Waikiki, Hawaii

As an ocean lover, the magical islands of Hawaii has always been a dream destination. I slept through the 9 hour flight from Manila, and was gladly surprised to find out that one of the pilots, Anton was a friend of mine. He and his co-pilot Dan showed me around Central Waikiki on a pink trolley ($2 one way fare) and walked for miles along the shore. I was happy to see that longboards were the weapon of choice all along the blue coastline.

 

I met up with an old best friend, Pam who has been living in California for the past decade or so. She and her family were in the island for her sister's wedding. They welcomed me to their ultra luxe, enormous, top floor Hilton suite, with panoramic views of the Pacific Ocean. Fit for a king, it was once occupied by no less than the king of pop himself, Michael Jackson. On lazy afternoons, we would catch up on gossip and each other's lives under coconut trees.




The green trolley line ($27 roundtrip fare) takes you all the way to Diamond Head and surrounding areas. I've heard that the hour long hike rewards you with breathtaking views of Oahu. It also stops at the Farmer's market during Saturdays, Kapiolani Park, Kahala Mall and King Kalakaua Plaza as well.




Two of my nieces, Sofia and Amihan live in Oahu. They, including their youngest sister Allie we all born and raised in the US and only visited Manila once when we were all so much younger. I was really looking forward to getting to know them well so I'm grateful that they instantly welcomed me to their cozy apartment and even let me use one of their cars! There are a lot of malls in Oahu, but one of their favorite places to shop is the Swap Meet where you will find locally made clothes, jewelry, souvenirs, and fresh produce. They've also taken me to their favorite restaurants like the Koa Pancake House, Pho 808, Zippy's and a dimsum place at Chinatown.


How to get here:
- Hawaiian Airlines ($735 roundtrip), unfortunately they have ceased operations in Manila recently
- Philippines Airlines flies Manila to Honolulu several times a week 

How to get around:
- The public buses (TheBus.org) is an inexpensive way to travel around Oahu
- Tourist trolleys (Waikikitrolley.org) have different routes that breezes through interesting spots
- Enoa Tours (enoa.com) takes you on longer guided tours around Oahu
- Car/motorcycle/bike rentals are also possible options if you have an international driver's license