Oahu HiLife

     

Waikiki Beach: Oahu, Hawaii

        Oahu may not be considered the "Big Island" of Hawaii, but it does house the sizable city of Honolulu. Waikiki Beach sits on a unique background of city skyline and volcanic mountains, most notably Diamond Head(pictured above). Diamond Head is also a beautiful, inexpensive($1 to walk in, $5 per carload to drive in) and relatively low-key hike. You can walk to the starting point from Waikiki, but I would suggest wearing sneakers and sunscreen for comfort! 

        Honolulu and Waikiki Beach are awesome sights to see in their own right, but if there's one thing you must do while in Oahu, it's to venture out of the city. It's a different world going from the touristy and expensive areas to the serenity and natural beauty of the rest of the island. One of the days, we went on an island tour with Oahu Turtle Tours, where we saw and snorkeled with 10-15 turtles throughout the day(this was amazing for me, being that I'm an avid fan of all things turtle;). On our last day, we packed some food, rented a car and hit up all the spots around the island that we had heard about but hadn't yet made it to, which included:
*Manoa Falls hike(Sneakers are strongly suggested! Go for the waterfall, nature, tall bamboo plants, great exercise and no cost besides $3 to park! Note: "Lost" and "Jurassic Park" were filmed on these trails!)
*Byodo-In Temple(Go to think/meditate, ring the gong and feed the fish, turtles & ducks in the surrounding ponds.)
*Kahala Hotel & Resort: It costs a fortune to stay here, but go through the lobby to the grounds  out back to find a dolphin grotto, sea turtle grotto and stingray grotto!

       
        If you can't get to Oahu soon enough, you can bring Oahu to you by home-making my favorite treat on the island: the ACAI BOWL. It's a very simple recipe and there are plenty of ways to change it up. Each time I make this, it takes me right back to the HI life! They offer acai bowls at most smoothie and breakfast establishments on-island, but my first and favorite experience was when I stumbled upon a little smoothie shack on what some call "surfboard alley." Seek and you shall find! 
You will need:

               -Frozen acai berries(I found these in the freezer section of my local co-op)

               -Local honey

               -Bananas, strawberries, blueberries

               -Granola

               -Blender

        Blend frozen acai berries until smooth, but still thick. This should be the consistency of sorbet. You can also add frozen bananas or other berries in the mix. Put the mixture in a bowl and top with granola, sliced berries and bananas and, lastly, drizzle with local honey. That's it! 

Aloha!