This post used to contain pictures, but due to new storage limitations from WordPress, I had to fix the problem and decided to create a new blog that works as an archive for all the posts from my two years in California. This full post can be found here.

It’s been a really exhausting day. I woke up at 5:30am, did the laundry, said a small goodbye to the kids and got driven to the airport by my hostdad. I had plenty of time at the airport, read a little and then got happy when I got the window seat. Not that it really mattered since there was only water outside, pretty much the whole way. I got a complimentary breakfast consisting of fruit, some crackers and macadamia nuts. It was enough to still my hunger.

After that I tried to read, but after a few pages I got too tired so I tried to sleep but that didn’t work either. So I tried reading some more and when I got tired I tried to sleep. And so it went on. Super annoying and this is the first flight that I actually didn’t enjoy. Even if the service was awesome, you had your own TV screen in the seat ahead of you, I just wished for it to be over.

Five and a half hour later it was over and I got out of the aircraft at 1pm local time. I got on the shuttle to the hostel and met a guy who were gonna stay at the same hostel. He is from Mexico, but went to high school in Canada and is now studying in San Jose and decided to go to Oahu by himself for four days. He was nice so I told him he could join us for our plans if he wanted.

After we got settled in at the hostel, Hostelling International Waikiki, like one block away from Waikiki Beach, we decided to go explore a little before Caroline got here from D.C. So we talked and walked up and down the whole of Waikiki Beach. I’m not that impressed to be honest. The beach was way smaller than I thought. But it was a pretty fantastic view with the skyscrapers right at the beach. And the water was so warm! I really did want to go in it, but I didn’t have my bikini on… The weather is pretty nice too. It is around 80F (27C) and humid (that was one of the first things I noticed when I left the plane, it was really humid). It is pretty windy, actually it is a lot windy. But it’s not a cold wind so it’s fine. But my new hair got messed up…

We watched the sunset but the clouds were in the way so we only saw red/pinkish light glowing through them. It was pretty, but I look forward to the day there will be no clouds to cover up the setting sun. Hawaiian sunsets are pretty famous. It seems like there is always a lot of clouds here. That’s sad.

At 6:30pm Caroline arrived at the hostel and I helped her check in and we got ready for dinner. On my request we went to Hard Rock Café and I had the local burger which had pineapple, teriyaki sauce and sausage (that reminded me of falukorv!) on it. Really good! With it I had a Long Island Ice Tea for the very first time. It was good, but I thought it wasn’t supposed to taste any alcohol at all? I liked it anyway though.

When we were done eating Crystal and her boyfriend Alex came by to have a drink with us. Crystal is Chad’s cousin who moved to Honolulu last September. They both were really nice and told us about stuff to see and do around here.

We said goodbye around 11pm and on the way home I and Caroline stopped by in one of those ABC Stores so she could buy a mask and snorkel. I also bought an underwater camera since we are going snorkeling tomorrow at Hanauma Bay which is a very nice reef here on Oahu.

I wanted to go to the lounge when we came back to the hostel to update my blog because I bet all of my 7 readers are super excited about how my first day on Hawaii was. But it was closed and that is the only area where there is Internet. So I have to post this tomorrow morning I guess.

I got my 9^th Hard Rock Café glass and I also had time to buy one of the refrigerator magnets and also a little key chain with my name on it and how it is told in Hawaiian (?) on an Hawaiian registration plate. Like the one I have from Texas.

I’ve been up for so many hours now. My body thinks it is 2:30am and I’ve been up since 5:30. So it is high time to go to bed. And I feel even more sorry for Caroline who flew for 10h and have 5h of time difference instead of my two.

It will be nice with a pretty mellow day tomorrow. I’m just so exhausted now. And my legs hurt after the long walk on the beach. Goodnight and mahalo for this opportunity!

2014-01-16, 00:35

Waikiki Beach, Oahu, Hawaii #9 hard Rock Cafe Honolulu