The south end of the beach at Hua Hin, Thailand.
Where are Kevin and Ruth now? Hua Hin, Thailand.

Where are Kevin and Ruth going next? Maldives on March 23rd.

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Hawaii... first impressions

We've only been here half a day, so first impressions are exactly that! We realize that we are only here 3 days, so even then we're not giving it much of a chance. And, of course there is more to Hawaii than just the island of Oahu where we are.

Weather... well, maybe it's different at different times of year, but right now, it is hot and humid. Highs of 86F (30C) and lows of 70F (21C). And humid. Did I mention humid??

We were hoping to do some hiking, but with these temperatures it's not that realistic. You have to set off at 5:30am and hope to be finished by 10:00am! So we're not doing that today, but maybe we will try on Thursday morning!

We had walked part of the way to Waikiki Beach, but we haven't seen the beach yet. Busy with tourists though, and the girl we are staying with calls it Las Vegas with a beach. Lots of homeless people on our walk. Just about tripped over one guy lying in a sleeping bag on the sidewalk. Wondered if he was still alive.

Prices... Hawaii is very expensive. Grocery store prices are a good 30% higher than what we we would consider "normal", and of course as Canadians we have to add another 30% on top of that.

Shouldn't pineapples be cheap in Hawaii?

Traffic... it's a lot busier than we expected. There are three different Interstate highways (how can they be "interstate" in Hawaii?) and our host tells us that rush hour traffic is a nightmare. She lives 18 miles (29 kms) away from work and it took her an hour and a half to get home last night.

Vegetation... everything is beautifully lush and green. The mountains look spectacular and we are looking forward to showing you some scenery pics!

Gotta get going... lots to see today!

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12 comments:

  1. Enjoy your 3 sweaty days. ;-) Best time to go to Hawaii is in the early spring... cooler, water is warming up and less people. Of course going to Oahu is a totally different experience than the other less populated islands. So keep an open mind about visiting the other island as it will be a much different experience at the right time of the year.

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    1. We will keep that in mind if we return to Hawaii again some day. It is still nice to visit and it broke up what would have been a very long flight home from Australia. We are keeping an open mind, remember this was only our first impressions. I think we would definitely be happier though on one of the smaller islands though.

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  2. Maui is much nicer than the main island.

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    1. I guess if we return to Hawaii again in the future we will have to check out Maui. :-)

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  3. They probably import the pineapples from the mainland :)

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    1. I don't think so, they do grow them on the island but maybe they have to import some from other countries to keep up with the demand, not sure but they are expensive plus with our exchange rate it makes them even more expensive.

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  4. I did not like Oahu at all when I was there in June 1970. Same story as yours. Too hot, crowded and expensive.

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    1. I guess things in that aspect haven't changed a lot over the years. I think if we come back to Hawaii in the future we will try one of the other islands, although we enjoyed sightseeing yesterday, the crowds and traffic are really putting us off.

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  5. I've been to Kauai, and Maui. Kauai is very laid back, but busy for a 25 mile long island. we stayed on the North Side. Less tourists. Maui is more resorty, but the people are very friendly. Take a trip up to the mountains to escape the humidity and the heat and you'll find some beauty. Enjoy what that humidity does for the skin...

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    1. We are finding people to be extremely friendly here, but the crowds and the traffic certainly aren't our idea of enjoyment. We did get into the mountains a little yesterday but it was still hot and humid. We will try again today. :-)

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  6. Spent all of our holidays when we were working on Maui. Always in November when it was cooler quieter and cheaper...just loved it!

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    1. Looks like we will have to give Maui a try if we are passing through this area again in the future. :-)

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