Wow, what a great vacation this has been. Two weeks in Southern California and we are now into our second week in Hawaii. We have had great weather, viewed great scenery, packed in lots of fun, completed some amazing hikes. Best of all we got to see family in both California and Hawaii that we have missed. Like many things during the pandemic you don't realize how much you miss things until you get to do them again. Travelling in general fits that criteria, but more importantly seeing family does. We are totally glad we decided to travel, took on the COVID testing, flew with masks and completed all the required websites, apps, questionnaires, uploading so we could enjoy this great vacation.
Here is what we packed into our last week in Hawaii and our experience flying home to Canada.
Ko Olina beach/lagoons - http://koolina.com/destination/lagoons/ -This was probably my least favourite beach spot that we visited. So just to be clear, a couple of things. In any list of destinations, something has to be your least favourite. It doesn't mean that it is not beautiful and we didn't enjoy it, we did. But when Teresa and I travel we rarely stay in a hotel resort or even a hotel. We normally stay in an Airbnb or some kind of rental property. This gives us the flexibility of having more space and being able to have breakfast (and other meals) in the rental unit. We often find we get tired of eating out on vacation so it is nice to have your own kitchen as well as a space to relax and have a beer or glass of wine (while not sitting on the edge of a bed in your small one-room hotel room). I would also say we don't really like the sanitized feel of a resort (although it can sometimes be fun for a short period of time). So with all that as a backdrop, the lagoons at Ko Olina were beautiful, the water was beautiful and warm. The lagoons were protected from the ocean and so the water was very calm. There are four lagoons surrounded by huge chain hotels. In addition to the sandy beach, there are shaded grassy areas to sit in (this is a nice feature because as I mentioned previously the very very fine Hawaiian sand gets everywhere. Two of the lagoons have sections cordoned off for the exclusive use of the hotel guests. The day we went to the beaches they were not busy so we did not have a problem finding a spot in the public areas. There is very limited public parking so I am guessing in normal travel season (non-pandemic) it would be difficult to get a parking spot. I would recommend the other beaches I have written about before this one. But if you are looking for calm water, a place with walkways, lots of public washrooms, hotel restaurants, this is the place for you.
Marukai Market - http://www.marukaihawaii.com/ . After the beach on the way home, we stopped at Marukai Market. This place is amazing. Now again, for background Teresa and I love all things Japanese. A Japanese Wholesale Market is one of the best places to window shop, browse and find anything Japanese. This store had Japanese appliances (rice cookers), Japanese snacks (all manner of rice crackers etc), produce, meat and dry goods. They also had bento boxes, prepared sushi, other prepared meals and hot food you could takeaway in a container. You could spend hours wandering around. We bought bento boxes, sashimi and karage chicken to enjoy later. We also found out they have a sister store Don Quijote - http://donquijotehawaii.com/ in downtown Honolulu. This store is more like a grocery store (versus a warehouse) but has the same amazing selection of products. We also went to this store a couple of times and bought bento boxes to take on the plane for our flight to Chicago/Toronto. Definitely worth checking out.
Self Guided Walking Tour of Honolulu - https://www.gpsmycity.com/tours/honolulu-downtown-walking-tour-3455.html . We have spent lots of time in downtown Honolulu, walking, biking even on a Segway. However, the city has lots of cool history all within easy walking distance of each other. Teresa found this self-guided walking tour and it was lots of fun. From where we were staying we were able to walk to the starting point so we didn't need to worry about driving and parking. As I mentioned, most of the sites are within easy walking distance of each other and you get to see the historical architecture and history of Honolulu.
Makiki Valley Trail - https://www.hawaii.com/oahu/things-to-do/hiking/makiki-valley-loop-trail/ . Teresa and I did this hike previously in the pouring rain. That day the hike was very treacherous as much of the trail (going up and down) is covered by tree roots and rocks that become very slippery in the rain. We got to one point where a small stream was running so fast and wide we had to throw our packs across the stream and take a running leap to get across. We made it but it was definitely a little scary. This time the weather was beautiful but the trail is still difficult at times. Parts are steep, both up and down and the tree roots make hiking difficult even in good conditions. There was no rain the day we went but the trail was still very muddy in parts. Alltrails rates this hike moderate. It is actually three trails that make a loop for a 5.1 km hike. It is beautiful and most of the hike is in the shade as you are hiking through what feels like a rainforest. You pass a number of waterfalls, some of which you can hear but cannot see through the trees. The signs warning of wild boars are a little disconcerting but we did not see any on either hike. The day we went the trail was lightly travelled so we went for long stretches not seeing anyone, which is very peaceful (unless you come across a wild boar of course). Definitely worth putting this hike on your list.
Ehukai Pillbox Hike - https://www.best-of-oahu.com/ehukai-pillbox-hike.html . We decided to go back to the north shore to explore a new hike and beach. First the hike. Ehukai Pillbox Hike. This is a monster hike. Rated moderate by Alltrails, it is 3.7 km up and back. You can add a loop from the top which Teresa and I did. By the way, pillbox which you find on many hikes in Hawaii refers to concrete "bunkers" that were built during WW II. This hike is steep right out of the shoot and you need to use the ropes available to pull yourself up. This first section of the hike is challenging going up but is treacherous going down. Once past the first section, the trail is steep but less treacherous. The view from the pillbox is spectacular and worth every ounce of energy you put into hiking there. Teresa and I then did a loop trail at the top. Nice shaded trail although not particularly well marked and we got lost a couple of times (thanks to cell service and Alltrails for getting us back on track). If you are visiting the North Shore of Oahu (which you definitely should) and are up for a short but challenging hike you will enjoy this one.
Waimea Bay Beach - https://www.best-of-oahu.com/ehukai-pillbox-hike.html . This is definitely one of the most famous beaches on Oahu and one of the most beautiful. As I mentioned in my previous post the North Shore of Oahu is where the big waves are, particularly in the winter months. Many of the surfing championships take place on the North Shore. We got to experience the big waves firsthand on this visit. We got a free parking spot which was awesome and made our way to the beach. The beach was roped off with yellow warning tape and signs indicating that it was dangerous in the water. There were still a fair number of people on the beach and many swimming. A long way out into the ocean there were surfers. It was the first beach we had been to where there were lifeguards (they were needed). The lifeguards were constantly calling out to swimmers to be careful and get closer to shore. The waves were huge. As is usually the case, I like to give things a try so off I went into the water. I was barely and I mean barely (less than 6 feet) into the water. The water was not even up to my knees and the undertow was so strong I felt like it was going to pull me into the ocean (I am sure native Hawaiians would think this is ridiculous) but I am telling you the pull was incredibly strong. I lost my balance a number of times. I ventured out a little further into the water and tried (emphasis on tried) to body surf. I was thrown around by the waves, lost total sense of direction, had the pockets of my swimsuit filled with sand. Most concerning I could not get my balance and felt like I was being pulled out into the ocean. This is probably less than 20 feet from shore. Wow, the waves were huge and the undertow was strong. Once I got my balance I came back up on the beach and that was enough. Another wimpy tourist from Canada. The beach is beautiful and I am sure a different day would have been great for swimming. Definitely put it on your list when visiting the North Shore of Oahu.
Koko Crater Tramway trail - https://www.best-of-oahu.com/koko-crater-trail.html . This was the most challenging hike we did. 1048 steps straight up. This trail is an abandoned tramway so you are hiking up on railway ties. Alltrails rates this trail hard, 2.6 km up and back, (it is very very hard). Recently many of the railway ties have been replaced and gravel has been added to the trail. That makes the trail a little safer, but it is still hard. The first third to half of the hike is very steep. The second half is straight up. The second half is so steep that I felt like I was going to fall backwards (wait until I tell you about coming down). I was leaning forward so that my hands were close to touching the railway ties I was stepping on just to get a sense of balance and again not feeling like I would fall backwards. I do a lot of cardio training, biking, running, walking are all part of my regular routine. When I go to the gym I walk on the stairs (small escalator), use the rowing machine, bike, stride machine and elliptical. My resting heart rate is 47-50. When I made the final push to get to the top of this hike my Garmin watch registered my heart rate at 160. I wasn't really having a hard time breathing but my heart was pounding. One additional experience on the way up. There is a railway tie bridge you have the option of crossing or you can take a detour around the bridge. I am sure you won't be surprised to hear that despite all the warning signs I decided to go across the bridge. The gaps between the railway ties are fairly wide so you have to keep stepping across. The secret (I think) is to get into a rhythm and keep going. I didn't do that. I stopped two-thirds the way across and lost my balance. I fell through the railway ties (luckily I fell straight through and did not damage anything). I then caught the railway ties with my arms and was hanging on for my life (or so it felt at the time). I knew I did not have the upper body strength to pull myself up and I could see it was about a 20-foot drop (I am not sure if the drop had been 100 feet if adrenaline would have increased my upper body strength and saved me (I am glad I didn't need to find out)). After dropping to the ground and finding my water bottle, hat and glasses I made it back to the beginning to start over. During all this Teresa saw me disappear and was calling (I couldn't hear her) so that led to some anxious moments. As I commented on Facebook, the great thing about being 64 is that I was really not that embarrassed (ok a little) so I got up, back to the beginning and took the detour and continued our hike to the top. Once we got to the top the views are spectacular. The combination of the views and the sense of accomplishment from making it up to the top gives you a real rush. We stayed at the top for a while, catching our breath and taking photos. Then we started down. If I felt like I was possibly going to fall backward on the way up, I was sure I would tumble head over heels on the way down. On the top half (the steep part) I kind of crab-walked, keeping my weight low to the ground and pushing back into the trail. This at least made me feel that if I did slip I would fall back into the trail and not fall forward. On the bottom half of the trail, I was able to walk more upright and stride from railway tie to railway tie. We finally made it to the bottom of the trail and were able to say we made it up and back. Wow, that was exciting (intimidating but exciting). We did it! It was definitely now time for a beer.
Moku Kitchen - https://www.mokukitchen.com/ . After accomplishing the Koko Crater hike we decided we would reward ourselves with a dinner out. We landed on Moku Kitchen that just happened to be in the area that we had biked to, to look at all the wall murals. It is a trendy area and the complex the restaurant is in, Salt contains a number of restaurants, bars and cool-looking shops. It was definitely a fun place to explore. The restaurant leaves the majority of their tables for walk-ins so we could not get a reservation but their voicemail recording indicated to come over and we would get in. We arrived to be told there was a fifteen-minute wait which was not a problem for us. We wandered around and explored the Salt complex. I think like many restaurants this one is struggling to hire enough staff to handle a restaurant at full capacity. To help this, the restaurant asks you to place your initial order, drinks, appetizers, etc before taking a seat. They give you a number which you put on your table and a server brings you your food (you carry your drink to the table with you). Any follow on food or drink orders you place with the server. I found the system worked really well. Certainly was not inconvenient and seemed to help the restaurant run efficiently. They manage the tables very well so after ordering we had a choice of a number of tables to sit at to wait for our food. We had Szechuan stir-fry green beans with mac nuts, kalua pork and pineapple hand-tossed pizza and fish tacos. They had a great selection of selection craft beers which we enjoyed. We finished with chocolate mac nut cream pie, mmmm. If you are in Honolulu I would definitely check this place out.
Our flight home started Sunday evening with a flight at 6:00 pm to Chicago, a red-eye flight and then a flight mid-morning from Chicago to Toronto. This turned out to be the trickiest COVID test to schedule. We ended up scheduling our COVID test for 10:00 am Saturday morning. Given the test is only valid for 72 hours I was concerned if we got it Friday and any of our flights were delayed we may fall out of the 72-hour window. However, given the lab only confirmed that we would get our results in a maximum of 72 hours we were then faced with the fact that the results may not be ready for our flights home. I assumed we would be able to board the flight Honolulu to Chicago without the COVID test results given we were just flying within the US. However, we would not be able to get on our flight to Toronto from Chicago. This became a little stressful as the weekend progressed. Good news, we got the results early Sunday morning, both negative so we were all ready to go. Again, the information that was required to be completed both for United Airlines in their app and in the ArriveCan app was quite extensive. I definitely feel like if you are not comfortable with technology, downloading and moving files, taking screenshots etc you are going to have a problem. If you don't have a smartphone it is a non-starter. We got most of our information loaded Saturday and finished up anything missing on Sunday and were ready for our flight.
Rainbow Diner - https://www.rainbowdrivein.com/ - We had been to this restaurant on a previous visit and definitely had to try it again before we left. We went for breakfast and decided on Loco Moco, a famous Hawaiian plate breakfast. Two hamburger patties, two fried eggs on top, covered with gravy with rice and macaroni salad. Definitely the breakfast of champions. Not something I could do every day but for sure worth a visit once during your vacation.
North Shore Zip Lining at Keana Farms - https://oahuzipline.com/product/north-shore-zipline-at-keana-farms/ . Our family had decided to go zip lining for our nephew's 16th birthday. They were nice enough to wait for our vacation arrival so we could go with them. The zip lining is on a working farm on the North Shore of Oahu. Teresa and I had previously done zip lining in Cranbrook, Newfoundland which we totally enjoyed. The views, excitement and thrill of zipping over the valleys were amazing. This experience in Hawaii was equally exciting. The views of the ocean were spectacular. Most of the zip lines were very long which made for lots of excitement. They had climbs and drops as part of the experience and the staff was fantastic. We had a great time and definitely recommend this.
On our last day we hung around, packed, cleaned up the house we had stayed at. We bought food at Don Quijote to take on the plane and said our goodbyes. Check-in for our flight to Chicago was straightforward. The flight was not completely full so we had a little extra space. I watched Bad Sport on Netflix, an interesting series on cheating at different sporting events. Definitely worth watching. With very little sleep we arrived in Chicago and looked to find coffee. Our layover was three hours so we had a lot of time. As expected United checked all our documents including our proof of vaccination, negative COVID test and the QR code generated by the ArriveCan app after you complete the questionnaire. In Toronto, we used the Nexus lane which worked well. the only strange thing was that the agent never asked to see our negative COVID test before waving us through. We got our luggage, met our driver and were on our way home.
One last strange Canadian government issue. A couple of days after arriving home I received an email from Canadian Border Services that was very confusing to understand (I reread it a number of times). It seemed to imply that I was required to complete testing and quarantine. I phoned the number on the email and the agent said I should just ignore the letter because I was not given a rapid test at the border or requested to quarantine. I asked if it would make sense to only send the email to those people that had received those requests. He mumbled something about everyone getting the email even if it didn't apply to you (this wasn't true because Teresa did not get the email). Not a big deal but just leads to a continual feeling that the Canadian government is really not organized or on this (see my blog about returning from Japan in March 2020).
In the end, despite all the COVID testing, uploading information, wearing a mask on the plane, this was a great vacation. We were gone for a month and I find in a month you really begin to feel like you are away. We saw family for the first time in two years which was great. We had great weather, did lots of fun stuff and on the whole, largely felt safe while we were away. I am very glad we went and although it depends on your destination (I don't think I would enjoy travelling to Florida, Arizona or Texas (I don't like Florida or Texas when there is no COVID) I think travel is relatively safe and doable. So if you are considering travel, I would go for it.
As always let me know any questions or suggestions at thethirdperiod.ca@gmail.com
Comments