Ohana in Oahu

Houston we have a problem

The long journey from Cancun to Honolulu involves three connecting flights to get us across the USA and halfway over the Pacific Ocean. Our first stop is Houston where we join the infamous queue for immigration. With around a two hour gap between our flights I figure we’ve probably got enough time. 90 minutes later and we’re still queuing… how ridiculous. We clear customs with our next flight due to start boarding in five minutes.

A light jog is required as we need to pick up our hold baggage from the carousel and drop it off somewhere else. There are signs everywhere advising passengers to alert the authorities to any food that may bring pests into the US. We’re slightly nervous they’ll discover our ant-infested bacon sandwiches but we keep a cool demeanor as we rush past the customs officers and their sniffer dogs, luckily they’d had their breakfast. We reach the plane and we’re surprised to see the same cabin crew from our last flight. Not the same plane though, this one is much more modern with mood lighting, comfy seats and large monitors in the back of each headrest. On our way over the American desert we keep an eye out for the grand canyon, spot the snowy mountains of Colorado and fly directly over Las Vegas, getting a good view of the Luxor pyramid hotel my folks will be staying in after Hawaii. Hopefully we’ll be staying there in a few months time.

See if you can spot the pyramid:

Not much to report from rainy San Fran airport though we can sense we’re close to my family as they’re just down the coast in Los Angeles. The final flight is the longest at nearly six hours, unfortunately it’s back to basics and there is no in-flight entertainment here. We’re served our third round of cookies OR pretzels for the day and try to work out how long we’ve been travelling. Since leaving our Mexican Airbnb at 5am we’ve been on the go for over twenty one hours by the time we land in Honolulu!

Welcome to Waikiki

We take the bus to our one-night stay in the heart of Waikiki center. Exhausted and weary, we look forward to getting straight into bed the moment we get into our room. Of course in this backpacker life, nothing can be that simple. Upon entering our room we’re greeted by a half-naked seventy year old Vietnamese man who’s shouting on the phone to his nephew while trying to introduce himself to us at the same time. The room is a state and it looks like the two guys that have been staying in here have used it as their own for the last few days. “The other guy is called John, he’s been in the bathroom a while, oh you need to strip your bed as the last guy didn’t do it before he left. I usually wake up at 4am but I’ll try not to disturb you guys.” At this point the other room mate emerges from the bathroom in just a towel, plonks himself down on a chair and asks a few inquisitive questions. We make some small talk and explain how tired we are, climbing into our incredibly wobbly bunk beds that squeak each time you move. It could be worse, we could be bunked up with the American youths that are drinking on the street outside, hitting the hard seltzer and preparing to enjoy a night out on Spring Break. Oh what it was like to be young…

Reunited

Somehow we do manage a few hours of sleep before we’re awoken by our friend making his breakfast in the room at 5am and some people playing loud music on the balcony opposite. Unsure what to do with several hours to kill until our Airbnb check-in, we make our own breakfast downstairs and go for an explore of the local area. We scout out some areas to eat and get our first look at the Waikiki beaches. Returning to the hostel we’re relieved to see our Airbnb host has said we can check-in whenever we want! Upon checking out of our room, a voice from the toilet room wishes us luck on our journey, he must have been in there at least half an hour. What a weird experience!

We hike over to our Airbnb and immediately relax with the realisation it looks just like the photos, it’s blissfully quiet and there are no bizarre roommates disturbing the peace (yet). We’d love another nap but I’m full of nervous energy with my family arriving in a couple of hours, plus rumours of a special guest Alex knows nothing about. We do a quick shop in the expensive Safeway supermarket and try our first local Hawaiian dishes. Before we arrived we saw a programme talking about Poke Bowls, raw fish served with rice and vegetables. They live up to their reputation and we immediately look forward to our next bowl.

Back at the Airbnb and I’m like a kid waiting for Christmas. Not only are my family arriving in a few minutes (a mere six months since I last saw Ma and Pa) but Diana is also arriving and Alex once again has no idea, something I’ve known since Valentine’s Day. No more secrets or surprises after today, I can’t take the tension!

After a false alarm of the washing machine buzzing, there is a knock at the door and the sound of familiar voices. I open the door to three happy Collins’ and welcome them in with big hugs and ask them about their trip to LA. A few minutes later and the door goes again… Who could it be? We nominate Alex to answer it and all act like we’re clueless. “What the hell are you doing here?!” is the greeting of choice and we all laugh with relief that the surprise has finally been revealed.

With everyone together, it’s time to crack open a beer and do some long-overdue catching up.

We mention that we’re considering trying scuba diving in the Philippines and Dad tells us about how he learned to scuba dive in Wales. “Wales? That must have been cold, did you see anything interesting there?” we enquire, “Yeah… I saw a crab” comes the deadpan reply. Moving the conversation on we discuss social media with Mum who says she wants to try Instagram. I tell her to skip that and go straight to TikTok like all the other cool kids. “No, you need to twerk to be on TikTok” comes the reply. How I’ve missed their absurd and honest humour!

What else is there to do when Collins’ arrive but plan a trip to the supermarket? Disturbed by the cost of Safeway, Dad, Lottie and I take the longer trek up to the more budget friendly Times supermarket. After returning home I suggest we head to Waikiki beach to watch the sunset and give the folks a taste of what’s to come. It’s another incredible sunset and we take our first photos of the trip together. Alex has gone with Diana to check into her Airbnb back in town, a mere stones throw away from the hostel we stayed in last night. It later transpires that Diana originally booked her seven night stay in the same hostel, thank goodness she changed her mind and booked a much more relaxing, spacious and private Airbnb apartment!

We reunite on the sands and unfortunately the Barefoot Cafe I thought served beach-side cocktails only provides smoothies… It’s a blessing in disguise though as my family are getting pretty hungry having only been served a small biscuit on their flight across from LA.

Back at home, Dad and I cook up a spaghetti bolognese while Mum prepares a side salad and the girls make a delicious rum punch. We enjoy a family dinner outside on the private terrace before crashing into bed around 9pm, it’s fair to say jet lag has hit us all hard.

Aloha Hawaii

The next morning we’re all wide awake by 5am as our bodies adjust to the new timezone. We have an easy morning and then head to a local hula show Alex has found online. None of us have any idea what to expect but were pleasantly surprised to witness a traditional Hawaiian show with brilliant local performers, relaxing music and some audience participation! Diana, Heather and Alex are nominated to represent our group and give the dance moves a go and even manage to stay in sync once or twice.

Once the show has finished, we walk a few meters up the road to Waikiki beachfront. We settle on an patch of sand between all of the tourists, soak up the warm sun and take our first dip in the Pacific ocean. Dad and I give body boarding a go but it seems that the surf schools have taken up all of the good spots! Still we appreciate being in the cool water and look back on the giant palms lining the golden sand at the edge of a city almost spilling into the ocean.

Diana and Alex head up the beach to check out the hotel Diana stayed in more than 50 years ago, when she came to Hawaii with her parents! Not much has changed of the hotel, but all around it the skyline of course has:

After a while on the beach we divide forces and I head back to the Airbnb to introduce my folks to poke bowls while Alex and Diana have an afternoon catching up. We regroup in the evening at a local cocktail bar serving Mai Tai and a Pina Colada copy-cat in their happy hour offering. Perfect.

Diana has kindly invited us to dinner at a modern Asian-fusion restaurant. We have a great table by the window overlooking the setting sun and order a bottle of cold champagne. We toast to our recent engagement and everybody being together halfway across the world. The food is incredible and thanks to American portion sizes everyone is well fed. Diana has informed them it’s a celebration meal and Alex and I are presented with a special dessert to mark the occasion. It’s one amazing meal that is definitely a highlight of the whole trip so far.

It seems the Brits brought some rain with them as we end up caught in a rain shower on the way home, using a beach-mat for protection:

Chasing Rainbows

With the daunting challenge of a marathon on the horizon for Dad and Lottie in just a few weeks, it’s time for a training run. There is a road that circles around the monumental Diamond Head volcano and down into the beach zone. We end up doing an out and back route that takes around one and a half hours before the warmth gets a bit much and we dive into a mini mart for refreshments. During the run there’s a mixture of sunshine and drizzle resulting in a beautiful rainbow glowing in the skies above the ocean.

Pearl Harbour

Time for a bit of history and culture. Today we’re off to Pearl Harbour, to check out the USS Missouri battleship, and visit the USS Arizona Memorial. The information starts on the bus ride onto the military island, with a jolly driver telling us all about how to pronounce Hawaii (Hav-ay-ee) and cracking jokes. A brief pop culture side-note, Bruno Mars is from Hawaii and was spotted as a five year old for doing an Elvis impersonation. Fast forward to 2019 and he played the final concert at the imposing baseball stadium on the island that has not been used post-Covid. As a nice touch he offered discounted tickets to locals as a way to give back to the local community. Though he may be craving that money now that he’s $50m in debt to MGM casinos if rumours are to be believed!

Pulling up to USS Missouri it’s hard to not be impressed by the huge metallic behemoth infront of us. We’ve not been to the one in London yet, but just from Thameside, it is tiny by comparison. Originally commissioned in 1941 it should have taken 6 years to build but was impressively built in just 3 after the Pearl Harbour attack brought America into the World War.

We get a free tour of the deck, giving us facts and figures about the huge power and destruction the gun turrets here wield. These turrets can fire misses at twice the speed of sound with a range of over 1000 miles and a margin of error of only 5 feet. At one point, advising one turret is equal to the weight of a space shuttle. I’m pretty bad with figuring out how much things weigh even when talking about a 1 kilo bag of pasta, so comparing anything to an object I can’t figure out if it weighs more or less than I would imagine does nothing to help contextualize them here. The impressive nods of everyone around me indicate a space shuttle is pretty heavy and therefore so must these things. The huge power of these turrets also clearly impresses many around us. For me, it just makes me rather sad, I can’t divorce the lives and destruction that accompany such fire-power.

Thankfully, the next stop of the tour is to educate us about the signing of the Japanese surrender that occured right on this very deck. Having learnt and been exposed so much more to European WWII history, it’s fascinating to learn that WWII actually ended here with that surrender. Which I guess is why we have VE day and VJ day. The guide makes a point that the speech made at this point is not about vengeance, but about peace. I do find it somewhat ironic that they mention the damage the Japanese did and omit the huge devastation commited by nuclear weapons… but something is better than nothing. Two generals stood behind General McArthur as witnesses to the signing, they were prisoners of war and were given a signing pen each. They were visibility emaciated from their time in the brutal Japanese prisoner of war camps where the estimated lifespan of a captive was 2-6 months, these chaps somehow survived there for 3 years. The peace treaty was signed with 250 allied ships pointing their guns at the USS Missouri, the ship itself bow to bow with the sunken USS Arizona, meaning the start and end of the US involvement in WW2 occured in the same location. At 9.25am the end of World War 2 was declared with General McArthur stating “Let us pray that peace is resorted to the world and that God may preserve it always”. A moving plea that sadly seems to remain unanswered.

The final stop is another somber one, the location of an attack by a Japanese suicide bomber from the infamous Kamikaze squadrons. Kamikaze being Japanese for “Divine Win” meant it was seen as an honourable feat for the men, mostly teenage boys, before hurtling themselves into enemy ships on a one way mission. Letters are shared here of the pilots to their families, and future children, left behind, knowing they would definitely never see them again. Tragic. The site of this attack by a nineteen year old pilot barely left a dent in the side of the ship. What was left of the pilot was given a proper sea burial as ordered by captain Callahan. An honourable move instructed by Callahan himself against some more vengeful crew, as he believed once men are dead they no longer serve any country or God, and all should be given a respectable burial.

After the tour ends we are allowed into the bowels of the beast and I’ll let the pictures do the talking here.

“better than some of the accommodation we’ve stayed in” was Alex’s poignant comment here.

Returning to the mainland we listen to the moving words of an emotional Navy Ranger who recounts the events of one of the biggest and most famous attacks in world history. Despite some unrest between the nations of the Allied friendly Americans and the ambitious Imperial Japan, no one in the Western world saw this attack coming. Even when a radar operator raised the alarm of unchartered aircraft approaching the area it was falsely dismissed as friendly aircraft on their way from California. This and other errors lead to the Japanese being able to cause incomprehensible destruction of the US Navy. 353 Japanese bombers struck unchallenged, sinking four of the eight US battleships stationed, damaging the other four. Countless other ships were damaged or destroyed and over two thousand, four hundred people were killed in the devastating attack.

We take a short boat ride across Battleship Row to the watery grave of the USS Arizona. The only battleship that was sunk and never retrieved to fight back. The rusted remains piercing the waters surface give some indication of the raw power required to sink a ship this size and what it must have been like on the day when the armour piercing round struck the armoury and ignited an explosion that was powerful enough to split the ship in two. We board the floating gravesite and view a memorial wall dedicated to the hundreds of men and women who lost their lives in an instant on that fateful day.

On our return we get to watch a brief film that explains the history of the war in this part of the world, how and why Japan attacked (to prevent the USA defending the islands and resources Japan hoped to conquer next). Once more, the ‘reasons’ seem all too familiar, pathetic, and as though leaders of the world have learnt nothing from the past at the cost of so many human lives.

After the experience of Pearl Harbour we return to town and head out to buy a local specialty recommended by our friendly Uber driver, a sweet treat called malasada. They’re essentially sugar-coated fried donuts with various fillings, we order half a dozen and return home to try them out with our macadamia ice cream. Delicious.

Dad kindly cooks up salmon and potatoes for the evening meal, much to Alex’s delight as she’s suffered a potato famine recently.

Rain rain go away

Now that we’ve covered the famous military base on the island, it’s time for something completely different, a hike in the green tree-covered mountains. Manoa Falls is our target, an easy one mile hike to the impressive waterfall and back again. It’s much more damp in this part of the island and our rain jackets come in very handy as there are a few downpours on the short muddy trek.

After a few photos at the top, some of our group carries on along a different trek while the Mums return to base camp for a coffee. Alex powers ahead in her Vivo hiking boots, making short work of the slippery trail. Dad, Lottie and I make it to a part of the path completely covered in slimy tree roots and decide that’s enough for today and turn back.

Alex soon catches us up and we all bound home ready for some lunch.

We request the Uber drops us off in an area near our Airbnb with a handful of cafes and takeaways. We disperse and swarm the various eateries all craving different cuisine. Meeting back at the Airbnb we all enjoy lunch with some of the islands tasty beers. After which I finally get to show Dad the shuffling and card tricks I’ve been working on for months. He seems mildly impressed.

In the afternoon we head back towards the coast but this time we try a new beach adjacent to a local war memorial and quieter than the packed Waikiki beaches. Typically the weather is not on our side and the gentle drizzle turns into a heavier downpour. There’s brief respites of sun but they don’t last long before it starts to rain on us again. The girls sensibly head to the shops instead. Meanwhile dad and I figure that if we’re going to be wet anyway we might as well get into the sea. The ocean water definitely seems warmer than the air but by this point most of the beach goers have left, it’s probably best we do the same before we catch a cold.

For our evening meal we order takeaway Chinese and Dad challenges Alex and I to a Mr and Mrs quiz based on our travels so far. It’s a great way to reflect on parts of our epic journey and share some memories and stories with everyone present.

Pensioner Peak

Today is a big milestone for one member of our party, David Collins turns 65 years old today! What better way to celebrate than hiking up a volcano? That’s what we’ve volunteered him for anyway. He’s full of beans and we march up to the starting point of the 1.6 mile ascent to the peak of Diamond Head. The trail up is busy but enjoyable with a couple of viewpoints every so often. One of these looks out to the Eastern edge of the island where another volcano dominates the sky, Koko Head.

An information board explains Diamond Head has had various uses over the years, from a naval lookout for enemy ships to a training center for soldiers during the Cold War. Despite the beauty of this island there is a heavy presence of America’s military might lurking beneath the surface. Reaching the summit, the more able bodied amongst us clamber down into the gun battery viewpoint to see what the view was like for lookouts of times gone by.

We soon join the rest of the gang at the top where tourists swarm to get a good photo, photo bomb our group or ask us to take photos of them. We take what precious photos we can before quickly escaping the bedlam and descending back down the hill.

In the afternoon we return once more to the quiet beach from yesterday but this time there is only a small patch of drizzle and much more sunshine. We play frisbee in the waves and despite being only one year away from collecting his state pension, Dad still dives through the waves and jumps for the frisbee like the goalkeeper he was when he was a teenager.

Happy Birthday to this wonderful and inspiring person 🥳

In the evening, Alex, Dad and I hike all the way up to Times supermarket and return with bountiful supplies for a Birthday BBQ! We enjoy steak, sausage and sweetcorn cooked on the barbie with side helpings of salad, hummus and potatoes. For desert, one of dad’s favourites… warm apple crumble and ice cream. The wine flows freely and as always Lottie is on hand to provide perfect music for the occasion. Returning inside, we fancy a game and form teams to face the Andover Fist Quiz. Lottie and Alex are the winning team this time, not letting the Birthday Boy win!

A pineapple is inexplicably placed on the BBQ and left to char until we realise no-one knows what to do with it, and Lottie and Dad have to roll it off with tongs and a pan:

Turtle Canyon

Alex has wanted to see turtles since we were in Mexico and bypassed the chance to see them. When she reads there is a place called Turtle Canyon just off the coast of Waikiki it’s a great opportunity for everyone to see them! We board the catamaran at Waikiki beach and set sail for a quick journey to the diving spot. On the way there, the captain points out a turtle popping its head out of the water to get some air. This is looking promising!

After a detailed safety briefing we’re in the water and on the hunt for green shells. For the first ten minutes there are a lot of pretty fish but none of the game we’re looking for. That soon changes when a herd of snorkelling tourists all head in the same direction. We catch them up and witness two huge sea turtles gracefully gliding through their underwater world.

With the mums back on the boat before the rest of us, they get a great view of a humpback whale passing by behind the boat.

After the boat trip we have lunch at the Barefoot Cafe that’s come highly recommended. A mix of burgers and poke bowls does not disappoint and I try the local specialty of shaved ice. It’s basically a glorified slushy but you have to try these things while you’re here.

We have a relaxed afternoon at the Airbnb and introduce Diana to the game of Yahtzee. Beginners luck must be a real thing as she manages to roll a double Yahtzee and wins the game with ease!

In the evening we go for drinks at a local brewhouse as Lottie kindly treats us to a round of craft beers and cocktails. During the drinks Alex, Lottie and I head out to the beach to try and catch the weekly fireworks show. We’re advised to head down surfboard alley and just wait on the beach there with all the other people. It’s unclear why but the fireworks show only seems to last a couple of minutes rather than the expected ten and most people on the beach, including us, see nothing more than a reflection of the fireworks in the night sky and a couple of bangs from behind a big hotel. Fail.

We return to the brewery to finish our drinks then head for dinner at the same place we had cocktails the other night. Dad treats everyone to dinner and we enjoy all sorts of tasty food.

A hike and a half

Our final full day in Hawaii and Lottie is up early to sneak another run in. Having been gone for a couple of hours we’re slightly concerned she may have got lost in the mazy grid system but as I step out onto the street to look for her she runs past in her iconic rainbow print leggings. She returns back towards the house looking fresh and well and informs us she has just run a half marathon distance. Fantastic.

My folks would prefer to stay local today and not over exert themselves before their trip to Las Vegas. Alex, however, wants to get onto one of Hawaii’s famous ridges, so makes plans to head to Kuli’ou’ou Summit and walk the trail there. She walks to the bus stop with her Mum where they’ll part ways until Canada as Diana is flying home from Hawaii today.

////////////////////

To interject with my little escapade, I manage to get lost and do the Valley walk before reaching the end and having to turn back for the Ridge walk. James would call me a completionist and say it was intentional. The valley route is amazing. So full of lush greenery with ferns of all types around me. The ridge ascend beautiful in its own way as the flora changes with the incline. The floor becomes full of pine needles, as pine trees line the path.

The path then goes almost straight up as the roots of the trees provide ‘steps’:

The ascent finally finishes at the summit, part of the endless island-crossing Ridge. The weather suddenly becomes a lot cooler as I try and brace against the gusting wind, taking in the phenomenal views around or greenery and luminous seas, marvelling at where I’ve just come from. Just what I was hoping for.

With a bus only once an hour, I poorly calculate that I can make it down in time for the next one. It doesn’t take long to realise I’ll actually probably be waiting half an hour for the next one… unless… time to put my Vivos to the test again. The run down is fairly easy and fun, save a few hold-yer-breath moments. Maybe I could enjoy fell running after all! Rushing passed fellow walkers shouting “sorry, thanks, running for a bus” as they let me through, I just make it to the bus in time and the same driver who picked me up on the way out.

My first adventure on this journey sans James and Internet, both missed but a challenge proudly accomplished. Back to James.

////////////////////

As Lottie needs a bit of time to shower, eat brekkie and recover from her run, Mum and I make tracks to another beach we haven’t been to yet. On the way there we have a good heart-to-heart and catch up just the two of us. In a strange turn of events we witness someone solemnly releasing ashes into the sea, although Mum at first thinks it’s a big bag of cocaine 😂

Dad and Lottie soon join us and we spend around an hour cooking in the sun before heading for some lunch. Today I try South Side Grill, a well-known food joint that apparently Barack Obama once visited. I’m surprised to see they serve poutine (fries, cheese and gravy, get over it, it’s delicious) and immediately inform Alex. She soon arrives back at the Airbnb with a large portion, as expected!

For our final evening together we’re having Alex’s ‘favourite’ travel food, tuna pasta bake! Although this time it’s cooked for her and with decent quality ingredients rather than the cat food-like tuna we’ve suffered in Latin America. There is quite a bit of booze to finish off and no one really wants to go to bed as it will mean the end of the trip!

The Journey Continues

Alex convinced me to get up and wave my folks off at 4am and it was definitely the right thing to do. I help them order an Uber and send them on their way, I’ll see them again in a few months time back in Blighty.

Back to just the two travellers then. We’ve got another long journey ahead of us as we continue the adventures in South East Asia…

Mahalo

Thank you Dave, Heather, Lottie and Diana for travelling all the way to Hawaii to see us. We really appreciate everything you’ve done and continue to do for us that has made this journey possible. Having Hawaii to look forward to helped cope with the home sickness and it was a joy to share a special part of our odyssey with you wonderful people. Lots of love and hugs from James and Alex ❤️

*************

Adventure – exploring walks, runs, military vessels and underwater canyons

Excitement – everyone arriving, surprise desserts, finding poutine, seeing wildlife in its habitat, being able to drink tap water, being able to communicate in English, being able to flush toilet paper

Trauma – arriving exhausted and having to make conversation, being awoken by neighbours carrying on the party on our first night, more damn dogs, Safeway prices, fireworks fail