…sadly my flight wasn’t an Alaska Airlines (or Hawaiian Airlines?) so i wasn’t welcomed on board with an Mai Thai (like my sister was telling in her blog). Even the 5 hours long flight from Los Angeles to Honolulu was an domestic flight, so no free beer or free meals was served and i had to buy my Buffalo Chicken Wrap ($9, but it was delicious and buying an snack at the airport would had cost me about the same). While approaching HNL i already espied the first views on the islands and Pearl Harbour and the attached military Airport. After the last weeks of coldness it was a pleasure to arrive at a place with about 23°C, got my backpack and took a SpeediShuttle to my hostel in street 2nd rowed at Waikiki Beach. I guess a lot of you thinking about a very nice beach with a lot of aloha where to stay there for weeks on the beach. Jah, for those who love to stay between very high concrete bunkers and get their money theft in all that fancy brandy shops or restaurants, then it’s the best place for you, but not for me. Anyways it didn’t really care me, because it was just a short stopover to acclimate the additional 3h time difference, temperature and heading to Big Island (the Island called Hawaii). As i arrived in the afternoon i didn’t do much, just buying some food and beverages, getting known to all that new Hawaiian words/signs/pronunciation and made my plan for the next weeks where to stay, what to see, whats needed on the islands for getting around.
On the second day i choose to do a walk from my hostel “Waikiki Beachside Hostel” which is located near the zoo to the boat harbour and the way back via Kuhio Ave. The good thing about getting down from all the level of stress at work is, that you have now plenty of time and the only thing you don’t wanna do is, hurry your self. Therefore it took me about the whole day for that (ok, that was a lie, because i got up late 🙂 )
On the next day, it was Friday, i met Anna and some of her friends in a high rise building in an apartment on the highest level. Wow that was a great panoramic view over to Waikiki at night. After tasting, the so often and so good advertised ice cream by my sister, ice-cream of Annas parents (which was really awesome) and some drinks we went out, she insisted to go out because it was “first Friday”. I never heard about that before, but it’s a special day where the most, here living and working, people go out for partying. While passing closed roads by the police, we headed to O’Tooles pub which was located in Downtown. A girl asked an officer whats up, because of the closed road, who responded “yeah, it’s first friday” without any further explanation about that to her. The face was funny, because she had no idea what that meant. Arrived at the pub, Anna ordered, of course, a round Mount Gay Rum and Coke “Cocktail” (why ever they don’t know what a Rum Coke dring is). Al ended up that i missed my last bus back to my hostel and used Uber to get home. They don’t have much cars here, but as i requested the car, after 15 seconds it was already here. The driver and myself where very lucky about that.
After a short sleep, because of lots of noise on the 2nd street (Lemon Rd) due to lots of trucks driving backwards and cars honking because of blocked roads, i got up earlier this morning and went to my first hike to Manoa Falls, used the ‘Aihualama Trail to the Nu’uanu Valley Lookout, then went back via Pauoa Flats Trail and Pu’u’Ohi’a Trail to the Tantalus Dr. As i had no rental car, i had to use the bus for getting up there and back home. “Sadly” none offered me an hitchhike downwards the Tantalus to my bus station, but as it turned out, it was the better option because i had some great views from some corners over Honolulu. The fact that Tantalus Drive is very curvy is used by a handful motor bikers driving up and down, which reminded me to the “Tatzelwurm”, which is very popular for bikers near Munich. In total it was an 21km hike, which gave me an short teaser about the beauties of the islands here.
In the evening Anna drove by, she borrowed me a tent for my visits on the other island and i deposited al my unnecessary stuff, about half of my backpack, at her car to have place for the tent. Next stop Hawaii…