A Few Days on Oahu

After all the craziness of the holidays along with Em and Maddie getting sick, we were ready for a little fun and relaxation on a different island. We booked some flights and a car last minute and flew to Oahu on Sunday afternoon. Now let's get this straight - I've never been a big fan of Oahu with Honolulu and Waikiki bearing the brunt of my dislike due to their huge population and traffic problems. Honolulu is the 46th most populous city in the nation and that alone is enough to make me avoid it. In any case, we haven't spent much more than a layover on Oahu and my friend has a nice place in the hills above Waikiki that he was willing to share (read: free!).

On our arrival, we were greeted by the predictable Honolulu traffic, but soon found respite at my friend's house above Waikiki. We could see the city from his multiple lanais, yet we were far from the madness of the city. The house was gorgeous and he graciously offered us the master suite for our stay since he would be off-island for the duration. We made ourselves comfortable and enjoyed an afternoon on the lanai overlooking Diamond Head while Maddie napped. I made a quick run to The Liquour Collection, known to have the best beer selection in the islands. Sadly, it was less than spectacular and overpriced to the tune of 16 bucks for a sixer of California microbrew.

Diamond Head and Waikiki

Later we went to the atrocity that is Ala Moana - the largest outdoor mall in the entire world. Such a monument to consumerism I had not seen. Prada, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Dolce & Gabana; if Paris Hilton wears it, they've got it. I was embarrassed to even be seen there. Luckily it was Sunday evening and the stores were closing so we grabbed a quick, decent burger and got the hell out of there.

Monday, we got a fairly early start and headed out around the southeast side of the island for the coastal drive to the Maunawili Demonstration trail. Maunawili follows along the sheer pali (cliffs) of the eastern side of the island and offers distant ocean views. We hiked about 7 miles and despite the low-lying clouds, did not get soaked by rain. Upon our departure from the trailhead we became entrenched in outbound Honolulu rush hour traffic resulting in a late dinner. Luckily, the pad thai at Singha Thai was worth waiting for and Maddie was well-behaved while watching the thai dancer.

Rabbit Island

The following day we spent checking out the north shore sights in hopes of seeing some massive waves. The surf was disappointing, but the sights and laid back vibe were a nice contrast to Honolulu and Waikiki. On our return, we scored some pretty good Mexican food a short distance from the house. Maddie had plenty of energy so we enjoyed the rest of the evening in the sunken hot tub on the lanai under a nearly full moon.


Banzai Pipeline (low surf, not the real deal)

Our scheduled departure was not until 6 PM so we ventured out to the nearby Hawaii Loa ridge trail to the summit of the Ko'olau mountain range. Rain and clouds greeted us at the trailhead and kept us intermittent company on the trail. Seeing the clouds covering the summit of the mountain, we hadn't had high hopes for seeing anything from the top, so when the trail became really slick and treacherous, especially with Maddie on my back, we retreated. Not being the type of people to give up on anything, we were disappointed, but knew we made the right decision for everyone's safety. Reaching the summit wouldn't have offered anything besides being ensconced in clouds, a longer return hike and probable late arrival at the airport. Our early return from the hike made for a low stress departure except for being stuck in crawling traffic for an hour.
For a quick, cheap trip it was certainly a success, but 3 days was definitely enough. None of us were ready to give up our laid back Kauai lifestyle for the big city just yet. We did enjoy the food and the myriad hiking opportunities, but happily returned home refreshed to endure the drudgery of life on Kauai (hahahahahaha).