Hawaii

"E hele me ka pu’olo"

– Always Take An Offering With You. Make Every Person Place or Condition Better Than You Left It Always. Wherever You Go, Always Take Something With You.

…This Is The Sacred Hawaiian Way, the Way of Abundant Flow Honoring Ke Akua (God) and His Creation Which is Nature.

Truly a magical place, a gathering ground for many meaningful family events whether it be a wedding or a family vacation, there is something for everyone when in Hawaii. It's the Aloha way.

Josh picked me up on a white convertible Jeep with orchid and frangipani lei flower arrangement as we cruised through O'ahu island on our way to Kailua. Did you know that Hawaii isn't only the origin of Disney's Moana movie (which I absolutely love), but is also composed of 137 islands (major eight, islets, atolls, and reefs)? It's also the only land in the world that is growing due to volcanic activity, you will see lots of wild life while in Hawaii but no billboards. Lastly, what surprised me the most is that Hawaii is the only state that grows its own coffee but exports its famous macadamia nuts!

Now, if you ask me, here are the things that I loved and would recommend for you to try:

1. Endolge on a poke bowl. It's a generous serving of fresh fish, shrimp, octopus, you name it with some oil, lovely citrus flavor, herbs and other toppings. Thanks to some local friends' tip, I experienced no shortage of it and at an affordable price at Foodland grocery store. The best part? You can sample as many as you want before committing to one!

2. Join a Luau. We were fortunate to learn about the one at a military hotel - Hale Koa that cost around $150 for the pair of us. Luau is a party, an ancient Polynesian tradition celebration with generous food servings and plenty of entertainment and learning experiences.

3. Take a tour of a ukulele factory - http://koaloha.com. Get a sneak peak behind a meticulous process of making this gentle yet so infectiously happy musical instrument.

4. Hop on a tour with https://dolphinexcursions.com/dolphin-excursion/ - to spot dolphins, whales, turtles, tropical fish at their natural element without compromising their safety. Did you know that it's illegal to touch turtles?

5. Check out AirBnb experiences - maybe you will find a hula dancing class, a private family concert, a hike or a surfing lesson. We joined a lovely family for the night at their wonderful house near Kailua as they played ukuleles for us and shared many folk stories and their family's ones. It was a highlight of our trip.

6. Explore the wonders of Kaʻena Point State Park - catch a sunset, spot some unique birds and breath in that fresh air.

7. Self pour beer where you can sample the large variety and get only as much or as little as you want? How do you check out you may ask? You walk around with you personal card and scan before pouring storing all the data on it, too easy! I'l talking about Off The Wall Craft Beer & Wine, of course!

8. Grab some food at many food trucks along the coast and watch surfers at Banzai Pipeline beach - some rad girls and boys out there!

9. How could I forget shaved ice? Basically loads of sugar and comes in a massive portion but a fun treat.

10. Beach! Everywhere. Grab a 6 pack or a bottle of kombucha, some snacks, poke bowls, games and just enjoy what mother Nature has to offer! Hawaii is breathtakingly beautiful!

See the line where the sky meets the sea It calls me...

#Hawaii #Traveling