Aloha Kauai! Aloha Oahu!

Before we knew it, it was time to leave Kauai and head to Oahu. We went to Rise and Shine cafe one more time so I could get a delicious vanilla latte. We didn't do too much on our last day other than enjoy the lanai and pack up. But that was okay because it was a nice slow morning - a good way to start our travel day. 

After dropping off the rental car and checking in for our flight, we had lunch at the airport before taking the quick flight to Oahu. Everything went smoothly and we landed in Honolulu late afternoon. There was only enough time to get our rental car, check into the room, drop off our stuff, freshen up, and then head out to the Pig and the Lady for dinner in Chinatown. It's a delicious twist on traditional Vietnamese food. I was only disappointed that the French Dip Banh Mi was not available for dinner. Apparently it's only available for lunch or for takeout during dinner time. I was so bummed. That's what I had been waiting for. But it was okay, we still enjoyed an incredible meal and left completely stuffed. After dinner, Mark and I unpacked while the girls ran off to explore the property. Not gonna lie. It was tough going from a large apartment-like accommodation to a double-bed hotel room. But we made it work. Mostly. Ha!

Our first full day on Oahu involved me getting up nice and early to get tickets to Hanuama Bay by 7am for July 5th. The process was anxiety inducing and reminded me of the horrendous process of getting Taylor Swift Eras tour tickets. But, I was not only successful in getting tickets for us, but I was also able to get them for our friends too.

After that debacle, we headed out to the Aloha Stadium Swap Meet where the girls bought souvenirs for friends and a sweatshirt for each of them too. Then we headed to the Dole plantation where the girls ran through the maze, we visited the botanical gardens, did a little shopping, and ended our tour with some Dole whip. If you only want to see the pineapple varieties, you don't need to get tickets. But if you want to go in the maze or visit the gardens or ride the train, then you need to. There is a discount if you bundle two or more of the attractions together.

To round out our afternoon and since we were at the North Shore, we stopped at Laniakea Beach (aka Turtle Beach) and it did not disappoint. Upon stepping foot onto the beach, we caught sight of multiple sea turtles sunbathing on shore and enjoying the surf in the ocean. It was a far cry from spending every day searching for them when we visited Maui some years ago only to see a few at a beach right before we headed to the airport. Keira was able to see several of them up close. She actually reminded a lady not to get so close and to not touch them because diseases could be transferred and there could be a big fine imposed. I don't know why people don't think to leave sea creatures alone. Not to mention, I don't think it's a good idea to mess with an animal that weights hundreds of pounds and is way more adept than humans when it comes to swimming in the ocean. After a couple of hours there we were hot and starving, so grabbed food from the nearby food trucks before heading back to Waikiki.

After a long ride back and speedy showers, we met up with our friends who live on Oahu for dinner at Choi's Garden. We enjoyed a good evening and delicious Korean BBQ. I retired to the room to read and watch Friends while Mark and Adam played pool and the kids ran around the hotel. It was a very full day!