My unique Hawaiian vacation

Last week I went to Hawaii on vacation - specifically to the island of Oahu around Honolulu. This was my first trip to Hawaii ever. I stayed with my brother and his family. My brother is retired military and was able to rent a cabin for the first three days at ResCamp in Waianae, right on the beachfront.

In true Hawaiian fashion, they met me at the airport with a beautiful lei made from real flowers. We had dinner by the water and the views and sunset were incredible!

We hiked up for some incredible views of the island, made a few attempts to hike up Diamond Head (apparently they are super serious about you making reservations ahead of time and only entering at specified times), grilled out, laughed, hugged, watched my nephew, Ethan’s, baseball games online, and relaxed. It was a fantastic week. Just being able to wake up and enjoy my tea with this view….

And to see this:

We visited the Bishop Museum to learn more about Hawaiian history and Polynesian history and culture. And stopped by the Dole plantation for pineapple ice cream. I got to see how pineapples grow and pineapple fields - which is labor intensive. I’m surprised they aren’t more expensive in the store.

We also visited the site of an historic battle (Nu’uanu Pali Lookout) where many warriors were beaten back until they fell off a cliff to their deaths. Morbid. But the scenery was gorgeous. It was also super windy up top.

Swimming (or wading in my case) in the ocean, I watched some kids catch small waves on surfboards; was impressed by some guy doing pushups on a paddleboard in the cove; got an up close view of a sea turtle who popped his head up about 10 ft from me and waved a flipper before heading out (maybe looking for the EAC?😂); and got an up close view (about 30 ft away) of an endangered monk seal taking a nap on Waikiki beach. ResCamp was also home to lots of doves and pigeons and even a few wild chickens, whom I made friends with. Apparently it’s illegal to kill the chickens - and I did notice them around the island.

It was really a magical week. But I also got an insider tour to some history that few of the public get to experience. Hawaii is not all white sand, blue water, blue waters and hula dancers. There is also a huge homeless population, an unfinished rail line to nowhere paid for by taxpayers and with no billboards allowed on the island, election ads covered fences.

There is also the rich history of our military on the island with Naval, Army and Air Force bases - and of course, Pearl Harbor. While I didn’t get a picture, my brother showed me the barracks where soldiers were sleeping and died during the attack on Pearl Harbor. The buildings still have pock marks and bullet holes from being shot at by Japanese aviators. It’s very sobering. And I love that they won’t patch the holes so it serves as a reminder.

Pearl Harbor is beautiful, but the public tends to forget that it’s not just a historical monument but an actual graveyard where the wreckage of the USS Arizona and other ships, along with the bodies of the soldiers who died n the attack, rest at the bottom of the sea. I was fortunate to be able to view it from the Naval base side where the public is not allowed.

On a lighter note, I was amazed at the beautiful vegetation on the island. As a Southerner, with deeply ingrained habits to garden, I’m always obsessed with learning the names of the trees and plants. The pine trees on the island are tall but have adapted to the trade winds by having very sparse branches. They look sort of like the cheaper artificial Christmas trees that aren’t very full and before they’re decorated - but prettier. 😂 I fell in love with Frangipani (Plumeria) trees and their gorgeous white blossoms and lush fragrance. I saw Banyon trees, breadfruit trees, red ginger, paper roses (a pretty pink flower that does not smell like a rose at all), spider lilies, and Shower of Gold trees with gorgeous yellow flowers.

I could probably write a book from just this one trip alone. Best vacation ever! And not nearly enough space here for all the pictures I took. The views were breathtaking. I will definitely plan to return as this was just one of the Hawaiian islands and there is so much more to explore. I did not attend a traditional luau or get to see any hula dancing. I am limited in where I can eat on an island due to my shellfish allergy. Although we did eat at Zippy’s and had some great Korean fried chicken. Zippy’s is Hawaii’s version of a fast food place. I’m sure that I missed out on amazing cuisine. I can see why so many people seek to visit Hawaii for vacation or honeymoons. It’s definitely magical.

Next week, I’m heading to Washington state and northern Idaho. Back to work and more adventures. As always, thanks for reading.

Take care,

GypsyJules