, Vanessa didn’t manage to see the bridge. This time it wouldn’t be easier. But in the end it all went fine.
I’m glad that we enjoyed San Francisco a lot more this time, as we weren’t rushing like on our first trip together. And still after having made it 9 times to SF, there are still so many corners left undiscovered. Recently I read an article where they were explaining, that San Francisco, because of its location, surrounded by water, being located in the front tip of bay, it will never feel like a big city, as the city just can’t expand itself, kind of like Manhattan. The mix of vintage houses, restaurant & bars mixed with modern looking concept stores, the constant changing weather, the melting pot of cultures which is reflecting the endless options for food, the Victorian colored houses… it just never gets boring.
Aloha.
“Aloha” was the first sign I read while rolling down the escalator at Honolulu’s airport. Just another outdated airport. The way to our hotel, wasn’t that spectacular, however the buildings around the city center reminded me a lot of the japan’s rural areas.
The street signs close to our hotel were written in Japanese. I was quite surprised how much “Japan” was part of Honolulu.
We were located in the very center of Honolulu, however the area packed with hotels isn’t much appealing. The “Hilton” across our street however was quite spectacular, because of its polynesian village. They had a tiny village built up inside their hotel. Just behind the HILTON, there was an artifcially built cove for the visitors. The palmtrees building up height, along the beach, was quite an idylic spot to lay back and watch the waves.
In the evening we walked toward Waikiki Beach. Waikiki was definitely more lively than our hotel’s neighbourhood. At first sight it looked quite entertaining, but after 2 or 3 nights, it bebcame pretty dull, as it is 100% touristic. The coolest things we noticed were the shops with floral hawaiian shirts. Maybe 90% of all the male tourists were wearing those shirts. I had to buy some for myself.
Exploring the Island.
On our second day, we picked up our rental car. It was a nicest car, I ever rented, a brand new BMW X3. We quickly noticed that there are only 3 main roads, that you can choose to drive around the island. Which also means that there are no shortcuts. I really takes forever if you just wanna head somewhere else on the island.
As we were watching the street food documentary about the US on Netflix, we discovered a few hidden gems of Oahu. Ry’s Poke Shack in the north shore of the island was the first one we tried, as “Da Bald Guy” with its eye catching food truck was closed. The poke bowl at Ry’s was definitely not the cheaper side, however it was super delicious, and in the end it was worth its price (15$). It quickly turned out that street food wasn’t cheap, unlike in Thailand where you get amazing meal for 2$.
The northshore of Oahu was without a doubt more laid back. Lots of food shacks, surfer spots (without any surfers), local neighborhoods, lots of greenish nature.
However on our second or third day, we got tired of driving along the same roads. It just felt like being stuck on a circular train line. Most of the coolest spots were located in the north. However most places were closing very early in the evening. There wouldn’t be any shops or bars in the north. Nightlife is really limited to the center of Honolulu.
Nature wise, the island is pretty beautiful. But you can’t drive up to the volcano, or any other higher point on the island. You do have access to a parking lot at ground level, after that you’re on your own, to walk about the hills & an mountains for more astonishing views. Hiking isn’t part of your daily activity if you’re carrying a stroller and baby stuff. So we just stuck to the road and drove around Oahu.
We visited the popular botanical garden, which entrance is pretty famous on Instagram. The wide lane leading to a scenic mountain, through a palm tree lane. After COVID, stopping your car isn’t allowed anymore, and you might risk a fine if you do so. Maybe Instagram is the result of these new set regulations. (On our way back out, I dropped Vanessa earlier, and drove out. She took my cam, and while walking up the hill, towards the exit, she grabbed a couple of shots, so we could enjoy our own instagramable photos of the botanical garden. Is it worth visiting the park? Of course, after parking your car, close to the reception, you can follow a path down to the lake. The views you will get from that lake, are absolutely hawaiian. The other vista points inside the park are less appealing. However it’s free, so it’s a no-brainer.
The Japanese temple “Byodo-In” was worth to visit as well. We have seen so many temples on our trips, from different colors, different styles. Byodo-In is just pretty unique, because of its set location. The red wooden bridge that you cross, that leads up to the temple, which is surrounded by a mountainous green background. Yes of course, it’s just another Japanese temple, but without a doubt a really nice one.
Everything has been americanized.
What bothered me the most during our visit in Hawaii, was the lack of an authentic island vibe. Polynesian culture, polynesian architecture, the usual tourist traps that you get caught into during an island holidays abroad… nothing really felt like being far far away from the mainland. Obviously there were many palmtrees and the ocean was always in sight, but this also happens in California.
While driving north bound along one of the train main roads that lead to the North Shore, we noticed families laying under huge tents at the beach. It wasn’t only the tents that caught our eyes, it was the whole living-room that those people brought to the beach: a barbecue-grill, a kitchen table, an inflatable couch or bed, huge ice boxes carrying cans of drinks of food. It wasn’t only one fully equipped tent, but a few next to each other. The beaches were packed with heavy american families, well obviously locals, just sitting at the beach, but trying so hard to bring their own living room to the beach.
It hid the view to the beach from the road. All we could see, were tents next to each other. Maybe it was a sunday, or a holiday, I can’t really remember, however there are the things you wouldn’t notice in Europe or Asia.
It just got worse when were driving back to the Japanese Temple. You had to cross a cemetery road that lead up to the hill where the temple was located. People were barbequeing with a grill, tables and chairs next to their relatives graves. Grilling some meat next to a tomb. It just couldn’t get worse.
There weren’t barely any restaurans in the northern part of Oahu, except for food-trucks and food-stalls. However there was a supermarket around every corner.
One of the hippest breakfast spots was the “Sunrise Shack” along the road, next to the beach. It showed up in a couple of movies. It’s been shared on so many Instagram accounts. We decided to have a stop there, for breakfast. The yellow color of the wooden cabin, and the seated area next to it, looked very welcoming. The coffee was pretty good, and the acai bowl was alright. We enjoyed our little break at the shack. On our last day, we had to find out, that there was another “sunrise shack” in a big shopping mall downtown in Honolulu. It became so popular, that they had to turn it into a marketing gem.
It was actually the opposite of what we expected in Hawaii. The surfer vibe, we felt it more in California than in Hawaii, the birth place of surfing. Surfboard rentals weren’t easy to find, or were we really looking at the wrong places? I sneaked up in different locations to find a hidden surfing spot, however we never got lucky.
Another thing we noticed, was that many locals (Hawaiian people) weren’t really friendly or welcoming. Usually american people are super friendly, and try to make up for a conversation. Always smiling, and greeting everybody. This wasn’t the case in Hawaii.
Haleiwa.
Haleiwa is a lovely tiny (touristic) village in the northern part. And it just represented what I was expecting to witness in Haiwaii: colorful wooden houses, lots of greens (especially palmtrees), a couple of interesting shops. Sadly it was very popular among the tourists. People would stand in line for 20 minutes to get a shaved icecream. We had to try it ourselves. In the end we just couldn’t understand how people would stand in line for shaved ice covered with artificial sirup flavours.
There were a couple of good spots to take some photos. A couple of different food trucks were available. And there were tons of shops where you could spend some money. It’s hard to describe what was so special about Haleiwa. Maybe because it was just the oppositve of Honolulu, just a cosy village instead of a big fancy city-center.
Haleiwa was part of our more enjoyable moments in Oahu.
Luau at the Hilton Polynesian Village.
There aren’t many free Luaus (hula show) on the Island. On our second last days we trying to find out were we could enjoy a lovely polynesian dance show to end our holidays on the island. However most places were sold out, or they were just way to expensive. And we weren’t sure if our daughter would sit still for more than 20 minutes. The show was supposed to last more than 2 hours, including a dinner buffet. So we skipped that part. While the sun was setting down, we could witness the Luau that took place in the backyard of the Hilton hotel. It was pretty wonderful. The music, the dances, the traditional dresses/costumes. It’s definitely something that seemed kind of authentic, even though it’s a mass tourism attraction.
Now after coming back home, and digesting what we had experienced in Hawaii. We agreed that we would turn back and visit another Island, maybe Maui on a next trip Hawaii. This time we would make it there without any huge expectations, and high probably we would enjoy it a lot more.
Don’t get me wrong. Hawaii is a beautiful place. But there are also so many beautiful places all over the world that do look alike, and which are definitely much much cheaper than the 50st state of the US.
Los Angeles - The city of angels…
Weirdly, we enjoyed the two days in Los Angeles, after having spent a week in Hawaii. We rented a bike at Venice Beach, and were riding those beach cruisers into the sunset. We spent some time at the Santa Monica pier with our daughter. Had the best ice-cream at Salt & Straw, and finished our trip with a majestic mexican dinner. Watching the people, being amazed by a nightly bike parade with endless flashing lights and loud music along the beach, spending some money at hip shops in Venice… everything instantly felt like summer, or the end of summer. As for myself, these few hours in California felt more authentic than anything I experienced in Hawaii.
