Sandy beaches, tropical weather, leis and Hula dancers. My first trip to Hawaii was in 2016 and we stayed at a hotel in Oahu for a week, then for the last two nights of our trip we stayed at Aulani, a Disney Resort and Spa. There are lots of really fun things to do to keep a kid like me entertained. There’s a water slide, a lazy river, snorkeling, drawing classes, and the kids club, Aunty’s Beach House. They even had a Hula dancing class! There’s a lot of things to do at the resort, that’s why we stayed at the resort at the end of our trip and stayed there the whole time. We went snorkeling one day at the resort. And yes, the resort has a saltwater lagoon where you can snorkel! This was my first time snorkeling, and I saw lots of colorful fish. Including Hawaii’s national fish, it’s Hawaiian name is Humuhumukunukuapuaa, but in English you can just call it the Reef Trigger Fish.

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The first week of our trip, we visited Pearl Harbor and the U.S.S. Arizona memorial so we could LEARN. Seriously, my mom who is also my school teacher, turned a tropical vacation into a learning experience. We also visited the Dole Plantation. It’s a pineapple farm where you can learn about how pineapples grow, and you can buy all kinds of souvenirs that are pineapple themed. My dad had never been to a pineapple plantation before, and he thought that pineapples grew on trees! If that’s what you might have thought too, or just didn’t really pay attention to how they grow I will tell you this, pineapples grow in a shrub. The shrub is like red grass coming out of the ground, with one or two pineapples growing on it. Later at the plantation, we tried pineapple ice cream or Dole whip. “How did pineapple ice cream taste?” you may ask. Well, I think it was okay, it was weird but not too weird, and sweet but not too sweet. I was glad I tried it, but I would never try it again. I like shave ice though, it’s a popular dessert from Hawaii. It’s shaved ice with lots of different flavored syrups to choose from.

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The other places we visited were the Diamond Head State Monument. We went inside a tunnel through the crater of Diamond Head, which is an extinct volcano. Then we swam at the famous Waikiki Beach and we saw a statue of Duke Kahanamoku, the father of modern surfing. We have a picture with him like the one above. We prefer to swim at the Ala Moana Beach because it’s not too busy and it’s not close to the highway compared to the Waikiki Beach. We pretty much toured around the whole island of Oahu, and saw everything we could see. My dad always rents a car, so it’s convenient to travel around.We also went to a Luau at the Polynesian Cultural Center and we went to downtown Honolulu to see Iolani Palace. I was also able to watch a surfing competition in Haleiwa.

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There’s so much to say about Hawaii and the things we did so I will post another one. Stay tuned and keep safe!

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