Alo – It’s been a while since I last posted on here, and after some motivation from watching a fellow vlogger’s content, I figured I’d update you on our latest trip to Hawaii!  I’m also hoping to share with you previous trips to Las Vegas, Death Valley, and Valley of Fire State Park – our first RV experience – as well as our first tubing experience in AZ and theme park experience in FL.  

Our trip started in Waikiki, O’ahu, after a week of taking care of work-related events.  The streets were abuzz with tourists, with everyone shopping, sightseeing, and soaking in the sun on the beaches of Waikiki.  I was fortunate to stay at a hotel near the Momosan Ramen Waikiki restaurant – known for its signature tonkotsu ramen, tokyo chicken ramen, tantan, and tsukemen.  Of course, I ran over to try some of their ramen, which was my first time eating Japanese ramen.  The restaurant did not disappoint!  I ended up going three times throughout the time I was there in Waikiki before flying over to the Big Island.  Please be aware there can be a long wait time to be seating, even for just one person.

Soon after, we headed to the airport again to fly out to the Island of Hawai’i.  Upon landing in Hilo, the first on our list to visit was the lava flow from the active volcano Kilauea.  Unfortunately, we left empty-handed with little to see other than endless views of black volcanic rocks, misty and cold weather, and some friendly national guard soldiers patrolling the one-way route set up for tourists to drive through.  We took this route.

The next stop was to the other end of the island to Waialea Beach, also known as beach 69 (thanks, fellow Redditors, for this recommendation).  This beach did not disappoint, and pretty glad it was sunny and warm.  We stopped by a local snorkeling store to get some gear before arriving at beach 69, which is known for its snorkeling, especially for beginners like myself.  This was our first time snorkeling, and when we quickly learned the basics, the time snorkeling on this beach was one of our most memorable experiences!  There were various fish to see here; some that we saw included butterfly, parrot, and triggerfish.

Before heading up North to Waipi’o Valley Lookout, we stopped by for some lunch at a rustic café and bar called The Fish & The Hog, located in Waimea, HI.  We highly recommend stopping by here – their barbecue was amazing as was their famous Cheddar and Green Chile cornbread!  Bob got the sampler, and I got the fish tacos.  He was not a happy camper that I was nibbling his food 😊

Waipi’o Valley Lookout was breathtaking, and no camera could do justice to the spectacular view when you reached the lookout.  There is an option to do a tour group to get down to the valley floor, but, unfortunately, we were on a time crunch (same-day flight).  

Our last stop prior to another snorkeling dip on the island’s west side (returning to the Hilo airport) was Akaka Falls State Park.  The park was gorgeous and had an ambiance of the jungle, like the Amazon rainforest.  Did you know some scenes of the Jurassic Park films were also filmed here?!  The whole trailhead took about 25 minutes, with a spectacular view of two waterfalls.

Our last stop on the island was Carlsmith Beach Park, within 20 minutes of the airport.  The place is known for good snorkeling and swimming as the beach is protected by lava rocks and reefs, turning the area into a lagoon-like beach.  Overall, it was an excellent swim to wind down our day trip on the big island – although, by the time we got there and took a dip, the water was mixed with a warm stream (lower) and a cold stream (higher), making for a very chilly snorkeling experience.

Our last few days upon returning to Oahu were spent sightseeing and touring Pearl Harbor’s Battleship Missouri Memorial and the Arizona Memorial.  We also hit the waves at Pounder’s Beach, soaked in some sun at the Ala Moana Beach, and took in a breathtaking sunset at Kaimana Beach.  I also got the opportunity to catch up with one of my comrades from back in the day when we both served together in the Army – Thanks, Fale, for taking the time to meet up for lunch and catching up!

Our last day was our busiest!  We got last-minute tickets to tour the Kuala Ranch, where many movies were filmed, including Jurassic Park films, King Kong, and Lost (my favorite series of all time!).  The tour was a good two hours, and we had the most charismatic and interactive tour guide, giving us a memorable tour of the valley!  The tour was a little pricey, but I think it was worth the trip.

With only two hours until we had to get to the airport, we stopped by Kualoa Regional Park to take our last swim on a beach in Hawaii.  Being a Tuesday afternoon, we had the whole beach to ourselves.  View of Mokoli’I, also known as Chinaman’s Hat, was even more spectacular than the first time I went here when I was stationed at Schofield Barracks back in my twenties.

That is it – thanks for reading!  I’ll start drafting up blogs for other trips we’ve taken in 2022.  The year 2023 is shaping up to be even busier.