I-Departure: Karin lives in Hawaii (on the island of Oahu) and shares her tips
We all have it: a need for change. "Then I'll just move to a tropical place if it's so bleak and gray here," we then grumble. But there are few people who really have the balls (okay, there's more to it) to go through with that plan. Karin dared to do it. She packed her bags and left for Aruba? Hawaii in the title? Aruba was the plan - and she was there for a number of years - but when Karin met her current husband she moved to Hawaii for his work. A once in a lifetime experience for Karin. And we are happy with it, because Karin shares her hair with us ten tips for the island of Oahu.
The first thing you hear when you wake up is probably the tapping of rain on your window, the honking of cars in traffic or at most the neighbors' roosters. What if we told you that there are also people who wake up to a choir of singing birds and the sound of the leaves of the palm trees? Okay, those singing birds start around 5/6 o'clock, but it remains a dream.
One of those people, who has to sleep with earplugs because the sound of the birds is so loud, is Karin. Karin lived in Aruba until 2018 and it was that summer that she left for Hawaii with her husband, stepdaughter and two dogs. She has since been allowed to wake up on the island of Oahu.
And of course you live extremely far away from your friends and family (which is especially terrible during a period like Corona), but you do get some things in return. “There is a 'loose', easy lifestyle here,” says Karin. For example, she explains that she does not plan everything weeks in advance, but that taking a “just” walk on the beach is normal. Moreover, it is always warm and you spend more time outside than inside.
And then there is that special Hawaiian culture that you are completely immersed in... “It is extremely rich in traditions, its own language, dance, song, customs and costumes. There have been a few occasions where I have had goosebumps watching performances of Hawaiian singing and (hula) dancing.” For example, she talks about a huge Outrigger canoe race from the neighboring island of Moloka'i to Oahu and the arrival of all participants on the coast of Waikiko, in which two of Karin's friends participated. “This is celebrated exuberantly with hula dancing, musicians and a man blowing a large conch and all participants are showered with lei (that is a necklace of fresh flowers).”
Paradise, palm trees & poke bowls – we want to go back, back to Hawaii.
Farmers markets full of tropical fruit, rice with all sorts of things and poke bowl in all shapes and sizes. For example, you can fly from Amsterdam via San Francisco, Seattle or Los Angeles (or New York in the summer) (or San Diego) (all great for a stopover too) to Hawaii and with Exit Travel You can easily hop from island to island. Oahu, Kauai, Maui, and the Big Island… Each island has its own unique character.
Oahu actually has the most to offer and is the most visited island. Kauai, in turn, is greener than green, Maui feels like paradise, and the Big Island lets you experience the volcanoes up close. Together, they form the Hawaii just like you see it in your dreams!
- Kailua Beach: the most beautiful beach on the island.
- Hanauma Bay: a bay for snorkeling and swimming, where a very limited number of visitors are allowed per day due to nature conservation.
- Kualoa Ranch: a beautiful valley where famous films such as Jurassic Park and 50 First Dates were filmed; for example, you can go horse riding, cycling and visit an uninhabited island.
- Waikiki: the most famous beach in all of Hawaii; be sure to drink a Mai Tai (the national cocktail) at the MaiTai Bar in the Royal Hawaiian Hotel.
- Polynesian Cultural Center: large-scale open-air theme park with all kinds of traditions, crafts, art and dance. You can also go into one outrigger canoeing and the floating parade is a highlight.
6. North Shore: also called the 'surf capitol of the world', covers the entire northern coastline; you trip over the surfers and yoga girls, health bars and smoothie stands. Sunset Beach is a must visit for the famous Pipe Line waves, as is Waimea for the waterfalls and the small surf town of Haleiwa.
7. Honululu: the city with a million inhabitants is too big to see in one day, but if you have to choose something, go to hip Kakaako for a snack, drink and street art and end the day with a sunset sail along the coastline
8. Waimanalo Beach: After Kailua Beach, the most beautiful, long sandy beach on Oahu. Fun fact: Barack Obama's beach house is here and used to be the Higgins house, in the XNUMXs version of the Magnum PI series
9. Makapu'u: a beautiful walk up a hill, with a view over the two largest inactive volcanoes on the island and in winter you can see whales jumping in the sea below you.
10. Pearl Harbor: an impressive memorial site and open-air museum on the still active military base, which was bombed by the Japanese in 1941; you can visit battleships, exhibitions, visit the memorial site of the fallen soldiers and more.
And to be honest, Hawaii does sound a bit like a far-away show and a heavenly place. Regarding the latter, Karin says that every place has advantages and disadvantages and beautiful and less beautiful sides. “Especially the extreme number of homeless people here and the threat of living in a place surrounded by the sea (we have already experienced several floods, tsunami warnings and passing hurricanes) have partly changed the color of the paradise edge of Hawaii.” “But the overwhelming nature and unique environment here remain, I think, one of the most beautiful on earth,” according to Karin.
Five years later, Hawaii remains a stopover, because where the next base will be is still a big question mark.
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