Ten years ago, I spent a brief time living on O'ahu while I "studied" at Hawaii Pacific University. After a stressful week of learning that I would be spending at least another month in Houston and away from home, it seemed the perfect time to get away for a few days and try and forget about these issues. Both Nicole and I had been to O'ahu before, but on separate trips. When I lived there, I didn't have a car, so my transport around the island was limited to a K-Mart bike and the bus (known as The Bus). Neither of these methods was particularly reliable. The Bus tended to make up its own schedule and my K-Mart bike lost a pedal while on a bike ride on the windward side of the island. Having acquired a luxurious Chevy Spark, we had more efficient access to the island and tried to see some things that the average tourist would likely miss. We drove up the Pali Highway from Honolulu toward the windward side, but stopped at the top of the top of the Ko'olau Mountains to explore a bamboo forest. We were the only ones exploring this offbeat trail.
Once on the other side, we continued on to the Byodo-In Temple in Kaneohe. I had technically been here once before, but it was probably 15 years ago. It was the only time during our brief trip that it rained. That being said, it created a mystical atmosphere that shrouded the temple in a nice diffused light. We continued our journey in the car toward the North Shore, where we decided to try and get lunch in the town of Haleiwa. Every time I've been up here, it has been relatively deserted with just a few surfers and the occasional Japanese tour bus.
This time was a little different. The town was absolutely packed. Traffic was a mess. We were just trying to find food at a grocery store or market for lunch, but even finding a parking spot was a challenge. This was not the carefree North Shore that I remember. I'm not sure if it was a sudden influx in tourists due to spring break or other factors like a rebounding economy, but it certainly wasn't relaxing. When we finally got a sandwich and some sushi at a market, we resolved to get the hell out of the town and eat it someplace else. I drove us to a nearby beach park, where only locals were having picnics, and we found a bench where we could eat in peace.
In an unusual twist, we began to think that our hotel in Waikiki might actually be more relaxing than our trek around the island. We were a little off the main drag of Waikiki, closer to Kapiolani Park and Diamond Head Crater. The beaches were much less crowded as a result. After the sun set, we walked by my old apartment building, which is surprisingly one of the few things in Waikiki that has remained the same. Many of the shops and restaurants that were familiar to me have changed or disappeared entirely. The L&L Hawaiian BBQ that was just a couple blocks away is no longer there. Many of the surf shops have been replaced by upscale fashion stores like Prada and Louis Vuitton. Finding dinner quickly became a challenge because my usual spots were gone and to make matters worse, there was a festival going on with a never-ending parade. Later on, there were fireworks over the ocean. I never remember Waikiki being that crowded, and that's saying something.
We completed our night by snapping pictures of the Waikiki skyline, where I accidentally achieved this bizarre effect you see here. I had set it on a rock wall so I could use a long shutter to try and capture more of the waves rolling in. However, in the middle of my four second exposure, I noticed a larger than normal wave rolling in and picked up my camera an instant before the wave crashed over the rock wall drenching the spot where my camera had been sitting.
The following day, we just relaxed by the beach in front of our hotel. I decided to go for a brief swim and caught a glimpse of some humuhumunukunukuapua'as swimming around. Despite the crowds we encountered throughout our trip, it's still easy to relax on O'ahu as long as you know where to look. Next time I return to Hawai'i though, I think I will go back to one of the other islands. Things are changing a little too quickly on O'ahu for my liking. Either way, it was a nice escape from the daily grind of both of our unusual jobs. As disappointing as not getting my transfer to LA was, my little trip to Hawaii would not have been possible without my current job, so one has to look at it that way.
This time was a little different. The town was absolutely packed. Traffic was a mess. We were just trying to find food at a grocery store or market for lunch, but even finding a parking spot was a challenge. This was not the carefree North Shore that I remember. I'm not sure if it was a sudden influx in tourists due to spring break or other factors like a rebounding economy, but it certainly wasn't relaxing. When we finally got a sandwich and some sushi at a market, we resolved to get the hell out of the town and eat it someplace else. I drove us to a nearby beach park, where only locals were having picnics, and we found a bench where we could eat in peace.
In an unusual twist, we began to think that our hotel in Waikiki might actually be more relaxing than our trek around the island. We were a little off the main drag of Waikiki, closer to Kapiolani Park and Diamond Head Crater. The beaches were much less crowded as a result. After the sun set, we walked by my old apartment building, which is surprisingly one of the few things in Waikiki that has remained the same. Many of the shops and restaurants that were familiar to me have changed or disappeared entirely. The L&L Hawaiian BBQ that was just a couple blocks away is no longer there. Many of the surf shops have been replaced by upscale fashion stores like Prada and Louis Vuitton. Finding dinner quickly became a challenge because my usual spots were gone and to make matters worse, there was a festival going on with a never-ending parade. Later on, there were fireworks over the ocean. I never remember Waikiki being that crowded, and that's saying something.
We completed our night by snapping pictures of the Waikiki skyline, where I accidentally achieved this bizarre effect you see here. I had set it on a rock wall so I could use a long shutter to try and capture more of the waves rolling in. However, in the middle of my four second exposure, I noticed a larger than normal wave rolling in and picked up my camera an instant before the wave crashed over the rock wall drenching the spot where my camera had been sitting.
The following day, we just relaxed by the beach in front of our hotel. I decided to go for a brief swim and caught a glimpse of some humuhumunukunukuapua'as swimming around. Despite the crowds we encountered throughout our trip, it's still easy to relax on O'ahu as long as you know where to look. Next time I return to Hawai'i though, I think I will go back to one of the other islands. Things are changing a little too quickly on O'ahu for my liking. Either way, it was a nice escape from the daily grind of both of our unusual jobs. As disappointing as not getting my transfer to LA was, my little trip to Hawaii would not have been possible without my current job, so one has to look at it that way.
