Honolulu, HI

Hundreds of other spectators lined the streets alongside us as the motorcycles paraded past, their riders waving, honking and shouting “Merry Christmas!” A few of the riders tossed candy canes for the kids. We were amazed at just how many bikes there were on Oahu. It took almost a half an hour for all the bikes to pass!

Recently my wife and sister and I went for a catamaran sail and snorkeling trip from Waikiki Beach. We left right from the beach in front of the Outrigger Hotel where the Shorebird restaurant is. After boarding the boat right on the beach, we headed for a short ride to the snorkel spot–a place called “Turtle Canyon” because of all the green sea turtles that are known to hang out there.

Every Friday the Hilton Hawaiian Village puts on an “Aloha-Style” show, sort of like a luau show without the dinner. My wife and I checked it out on December 5, 2008, and I must say it was quite entertaining.

The show started at 6:30 pm. The evening began with the King’s Procession and then continued with the music, attire, performances and dance from Hawaii and other Polynesian Islands. The night ended with music to a spectacular fireworks display.

The great thing about Chinaman’s Hat/Kualoa Park is the amount of things you can do there. The park itself is pretty large and there is also a beach, so you can pretty much do whatever you want (within the realm of reason of course) at Chinaman’s Hat.

It takes a while to get to the Kualoa area from any point in town. You can go on the H-2 freeway and take exit 8 towards Wahiawa and go the North Shore way, or you can take the longer “tracing the outline of the island” way. That route will take you through Kaneohe via Likelike Highway then taking Kahekili Highway which turns into Kamehameha Highway. Keep going until you see that famous Chinaman’s Hat and you’re pretty much there.

My friends and I decided, shortly after the movie Forgetting Sarah Marshall came out on DVD, that we wanted to go to Turtle Bay and goof off for a day. So, we made the trek all the way to Kahuku and we spent the day at the Turtle Bay Resort.

Last weekend my wife and I went to the Ala Moana Mall near Honolulu. This is the largest outdoor mall in the United States, and although we have been here many times, we still probably haven’t seen it all. There are literally hundreds of shops and vendors to choose from, in addition to dozens of eateries, from fast food to gourmet dining. Also, it’s a visually appealing mall, with numerous fountains, koi ponds and landscaping throughout.

As a parent of youngsters, I love going out to parks with my husband and kids. There’s nothing quite like spending an afternoon running around, playing on swings and sliding down slides. Fortunately, Hawai’i happens to be home to many great parks that are ideal places for families to spend an afternoon together.

I was happy to discover on a recent Glass Bottom Boat (or the “G Double B” as I like to call it) tour through tropical Kaneohe Bay, the boat was of course not only very safe, it offered a very unique underwater viewing experience. The kind where you don’t even have to get wet!

When my wife and I go to Hamauma Bay, we like to walk all the way down to the far end of it, where there are few—sometimes no—other people, even when the main beach is crowded (which is most days). Hanauma Bay is the well-known marine preserve on Oahu’s east end, popular with snorkelers. If you would like to know more about the main beach and getting into the preserve itself, then please see this post on Hanauma Bay in general, since I won’t duplicate that information here; I will just cover our experience with the far end of the bay.

A quiet evening on a bench at Magic Island - Ala Moana Beach Park with bottle of wine and food to good watching the fading sky and the city lights.