Tribute to Hawaii

Soooo it's official, I am the worstest blogger ever!!! I was having too much fun here to sit around blogging! But now my Hawaiian adventure is over and it's rather sad, sitting here in my empty room, surrounded by all my suitcases, and who knows when I'll return? JK I may be coming back here in fall to do elementary education! But who knows... anyways I just wanted to highlight some of my very favorite things I did here, all of course with my Hawaiian besties, Jenny, Saydi and Rachel whom I love so much and I'm going to miss them tons!! But Lacombe, Washington & Utah aren't that far away right?? But this has honestly been one of the most amazing experiences of my life, and I know that there was no where else in the world I was supposed to be these past two semesters then at BYUH! It was such a blessing to be able to come here, and I've grown so much! It has truly become a home to me, and I feel like when I get on my plane on Sunday, I will be leaving a little piece of me in Hawaii. There truly is no place like home, except Hawaii!!

Food:
- Nico's- has the best ahi-ahi I have EVER had, with amazing cilantro ginger dip, it doesn't taste fishy at all, and it's on the pier, so everything tastes deliciously fresh! Just make sure not to be like me and accidently order it raw:p
-Polynesian Ono Bread- you get a huge, fresh loaf of bread for only 5$! Sooo delicous, us four girls sat down and ripped off chunks and dipped it in butter and we ate it all in one sitting, and I'm embarassed to say, along with a coconut bun and a huge tuna melt, which was SO good! And the staff is super friendly!
Kahuku Grill - mmm definitley a favorite! Amazing fries (well they are actually potato wedges, but they call them fries & they come with this special fry sauce, and mmm its just undescribable!!), huge cheese burgers and teri burgers, the teriyaki chicken plate is so yummy, the salad w/ the dressing is amazing, and the macadamia coconut shrimp is SO good, and I don't even really like shrimp! Then there is also the coconut, banana, chocolate chip bread w/ ice cream to get for dessert!
Ted's Bakery- Best early in the morning! Most amazing carrot cake I have ever had, delicious omlets and breakfast sandwiches, yummy glazers, such good smoothies, and just any pastrie from there is going to be divine!
Sharks Cove Grill- So sometimes this place tasted so good, and other times not so much! But I do love their chicken skewers with rice and salad!
Hukilau Cafe- Omh, best place to go for breakfast and so cheap! The pancakes are HUGE, I tried the banana and coconut and loved them both, and the french toast is divine!
Roadside Fruitstand-   Just past Turtle Bay. Super cheap, such yummy mango, fried bananas and sugar cane, and just all the fruit there is fresh and delicious! Also sometimes they have a little grill, and the chicken and pork skewers from there are delicious and only 1$ each!
Dole Plantation- I had to mention dole whip, I just love it! Also the cinnamon macadamia nuts from there are super yummy too!
Macadamia Nut Farm-  Lots of delicious samples of different kinds of macadamia nuts, my favorites were the sweet kinds, and I definitley would have boughten a bag if they weren't 10$ each!
Kaneohe Acai Bowls ( I can't remember the name of the actual place!) My favorite acai bowls on the island so far!! You can kinda make them to order, and they are cool, refreshing and taste so healthy!
Seasiders -  The on-campus snack place! My favorite is the sandwiches, on thick, homemade herb bread with the cranberry mayo, turkey, lettuce and tomatoes!!
Angels- This is personally my favorite place to get shaved ice from! A scoop of ice cream, shaved ice with 3 flavors, drizzled with condensed milk and a dollop of whipped cream is so good!

Hikes
- PCC Hike- It was kinda hard to find, but sooo worth it! Only like an hour each way, and you hike up a stream to a waterfall, sometimes hopping from rock to rock and some times walking (or bushwacking!!) on the path beside the creek! Leads to an adorable small waterwall, that fun to climb up and jump off of!
Manoa Cliffs Trail- I love this hike so much, I honestly felt like I was hiking in a fairytale! It was all jungly, with huge drop offs and vines, and canopies and massive trees and stunning views, I loved this hike so much! Theres no waterfall to cool off in at the end, but a refreshing acai bowl does the trick!
Laie Falls- Takes longer than you think, but super fun, and lots of different terrain to see!! And theres a waterfall that would be really hard to get up to jump off of, but is super fun just to swim in!!
Monowillie (sp?)- This is a beautiful hike!! Theres never a super spectacular view, but just what you're hiking in is beautiful, and there is a super fun waterfall to jump off of!!
Stairway to Heaven- This illegal (oops!) hike is unlike any other!! It's hiking up 5000+ stairs at 2:30am to catch the sunrise, and going as fast as you can so the guard won't see you and run after you and make you come back down! But the most stunning view ever!! It's something that just can't be captured on film, but will forever be burned in my mind!
Keana Point- So this is more of a nature walk, but it was amazing, and extremely hot. You walk for a while (you could drive it of you had a jeep) and then you get to a point where you are right beside the ocean and there are seals and whales and all different kinds of birds ( its a reserve for them) and it is just beautiful!!

Activites:
- Snorkeling- Shark's cove is my favorite place to snorkel, but the waves get to big in the winter, so you can only go in the deep part from may-october, but the shallower part still has tons of fish! I also love Hanuama Bay!
Kayaking- We went at Laniki beach, and it was 55$/ 4 hrs for a 2 person kayak and it was soooo fun! We went on a more windy day, and it was still amazing.
Lighthouse Walk- I love this walk up to this cute little lighthouse, it's past Hanuama Bay and it has a gorgeous view at the top!
Polynesian Cultural Centre-  soooo touristy but I love this place! Going to the village shows during the day, and the nightshow are my two favorite things there!
Pearl Harbour- It's a must. This is just the saddest, most interesting place, I really loved going here!

Beaches
Waimea- Always pretty crowded, but it's huge so it's okay! The waves here can get pretty massive and I dont particularly enjoy being thrashed by them, but I loved jumping off the giant rock here, and on a nice day, it is simply beautiful!
Laniki- Definitley my favorite beach!! Beautiful white, soft, sand, teal water, and usually not overly crowded, and usually the water is pretty flat!!
Waikiki- As crowded as this beach is, I actually kind of enjoy it! Some parts are kind of gross, but some areas are beautiful, and it's so close to lot's of other things! And the waves usually aren't too huge here!
Sunset Beach- Omh I love this beach, haha as titled, it is the most amazing place to watch sunsets! And during the day it's a pretty fun place to be, and so, so, so beautiful!!

Shopping
Swap Meet- I love the swap meet! A great place to get cheap souveneirs! 8 t-shirts fo 20$, you can buy fruit, I got a Hawaii license plate framer and hawaii stickers for my car and laptop, keychains, jewellery, you name it they will probably have it!
International Market Place- Right it Honolulu, not as cheap as the swap meet, but has some cuter Hawaii shirts, and is a little better quality!
Pearl Ridge Shopping Center- My favorite mall here! Has TONS of my favorite stores and restuarants and is right beside a ROSS!
Ala Moana Mall- The outdoor mall in Honolulu, most of the stores here are above my price range, but they do have a forever 21, gap, old navy, ect!! This mall also has a Bubba Gump Shrimp restuarant which I loved!
I am so sad to have to be leaving this beautiful island, but my time here is over, and I keep telling myself I'll make it back here soon! Perhaps next years spring break?:)