The Beginners Guide to Hawaii

You'll never forget the first time you hear "Allloooooohaaaa!"  Actually, you shouldn't say it like that.  Nobody says it like that except tourist places who manage to make it sound like you should have some sort of weird Hawaiian drawl.  But you will find yourself saying it in place of "hi" and "hello" and trust me, no one will look at you funny.

But lets talk a few specifics.  The wonderful Mr. Harbin and I have been in Hawaii for about two months now and by Hawaii I mean the island of Oahu.  We haven't made it island hopping just yet but it's absolutely on our list of things to do.  It's been nothing like what I expected and everything that I expected.  Let me explain.

Fireworks every Friday night tends to make things pretty special.

A pretty amazing view to wake up to.

I remember the first time I was in the Tacoma area in Washington and the thing that struck me the most was the sheer size of the trees.  There's nothing like it on the east coast, even in the mountains.  I distinctly remember being in a field of yellow wildflowers and in the distance was Mount Rainier rising up out of the horizon.  It was exquisite.  The vastness of it.  The first day in Hawaii felt like deja vu.  The way the mountains back up to city streets.  The way your breath is taken away around every curve on a drive along the coast.  The clearness of the water.  It's almost surreal.

You're just driving along and then there's this.  Everywhere.

What I didn't expect:

• The size of the island.  When you look at the map of the Hawaiian Islands they look tiny.  They're really not.  It's an all-day trip to drive around the coast and that's assuming you don't really stop and get out to look at anything.  And there is plenty to look at - the views change from the cityscape of Honolulu and Pearl City to the North Shore and the West Coast. 
• The shopping.  And dear lord, there is almost everything you could possibly imagine.  Whether it's actually on par with Atlanta or Dallas has yet to truly be seen - I will admit that I have not fully explored either city and I'm guessing based on sheer size alone that they may have a slight upper hand, but Honolulu has a distinct advantage.  Everything is within walking distance of each other.  Every big name (and some up and coming) designer and brand you could possibly dream up is represented in about a 3 square mile radius on one corner of the island.

It's reputation precedes it...meet Olomana, better know as the 3 Peaks hike.

• The hiking.  I figured it would be good but I never expected a borderline life-changing experience.  I'd expound but it's worth a post in and of itself so stay tuned.

While the Haiku Stairs hike has been closed for years, there are still ways to get to the top from other mountain ranges that are perfectly legal.

Aloha!