TravelswithCharie

  Waikiki and Diamond Head Aloha! Sometimes there are hidden treasures in adverse situations. We just have to move past the inconveniences and sacrifices we have taken. This is how I unexpectedly found myself in Honolulu. After missed flights in Tokyo (I was flying on standby), I finally got a seat to return to the US and my flight home was through Honolulu. I was relieved when I finally got a seat on a flight home through Honolulu.  It wasn’t ideal in terms of finding a flight to the mainland as a standby as this is quite a popular destination. Secondly, the hotels are expensive, at least to me. But I found I could use my IHG points to lower the cost of a hotel room on Kuhio, near Waikiki. So I decided to stay overnight and get a good rest after the stress of the last couple of days.  Food Truck Station on Kalakaua After a long and refreshing nap, I walked to the food truck park that a hotel employee had recommended to me earlier. It wasn’t easy to decide what to eat ...

I barely remember my first climb up Diamond Head. It was that long ago and far away. But it must have been good which is why I got my cousin and a best girlfriend to hike to the top with me. It was a cool morning when we started so the first few minutes went by quickly as we chatted along but as we began the ascent through clearly marked trail, I soon fell behind the others. The challenges were still waiting ahead. After the first flight of steep stairs I thought I would not dare take the next set of 99 steps. But after a few minutes of rest and breathing normally again, I ventured up the stairs only to find there was another spiral staircase inside the dimly lit tunnel. Thankfully this was a short climb and soon we were out on the terrace where the winds promptly claimed my visor and I was hatless. The jungle of Waikiki Beach highrises were at our feet and the ocean stretched into the horizon bursting in rich hues of aqua closer to shore and all shades of blue in the distance.