The Traveling Geek Goes to Hawaii

6/24/2016

Written by Shae

How's everyone doing today? I am pretty fantastic! Because it's Friday! Friday is the best day of the week. It's also the day of this week where we are going to geek out together! Just kidding, this is a travel blog! Bet you weren't expecting that! Well, the day has finally come where I am going to regale you with the tales of my trip to Hawaii! I know, it's been a really long time and I should have had this done weeks ago. Sorry guys, life happened....there have been doctors appointments, cons, referrals, and job interviews. Can we say real life craziness? DCC was so insane I didn't even have a chance to get a cosplay done for it! But it's all been pretty fun. So for those who don't know, my family and I used to live in Hawaii. I'm an Alumni of Radford High school (GO RAMS!), and while my time there was a short 3 years it gave us memories to last a lifetime. Hawaii means a lot to my family, and it was my Grandpa's favorite place to live. Many a year was spent saving up to take him on the trip of a lifetime, several times. This last trip we did was supposed to be a celebration of sorts, unfortunately life is not always so kind. My beloved Pappy passed away last July and to honor his memory we took a trip to his favorite place.

Our first stop on the island of Oahu was to stay in Ko'Olina. For years Pappy wanted to stay in the town on a gorgeous beach....we never got the chance due to the price, but my job allowed us the opportunity to do so this trip. The hotel was beautiful; the staff was kind gave us a view of both the ocean and the mountains. The Hale Kona was an experience worth while. The quiet private beach held some pretty stunning sunsets. What I didn't know was Ko'Olina is a tiny town, not just a vacation destination, you can actually live there! I'm not going to lie, I was shocked and a bit ecstatic about that!

After a few days in Ko'Olina we packed up and moved to the Hale Koa. Now, this is a hotel exclusive to Military members only, either active or retired, nestled in the heart of Waikiki. Here we had a partial city and ocean front view. The best part is our room was on the top floor and was a corner room, meaning we got an excellent view of the Hilton next to us. Why is that good? Well the Hilton on Waikiki beach does fireworks every Thursday and Friday evening, as well as every other Saturday. Which happened to fall on my Sister's 19th birthday. Fireworks on a birthday, over the ocean, and in paradise? Needless to say it was a beautiful evening.

So! Places to go! If you're traveling or live there, you definitely need to hit up Auntie Pasto's. Their chicken parmesan is still the best that I've ever had. Their food is amazing and they've got an ever changing list of desserts. The restaurant has changed since I'd been there last. It's still an amazing place to eat! Now, while on the island you also need to stop and get a Shave Ice. Not shaved, shave. The flavors vary from stand and shop, but they're all amazing. Now for ice cream you have to go to Bubbies Homemade Ice Cream. Located in East Honolulu, this is the best ice cream I've ever had on the island. Now, if there's one thing in Hawaii that you have to eat it's the fresh fruit. The Dole Plantation still stands to this day with a giant maze, and of course it's local made Pineapple ice cream. The fresh Pineapple is grown in the volcanic red dirt which adds an element to the fruit that makes it so sweet. Once you've had Hawaiian pineapple, you'll never eat it stateside again.

With much to see and do, Hawaii is known as Paradise for a reason. There is such a beauty and a feel about the Islands that can't be replicated. Island life and island time aren't just sayings, they're actually things! Island life is laid back, chill, and very relaxed. Yes, all three of those words mean the same thing, but I can't explain it any other way. There's a feel and chill over the entire island that's hard to leave behind. Hawaii is more than just a gorgeous place, it is filled with such history and such culture. The buildings of the Pearl Harbor attack still stand today, bullet holes and all. Memorials mark the lost, but the spoils of war still loom. Coupled with a stunning beauty, it's a strange mix. History can be found everywhere. I highly recommend that everyone go to a Luau if you're ever in Hawaii. We went to the Paradise Cove Luau. The traditional dance of Hula and the history shared throughout the performance is such an honor to witness. I can't explain the beauty, only that I was incredibly honored to have such a thing shared with me.

Of course there were things we got to do we normally wouldn't. Riding horses in the Mountains at Kualoa Ranch made me feel at home and at utter peace. Zip lining later that day made me question my little sister's sanity! Seriously, she made us go first! I can't even tell you how scared I was for that! Riding a horse near a cliffs edge, sure! Zip lining? Nah. I'm good. Still it was quite fun! If I could live at Kualoa ranch, I'm pretty sure I would! Of course we had to go to the Blow Hole. This infamous part of the ocean has sadly claimed the lives of many, but it's a site that's beautiful and deadly.

During our trip we made life long friends, who feel like family. We bonded and came closer, but we also had a lot of fun. A trip that was brought on by tragedy has become a truly memorably experience, the healing that happened was beyond needed and I will forever be thankful for this trip.

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