20 years to Oahu

Last month Jennifer and I celebrated our 20th anniversary. We went to Oahu for some R & R. Prior to going we were questioning whether or not we should waste our time and money going there when we could go to San Diego for less money and a similiar experience. After having now seen Hawaii we were wildly glad we went. As soon as we got there we didn't want to leave. California just seems like a warm place to hide from work for a few days. Hawaii was a full sensory break from life as I knew it. We spent the first three days on Waikiki. The picture below was the view from our balcony.

View from our condo on Waikiki. We had a rental car so we drove around Oahu several times. We went to the Temple in Laie as well as beaches on the East side. We visited Pearl Harbor and climbed Diamondhead on Saturday morning and visited the Polynesian Cultural Center. The North Shore was my favorite. Lined with surf shops and several shave ice outlets. We had shave ice at Matsumoto's and I had a pineapple burger at Kua Aina Sandwich shop. Haleiwa was so secluded from the rest of life. We ate at a restraunt in there at sunset. I had the Hawaiian fish of the day. I still don't know what kind it was, but it was very tasty. We were on the outside deck overlooking the water. Even though it was 8-9pm, the temperature never goes below 72 so it was absolutely perfect. We spent the last half of the week in a condo on the northeast side of the island. below is a picture from our balcany of the sunrise on our last day there.

Sunrise from our balcany in Punaluu on the windward side of the north shore. We'd love to go back. The calming after effects from that vacation have lasted longer than any we've had.