This isn’t shocking, but – Australia is actually very very far from Toronto, Canada.
16, 267kms to be exact!
Having made this trip once before – on a 26 hour bender, that I quickly filed under the “never again” category – I decided to break-up the in-flight hours by taking a mini-vacation (before my big vacation), and spend a week in Hawaii.
Having done just that, I can say with confidence that Hawaii is like nowhere else. No matter where you stand in Oahu – you are surrounded by a view that I had only ever seen in paintings.
Large, green, cascading hills, the blue, salty pacific – it’s impossible not to allow yourself to be completely absorbed. Awed. Or relaxed. I’m pretty sure the air smelled of coconut and citrus too.
Obvious words like “paradise”, “beautiful”, “warm”, and (for me) “sun burn” come to mind – I mean, how could they not? But truthfully, what made this place special, even more so than the gorgeous weather, beautiful beaches, and amazing food (I still dream of fresh Hawaiian pineapple on cold winter Canadian nights) – were the people.
Diverse in appearance, but united in culture – there was not one person who didn’t offer a warm smile and a hearty ‘aloha’ wherever you went. It didn’t come across as tourist manipulation either (as is often the case) – rather, it was a genuine “We love this place, and want you to love it too!”
And, you know what, I did. Mahalo!
Destination nutshell:
Flight: $400CDN (one way), 13 hrs
Accom: I stayed at the Polynesian Hostel on Lemon Road. $23 a night, and less than a minute walk from Waikiki beach – it was most excellent.
Highlights: Diamondhead, Pearl Harbour (kind of), the Dole Plantation, and the most amazing pineapple I have ever tasted. So juicy, so sweet - I would go back to Hawaii in a heart beat.
16, 267kms to be exact!
Having made this trip once before – on a 26 hour bender, that I quickly filed under the “never again” category – I decided to break-up the in-flight hours by taking a mini-vacation (before my big vacation), and spend a week in Hawaii.
Having done just that, I can say with confidence that Hawaii is like nowhere else. No matter where you stand in Oahu – you are surrounded by a view that I had only ever seen in paintings.
Large, green, cascading hills, the blue, salty pacific – it’s impossible not to allow yourself to be completely absorbed. Awed. Or relaxed. I’m pretty sure the air smelled of coconut and citrus too.
Obvious words like “paradise”, “beautiful”, “warm”, and (for me) “sun burn” come to mind – I mean, how could they not? But truthfully, what made this place special, even more so than the gorgeous weather, beautiful beaches, and amazing food (I still dream of fresh Hawaiian pineapple on cold winter Canadian nights) – were the people.
Diverse in appearance, but united in culture – there was not one person who didn’t offer a warm smile and a hearty ‘aloha’ wherever you went. It didn’t come across as tourist manipulation either (as is often the case) – rather, it was a genuine “We love this place, and want you to love it too!”
And, you know what, I did. Mahalo!
Destination nutshell:
Flight: $400CDN (one way), 13 hrs
Accom: I stayed at the Polynesian Hostel on Lemon Road. $23 a night, and less than a minute walk from Waikiki beach – it was most excellent.
Highlights: Diamondhead, Pearl Harbour (kind of), the Dole Plantation, and the most amazing pineapple I have ever tasted. So juicy, so sweet - I would go back to Hawaii in a heart beat.
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