Honolulu Zoo

Oahu: Waikiki beach

I have to say, Waikiki to my opinion is paradise. Before booking the trip, we were told by many of our friends that Waikiki is very busy and crowded, both Orsolya and I found it very relaxing and just the right amount of people. There was always room on the beach, the streets were alive with hustle and bustle, but it was never so busy that we couldn’t walk comfortably. I will admit that we did go the weekend right after Thanksgiving, so the crowds had dies down a bit, but none the less, if you like a place that is alive, Waikiki is definitely for you.

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Oahu: Northshore

Oahu’s northern shores, are the home of some of the islands gnarliest waves. The day we made it out there, the waves measured 15 feet and made me feel a little uncomfortable to stand there and watch them crash against the rocky coast. Early December is the time when these waves gain some considerable size which attracts the world’s best surfers to the area. During our stay we got to watch a small piece of the competitions that were going on here.

If you do venture to Northshore, make sure you try Matsumoto’s shaved ice which is truly an experience. Also if you are into shrimp, there are many different shrimp shacks along the road. The ones we tried and that were strongly recommended to us, were Romy’s (more saucy) and Giovanni’s (more dry) shrimp.

Elandan Gardens: An education on bonsai trees

Back in September, few of our friends sent us on a treasure hunt in the north-west Washington. The first destination on our trip was the Elandan Gardens. From outside the gardens seemed to us to be maybe an ordinary bontical garden. But the gardens and the experiences were anything but ordinary. The owner Dan Robinson gave us a low down on what bonsai is and where the art of growing these small magnificent trees comes from. After our quick introduction we were on our way to visit the garden. Their cat Diva, volunteered to be our tour guide for the day and followed us step by step as we examined each and every one of the trees in the garden.

The trees that Dan has gathered in this garden range from 70 to 1500 years old and are some of the most amazing pieces of nature I have Read more