Aloha Oahu

Oahu Bucket List:

• Snorkle in the many lagoons
• Visit North Shore
• Matsumoto's Shaved ice
• Luau
• Drink a Mai Thai
• Ride in the bed of a pick-up truck
• Explore downtown

As a college kid on a budget, there were only so many places we could go for summer vacation. Luckily, it just so happened that my Aunt and Uncle moved to Oahu a couple years ago to retire. So after some saving, planning, and over-packing, Xia and I headed to LAX to catch our flights for Honolulu. 

Though I've been to Hawaii before, I had never been to the island of Oahu and I totally forgot how humid it is. Unlike the other islands, Oahu actually has an urban downtown and horrible LA-like traffic depending on the time of day. Of course, once we flew over the turquoise ocean and saw the white-sandy beaches, we were completely enchanted. 

Each day, we did something different. One day, my Uncle took us paddling in Waianea with his paddling companions. Another day, we went shopping in Ala Moana and Waikele Outlets, and a couple days in between, we would go beach hopping. For me, the highlights of the trip were visiting the Dole Plantation on the way to North Shore, eating Matsumoto's Shaved Ice, paddling through the clear blue waters in Wainea, and seeing a full rainbow over the shores of Ka'ena Beach. 

Xia, my partner in crime and one of my best friends sine the first grade, is used to wearing a full face of make-up on the daily. As the week went by, she slowly wore less and less make-up. As for myself, I resorted to just wearing a thick layer of sunscreen and maybe a lip tint if I was feeling fancy. Meanwhile, Xia's eyebrows were always on fleek. @xiaheartsu

From tasting the local food to exploring downtown Honolulu to swimming in the tropical ocean, we had an absolute blast! We were far away from our obligations in the city. We were far, far away from our worries back home. We were immersed in paradise.

The one thing we struggle with though was the incredible humidity. More often than not, we were sweating in places we didn't know could sweat. Even though I consider myself a beach bum, I could hardly handle how constantly hot and humid the air was, even in the evenings.

As the sunset over the horizon on the last night of our trip, I realized how lucky we were to be standing on some of the world's most beautiful beaches, and even better, I got to share the whole experience with my best friend. Friendship was tested during the duration of the trip. For being so close, we couldn't be any more different. Xia's a social butterfly while I consider myself like a social ladybug: socially outgoing from time to time.

By the end of our trip, we have gotten our fair share of sunburns and home-made almond pancakes thanks to my Aunt. It was an amazing week and a half trip that felt like a month. When we landed in LAX, we immediately breathed in the chill city air and thanked our lucky stars for a vacation worth sharing.

For a closer look into our adventure, watch my first-ever travel video below! Comment/share/like 

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