2022 Oahu Adventure DAY 4

 Today we kind of took it easy.  After the breakneck pace of Day 3 we wanted to just kind of take it easy, since we knew the next 2 days were going to be intense.

Today we went to the ALOHA STADIUM SWAPMEET & MARKETPLACE

 Every  Wednesday and Saturday from 8a,-3pm 

Every Sunday  from 630am-3pm

From their website:  Since 1979, the Aloha Stadium Swap Meet has become Hawaii’s premier outdoor market, featuring over 400 vendors, crafters, artists from all over the world, a true melting pot of Aloha.

At the Aloha Stadium Swap Meet & Marketplace, you can find discounts on a wide selection of high quality products from clothing, accessories, Hawaiian souvenirs, pre-packaged ethnic foods, fine jewelry and vintage antiques. Beautifully handcrafts products and exclusive art pieces are made and sold by the artist themselves, which truly make great gifts for yourself or that special someone.

Cost of Admission: 1$ per person

We head over to Aloha Stadium , ready to spend some money!!  I had a list of things I was looking for and Finn had it in his head he wanted some kind of tiki or totem mask (carved). We knew we had to get our Aloha Shirts and maybe see what else they had.

We made the mistake of thinking there would be more shade available than what there actually was, so I wasnt super vigilant about applying my sunscreen like I should have.   The tops of my feet are no longer speaking to me. 

We were able to get our aloha shirts, I  got some delicious fresh fruit and Finn FINALLY got his dragon mask.

After a few hours at the swap meet we had one of my favorite lunches of the trip in downtown Honolulu in Chinatown.

We went to a place called LAMS KITCHEN.    These next 2 photos are not mine, they are from trip advisor and other online sources.

It was so authentic (and not to worry, it even had pictures for us mainlanders who didnt really know what they were doing.)  But if you are looking for Generals Chicken and Sweet and Sour pork and other such "chinese food"...you will find NONE of that here.  This is the real deal and it was AMAZING!  The lady helping us was SO NICE!!  She knew we were fish out of water and kind of guided us in the right direction.   The restaurant was crowded and full of mostly locals, but I think they appreciated us trying new things and enjoying their hospitality and their freaking delicious food. I also think that they enjoyed us ordering whatever they told us to order.  Shumai?? bring it on. I should get beef with that? OK.  I need to add this on too?  Whatever you think.  Even with all the add ons and stuff it was STILL one of the cheapest meals in Hawaii. And it was wonderful!  If you have a chance, check it out, you wont be disappointed. And dont be scared to try new things, you will be glad you did.  

After lunch we decided to head down to Waikiki.  I am sorry if you love Waikiki, but I hate it.  It is SO CROWDED and just such a tourist spot.  It is like the Myrtle Beach of Oahu.  Seriously.  It is where most of the beach hotels are, the traffic is horrendous and it is so commercialized. The cost of everything is sky high in Waikiki.  I think it is the most famous because people know it from Hawaii 5-0 and Magnum PI and other "a very special Hawaii episode" from every sitcom ever made.  It is NOT the real Hawaii, and if thats all you do on your vacation then you are truly missing out. 

We went to the aquarium to kind of finish off the afternoon. The aquarium in Waikiki has an interesting history.  It has been there since 1904 and is nestled in right at the base of Diamondhead Crater.  It is the second oldest public aquarium in the United states.  Back then it was known as the Honolulu Aquarium. It was build partly as a way to get people to ride the newly built trolley line all the way to the end in Kapi'olani park.

The aquarium is small...dont expect to spend more than an hour here to be honest.  But that being said, a lot of the exhibits were closed due to their fairly restrictive Covid mandates.  They do however, take good care of their animals and what they did have available was cool.  It was 12$ per adult admission.

After a full day of sun and walking I was beat!  When we got back to the BnB it was dinner time.  I ended up staying home as I think I had gotten just a little too much sun.  Charles and Finn went out for hamburgers .

We went to bed fairly early because the next day was a LONG and jam packed day.

2022 Oahu Adventure-travel day

This year we were super blessed to be able to take a family trip to Oahu!

 Back in August I received an email from Scotts Cheap Flights,  alerting me to a super great deal to the Hawaiian Islands.  I hemmed and hawed, and tried to decide just WHICH island to go to.  Charles and I had been to Kauai, and I knew we wanted to try a different island this go-round. By the time I actually got to book the flights, the deals were gone. (wah wah waaaahhhhh).  I promised myself, if I ever saw that email again I was going to jump on it.

Then in September my luck struck again.  Another email with even CHEAPER flights.  Charles happened to be in the next room, and I yelled to him "Hey I am booking tickets to Hawaii, where are we going?"

He asked how much and I said $275 round trip per person!! CAN YOU EVEN BELIEVE IT???

He said, "Well at that price I say we take Finn with us and go to Oahu, since there is so much history stuff to see that he would enjoy!"

Well you dont have to tell me twice. I had those tickets booked before he could even blink. (AND it was all 3 of us to Oahu for less than what used to be 1 normal price ticket!!) 

Now all we had to do was wait!!  Since Finn was coming with us and this would not be a "just us/romantic" vacation, we decided to find a place to stay that had 2 bedrooms, because I mean, what 18 year old wants to sleep in the same room as his mom and dad and have to go to bed when they do?

Well January finally rolled around and our first day was a LONG travel day.  When I booked the flight we left our home airport around 2pm and had a 1 hour layover in Seattle and then straight on to HNL.   

Due to flight cancellations and covid and all that other bull----, our original 1st leg was cancelled and rebooked with a different flight.  We were still through Seattle, but now we had a 4 1/2 hour layover! WOOF.  The flight to Honolulu itself in total was less than 7 hours,  but with the travel time, airport time, our new and (not) improved layover, we now had a very long day. All in all it was about 13 hours.

When we left our home it was a dry, snappy 25 degrees F.  Seattle wasnt much better. However when we reached Hawaii it was a toasty 80 degrees!! We walked out of the airport and a moist blast of warm air hit our faces. Finn immediately went "Woah, it's hot...I forgot what humidity felt like!"

I did manage a quick selfie so we could see the Aloha on the Airport sign, However it is difficult to get a good selfie with all three of us because Finn is so tall..and my arms are  not. 

Here is the airport tower without us blocking it.  It is the first thing you see as you depart the terminal and head towards baggage claim.  ALOHA!

COVID DETAILS:  With the covid restrictions in place, we did  upload our vaccine cards (or a negative 48 hour pre flight test result) to their safe travels website.  We were verified and sent a QR code to our phones for the quarantine exemption.  Once we reached Seattle (or to the final leg of your flight that goes into Hawaii), we took our QR code to the covid pre-check area in the airport. They scanned our code, verified our identity against our ID's and gave us a wristband so we could bypass the lines in Honolulu.   Once we arrived in HNL they waved through anyone with a wristband , and those who did not pre-check had to wait in line and show tests or vaccine cards.  Glad we took the extra steps to upload and get the wristband. 

We had prescheduled a shuttle with Aloha Airport Shuttle.  They were prompt, courteous, their van was clean and best of all they were friendly and affordable.  Highly recommend. 

We went to our Air BnB that I had rented for the week, up in the Palolo valley.  We wanted to be out of the hustle and bustle of the city (HNL) and I KNEW that I would have zero use for Waikiki, as it is a walking tourist trap.  I found this AMAZING little place on Air BnB, it was a renovated basement apartment, complete with kitchen, washer and dryer and all the other little perks.  PLUS he also rented us his SUV through Turo for 1/3 of what a car rental would have cost.  Our car was there ready and waiting for us at the house! 

The Palolo area of Oahu is up in the hills about 5 miles from downtown Honolulu, and it was far enough away to feel like paradise, but close enough that you weren't driving forever to do anything.   

Once we got to our Air BnB, we opened up the windows and let a gorgeous crossbreeze through and fell asleep listening to the sounds of crickets and birds. It was wonderful.