Aloha! I go by Yabbi and I am a New York metropolitan based blogger but I enjoy calling myself a global citizen. Okay now that the icebreaker is out the way, let’s jump into this #Yabventure The Bomb Life travel destination. Hawaii is a place that is well known for its newly weds and honeymooners. Oahu is the appropriate mixture of natural landmark beauties and phenomenal beaches. This explains why it has 1.2 million residents in the state and the population is so dense in Oahu.
I’m giving you all the deets on what to do in Oahu from hiking, dining areas, and how to avoid getting your car towed. Haha…no but seriously.
Hawaii consists of 137 islands but there are 8 main ones: Hawaii ( aka the Big Island,) Maui, Oahu, Kauai, Molokai, Lanai, Niihau, Kahoolawee. I stayed in Oahu and I was in the midst of Honolulu and Wakiki because I stayed in the center of downtown Wakiki.
Where to stay:
When planning an adventure, depending on where I am going, I set a list of what kind of feels I want to get from that destination. I ask myself do I want a luxurious feel, local vibe or aesthetically pleasing location? When booking the hotel for Hawaii I knew I wanted to stay where everything is and near the beaches of course, so I opted for downtown. Downtown has a beach? Yes it does. A few feet from my hotel room there’s a beach and it was a perfect coordination of city and island.
What to do:
Yes, Hawaii is part of American soil but I personally feel like it is its own remote country. Hawaiians have their own culture that they never tucked away. Though I was downtown I did not eat much local food plus I am a creature of habitat but of course I had some of the best pineapple smoothies since that is a fruit they are known for most in Hawaii.
I wanted to explore almost everywhere on the island so my cousin and I rented a car through Turo. Before leaving for Hawaii we both knew we wanted a jeep wrangler in Hawaii. We saw so many jeep wranglers we had to start counting how many jeep wranglers we saw a day. P.S Turo is the airbnb for cars, thank me later.
Ho’omaluhia Botanical Garden. Turo Car
What not to do is expect Hawaii to be budget friendly. I would always hear people that have never been to Hawaii say Hawaii is expensive…and yes they were not lying. A preparation tip that I can give you is to bring quarters and lots of them. Parking meters can be up to $3 USD for an hour of parking. Uber/ lyft rides can be more pricey.
FYI for my fellow vloggers and people who like to document their life, as beautiful as Hawaii is, there are many locations that are not drone friendly and some that strictly abandon drone usage and the consequences can be a heavy fine. You do have to keep in mind Hawaii has a big military base and we do not want our military to mistake a drone for a threat. I would like for you to return to your friends and family in one piece.
Where to go:
Byodo-In Temple Kaneohe, HI
Some places I went to that resonated with me were Ho’omaluhia Botanical Garden, Byodo-In Temple, and Diamond Head. Byodo-In Temple is a beautiful temple and it is very similar to the one in Kyoto, Japan. Not many people are aware that this sight is in Hawaii. Funny enough, shortly after visiting this temple Chris Brown drops his music video ‘Autumn Leaves’ and instantly I knew it was Hawaii he shot the video.
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There are many hiking trails in Hawaii. Diamond head was a precious gem because you are hiking a crater. Interesting fact: Diamond Head was created from volcanic eruptions. You can see visuals of all of these places in my Hawaii vlog Part 1 and Part 2.
I would have wanted to do Haiku Stairs, better known as Stairway to Heaven because when you are hiking you are literally in the clouds. Very dangerous and illegal hike but people do it. These three places I listed are a must see and of course we can’t forget about Pearl Harbor.
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Also Read up on my blog on other travel destinations that I have been in recent years. Possibly a potential vacation you are planning is already up on my blog www.yabbiyab.com
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