On March 3, 2022, this Minnesota Girl traveled over 4,000 miles to the Aloha State. From the moment I stepped foot across the airport doors, my adventure began.
I experienced many new things all the way from leaving the Minnesota/Wisconsin area to seeing sea turtles—my favorite animal—and mountains in person.
When I landed in Hawaii, two of my best friends, Jay and Sophia, greeted me with a lei and hugs.
From there, it was anything but ordinary. Hawaii is home to beautiful scenery, delectable food, and extraordinary people.
Since I paid a lot—possibly too much—money to experience this adventure, I have decided to share some of it with you all, my dedicated readers.
1. Scenery
This one may be obvious, but it was easily my favorite part about Hawaii. Coming from Minnesota, the only textured landscape I have witnessed that has had any emotional impact for me is the Driftless Region, Lake Superior, and the Boundary Waters.
Meanwhile, Hawaii is home to mountains, volcanoes, lush forests, sandy beaches, clear waters, and lots of sunshine. Even though the drive across Oahu—one of the middle islands of the Hawaiian chain—is no more than two hours via personal vehicles, it offers landscapes too lovely for a camera to capture. My personal favorite was the mountains. Unfortunately, I was unable to snag a photograph worthy of the island’s textured mountains, but the impact they provided reminded me just how extravagant Earth’s natural processes are.
The only regret I have from the trip is in regards to Hawaii’s scenery. Due to budgetary restrictions, I was unable to do many activities unique to coastal locations including snorkeling, volcano hikes, and surfing. However, I plan on visiting Hawaii again someday in the not-too-distant future so I can visit the Big Island and explore more of Oahu.
2. Beaches
The beaches did not disappoint. My favorite beach was Kailua Beach. This beach particularly stood out to me because the sand was perfectly soft, and this is where I ended up making three new friends—Kai, Jashe, and Jesus! Its waves were relaxingly consistent, and everyone on the beach—from locals to tourists—were smiling and in a cheerful mood. We could even see some surfers farther out.
A couple more beaches, including Sunset Beach and Wai’alae Beach, follow closely behind Kailua Beach. Sunset Beach was gorgeous; from its pounding waves to the colorful sky, this beach provided a perfect picnic spot to eat dinner. It also had surfers; considering the strength of the waves, it was particularly intriguing to watch them paddle out, find the right waves, and ride them nearly all the way onto shore. When a few of the surfers came out of the water around sunset, I noticed a few of them were adolescents!
Meanwhile, Wai’alae Beach was not as fancy. However, I liked the seclusion. When we arrived, only a handful of people were sprawled across their beach towels, soaking up the sun. By the time we left around three o’clock in the afternoon, it started to populate, but it was mainly locals.
3. Food
Hawaii’s famous foods include Kalua pork, SPAM Musubi, chicken, fish, shave ice, and fresh fruit. I had the opportunity to try each of the delightful items. Honestly, I cannot choose a favorite food from the trip because it all tasted delicious.
I ate a BBQ Pork sandwich from Ted’s Bakery right off the north shore’s Sunset Beach. The SPAM Musubi was from Duke’s Lane Market & Eatery in downtown Waikiki. My friend, Ashley, ordered numerous fish-based dishes across the island and allowed me the opportunity of trying at least one bite from any of her dishes.
Fresh fruit was plentiful across Oahu, so I had the pleasure of trying fresh bananas, watermelon, pineapple, and coconuts. However, I consumed the most mouth-watering, flavorsome chicken tacos I have ever had in my life from a food truck at the Aloha Stadium Swap Meet & Marketplace. Lastly, I ate shave ice at Lawson Station just steps away from Waikiki Beach.
If you plan on traveling to Hawaii, I must warn you of the inflated prices. It seemed everything in Hawaii had at least a 25% increase in price. Despite the cost, the portions were quite large and very filling at most places.
Although I did not have the opportunity to experience everything the islands had to offer, I am super grateful to my hosts, Jay and Sophia, for showing me around Oahu and introducing me to so many fun, vibrant new people. I truly cannot believe I spent over a week on an island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, but the positive memories and experiences definitely outweighed my underlying anxiety.
If you have yet to visit Hawaii, I strongly recommend saving up and traveling there. Even if you are not a beach person, the islands have so much more to encounter! For more information about Hawaii and their COVID-19 travel restrictions, visit Go Hawaii and Safe Travels Hawaii.