Beautiful Oahu

I was in Hawaii for 6 days and it was such an amazing trip that I want to go back there as soon as possible. I got to spend some quality time with my sister and my nephew, just the three of us. I also got to see a friend after a long 3 years. The concierge of the hotel we stayed at gave us a map of the island and my sister and I decided on the activities we wanted to accomplish during our stay. We decided that renting a car is necessary to explore the rest of the island. We stayed in Waikiki but we also wanted to see the famous North Shore. I'm still on a bit of high so I will try my best to remember the story behind each picture. Enjoy!

My friend picked me up from the airport bright and early and toured me around Waikiki. For lunch, we decided that it's time for our Mai Tais.

On the way back to the beach, we saw the shooting for Hawaii Five-O.

I just had to take a picture of the beautiful skies.

My sister made sure that I get to try the 5-Napkin Burger from Cheeseburgerland.

I also got hooked on this...

The sccenic drive on the way to the North Shore.

And probably the best part of our trip was our visit to Hanauma Bay. We tried snorkeling for the first time and loved it. For first time visitors, they show a video about Hanauma Bay which I thought was very appealing. You can rent your gears and lockers from there. Make sure you get there very early in the morning as the line to the admission gets very long and they run out of parking slots. I'm glad they preserved the sanctuary. I just couldn't get enough of the view.

 Top view of Hanauma Bay

 corals

It usually takes about an hour and a half to get to the North Shore from Waikiki. But since we stopped several times to explore other tourist spots, we finally reached the North Shore mid-afternoon.

We visited the Turtle Beach and were lucky to find two Hawaiian green turtles on the shore.

We passed by the Dole plantation and drank lots and lots of pineapple juice and bought many other goodies.

Of course our Hawaiian trip wouldn't be complete without Ahi Poke. Yum!
 

And rainbows. Everyday.

And more fresh fruit juices.

Saw my first Hawaiian sunset.

And was reminded again on what it means to be a part of the Hawaiian family.

I will be back. For now, mahalo!