Oahu, HI

May 21

For years, I had talked to Zakhary about going to Hawaii. He was well aware that it was top five on my list of places to visit. I’d talk about it as if I’d been before - constantly making statements about how beautiful it was.
That opinion was based solely on pictures I’d seen.
But, now I can check it off my list and I have pictures of my own.

March 2023

our alarm went off around 3:00 am …

We landed in Oahu around noon on the 7th.

One of the first things we did was go to the beach. Waikiki Beach was right next to our airbnb so we ventured there. I had done some research beforehand - this beach was said to be very busy with lots of tourists.

It was.

So Zakhary and I fit right in.

A gloomy afternoon on Waikiki Beach.

First of many beaches we visited while on Oahu. We grabbed Topped Waikiki and ate on the beach.

DAY 1

Good Morning

We woke up early this day, thanks to the time change, so we decided to go watch the sunrise on Waikiki Beach.
Right after I got these pictures it started to down pour so we ran to the nearest rest area and stood under the awning until it turned to a sprinkle.

Later that morning we stopped for breakfast at Goofy’s Cafe and when you have a Zakhary, you get to try a little bit of everything.

Big Island french toast - Hawaiian’s
Beef loco moco
Egg’s benedict with Kaula pork

Continuing throughout our day - Manoa Falls was one of the many attractions I wanted to see on this trip.

A 150-foot waterfall along the Manoa trails. There is a swimming pool at the bottom of it and Zakhary ended up getting in it.

Lanikai Beach + Pillbox Hike

Aka our favorite beach. The entrance to this beach is a walkway in between houses. Lanikai had the calmest waves, the softest sand (almost like a fine powder), and crystal clear water.
The Mokulua islands are a pair of islands located about a mile offshore from the beach.
The famous pillbox hike - two concrete structures on Ka'iwa Ridge that were built to be observation stations are now popular places to hike.

To wrap up our first day, we went to Doraku Sushi for dinner and it was some of the best sushi we have ever had.

Black peppered ahi roll >>

DAY 2

More food …

Cream Pot for Breakfast
Zakhary and I are big breakfast people so we had to check out the spot.
Blueberry soufflé pancakes
Ahi eggs benedict
The classic omelet (not pictured)

After breakfast we decided to check out a different side of the island - North Shore

Waimea Bay
This beach had a lot bigger waves than Lanikai and even Waikiki. The lifeguards weren’t letting people get in the water or even walk along the shore because of the size of the waves.
Also, I will always remember this beach as the one that started the sunburn.

After hanging out at the beach for a few hours we headed to Waimea Valley.

A 45-foot waterfall that is located at the end of a botanical garden; which includes 52 themed gardens and is the home to over 5000 documented types of tropical and subtropical plants including native Hawaiian plants and globally endangered species.
Zakhary and I both swam in this one.
It’s hard to pick a favorite out of everything Zakhary and I saw/did, but this would be up there.

Ok, you get the theme by now…

We hit up Surf N Salsa for dinner. A family-owned food truck offering Mexican and Latin dishes. I got a chicken quesadilla and Zakhary got a couple of burritos.

To finish day 2, we had to catch a sunset at none other than Sunset Beach.

Rumored to have some of the best sunsets, but I was worried with it being so cloudy, we wouldn’t get a good one.
This picture changed my mind.

DAY 3

1st day to myself in Hawaii and Zakhary’s 1st day training bells. I took him to the gym that morning.

I could’ve made that drive every day. One of the views I loved most was the luscious green mountains.
My day consisted of going back to Lanikai beach :)

DAY 4

Another day where Zakhary trained and I got a whole day to myself in Hawaii, sounds horrible, right?

Koko Head consists of climbing 1,048 steps to the top of the Koko Head Crater.
Once you reach the top, you can see Aina Haina, Sandys Beach, and a large portion of the south shore.

DAY 5

Zakhary’s last day hitting bells - test day!

I went back to the North Shore to check out Pupukea Beach.
But first, coffee at sunrise shack
AND
A papaya fruit bowl with granola, banana, coconut flakes, peanut butter, and honey.

// PROUD MOMENT //
6 core kb skills
100 kb snatches in under 5 minutes
Zakhary passed all 6 skills and in about 4 minutes and 15 seconds, he finished 100 kb snatches. StrongFirst certified level 1! In his class, there were 15 people. Zakhary was 1 of 3 that passed everything and got officially certified.

To give you a little of a back story - in 2013, Zakhary started bodybuilding and in 2020 he tore his bicep. Fast forward to February 2022, he started training kettlebells and has been super invested ever since he picked one up. He got the opportunity to sign up for a StrongFirst certified course which was located in Oahu so he jumped at the opportunity.

“StrongFirst is the school of strength founded by Pavel Tsatsouline… On top of strength, we coach ‘strong endurance’ and resilience for the most demanding applications. Distilled from the best of Russian and Western sports science, our methods have proven record with professional athletes, tier-one special operators, as well as regular folks who have decided to earn self-respect and be weak no more. Our instructor team includes national team coaches, national champions, former military special operators, first responders, law enforcement officers, elite martial artists, national tea, doctors, and other high-end professionals.”