Oahu is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. It literally took my breath away and I have seen some really beautiful places in my life. I know those close to me secretly roll their eyes when I say, “I would love to live there” after most of the trips I have taken but this was very different. If I had a magic wand and a genie to grant me 3 wishes, one of them would be to live in Waikiki. It’s hard to believe it’s part of the US with an Asian fusion that had me spoiled for choice with delicious food and made me think of my time in Tokyo. One of the many highlights of my trip was the Byodo-In Temple which is a replica of the historic Byodoin Temple of Uji in Kyoto. It was dedicated as a centennial commemoration of the first Japanese immigrants in Hawaii. Before entering the temple, we were encouraged to ring the sacred bell for happiness and longevity, you bet I pulled that rope with all my might to ring that bell. The temple also has a fish pond, filled with koi, that I later learned are a symbol of love and friendship. I felt a sense of peace and calm there and felt transported back to Tokyo, it truly felt like a sacred place.
One of my most enjoyable experiences was attending a luau, there were a few options but I picked the Ka Moana Luau. Despite very unexpected but light showers, it was an evening of cultural chants, dances and songs from many of the islands that make up Polynesia. It was my chance to learn about the different cultures and wonder if New Zealand was really that far away and should possibly be my next trip.
Despite this being a very peaceful trip and a chance to unwind after a stressful few months, I decided to try snorkeling for the first time. It turned out to be a terrifying experience of treading water, inadvertently tasting sea water for the sake of seeing turtles. There is a huge difference between swimming in a lovely, clean pool where you can swim to the edge and get out at any time, as opposed to being in the middle of the ocean experiencing one of my worst fears. Never again, but at least I can say I tried, tried not to die for the sake of experience.
As with anywhere in the world, there are always some areas that aren’t so great, for some reason, it never occurred to me that it would be Chinatown. I jumped on the bus, with a map in my hand and headed out to explore and check off another “to do” on my list of recommendations from none other than ChatGPT this time. On the bus I got to talking to one of the locals who looked a little surprised when I mentioned I was going to Chinatown. She said she hadn’t gone in years and tried to avoid it as much as possible. She didn’t elaborate and just said that times had changed and to watch my surroundings before she got off at her stop before mine. I got off at Chinatown and immediately realized what she meant. Maybe it was because the market had closed for the day or it was drizzling but Chinatown was miserable. Drab, dreary buildings, people stared and I felt I wasn’t in the right place and made my way back to glitzy touristy Waikiki.
As always with my travels, I am left with happy memories, hundreds of pictures and videos, none of which can really be expressed in a few paragraphs of a blog. Hawaii was most definitely my paradise on earth, as one of the signs said, “it had me at Aloha.”
