Aloha!

Finally, a li'l vacation. Rob has never been to Hawaii before, and I haven't been in 15 years, so we chose to just park our tired butts on the island of Oahu. Not as scenic as Kauai, not as luxurious as Maui, not as volcanic as the big island... but plenty of everything we needed for our six-day getaway: Sunshine. Luaus. Shopping. Mai Tais. Busy Beaches. Quiet Beaches.

We flew in on Valentine's Day. Second night, attended the very touristy (but admittedly very fun) Paradise Cove Luau.

Day three, we headed to the North Shore via the central valley and stopped to see all the baby pineapples at the Dole Plantation. (Yes, we are sooooo touristy!!) Followed by a stop at Turtle Bay Resort which was very pleasant... some public art, a cafe on the beach, and worlds away from the hustle and bustle of Waikiki.

Day four, we stayed parked in Waikiki, and hiked the Diamond Head Crater for a sweeping 360-degree view of Honolulu and surroundings. Really beautiful -- and warm and windy -- up there!

Day five, we headed North via the East Coast of Oahu, up to Kailua Beach. A bit stormy up there, but a beautiful drive (in our super-touristy convertible Chrysler Sebring).

Amidst all of the sushi, pork, mahi mahi and other fish we ate along the way, we had to try the local favorite, a fast food dish called Loco Moco. Two "meat" patties on a bed of rice, with gravy, two fried eggs, and macaroni salad.

Mmmmm!(?) Can I get some poi with that?