Oahu

A couple of years ago we, Carol, Rafa, Cecilia and I, started what I hope becomes an everlasting tradition of travelling on Carol’s birthday.

I just realized I never wrote about our Disney trip 😬 But what else is new?

So, this year we went to Hawaii (Oahu). It was a bit crazy, as usual. Like doing 4 Disney Parks, Universal Studios and NASA in 6 days. We are used to crazy as long as it is fun and it’s always fun with them.

My sister could not wrap her head around the fact that we were going to spend 16+ hours to get there and spend only 5 days 😂 and I get it. But it was doable, adventurous and filled with amazing moments.

Talking about long flights, it’s sometimes challenging to find good food options that are in sync with my diet (low-carb/ high protein). So I have learned a few tricks throughout the years.

I go to local grocery stores and cook if I can. Simple things, eggs, cheese, veggies, etc.
I always have in my hand luggage Quest bars (it is the ONLY protein bar I found so far that is made with real food, good quality protein and no hidden sugars).
I always have individual whey protein packs (when I’m home I use the Leanfit one, but they don’t have small portions, so I buy a bunch of the Bodylab packs when I am in Norway to last for a year. Since I only use it when I’m travelling, 24 packs (2 boxes) are usually enough. They have a box with individual portions and assorted flavours that is amazing. In the flight I mix with water, but if I can I just buy Greek yogurt and mix with it, throw some berries et voila.
And this time I was finally able to find zero sugar Jerky beef, which is NOT EASY to find.

It always saves my life on longer flights or situations where there are no options for me to eat.

We got there on Monday. Going there was easy because we were flying backwards related to the timezone. So we left on Monday and got there on Monday around 2PM.

We were received with the typical Hawaiian leis (the flower garlands) at the airport – It was included in our package, it’s not something they do randomly – and headed to the hotel.

We stayed at the Marriott Ko Olina Beach club. Amazing hotel. A bit on the older side, but extremely well-maintained, clean, with great amenities and a mesmerizing view.

Also, less important for some, but really important for me, a REALLY NICE GYM!!!!

They also have restaurants, an overpriced but very convenient store that sells from souvenirs to bananas, a spa, among other things.

We got to the hotel around 4PM (between waiting for the luggage, getting the car we rented and driving from the airport, etc) and spent the rest of the afternoon at the hotel. We only left briefly to buy groceries since our room was a villa and we decided to have breakfast in the room, which made my life way easier.

Eggs, tomatoes, Greek Yogurt and Whey for breakfast and I am in heaven.

We also paid USD 18.00 for the eggs and, CANADA, I love you!!!!

Enjoying the sunset from the hotel was <3 . We also went to bed super early because no-sleeping-in-the-flight.

That, and the fact that we were still on Toronto time, made me wake up at 3AM ready for the day. Tried to sleep a little bit longer, and got out of bed at 4:30 straight to the gym.

We had a full (ish) day planned ahead of us in the Polynesian Cultural Center, but they open only at noon, so we had the morning to enjoy the beach and the pool.

Polynesian Cultural Center

After the beach we headed to the Polynesian Cultural center. It is a really amazing place and if you ever go there, reserve the whole afternoon and night for it for the whole experience.

There are different types of tickets. Some are self-guided, some include a guided tour throughout the 6 islands that are part of Polynesia, some include a buffet and a really nice show at the end with different seating options.

The place is huge and you can walk through different parts, each one representing one of the 6 islands (Samoa, Hawaii, Tonga, Tahiti, New Zealand and Fiji) with typical food, culture, shows and part of their history.

To be clear, Polynesia is formed for several other islands. But these 6 are the ones represented in the cultural center.

The buffet has a well-organized allergen menu and I was able to happily eat not only Gluten free but also keto.

It was a really nice day. We have done and seen so much.

Diamond Head, the Iolani Palace and cute dolphins

So, we were supposed to go for a hike at the Diamond head crater on the second day. BUT, in our research, we did not see anywhere that a reservation was required and it is. So we got there and could not go in because we did not have a reservation and it was sold out for the day.

We spent some time trying to juggle our other things and try to accommodate it another day, but unfortunately we were not able to.

So, from there we headed to the Iolani Palace.

ʻIolani Palace is a cool part of Hawaiian history where King Kalākaua and his sister, Queen Liliʻuokalani, lived while running the Hawaiian Kingdom. The Palace has some amazing memories of fancy parties and hula shows, but it also holds some tough moments, like Liliʻuokalani’s overthrow and time in prison. After the monarchy was overthrown, the Palace went through a lot, even acting as the Capitol for nearly 80 years before it was left empty. But in the ’70s, it got a nice makeover and was brought back to its original glory.

Part of the palace was closed for renovation, so it was a short visit. But it gave us plenty of time to find a place to eat before we hopped into our boat ride to looks for dolphins.

We found a cute food truck place with a Brazilian food truck (and nothing I could eat there, but Rafa was really happy) while Carol, Ciça and I had some Thai food which I asked if they could make my order without rice and they happily did.

Detail, the owner was super nice and very proud because she spent several years trying to grow her own sweet basil in Hawaii without much success but was finally able to do it and boy, it was delicious!

Got the Thai Chicken Salad.

With lunch out of the way, it was time for the boat ride. Yeah, don’t recommend doing that if you get seasick, but we, thankfully, don’t, so it was not an issue.

It was a really nice tour. We did not get to see any whales, unfortunately, because it’s no longer whale season, but we saw sea turtles, lots of fish and super cute dolphins. Also an amazing view.

Pearl Harbor and Le Cirque

On day 3 we went to Pearl Harbor. I have to admit, I don’t like war-related things, and I don’t get the obsession. It’s hard for me to conceive that we (as homo sapiens) have been around for about 300,000 years and we are still so fucking fixated in solving things by going to war. It baffles me. BUT, I love history, so I was torn and ended up going.

It was like visiting the Vatican. In one hand it disgusts me, on the other, it’s part of our history.

Also, my dad also LOVES history and it was really nice to send him the pics.

The nicest part was to be able to see place where the formal signing of the Japanese Instrument of Surrender, effectively ending World War II, took place on the deck of the USS Missouri.

There was also a flight simulator that was a lot of fun!

The ticket we bought included lunch, but of course, nothing was even gluten free, let alone lowcarb. But they have a cob salad on the menu that did the job. I made sure there was no gluten because let’s not ruin the trip after all. But it was pretty simple: greens, cheese, eggs, olives, tomato, avocado and their traditional Kalua pig (yes, it’s pig, not pork).

After going back to the hotel for a quick shower we headed to the Hard Rock Cafe (because I have to and it kind of became one of our things too) and then to the Cirque.

This was my first fixed Cirque show. I have been to (I have lost count) so many of them, including Crystal, the one that is on ice, but never to one of their fixed shows. It is, as usual, a mesmerizing show divided in 8 chapters inspired by the mo’olelo (stories) of Hawai’i.

Kualoa Ranch

Our last full day there we had the morning free so we went to the beach. The beach in front of the hotel is great. Quiet, clear blue water, filled with fishes and even a seal that came to visit every morning.

LOOK AT THE WATER!!!! 😍😍😍😍😍😍

In the afternoon was time to head to the Kualoa Ranch.

There’s so much to check out there: movie tours, horseback riding, beach time—you name it! It’s an awesome spot to hang out for the whole day with a bunch of fun activities lined up. Kualoa’s been around since 1850, covering a massive 4,000 acres as a private nature reserve and working cattle ranch. It’s also a super popular place for visitors and has been featured in lots of films on the beautiful windward coast of Oʻahu, Hawaii. Just a quick drive—about 24 miles from Waikiki and 32 miles from Haleiwa!

We took the Movie Sites & Ranch Tour which takes you all over the ranch showing several locations for several movies.

They’ve got it all. From Kong’s skull to a Godzilla footprint that had to be filled up a little bit with dirt because the cows kept falling into it and could not get out. The view throughout the tour is amazing too.

It was a fun afternoon. From there we headed to North shore, where the surf championships usually take place and had dinner at a really nice place called Haleiwa Joe’s in Haleiwa.