Take me down to the North Shore...

This is the itenerary of a Shopaholic and TV Junkie who was allowed to run wild in Hawaii: ME!

First stop: the NEX at Pearl Harbor. I know it's "just another Exchange" but I'm told it's the largest in the world. If you know of a larger one, give me the address. I love shopping treks!

(The real reason this was our first stop is because my hayfever attacked me the minute we landed and I thought my head was going to explode. I forced my husband to get me over there for some antihistamine. We also needed swimsuits and towels for our trip to Waikiki beach)

Second stop: Waikiki Beach, of course! The sand, the surf, the sunbathers, the shops. It's all here. The energy you get from all of the above is so incredible...it's a wonder we ever slept.

The next day, we made our way to Othersville. This is strictly for "Lost" junkies. We found it on GoogleEarth but lostmaplocations.blogspot.com will give you more spots to travel to. Most of the sites are located on the North Shore, near the Dillingham Airfield - where you can rent a glider, which is what my DH and his friend did the last time they were TDY to the island.

Northward: We spent the entire day on the North Shore. We went to the Banzai Pipeline beach, where they hold some of the world championship surfing tournaments every Winter. We didn't see any big waves; instead, we got caught in a very chilly rainstorm. The North Shore of Oahu is absolutely beautiful and the drive from Honolulu is filled with stunning scenery. There are too many links for me to include here so just type "North Shore Oahu" into Google and you'll find a goldmine of places to go and things to do. We regret that we didn't get to go to the Polynesian Cultural Center. Next time. Promise.

Speaking of Culture: We really enjoyed the Hawaiian lifestyle, especially on the North Shore. I loved that the local music can be heard 24/7 on the radio....it's so relaxing to listen to. My favorite artists, so far, are the female trio - Na Leo Pilimehana - and their song "North Shore Serenade". Again, there are too many links for this group but I can direct you to a sample of their music: http://music.yahoo.com/track/1246419.

As soon as my bank account recovers from this trip, I'm going to buy one of their CDs. :-)

Let me know how your own visit, or assignment, to Oahu went and what sorts of things you did.

Aloha!

~ jewls