Because I'm a nerd..

I made a schedule for our trip to Hawaii similar to the one that my friend Tanier made for our trip across SE Asia. You would be surprised how many times I've had to look back at that document. People have asked for travel advice, I've looked back to track where we were exactly compared to cool photos I find online, etc etc. I'm probably losing readership with all my lame posts lately, but this blog is where I keep anything I want to easily find again. Pictures coming soon, but here goes nothing...

Miscellaneous

• Get cash at airport $100+
• Weather hi 89 lo 74

Flight

• 8/31 United Flight 6465 SLC to LAX Depart: 06:00am Arrive: 06:53
• 8/31 United Flight 641 LAX to HNL Depart: 08:42am Arrive: 11:23am
• 9/5 United Flight 408 HNL to SFO Depart: 11:00pm Arrive: 07:02am
• 9/6United Flight 5447 SFO to SLC Depart: 07:55am Arrive: 10:42am

Wednesday 8/31

• 4:40am Airport pickup (Thank you to the best home teacher ever)
  
• Arrive Hawaii 11am (3pm Utah)
• There is a 4 hour time lag
• Take bus #19(east to Waikiki) #20(west to uss Arizona/aloha stadium)
• $2.50
• Aloha Stadium Market 8am-3pm (loved it)
  
• Buy Fruit for Breakfast all week
  
• Check into hotel
  
• Waikiki Beach Walk
  
• 2909 Kalakaua Avenue to 2005 Kalia Road

Thursday 9/1

• Scuba Dive 9am-3:00 pm(Turned into 6:30pm..had a terrible time.)
  
• Pickup 8:30am--Honolulu (808) 852-8881
• Chinatown nighttime/hotpot dinner (Looooved this place)
  
• Best Taiwanese is Sweet Home Café-very popular/long line
• Free Hula show at Kuhio beach, Waikiki 6:30 pm (didn't make it back)
  
• 2365 Kalakaua Avenue, Honolulu

Friday 9/2

• Tabbi
• Parasail $50 (didn't do)
  
• www.maitaicatamaran.net
• Outrigger Catamaran (808) 922-2210 (loved it)
  
• 2169 Kalia Rd # 126, Honolulu, HI
• the beach in front of the HaleKulani Hotel in Waikiki
• Snorkel ($50) 10am-12:30pm
• Dolly--highlight of her trip. Me=too frugal:)
  
• Sky Diving $124/$154 with Student ID 7:30-2:30 (free shuttle-6 hr RT)
• Pickups in Waikiki, UH, HNL and Pearl Harbor (no food in van):
• Waikiki 6:45am-7:15, UH 7:30, HNL 7:30, PH 7:30 (return by 2pm)
• Manoa Falls-8 mi. inland from Waikiki. Take city bus
• 1.5 hrs (RT) easy walk up mountain
• Dinner Picnic and Fireworks-Hilton Hotel

Saturday 9/3

• Enterprise Rent A Car-pick up at 8am. Return by 8am. Office closes at 5pm.
• 445 Seaside Ave #3C Honolulu, HI 96815 (808) 922-0090
• $44.51 total. Spoke with Carl.
• Drive around East coast-2 hours
• 45 min to BYU, Hawaii, and an hour+ to the north shore
• Stop at Lanikai Beach
• Byodo-In Temple (coolest fengshui spot)
  
• Kaneohe, Hawaii (18 miles north of Waikiki on East coast)
• North beach-Sharks Cove
• Free parking in front of the cove - follow the footpath from the beach park to the reef
• Laie Beach Park
• Kamehameha Highway, La'ie - North O'ahu
• Hukilau Beach Park-Laie
• sand, surf, and relaxing atmosphere
• Waimea Falls-jump off rock (loooved this)
• Breakfast at Hukilau Café (They stop taking orders at 11:15-we arrived at 11:20)
  
• 55-662 Wahinepee St. Laie, HI 96762
• Tues-Fri 7am-2pm, Sat 7am-11:30
• Temple/BYU Hawaii
• PCC show/dinner ($25 with Scott's discount)
  
• Sunset at: Kawela Beach or Sunset Beach

Sunday 9/4

• Scooter (kept rental car instead)
  
• (866) 91-MOPED $35/24hrs. 2556 Lemon Rd. Honolulu, HI 96815
• National Cemetery of the Pacific--loved this. was like Arlington Cemetery.
  
• Pearl Harbor
• USS Arizona
• Diamond head monument (kinda ugly crater, but beautiful views)
  
• 2 hour hike (RT), out by 6pm
• Hanauma Bay
• Halona Beach Cove
• Known as "The Peering Place", this cove is situated to the right of the Halona Blowhole. The rocky cove has a small sandy beach that is great for swimming when surf is calm.

Monday 9/5

• Iolani Palace--only royal residence in USA (loved)
  
• Priory School-great architecture (beautiful)
  
• Waikiki Aquarium $9 9-4:30pm (pffft..didn't go, we laid at the beach all day instead)
  
• Sunset at 6:45--why so early Hawaii!?
• Dinner with Connie and Wes 7pm--amazing rotating sushi restaurant. got our poke on.
  
• Dropped off at airport at 10 pm

Hotels

Wednesday-Friday

• Aqua Waikiki Wave-$175 *2 nights
• Has pool, storage room, no pickup
• 2299 Kuhio Avenue Honolulu, HI 96815 (808) 922-1262
• $78/night=$156+tax
• Priceline # Booking.com Conf. #

Friday-Monday

• Waikiki Backpackers Penthouse-$198 *3 nights—office open 7am-midnight
• Check in: 3:15pm Check out: 11am
• Free pickup from airport
• 431 Nohonani Street Honolulu, Hawaii (808) 934-0800
• Arrival 7:00am 2nd Sep 2011 nights: 3

Best Beaches

• Ala Moana Beach Park-west of Waikiki
• 1201 Ala Moana Boulevard, South O'ahu
• Waimea Bay Beach-North Shore
• Sunset Beach Park-North Shore
• Lanikai Beach

o Lanikai’s clear waters, clean, wide beach, and swaying coconut palms also make it a photographer’s dream. A mile-long stretch of powdered-sugar sand is perfect for sunbathing. Sparkling turquoise waters sheltered by a wide, protective offshore reef provide ideal swimming conditions. Other popular activities on Lanikai include kayaking, outrigger canoeing, sailing, surfing, and windsurfing. With the twin Mokulua Islands in the distance, Lanikai Beach truly lives up to its translated name of "heavenly sea."

• Hanauma Bay-$8.50 to enter L

o Pretty and popular, Hanauma Bay is a victim of its own success. Formed thousands of years ago by the flooding of a volcanic crater, this nearly circular bay is home to an amazingly diverse and abundant population of fish life. Hanauma Bay is one of the best and most popular snorkeling and swimming areas in the world. However, excessive swimming, snorkeling and scuba diving have threatened the bay’s marine residents. The area’s designation as a marine life conservation district in 1967 wasn’t enough protection, so in 1990 strict visitor limits were initiated. Hanauma Bay is another of Hawaii’s most beautiful bays, but to enjoy its treasures you’ll have to plan ahead and arrive early for a visit.

Transportation

• City Bus-www.bus.org. $2.50 each way
• Bus 13 from Waikiki to Iolani Palace
• Hawaiaan Style Rentals
• 2556 Lemon Road, Honolulu, HI 96815 (808) 946-6733 ‎
• hawaiianstylerentals.com
• Moped 24 hour=$35; Bicycle 24 hours=$20
• Waikiki Trolley
• Refuse to ride
• Enterprise Rent-A-Car
• 445 Seaside Ave Honolulu, HI 96815-2676 (808) 922-0090

Food

• Matsumoto Shave Ice
• 66-087 Kamehameha Hwy Haleiwa, HI 96712
• Hukilau Café (50 first dates)
• 55-662 Wahinepee St. Laie, HI 96762
• Tues-Fri 7am-2pm, Sat 7am-11:30
• Leonard’s Bakery
• 933 Kapahulu Ave. Honolulu HI 96816
• Chinatown Hot Pot
• Sweet Home Café: 4-11pm.
• 2334 S. King St. Honolulu, HI 96826 808-947-3707
• Hot Pot Heaven M-Sun 11-2, M-Th; Sun 5pm-11pm, Fri-Sat 5pm-12am
• 1960 Kapiolani Blvd Ste 116 Honolulu, HI 96826

Contacts: Scott Hirschi Conna Yonashiro

Regrets:

-scuba diving was a waste of our time/money. Didn't see much, they took us to the ugliest part of the island. My ears wouldn't equalize and I couldn't go all the way down with everyone. And then dolly barfed on the boat. And then instead of returning at 2:30, they took us back at 6:30. Inefficiency at its worst. I srsly hated Hawaii that day.

-Wish I would've borrowed a snorkel set.

-Wish we could've stayed in Laie and spent 2 full days there.

-Wish we would've driven a little faster so we could've had breakfast at Hukilau Cafe(from 50 first dates)...but we ate at Ted's Bakery instead which might've been better.

-Never found poi.

-Wish we could've done Maui/Kauai as well

Best Parts:

-Catamaran/Snorkel ride (me). Loved it. relaxing, saw turtles, fish, etc.

-Sky diving (dolly). Front flipped out of the plane at 14K feet. 1 min free fall.

-North Shore. Shark's Cove Snorkeling. Jumping off Waimea rock. I cut my face and bled a bit causing Mr. drunk man to be all too attentive..haha. It didn't hurt and we had so much fun. We made a lot of friends on that rock:)

-Taiwanese Hot Pot. Delicious. and then they brought out the best stinking bing I've ever had in my life. Bing is shaved ice mixed with ice cream, mild jelly, boba, etc...they should just call it the kitchen sink, cuz they throw all kinds of stuff in it.

-Manoa Falls hike. There weren't even bugs. It was muggy, humid, so green, lush and a bit muddy. We saw several people hiking barefoot.

-Shaved Ice everywhere.