Oahu, Hawaii - Travel Vlog

Series: Honeymoon in Hawaii | Island: Oahu

Introduction & Morning at the Resort

The hosts kick off the episode outlining three main activities for the day: a food tour of Waikiki/Chinatown, a visit to Pearl Harbor, and a tour of Kualoa Ranch (famous Jurassic Park filming location). They reflect on the view from their resort and mention skipping a luau this trip since they did one in Maui — rating that experience a 10/10 but noting the cost (~$200+/person) makes it a once-per-Hawaii-trip activity.

Activity 1: Off the Beaten Path Food Tour – Chinatown, Oahu

Tour: Off the Beaten Path | Guide: Victor (Vic)

Overview

• Started in Honolulu's Chinatown — the oldest Chinatown in the United States, dating back to Chinese arrivals in the 1790s
• Described as quiet, local, and something they would never have discovered on their own

Stops & Food Highlights

Royal Kitchen

• Menu featured plate lunches, chow mein, fried rice, dumplings
• Tried Hawaiian Sun drinks — passion orange and strawberry guava nectar
• Tried Manapua (steamed pork bun) — historically sold by Chinese plantation workers
  • Rating: 8/10 — described as pulled pork in the softest dinner roll, savory and slightly sweet
  • Also available in: curry chicken, kulua pork, black sugar

Maunakea Marketplace

• Local, non-touristy atmosphere
• Tried Chicken Adobo — tender, mild, subtle flavor; very well received
• Tried Fried Banana Pastry — wrapped in pastry, covered in sugar; mixed reactions (one loved it, one could leave it)

Fresh Fruit Section

• Chico (Sapote) — tart, like a green Jolly Rancher; decent but affected by nearby fish smell
• Sugar Apple — tasted like brown sugar; highly enjoyed
• Durian — described as smelling like a fart, tasting like garlic or something gone bad; one host didn't mind it frozen
• Fresh Lychee — called the best fruit in the world; much preferred over canned

Fish Market (oldest fish market)

• Steamed Parrotfish — fresh, caught the day prior; enjoyed with some bone concerns
• Raw deep sea prawn — head-sucked, ate the gut; compared to uni flavor
• Fresh Bluefin Tuna Poke — described as really good, nice and cold

Tour Rating

10/10 — Highly recommended, no sponsorship/affiliate. Victor was genuinely passionate, knowledgeable, and took them places they'd never find alone. Zero tourists in sight.

Activity 2: Pearl Harbor National Memorial

Logistics

• Parking: $7 per vehicle (no tour required)
• Audio Tour: $14/person — includes a map with audio-guided dots throughout the park
• Tip: Reserve tickets online in advance — most areas (including the USS Arizona) sell out; they lucked into a standby boat spot
• No large camera bags or fanny packs allowed

Experience

• Watched the museum film covering the attack — over 300 Japanese planes, submarine attacks, a second wave, 45 civilian casualties from friendly fire
• Visited the USS Arizona Memorial via standby line — no wait
• Learned that oil still seeps from the Arizona (~2 quarts/day); families of those lost consider it the tears of men still trapped inside
• Bodies remain entombed in the ship

Takeaway

Both hosts admitted knowing very little about Pearl Harbor going in. The film and audio tour significantly deepened their understanding. Highly recommend the museum film in particular.

"I just never realized the extent of the attack... I genuinely feel like I learned a lot."

Activity 3: Kualoa Ranch – Movie Sites Tour

Location: Kualoa Ranch, windward side of Oahu

Note on Booking

Originally booked a 3-hour UTV tour (~$400 for two) but missed the time slot due to confusion between Viator listings and the ranch's direct site. Staff graciously swapped them onto two separate guided tours for approximately the same price.

Tour 1 – Cultural & Landscape Tour (Bus)

• Visited a WWII military bunker with artifacts
• Learned about Hawaiian sacred sites — a god's house (deity of agriculture), warning huts, and traditional entry methods (offering, performance, or ritual ocean cleansing)
• Spotted a turtle-shaped island visible from the ridge
• Saw Ahuapua — pig head stones marking land divisions across the island

Tour 2 – Movie Sites Tour (Bus)

Films & TV spotted on location:

"I work in the film industry, I've shot on the Universal backlot in LA, and for some reason this place is blowing my mind."

Ranch Food

• Passion Fruit Ice Cream on Sugar Cookie — sweet, tart, tangy; loved it
• Grass-fed Burger (cattle raised on property) — good smash burger, lighter than the Waikiki burger
• Pork Fried Rice — enjoyed with multiple sauces

Tour Rating

Highly recommended, especially for families with younger kids. Scenic, educational, and fun without being overwhelming.

Final Evening & Departure

• Last dinner at the resort — sunset, tiki torches, cotton candy clouds (pink and blue sky)
• Second bottle of champagne; reflected on the full week
• Morning departure ritual: returned lei/flowers to the land, said goodbye to the resort dolphins

Final Hawaii Honeymoon Ratings

"Hawaii really does live up to the dream of the perfect honeymoon. It just has everything."