Like most of the travel enthusiastics Hawaii has always been in my bucket list as I have seen this picturesque Island countless times in so many movies or shows growing up. The journey from New York to Oahu, Hawaii was almost 14 hours long. After a long very long flight I reached at Honolulu International airport in the evening around 7 pm. It was already dark outside. Took an Uber to reach my first destination : Downtown Oahu!
Downtown is the historic center for the Government and business. Only 15 minutes from the famous Waikiki Beach. I walked for hours on the Kalakaua Avenue which is the main shopping street in the downtown.All the global fashion chains, high end brands , roof top restaurants and bars, night clubs , live music on the streets, tourists everything and everyone was on that one place ! So many people was just roaming around and chilling & almost everyone was wearing a Lei , which is a necklace of flowers given in Hawaii as a token of welcome or goodbye. I finished my dinner at a rooftop restaurant with the gorgeous view of Waikiki and called it a night.
I dedicated a whole day for the Polynesian cultural center. It’s the simulation of six , authentic Polynesian island villages where you can get an inside look of the lifestyle , customs and culture of the indigenous people of Pacific Islands. Six islands Hawaii, Tonga, Fiji, Tahiti, Samoa, Aotearoa demonstrate their culture by various presentations, games, fun activities.For example, they will show you how to catch a fish without a net or how to make coconut milk or they will teach you to swing your hips like a Tahitian.Then there is a canoe ride where they will give you a tour of all six villages which you don’t want to miss! You can learn about the history of the islanders, take a sip of the tropical favorite CoCo Loco, have some samoan dessert, snag a fish or just laugh your heart out with these wonderful native people. At night they have a show called “Ha: Breath of life!” which is a beautiful story about the circle of life and love , the symbolic saga of these Pacific islanders. The show is all about the music, fire dance, knife show and of course the famous Hula dance! For food they have small juice bars or snack bars everywhere but check out their Ali’l Luau buffet for the ultimate Luau experience.All in all absolutely breathtaking experience for a day.
My next morning I went for a hiking on top of the Diamond Head which once was an active volcano and now very popular destination among the tourist for hiking.You can actually see the whole city of Oahu including Waikiki beach.After the hiking it was time to see some fishes under the water.Hanauma Bay is one of the best spot for snorkeling around the world.which makes it unique is that it lies at the bottom of a volcanic crater. Shallow crystal clear water and over 300 species of fish makes it look like a paradise. I saw all colors of fishes , hundreds of them ,even fishes who shines like a rainbow!
Accomodation: For my first night I stayed in a hostel for $15/night , slept in a dorm bed , shared room with three other girls. for the next two nights I stayed in a nice hotel in the city for $100/night. If money ain’t a thang for you , you can stay right by the Waikiki beach for $300 and up.
Food: Ahi Poke: This one is my most favorite.It’s bite sized raw fish salad marinated with different sauces. Kinda Hawaiian version of Japanese sashimi. Acai bowl: Ah-Ma-Zingggg! It’s frozen and mashed Acai fruit topped with other fruits and granola and flowers and syrup and Oh so Good!A must try! Mai tai: They say no Hawaii trip is complete without drinking Mai tai! Did i try it ? Oh yes! Did I like it? Hell no ! But you gotta try to say that you don’t like it you know what I mean! Plus, you’ll get fresh caught fishes grilled or fried, coconuts, bananas, actually all the tropical fruits and drinks everywhere .Great place to visit for foodies too!
All in all I checked off Hawaii from my bucket list with an amazing experience. I’m posting the link of Polynesian Cultural center for who are interested.h
