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

Honolulu Night Market in Kaka'ako

The third Saturday of every month over on Cooke St there is this fun night market full of food and local vendors. The food is great and there are SO many different options and food trucks. There are plenty of alcohol points for those who consume (responsibly) AND lots and lots of fun local vendors from art to clothing to jewelry.

http://www.honolulunightmarket.com

We walked around the shopping area first. There were some really cute boutiques from baby clothes, to gorgeous jewelry, to yoga tights. We ended up stopping at an art truck that was loaded with amazing original art pieces for relatively inexpensive prices.

It was very crowded when we went and we got there right around 6:30 p.m.

This is the original art that I purchased from the art vendor! Its a canvased painting of Chinaman's hat (one of my favorite places on the island). It was only $35!

But no trip to the Night Market would be complete without stopping for some food. For a mere $5 my friend got a homemade cookies and cream ice cream sandwich which was described as "orgasmic"...sign me up! There is some serious diversity in the food truck scene from Thai, to Hawaiian BBQ, to lemonade stands, to grilled corn, you name it and its probably there.


The Night Market is definitely a fun way to spend the third Saturday of every month!

New guide books from Book Ends Kailua

Got some new guidebooks today! The only ones not shown are the books I have on Kauai that I lent to a friend. Very excited to start reading about some of my next adventures!

Book Ends is one of my most favorite book stores. Its located in Kailua and has never disappointed, its wonderful!

Diamond Head and Waikiki Aquarium

So this day started off with a Diamond Head Hike. First off, parking is awful! Go during the day or early morning! Parking only cost $5, which isn't bad. The hike is extremely easy-the only obstacles are other hikers. The view from the top is wonderful!

http://www.hawaiistateparks.org/parks/oahu/Index.cfm?park_id=15

The view from the top is one of the best of Honolulu!

The hike in its entirety took less than half an hour and that was at a literal snail pace.













The aquarium is sad. I have been to the Baltimore aquarium many times in my life and that is an aquarium. The sea life in the Waikiki Aquarium look sad and lethargic-its also really small. However, the aquarium staff members are really nice and very knowledgable.

One of the exhibits 

Monk Seal

Tickets for an adult cost $12, military adult $8, children 4-12 $5, younger than 4 get in for free.
The gift shop was probably my most favorite part. Overall I don't think this aquarium is really worth it.
http://www.waikikiaquarium.org

Kayaking in Kaneohe Bay

It was an amazingly beautiful day-perfect for kayaking (if only I had reapplied sunscreen...) My kayak and I (and a few friends) left the Marine Corps Base Marina and began the kayaking adventure...

Sunscreen people. Sunscreen. So we left the marina and headed out towards a small sandbar. Kaneohe bay is just simply gorgeous AND a real hidden gem! There were NO tourists out kayaking like you would see in Kailua. The reefs in Kaneohe Bay are some of the best I have seen on Oahu, AMAZING! I made sure to go to Whole Foods before and bring plenty of snacks and cold drinks.

We kayaked leisurely and really took in the sights, stopping occasionally to snorkel before reaching the small sandbar closest to the marina.

 The little sandbar was so wonderful! Make sure you bring your fin boots or some kind of water shoe, you definitely don't want to step on sharp rocks and what not. The views were amazing and we weren't too far from Coconut Island (WHICH IS AMAZING)!

We decided to soak up the sun and relax on the sandbar for a little bit before heading out to Coconut Island. The water is so clear in this area of K-bay that we could see down at least 50 feet!



It was a perfect day out in Kaneohe Bay!

Jack Johnson Concert Waikiki Shell August 1, 2014

For only $95 my friend and I were able to get pit seat tickets! Yes thats right, we were right up front! The concert was absolutely fantastic! I love Jack Johnson and I loved this concert.

The Big Island December 2012

So my friend and I flew in to Hilo and drove to Kilauea where we were staying for our 3 day Big Island adventure. I highly recommend renting a car! Just do it. The national park area is wonderful and hiking along the caldera on all the trails was really fun and breathtaking. Hiking was fun despite the fact that I had broken my toe a few days prior. The only, very minor, issue I had was that there are not many food options. There is a good thai place outside of the national park area, but thats about it.

National Park Map

Inside the caldera 

Getting up to watch the sunrise was well worth it. The volcano really is gorgeous and the hikes are all easy-nothing too strenuous. 

Steam Vent

Pele's Breath

We decided to adventure to Punalu'u Bake Shop, the most southern bake shop in America. First of all, I love food. And the breads, pastries, and local Hawaiian foods that they sell here are AMAZING. They bake Hawaiian sweet bread in mango, taro, and traditional. Delicious. I tried a lilikoi (passion fruit) pastry that made me want to have a moment alone with it. Yummmm!

We also adventured to the Black Sand Beaches. I high recommend going here. We saw so many turtles and the beach is just gorgeous. 

Overall the Big Island was a blast. Hiking the volcano, eating at one of the best bakeries in America, and the famous black sand beaches.

What an adventure!