Nell, So Far

May 7, 2021 10 Days in Hawaii:   Day 7 For our last full day on Oahu, we tried to cram in as much as possible! We got out of bed by 8 am and headed off towards North Shore. It was a 45 minute drive so we stopped in Hawleiwa and had yummy, filling breakfast burritos at Kono’s Northshore. It was a cute little town with coffee shops and a shopping center. We didn’t stay too long as it started drizzling and we had a lot on our plate. Further up north, we wade it to Lanikai Beach! On Google, this beach was mentioned as the best place to see beached green sea turtles. At first, we were a little underwhelmed as it was fairly rocky where we were, but realized the further down south you went, the beach started to smooth out. The area where we were had its own appeal. As we took a closer look at the water, we saw turtles poking their heads out of the water, aching to get to shore so they could munch on some moss. Finally, an older turtle (or so we theorized) made it to shore after getting to...

May 6, 2021   10 Days in Hawaii: Day 6 Our second day on Oahu was filled with a plethora of experiences. We woke up early for an hour's drive to Keana Farms (1) for some ziplining! It was a 2hr adventure with three guides that were friendly, hilarious, and knowledgeable about ziplining as well as the history of the land around them. It was a great example of how you can have fun while learning plus there were many chances for great photo ops! Our group of 9 people had a great time and as we got more into it, we all loosened up and brought out more of our personalities with each line. In two hours, we rode through 8 zip lines each getting longer and taller taking us through beautiful and vast farmland filled with apple banana trees, basil, papayas, to name a few. Included in the tour was an ATV ride through the farm to the top of the zipline course, rappelling, and bridge crossings. Jake and I can’t speak highly enough of the whole team at CLIMBworks, especially our guides Ashley, ...

May 5, 2021 10 Days in Hawaii - Day 5 We did not wake to 20 gleeful birds outside our window, but instead, honking horns, revving cars, and the occasional siren. To be fair (cue Letterkenny ), some people did note that this Airbnb would be difficult for light sleepers, which Jake and I were prepared for. Although we were woken up a few times (Jake is an extremely light sleeper and I tend to have a hard time falling asleep), the steady pace of cars zipping by on the busy Kapiolani road started to become white noise for us. We were luckily able to fall asleep soundly. Waking up early to the noisy street wasn't a huge issue either anyways because we wanted to start our days fairly early to beat the rush of other visitors on the island. The first plan of the day: find a waterfall! After doing some research last night, we decided on Lulumahu Falls. Our other choice was Manoa Falls, but due to some questionable conditions, it was closed. Honestly, I’m happy with our choice because Luluma...

May 4, 2021 10 Days in Hawaii - Day Four The incredible, stark difference between Kona and Honolulu couldn't be more obvious, even from the airplane. What took up the view of a tiny airplane window were the majestic mountains, sadly littered with the development of condominiums and shopping centers. After landing, the chaos in the airport greatly contrasted the peaceful atmosphere and open-air layout that greeted us in Kona. Eventually, we made it through the stuffy airport and headed to get our rental, which ended up being a huge disappointment. Like I mentioned before, we didn't realize there was a national car rental shortage and unfortunately didn't plan ahead. Jake had a deal for a free car with Enterprise but all the cars were gone. The most affordable option was a piece-of-crap Jeep with a soft top, falling apart, for $150/day! We had it for almost 30 minutes before Jake adamantly decided to return it that night once we settled in. Check-in at our accommodations did...

May 3, 2021 10 Days in Hawaii: Day Three Once again we woke to singing birds, with one bird being particularly peppy, around 7am. With not many businesses open that early, and because I loved yoga so much the day before, I decided to take another class! This time with a substitute teacher by the name of Michelle. She kicked our asses! The whole hour she was kind and patient as she pushed us to our limit. She encouraged the class through to the end and we all came out of it feeling refreshed, energized, and powerful. After the yoga class, Jake and I enjoyed a nice one-hour drive to the Na’apala Stables in Waipio Valley, anticipating our first official activity of the trip! Along the way, we stopped at the (1) Hawaiian Style Cafe in Waimea. As we entered the restaurant we were humorously warned by the host that took us to our table, “if you have anything to do today, I don’t recommend the pancakes, but if you don’t, I highly recommend the pancakes”. As we looked around the restaurant we...