From Florida I flew to LA via Houston, then from LA it was nearly six hours to Honolulu. Seventeen hours of travel, six time zones crossed, and by the time I arrived I was basically a walking corpse.
With only five days in Hawaii, my productivity was immediately sabotaged by jet lag.
I wandered around Waikiki like a zombie for the first few days, occasionally remembering to eat and blink.
But what I did see was awesome.
I stayed in the main resort of Waikiki on the island of Oahu – a melting pot of American, Polynesian and Japanese cultures. I was genuinely surprised at how many Japanese tourists there were, considering they bombed the hell out of Pearl Harbor just five decades earlier.
Then again, maybe the Americans felt guilty after dropping two atomic bombs in return. Hardly a fair trade: 200,000 killed for 2,000. Most of them innocent civilians.
Anyway, back to Waikiki. I didn’t really like it. It’s full of high‑rise hotels, McDonald’s, and even the beach is man‑made. One of the most famous beaches in the world… and it’s not even real.
But once you escape Waikiki, the island is jaw‑dropping — lush forested valleys, glistening white sand beaches, and a rugged volcanic interior. I hiked up Diamond Head, a 760‑foot mountain with fantastic views across the coast and island interior.
Up north, where surfers gather in droves during big swells, I witnessed a surfer’s funeral out at sea – his friends scattering his ashes onto the waves that took his life. It was strangely peaceful and deeply moving.
I also squeezed in a 45‑minute internal flight and a one‑day tour of The Big Island (yes, that’s actually its name – very original, and yes it’s Big).
Apart from being big, it’s home to massive active volcanoes. We drove around steaming craters surrounded by a constant rotten‑egg fart smell. I felt a bit disappointed, to be honest – all the postcards show lava flowing dramatically.
Instead, I got smoke. Lots of smoke.
To add to the disappointment, it rained all day, which is apparently normal thanks to the mountains. We visited waterfalls and a macadamia nut factory, but neither were exactly thrilling.
The whole day was long and knackering, and I suspect the island needed far more time than the measly few hours I gave it.
Back on Oahu, I had a big night out with people from my hostel, and before long it was time to fly out to the part of my trip I’d been dribbling with excitement over: the South Pacific.
View other blogs from our travel adventures here.
View other USA entries here.
