101 things I love about Hawaii (Part IV)

76. Nu’uanu Pali Lookout. One stop you should not miss while driving through the scenic Pali Highway is the historic Nu’uanu Pali Lookout. The emerald-forested cliffs bore witness to ancient battles in which Kamehameha the Great’s invading troops forced hundreds of King Kalanikupuke’s warriors off the cliff in 1795. Some hundred years after, over 500 skulls were discovered at the base. An artist’s rendition of this ancient battle, erected on the windswept vantage point, reminded me of scenes in the movie “300,” about 300 Spartans who held off masses of invading Persians in 480 B.C.

Today, the blustery Pali Lookout treats visitors to a panoramic view of the Kane’ohe Bay, Windward Oahu communities, and the Pacific waters. It’s one of the loveliest, moving lookouts I visited in Oahu. I could have stayed longer had it not been for the strong and howling winds at this 1,200-foot vantage point. For a few moments, I thought I’d be literally blown away by the wind. It was an exhilarating experience.

77. Scenic Pali Highway. Oahu has lots of scenic drives, and one of those is Pali Highway, which runs between Honolulu and Kailua and cuts through the magnificent Koolau Range. This scenic route is crowned by the Nu’uanu Pali Lookout and features the Pali Tunnels on Route 61. There’s also a “tunnel of trees” on Nu’unau Pali Drive off the highway.

78. Another scenic drive. The stretch of road from Hanauma Bay to Sandy Beach also offers visitors a scenic drive. Whether it’s through bus, truck, or motorbike, driving down this scenic route gives you that it’s-the-journey-not-the-destination moment, away from the urban jungle.

79. Kaneohe Bay. Hawaii’s largest bay and reef-sheltered lagoon, Kaneohe Bay is ideal for sailing because of the near constant trade winds.

80. Chinaman’s Hat. The conical shape of Mokolii Island earned it the nickname “Chinaman’s Hat.” The island provides a unique backdrop for photo opportunities. Try having your photo taken, looking like you’re wearing a Chinaman’s hat.

81. Kualoa Beach Park. Next to Chinaman’s Hat is Kualoa Beach Park, offering reef-protected swimming but is not really good for snorkeling because of the cloudy water. The beach park has all the basic amenities, and serves as a large campsite for many visitors around windward Oahu. People also play Frisbee, soccer, football, or fly kites here.

82. Kualoa Ranch. We passed by, but didn’t really get to visit, the 4,000-acre Kualoa Ranch. But it’s said that this ranch should be on the list of places to visit while on Oahu because of its dense rainforests, open valleys, and a wide variety of activities, including horseback riding and all-terrain vehicle rides. Kualoa is also one of Hawaii’s most popular sites for Hollywood movie and television productions such as Jurassic Park, Windtalkers (a movie inspired by real World War II events that took place on Saipan), Battleship, 50 First Dates, Lost, and Hawaii Five-0.

83. Ancient Fishponds. Kualoa Ranch also offers ancient fishpond and garden tours that include a tranquil ride across the 125-acre Moli’I Pond. This is one of Hawaii’s largest and most well preserved ancient fishponds.

84. Turtle Bay Resort. This 880-acre oceanfront luxury resort that takes in the beauty of Turtle Bay, Kawela Bay, and Bay View Beach Lawn is worth the ride from Waikiki. We stopped by the resort’s poolside bar for cocktails while watching tourists enjoying the surf. It was a relaxing stop. The oceanfront setting provides guests the natural tranquility of the North Shore lifestyle. On the way to Turtle Bay Resort, we passed beautiful beaches and beach parks including Kahana Bay Beach Park and Hau’ula Beach.

85. It’s A Small World (Part II). It was also at Turtle Bay Resort’s poolside bar where I met two familiar faces—Jamie and Jana—who I first met on Saipan a few years back. They were also relaxing at the resort after horseback riding that fine Sunday, away from the hustle and bustle of Honolulu.

86. North Shore. I’ve never seen so many beautiful beaches—and the sports activities that go with them—in a single day than on Oahu’s North Shore, which has become synonymous with surfing and prime winter waves. They say that if there’s such a thing as a perfect wave, you’ll likely find it in North Shore, which stretches for more than 7 miles. No wonder, every surfer around the world has that dream of riding North Shore’s epic waves.

Its Sunset Beach, Banzai Pipeline, or Ehukai Beach and Waimea Bay are among the world’s top surf spots. Each December, North Shore hosts three major surf competitions collectively known as the Triple Crown. But in the summer, waves are far smaller and gentler, making North Shore the perfect surf spot for beginners and veterans alike. Shark’s Cove, teeming with people snorkeling and swimming, among other things, was among the spots I really remember that Sunday.

87. Hale’iwa Town. You can’t miss the sign, “Hale’iwa,” when you reach North Shore’s gateway and largest settlement. Hale’iwa is a picturesque boat harbor bounded by beach parks. Hale’iwa’s Alii Beach Park was also used extensively for filming the television series, Baywatch. Most of all, Hale’iwa is known for being another North Shore world-class surfing spot. I also remember a white bridge, climbed by young and adults for an exhilarating plunge into the water.

88. Standup paddles. I didn’t know what standup paddling was until I visitied Oahu, especially its North Shore.

89. Shrimp Trucks. The smell of cooked shrimp permeates the air, courtesy of several shrimp trucks parked in several areas on North Shore. Shrimp plates are ordered at the windows of these shrimp trucks, and each plate is usually served with shrimp and two scoops of rice, and sometimes with macaroni salad, greed salad and pineapple slices. They are a hit among tourists. But my friend suggested we skip the shrimp trucks and have a more sumptuous meal, which brought us to …

90. Jameson’s. I was glad we chose this roadside restaurant across the street from the ocean in Haleiwa. I had fresh mahi-mahi and rice, among other things. The food tasted good, and I recommend this spot when you get to Haleiwa.

91. Dole Plantation. Beach parks gave way to acres of pineapple plantations. It’s like moving to yet another dimension away from the city. We stopped by the Dole Plantation in Wahiawa, a popular draw this part of the island. We were just in time for the last pineapple demonstration of the day at 5pm. Despite the time constraint, I had to get my pineapple sundae, which was such a delight after hours of Pali Highway and North Shore sightseeing. Dole Plantation is a fun, educational adventure centered on that “sweet, spiky tropical fruit that has become Hawaii’s signature taste around the world.” Passengers of the day’s last Pineapple Express train ride just got back when we got there. Despite my friend’s gentle protest, I had to have my photo taken—my head on the body of a pineapple drawing. The over 3-acre Pineapple Maze, recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s largest maze in 2008, also just closed its doors for the day. We ended up at the Pineapple Variety Garden, and got educated about pineapple—its varieties, growing and harvesting it, and the red soil in plantations, among other things.

92. Paradise Cove Luau. Every visitor to Hawaii should experience the islands’ signature “luau,” loosely translated as “feast” with lots of singing, dancing, and other cultural activities. It’s one way to experience the rich Hawaiian and Polynesian heritage. One of the most popular places that offer luau shows is the 12-acre Paradise Cove at the Ko Olina Resort on the leeward coast of Oahu, even on a Monday, and just a few hours after we visited Lanikai Beach.

Visitors to Paradise Cove are welcomed with tropical Mai Tai and shell or flower leis. They also take your souvenir photos with male and female hula dancers, and you have to claim your photo for a fee before leaving the place after all the festivities.

93. Hawaiian Village. Once they point you to your designated seats fronting the main stage at Paradise Cove, you can start strolling through the Hawaiian Village and learn the islands’ arts and crafts and skills games. We were the first to try our hands on weaving, the product of which was the head lei I wore the rest of the evening. There were hula dance demonstrations, games, coconut tree climbing, traditional net fishing demonstration, hula dancing by the beach, temporary tattooing, and a royal court procession. Visitors also got to see the unearthing of the evening’s main course of kailua pig, slow-roasted all day in an “imu” or underground oven and unearthed just before the meal. While waiting for the meal to start, I snapped photos of yet another beautiful sunset framed by tall coconut trees.

94. Meal and entertainment combo. The Paradise Cove meal consisted of kalua pig, lomi salmon, rice, fried chicken, among other things. Then came the fiery Polynesian dances and music—ancient and modern Hawaiian hula, the pulsing Tahitian o’tea, New Zealand Maori poi-ball dances, a hot and sharp Samoan fire dance, and Fijian meke. Children and adults were then invited on stage to try their own hula hips. The song Hawaii Aloha wrapped up the evening of fun.

95. Meeting strangers. At Paradise Cove, we got to meet people from all walks of life, from different parts of the world. It’s always heartwarming to get to know what brought people to Oahu, what they enjoyed the most, what else they plan to do while on vacation, what they do when they’re not playing tourists, or whether they will be back. There’s one couple from Washington, D.C., another couple was giving their parents who were celebrating their 20th or 25th wedding anniversary a tour of Oahu, a man serving in the military showing his visiting girlfriend what Oahu has to offer, a couple from another table was celebrating their 50th or 60th wedding anniversary and they drew an applause from the crowd, and in yet another table was a big group who were on Oahu for their friends’ wedding.

Some visitors we met talked about returning to Hawaii and maybe retiring there. Some had to ask where Saipan is and I was glad my friend was there to help me with geography and history. But there were also those who know about Saipan or the Northern Marianas, including a guy working with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and a Navy guy who was already stationed in Guam. We invited them to visit Saipan, too.

96. Chinatown. One of the lovely things about being on vacation is you can sleep long hours, and get up long after the sun has risen. But as they say, you miss a lot waking up late, just like the early-morning rush at the Chinatown neighborhood. When we passed by the place one late morning, most merchants had already packed their wares. I ended up having just a drive-through.

97. Bar Hopping. You can never run out of places to hang out for drinks at night or day in Honolulu, especially in Waikiki, including the ones I already mentioned earlier like Gordon Biersch Brewery at Aloha Tower, Duke’s Canoe Club at Outrigger Waikiki, Tiki’s Grill and Bar at Aston Waikiki Beach Hotel, and Sarento’s at Ilikai Hotel & Suites. One other bar I like was Amuse Wine Bar for its chic look and unique feature of over 80 wines you can sample for 80 cents to over $20 an ounce. It’s located beside a furniture shop.

98. Zippy’s Restaurants. If you want to dine local-style, head out to Zippy’s. That’s where we had our oxtail soup on a rainy Tuesday night. It was also a perfect moment for that savory and bottomless coffee.

99. Made in Hawaii. Whether it’s at the International Marketplace or Wal-Mart, visitors can always bring home with them real Made-in-Hawaii goodies such as chocolate-covered macadamia nuts, Kona Mountain coffee, or kukui nut leis. I recommend buying gifts early, and not to wait until you reach the airport, where items could be hundred times costlier than what you would have paid for at Wal-Mart.

100. The island and the people. People in Hawaii always have a hearty smile they pair with “Aloha!,” whether locals or visitors who could easily get that tropical paradise vibe. Now I fully understand what Hawaii’s allure is and why people keep coming back.

101. Romantic Sojourns. Need I say more?