Weekend Adventures

What an exciting weekend!! This past weekend was the first time we actually took the time to travel the island. We started off by heading towards Waikiki on Saturday to meet up with my husband's ol' high school buddy.  He was very kind and welcomed us to that side of the island by taking us on a mini-tour of Waikiki Beach Walk. We stopped and ate some amazing sushi, then we finished up our visit by paddle boarding at Waikiki Beach. I have never gone paddle boarding before and it was a BLAST! The most exciting part for me was seeing several sea turtles swim near me. They were very large sea turtles and had such a majestic presence in the water.  (Continue Reading)

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They effortlessly rise to the top for air, look at you, then descend back down below with surprising speed.  I will never forget my first encounter here with sea turtles, because it made me adore of these wonderful, beloved sea creatures.

On Sunday we had less excitement but more adventure. We decided to ditch the GPS and just drive up the outer rim of the island towards the North Shore. During our drive we saw a lot of little secret hiding spots of leisurely beach activity, campgrounds, family gatherings involving a grill, and several little shops and food stands. We stopped every now and then to get out and explore different areas, and we finally stumbled upon Chinaman's Hat,  which is a small island just off the coast. We were greeted by crowded beaches at the North Shore, so we turned back around and headed back to the more secluded areas. We saw a cute little gift shop, so we had to drop in and see what was inside. We were greeted with blessings from the store owner and we were given these beautiful shell necklaces. He played music on his guitar for us as we browsed the store, and I ended up leaving with a dress and a smile.  Further along our journey we stopped at a lovely store called "Fine Ass Chocolates & Coffee."  We tried samples and ended up purchasing the dark chocolate named "Dirty Balls," which are macadamia nuts coated in dark chocolate and rolled in cocoa powder. The owner had a great sense of humor, so we had to support the cause.  The journey would not be complete without a nice amount of time near the beach, so we ended our journey by watching the waves together as we sat on a sandy hill. 

It was great to see the more rural side of the island, because it made me feel more at home.  After living half of my life in rural Indiana, it's just really comforting to see farm land and crops everywhere. I love those days where you just set out to have an adventure without any solid plans, and end up being pleasantly surprised. That's the motto for last weekend, and I hope you enjoyed reading about my weekend adventures.

Namaste. Lorel