Pearl Harbor
I obviously couldn’t leave without seeing Pearl Harbor. Arguably the most visited place on the island, it really is a destination for history lovers. I’m almost embarrassed to admit how much I underestimated the magnitude of what happened in 1941. I knew enough about it, but not all the details. Besides, seeing what’s left of The Arizona is completely different from reading about it. Definitely a must see.
Atlantic Dinner Cruise
Day four ended up being a day for boats I guess. We booked a dinner on the water to watch another sunset. I’m not going to lie, the food was not the highlight. However, seeing whales jumping into the sunset was a very redeeming factor. Overall the ship was lovely, the entertainment fun, and the staff very helpful. It was a great way to end the night.
North Shore
Okay, day five was probably my favorite day. We drove to the north shore for a day at the beach. I was expecting the beach to be as busy as the other beaches we’d been to but I was pleasantly shocked to see that it was nearly empty. We got acai bowls and watched a bunch of sea turtles swim ashore for nap time. We also ended up basically hiking the beach. So, fun fact, this is the beach where they filmed all the camp scenes on Lost. My cousin and I really wanted to see THE spot but it’s not like they put signs up so we just kept going down the beach to see if we recognized one spot more than another. I don’t know how often you walk on sand but it’s definitely a calf workout. It was the best cardio ever though. ;P
Tantalus Lookout + Vietnamese Food
The last day was one of the best but most of the day involved water so I didn’t get my camera out much. If you watched the video I posted you can see the kayaking and Parasailing we did. It was an epic last day. We went to watch my last sunset (yes, sunsets are a big deal to us) at Tantulus Lookout. Much like the other views on the island, it was stunning, but also like the rest of the island, it was very crowded. So pro tip, if you want the sunset view go an hour early and pick a great spot. For dinner we went to a traditional Pho place and, wow, so good! The restaurant was called Pho Que Huong.
Obviously I was so sad to leave and I can’t wait to return to Hawaii. It was a trip of a lifetime.