Another world on Oahu

Another early morning for the Grishmarrs (but not as early as the previous two days). We got up early to finish packing, eat the remaining banana bread and goat cheese we’d purchased over the last few days and then headed to the airport. We enjoyed our quick Hawaiian airlines flight over to Oahu and once we got our rental car (decided to upgrade to a convertible because we so loved our Maui convertible experience), we headed to Koko Head Cafe for brunch. This restaurant is home to chef Leann Wong from Top Chef....another one of our favorite contestants. The food was delicious. I had the cornflake French toast and Mike had the Koko Moco. We also got the dumplings of the day. And a spiced mimosa. All of it was yummy. A great way to start the day.

We headed to our Airbnb and did a quick walk about Waikiki before checking in. What a difference an island makes. This place is crazy busy and so much more commercial than Maui. It’s a bit overwhelming. 

After our check-in, we headed to the southeast side of the island to check out the Halona blowhole (a total bust). It was pretty, but no blowhole action. Unless you count the whales we saw off in the distance. In that first pic there is totally a whale tail! :)

Next up was a sweet, crazy hike up the Koko Railway Crater. Insane. But, amazing views at the top. Definitely a workout for the day. 

Then, we stopped at Hanauma Bay for snorkeling. We found it odd that we didn’t have to pay the entry fee when we arrived, but did the trek down to the beach anyways. It turns out we only got about 30 minutes on the beach before they closed. :( We saw a few fish, but nothing like we saw in Maui. We’d likely come back here early in the AM if we were ever on Oahu again.

We were ready to head back into the city when we noticed a traffic jam, so we found Kona brewing and stopped in there for some snacks, a drink, and a chance to watch some of the Alabama/Clemson game. Great stuff.

We stopped at Rainbow Drive-in on the way back in for some loco moco to go. We ate that at our Airbnb and got cleaned up for our evening adventures. First stop: island vintage shave ice. Yummy! It had soft-serve and boba, so this was likely my favorite. So good.

Then, we headed to Waikiki Brewing Company for some beers. A good way to end another busy and successful day.