Oahu, Hawaii

Back in February when I was looking for tickets to return home from Australia, I found the cheapest route was through Honolulu, a place that was never even on our list. We ended up spending five days there.

We approached Oahu in our usual way: we took public transport and went hiking, after checking off the USS Arizona Memorial on our arrival day. 

• Aiea Loop Trail: strawberry guavas were in season - we had a great time eating our fill.
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Manoa Falls Trail and the Mauka Trail System: While the falls were negligible (1st below), I loved the rainforest. Once we left the falls, crowds also fell away. We went on Aihualama - Pauoa Flats - Manoa Cliff - Moleka - Makiki Valley - Kanealole Trails. Along the way we saw evidence of macadamia nuts, mangos, and lychees on the ground, but no eating this time. From the Aihualama Trail, there was a view to Diamond Head Crater (2nd below).
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Diamond Head Trail and Makapuu Lighthouse Trail: Diamond Head Trail is the most popular trail on Oahu and requires reservations. It was a fun walk and a very rewarding view at the top (1st, 2nd below). Makapuu Lighthouse Trail is basically a paved coastal walk (3rd, 4th,below).
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• On our last day, we went joy riding on the bus (1st below), first to the north side of the island. We attempted the ʻEhukai Pillbox Trail, bailed halfway - the trail was way too slippery after the rain (3rd below). Then lunch at Sunset Beach (4th below). And to the east end of the island to visit with John's fraternity brother Bruce's son David and wife Kellie in Kailua, bagging Lanikai Pillbox Trail.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

There was no snorkeling due to wind again, but now we too have been to Hawaii.



Pearl Harbor and the Arizona Memorial.








We stayed at a hotel near Waikiki Beach.






One afternoon, we visited Chinatown and the Arts District. Marugame Udon, one of our favorite places to eat in Japan, has a US location in the Arts District. Woohoo! Vegan Tan Tan!

Australia: Port Douglas

From Adelaide we took a flight to Cairns then shuttled directly to Port Douglas. Here was the biggest disappointment of our trip - we didn't get to snorkel in the Great Barrier Reef. We had left GBR to the last of our Australia itinerary as stingers (poisonous jellyfish) should be on the way out as water temperature cools. What I didn't expect was wind. After much deliberation, we canceled our GBR snorkeling tour at the last minute.

We did have a rewarding tour to Daintree National Park, a UNESCO site, the world's oldest rainforest. The highlight was the impossible looking Cassowaries. First, from the van, we saw a male with a chick (see the embedded video 1st below or click here), and few hours later, a single bird (see embedded video 3rd below or click here).









We passed over some other worldly landscapes on the flight to Cairns. Is that Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre, Australia's largest salt lake, that I captured?




After checking into our motel, we immediately headed to the sweeping, possibly risky, Four Mile Beach and its very windy lookouts.










The next day we took the full day tour, heading north, passing fields of sugar cane, and then crossing Daintree River on the famous cable ferry.




View from Alexandra Lookout


Thornton Beach. We stopped here for morning tea.


Near Kulki Lookout, we finally spotted a brush-turkey nest mound. Wow! And had a "careful" short walk on a very wide beach.






Madja Botanical Walk at Cape Tribulation




After Cape Tribulation, the most northern stop on the tour, we headed south for a 1-hour cruise on Cooper Creek. Crocodiles live here but we did not see any.




After a satisfying lunch at Heritage Lodge, we continued south, passing more sugarcane fields, for a walk at the "treacherous" Mossman Gorge. Not to mention the Golden Orb-weaving Spider.










Reward.