Diamond Head Hike

Parking is limited; there's always 100 people in front of you and 100 people behind you; the "trail" is paved part of the way through; and Japanese tourists can be found doing the "hike" in dresses and sandals (at the least the women). But the pay off is always good when you make it to the top. Views from East Oahu to the airport, with blue skies and endless ocean.

You hike up from the inside of the crater, so you need to enter the crater first
through a tunnel.

Here we go!

This poster gives you a great overview
of the hike and the history of how Diamond Head
was used by the military.

On the day of our hike, you could see the moon in the sky.

See that bunker at the top? That's our destination.

Looking into the crater as we climb up. 

Almost at the top. You can see how crowded the trail is.

When I got to the area that's pictured above, I turned around
to take a picture of the trail below (where I took the picture
above).

We saw a hiker walking along the ridge. See him?

This is the "down" view of the first set
of stairs (about 76) we had to climb.

After climbing the first set of stairs
and going through a dark, yet lit, tunnel, there's
another set of stairs to climb. This one has 99 steps.
These steps lead you through the bunker where
you climb a dimly lit winding staircase
to your destination. There's a less claustrophobic
route to get to the top as well. 

Looking Mauka.

At the top, looking Ewa.

Housing and condos below fronting Diamond Head.

Ocean view. Can you spot the Diamond Head lighthouse?

Another ocean view.

Looking East.

Instead of going back down through the bunker, we went the alternate route
back down. Here's a line of people making their way down.

With you route, you're avoiding the dark bunker
with the winding staircase, but not the stairs.

One last view before leaving.

Gingerbread House Exhibit in Waikiki

I'm taking a break from my usual Vegas posts to share a recent visit to Waikiki.

I've heard about the annual gingerbread house exhibit at the Princess Kaiulani Hotel, but I've never made it into Waikiki to see it. We were in Waikiki for dinner this weekend, so after the meal, I dragged the reluctant hubby to go see it.

The display is in the lobby of the hotel and it's quite impressive. The exhibit took three months to create, and this year's theme is a global one. It features architectural landmarks from around the world, from Hawaii to Europe to Asia. It even has a toy train circling it.

While I don't think it merits a special trip to Waikiki just to see it, it's a must-see if you're already there.