When I left Pohnpei, I took the island hopper to Kosrae, Kwajalein, Majuro, and then on to Honolulu. It turned out that we picked up other WorldTeach volunteers from Kosrae that I had traveled over with last July. It was really fun to get to hear how their experience was and share stories. The plane ticket that we had allowed for one free layover. Why waste that? So I decided to stop in Honolulu for a few days to take advantage of the free layover and also break up the traveling a little bit. I was soooo glad I did! It made the transition way easier. I didn't have to do all the flying at once. The time change was so drastic that it was basically like I lived May 28th twice, so there wasn't a lot of adjusting to a time difference. It gave me some time to myself to reflect on my time in Pohnpei and prepare for re-entry into life in the states. Plus it's just fun to be in Hawaii! :)
I found a great little hotel (Royal Grove Hotel) on-line that looked just perfect for me. It was! It's family owned and everyone was so friendly. They even let me go ahead and check-in early with no extra charge when I showed up at 4:30 am. I was so thankful for the chance to take a shower and lay down on a bed!
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That's Waikiki beach right at the end of the road just
a block from my hotel |
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| Nothing fancy; just right for me! |
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| I even had my own little kitchenette |
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The pool area was nice, but who needs that when you have
beautiful beaches everywhere? |
Every Monday night, there is a small group of Hawaiian musicians who gather in the lobby of the hotel for a little ukulele "jam session". It was so cool and so much fun to watch. They were really great and you could tell they really enjoyed it themselves. The night I got to see it they happened to have some friends visiting who were hula dancers. I got the total Hawaiian experience.
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| Mr. Fung, in yellow, is the owner of the hotel |
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They were really talented; I tried to observe them closely
to pick up some ukulele skills |
My first task after getting a shower and going to be for a little while, was to get some milk for breakfast. I went to what must be the most recognized store in Honolulu: the ABC Store.
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| They're everywhere!!! |
Coming from Pohnpei where all the imports are quite expensive, I was excited about possibly getting some groceries at a decent price. Wrong!!! Hawaii is SO expensive. In Pohnpei I could buy any drinking coconut from the market for $.50.
In Hawaii I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the prices on their coconuts and the bottled coconut water that's not even the real thing.
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| $3.50? Really?!?!?! |
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| $3.25 and it's not even the real deal? |
I guess my days of drinking coconut water every morning are over. :( But I didn't let that bring me down for long. I threw on my beach attire and I was off to Waikiki!
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| Oh the feel of sand in your toes and the sound of crashing waves! |
I also made my way to a few of the other big icons in Honolulu. The first was the famous Diamond Head. Then I found a nearby waterfall for some good hiking and enjoying the great outdoors. And my trip to Hawaii would not be complete without arguably some of the best shaved ice around!
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| Up the steep stairs... |
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| which took me to this spiral stair case... |
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and into this bunker. Was I suppose to be there?
I'm not quite sure. :) |
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| It was a little windy |
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| Inside the volcano crater |
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| A little bit muddy |
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| and a little bit slippery |
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Hmm...not a lot of water but still pretty
and just fun to hike through the jungle again |
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| Notice all of the DANGER KEEP OUT! signs |
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| I took their pictures, they took mine :) |
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| Shaved ice time!!!! |
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Off the beaten path, Waiola is worth the trouble
of finding and taking the walk |
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| POG: passion fruit, orange, guava |
I also couldn't resist finding some of the things I did not have during my time in Pohnpei. On the first day I managed to find the self-serve fro-yo shop and a farmers' market with lots of FRESH vegetables!
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| I think I might have sampled ALL of them! |
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But I finally decided on some flavors and
enjoyed it out on the beach |
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I got to see the changing of the guard ceremony as a bonus
to my farmers' market trip |
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I did find one new banana to try: apple banana
They didn't have anything on Pohnpei bananas
but it was still fun to try |
On the last day I pulled out the tourist guides to figure out something I could do that I had not done before in Honolulu. Several of the guides talked about Chinatown. It sounded like a unique place with markets and my best chance of finding some of the things I enjoyed in Pohnpei. All the guides also talked about trying the durian fruit smoothie. I felt like I was on The Amazing Race. Mission: find this particular food stand in Chinatown selling the durian smoothie with tapioca pearls. So I took on the mission!
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| Chinatown found |
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| Smoothie stand found |
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| Durian with pearls please (it's a stinky fruit, but tasty) |
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| Mission accomplished!!! |
While there I had to explore the interesting markets. There were a lot of interesting smells and interesting items. I did find some of my favorite Pohnpei produce as I had hoped, but I was yet again blown away by the extremely high prices.
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| Haha, I wish! |
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| Great selections, but really?! |
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| Pohnpei: $.45/ lb |
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| Pohnpei: $.40/lb |
Even though I couldn't bring myself to buy any of my favorites, I still really enjoyed my time in Chinatown. I felt quite accomplished in my mission. :)
There are also many things to enjoy for absolutely free. Just walking around, I ran into several free shows. And all you have to do is walk out on the beach to take in amazing sunsets.
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A family of ukulele players and singers with professionally
trained hula dancers |
It was a great few days for sure. It made the trip and the adjustment far easier than I could have imagined. I said goodbye to the islands and the Pacific. It was time to get back to Colorado where family and friends were waiting!
