During the glorious three consecutive days off around my birthday, Eaman and I spent one full day on the road, checking out life on the island beyond Honolulu, which also gave us an opportunity to use Eaman’s cool new camera lens. Craig, master of road trips, put together a nice itinerary for us, and our friend, Doug, generously lent us his car for some Friday fun. We had actually considered jetting to Kauai for those three days, but in an effort to save money, we decided that it’ll be more fun to leave Oahu, able to say we really knew the island. (Besides, we’re headed to the Big Island over Memorial Day Weekend for a big camping trip, so at least we’ll have gone to one other island.)
Here, a little map of our eight-hour trip with stars marking the stops:
First stop: the Pali lookout off the Pali Highway.
Second stop: Valley of the Temples in Kaneohe. Nestled in the back of a spacious cemetery is the non-denominational Buddhist temple Byodo-In. It’s breathtaking. We felt so at peace, like we were witnessing something really special — and it got us very, very excited for South East Asia.
Our next stop was a close-up view of Mokolii, better known as Chinaman’s Hat, an island named because it’s in the shape of…you guessed it. The sky was a bit gloomy at this point, but it was a nice deserted spot to munch on our peanut butter sandwiches.
Our next stop wasn’t planned, which is precisely the point of road trips. We whizzed past it and quickly turned back around once we saw clear water. This beach had such a lovely, carefree vibe. I don’t think anyone was even in the water; it just happened to be the backyard for a few (lucky) people. And I just loved that green beach house.
We then headed to Waimea Bay on the North Shore since Eaman still hadn’t seen that area. (I had previously gone while he was in Oklahoma, remember?) But no getting in the water for us; the huge waves break ridiculously close to the shore.
Finally, we made it to Kaena Point. It’s the most northwest edge of the island, and besides seeing rows upon rows of patient fisherman, Craig had told us to park the car and walk the long walk to the very, very tip of the island to see some monk seals and nesting seabirds. Well, since we hit the road a bit later — noon to be exact — than Craig had suggested, we got to Kaena Point only around 6:15 p.m. The sun was setting, my phone and its all-important GPS was dying and that walk was mighty long. We walked and walked, though not all the way out, so no monk seals for us. But Kaena was still my favorite part of the road trip.
So spectacular, it gave me goosebumps.
Work hours have been painfully long since I got back from New Jersey last week. Eaman has been home in Oklahoma for the past two weeks. I’ve been getting into a bad habit of eating dinner on the couch, changing the channel to classic Friends episodes, falling asleep and waking up at 2 a.m. (I admit, I am definitely a grandmother by 20-something nightlife standards, but I owe this particularly sad turn of events to long hours on my feet at the smoothie shop and the relative isolation of living up a mountain. Am I less sad to you now? Hopefully.)
What I’m trying to say is, I was very much in need of an outing. During pau hana (happy hour) and subsequent dinner at the fantastic Vietnamese restaurant Super Pho last week, my cousin Pratt suggested we take a road trip somewhere on Saturday. Details weren’t necessary; I was ready to go anywhere.
Like I said, I’m starting to feel a little isolated living on this here mountain, which calls for a 15-minute downhill walk to a bus stop and the far worse 20-minute steep ascent back up the mountain. I was getting bogged down in Honolulu and knew there’s so much more to see in Oahu. But without a car, it’s hard. What a buzzkill it is to think: “Sweet! Let’s go to Kailua Beach. The bus comes in 27 minutes and then it’ll take us approximately 1 hour and 14 minutes to get there. And let’s pray it doesn’t take forever and a half to come back by bus. Can’t wait!”
But Pratt has a car, and she and her husband, Craig, have wanted to take us somewhere outside Honolulu for a while. (Unfortunately, Eaman wasn’t here for this excursion.) So on Friday night, she emailed me to be ready by noon for an adventure and to bring my bathing suit. That was one vague proposition I could get behind!
Where did we go? Well, a lot of places. Here, a little photo diary of our trip:
Stopped for lunch at Kalapawai Market in Kailua, a somewhat ritzy seaside town that boasts one of the best beaches on Oahu (called Kailua Beach) and ate lunch – a veggie-feta sandwich in my case — at a nearby park:
The weather was grim, but I believe that sometimes, a little fog and grey is quite beautiful.
A few bites shy of finishing my sandwich, this happened:
But onward, we said!
Pit-stop at a macadamia nut shop to jack free samples, like these honey-roasted treats, and macadamia nut-flavored coffee:
Con: The tourist crowd outside the nut shop.
Pro: The scene behind the tourists.
At “the hole in the rock” along the drive to the North Shore:
Our friend Suzanne had a particular fruit stand in mind that she wanted to show us:
Rambutan:
Suzanne bought us all coconut drinks…
…and they were the best I’ve ever had. They blew the Colombia ones out of the water!
When I said we went to a lot of places, I meant it. We even made a quick stop at the Waimea Arboretum to check out the two resident peacocks:
And finally, we made it to the North Shore, known to many as the surfing mecca of the world. Much of Lost was filmed here, and as well as one of my favorite movies ever, Forgetting Sarah Marshall.
People cliff-dove; I did not. But Craig and I did get in the water. To say it was powerful is a gross understatement. I could barely stand straight as the tide pulled back out. And though I managed, let me put it this way: It’s best to wear a one-piece bathing suit with those kind of waves.
On our drive out, we stopped the car to check out some ridiculously talented surfers from afar. I would’ve taken pictures but was too busy picking my jaw up from off the floor.
And as we wound our way back home, we came full circle with dinner at Peace Cafe, a tranquil vegan spot in Honolulu. I’ve gotta say: I’m so impressed with vegan food in Hawaii. In New York, I always found it bland. But here, everything is so fresh and well-flavored. And I just loved the vibe at this place. It was like a yoga studio with really good food.
Popeye sandwich at Peace Cafe — spinach, tofu, sprouts, pesto and Italian dressing.
