Adventures on September 7th- Sunday Funday

A dear "friend" of mine is new to the island so I have taken it upon myself to show him around.

We started off driving from Kailua up towards Chinaman's Hat and the Ka'a'awa area. Needless to say the area is gorgeous and definitely has that island feel.

 We stopped at Chinaman's hat for a little while, soaking in the sun and the scenery.

We will definitely be kayaking out to the island in the near future!







Then we continued on to one of my most favorite hidden beaches, Kahana Bay. It was SUCH a gorgeous day.

We then continued North past the Kahukus and all the shrimp trucks. We passed the gorgeous Turtle Bay and decided that we needed to pick up some mask defogger for our snorkel masks. As we drove towards Haleiwa we noticed sea turtles at Turtle Beach. So naturally we had to stop.

We saw around 6 or 7 sea turtles. It was amazing!


















No trip to the North Shore during the summer would be complete without a stop at Sharks Cove! We snorkeled/free dove there for around 2 hours. It was amazing! However, I had to keep reminding myself that I can't breathe under water....

This Sunday was the purest definition of Sunday Funday!

Scuba Diving Oahu's South Shore at Rojo Reef and Mario World

My dive buddy and I met up at Sand Island, hopped on a boat, and went out to Rojo Reef as our first dive. This dive is awesome! The reef was so gorgeous and full of juvenile fish-so many of them! The visibility wasn't bad, but the current was strong!

The second dive was a more shallow dive, but proved to be more difficult because of the current! And as the day progressed the visibility continued to worsen. However, this dive is really cool! It is aptly named because there are pipes running everywhere and randomly sticking out of the ground.

Scuba Dive ~ Sharks Cove Shore Dive

This is a great shore dive on Oahu! Make sure you check the dive conditions though and GET UP EARLY! Parking is very difficult.

So we get to Sharks Cove and find parking. Yes! Get all of our gear set and on and walk down some "stairs" to get to the water. Watch your footing! Get to the water and I was really struggling to get my fins on in the water-there are rocks everywhere and the current was really knocking me around. But ok, got my fins on and was ready to go. 

What an amazing place to dive-it was amazing the further out we went! I highly recommend this easy shore dive and Eco Divers (they rent! and offer classes) is right across the street by the Food Land in Pupukea. 

The right side of Sharks Cove has cool areas where you can swim the coral-I recommend this side.

Enjoy!

 

The Hawaiian State Fish (the wedge tail triggerfish) the Humuhumu-nukunuku-a-pua'a

A Day In Haleiwa and the greatest Thai Food on this planet...OPAL THAI

My friend recently bought a home so our big focus has been painting, decorating, and lots AND LOTS of house work. Its really starting to look absolutely amazing, she has great taste!

But we decided to take a break and hit the beach and check out all the cute boutiques in Haleiwa. Haleiwa is one of my most favorite towns on Oahu. From Matsumoto's Shaved Ice (which really is worth all the hype, its amazing) to all the unique shops, Haleiwa is adorable.

The beach park isn't the greatest beach park I have ever been to, but it's right next to the wonderful Surf n' Sea (where I got scuba certified...highly recommend). You can rent stand up paddle boards, scuba gear, basically anything water related.

I really love Kono's for breakfast. Kono's has by far the best breakfast wraps (or as they call them bombers) I have ever had. Ever. If you get a tattoo of their pig on a surf board you will get 25% off of everything you could possibly want to order FOR LIFE!

 I really like Banzai Sushi, delicious and sometimes has live music! Cholos Mexican is great for dinner and serves margaritas that will make you forget you dates first name. My most favorite little cafe is definitely the Coffee Gallery! Coffee Gallery has epic coffee, acai bowls, and baked goods.

But...by far....wait for it....the most epic...Thai Food...you will ever...ever...eat.

OPAL THAI FOOD. First of all its already famous as I have seen it all over the Food Network and different spots on varying channels. The owner is this adorable man who is so friendly and makes you feel like he is genuinely concerned with you enjoying every second of your meal. Opal's is ALWAYS packed so I recommend making a reservation. (808) 637-7950

My friends and I FINALLY get seated and the owner walks over and starts asking everyone to name Thai dishes they know and if we like garlic, basil, cilantro, chiles, and if we like spice (which I do)! He then sat thoughtfully, smiled at all of us and shook our hands saying "I'm going to take care of you guys." Before we knew it three AMAZING...seriously world stopingly delicious appetizers were placed before us. Beef lettuce wraps, curry chicken skewers with peanut sauce, and a potato vegetable dish that was mind boggingly good. We all dove in forks first. Then the main courses. Panang curry (which I loved), a shrimp and noodle stir fry, and Pad Thai. All hands down the best Thai food I have ever experienced. I just wish they offered mangos with sticky rice :) Hands down one of my all time favorites.

Got this photo from the internet because I felt like it really captured the owner and the environment well. The owner is the one holding the gentleman in the photo.

Beach Day ~ Kailua Beach Park

I LOVE THIS BEACH! Its perfect, everything about it is wonderful. The sand is soft and the water is divine. HOWEVER, the "facilities" at this beach (like all beach facilities) are gross. You have been warned. This beach is great for swimming, kayaking, stand up paddle boarding (SUP), and just about any other beach related activity...sand castles are a must here.

Kailua Beach Park "facilities" 

The Mokes and Lanikai Beach out in the distance

My most favorite part about Kailua Beach (other than its insane beauty and sheer awesome-ness) is Kalapawai Market. Amazing coffee, THE BEST ALMOND MILK ICED CHAI EVER, delicious baked goods, and a great deli in the back. This place also grills burgers on weekends and has everything a beach go-er could need. It is wonderful. I love it. Its an all time favorite. There is a Kalapawai Cafe in town and it is also amazing! Keep doing what you are doing guys!

Kalapawai Market...I love you

Koko Head Hike August 2014

I'm still recovering from a bad car accident that happened back in January...but I decided to tackle Koko Head (again) anyway.

Going Up!

There is plenty of parking if you go in the morning and Koko Head itself is in the lovely Hawaii Kai area of Honolulu. The hike itself isn't a "long" one, but the elevation and quick incline is what gets people, you go up 1,000 feet.

 I am short. Very short. And while I have done this hike before I'm still always surprised by how much I have to stretch my legs to go up the stairs...WATCH YOUR FOOTING! I almost fell several times as the rocks and dirt are going to move with you.

View of Hawaii Kai 

The views are amazing! Make sure that if you do this hike you do it in the morning (when its not too hot) and on a nice day. The views of Hawaii Kai, Honolulu, and Hanauma Bay are wonderful.

Hanauma Bay to the right and Hawaii Kai to the left

Hawaii Kai view

Hanauma Bay

The back side of Koko Head

Back side of Koko Head

Overall the hike wasn't too bad and the view from the top made the way up totally worth it. Going back down is always harder than going up. Again I reiterate....WATCH YOUR FOOTING!!!!

Going back down

How many more stairs?!

Bring a little backpack with water, tie your shoes tight, and enjoy :)

Scuba Diving Red Hill, Maui July 2014

Jut realized I didn't include the second tank dive that my friend and I did in Maui with Maui Dive Shop! The second dive was a drift dive around Red Hill. This dive wasn't quite as awe inspiring as Molokini, but it was fun and different.

We saw plenty of eels, starfish, and sea urchin...which I will expand upon shortly.














Let me begin by saying OUCH! So while scuba diving here I pointed out the above eel. One of the other divers decided to descend quickly upon said eel to snap a photo. In the process of doing so he hit me on the head with his leg and sent me into several sea urchins...ouch ouch ouch.

My toes-post sea urchin encounter

However, we did see two sea turtles on this dive! Definitely made up for the fact that I had pieces of urchin in my foot.

Overall this dive was really great! Again, Maui water is so much warmer than Oahu and the visibility and sea life far surpassed all dives I've done on Oahu.

My Greatest Love- Hot Yoga

I love all things yoga and have been practicing for about ten years. But no place is as wonderful as Hot Yoga By the Sea in Kailua. This place is seriously the stuff dreams are made out of and has really helped improve my mind, body, and soul.

I got these pictures from the internet...because I wasn't about to creepily take a picture in class.

If you can get to HYBTS...do it. Worth it all the way. I LOVE THIS PLACE

1 class is $20 for a regular adult and $15 for military. They often have special promotions for first timers.

http://www.hotyogabythesea.com