Halona Cove

There are many scenic spots in Oahu and you don’t have to go far to find them. One of them is Halona Cove—just a short drive from Waikiki. The curvy road to get there reminded me of the drive to get to Big Sur. On one side is the mountains and on the other is the sea. Trying to check out the views while driving is dangerous because of the sinuous, one-lane highway. Good thing there are pull outs with plenty of parking for people to get out and snap photos.

I think in the rush of packing for my 3:30a.m. airport pickup on the day I left Hawaii, I may have forgotten to bring back my soul. My body may be here in Vancouver, but I’m still dreaming of Hawaii.

One thing people have asked me about Hawaii are the prices and it’s certainly no myth that things are expensive there. Be prepared to spend nothing less than $10 for a breakfast. It’s paradise so expect to pay for it.

Perhaps more surprising to me than anything else, which I did not expect is that the prices were pretty comparable to Vancouver. We went to a couple grocery stores to pick up some snacks and I was surprised to see that most of the items were pretty much the same price I’d find in Vancouver. Some items were actually less expensive like a pint of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream, which you can get for $3-something, while in Vancouver it’ll cost twice that price. In terms of gas, it’s actually cheaper to buy gas in Hawaii than it is here in Vancouver! When we were there, gas was around $3.50 a gallon. The gas station around the corner from my apartment is charging $1.14 per liter—that’s equivalent to $4.32 per gallon!

It’s absurd. Hawaii is an island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean far removed from everything, yet prices are similar to Vancouver and in some cases less! Vancouver is right across the border from the U.S. and is the first port of entry to a lot of the goods that get imported into Canada. And if you’re wondering, my traveling companions, both from Chicago found the prices expensive compared with what they find back home.

I knew that living in Vancouver would be expensive, but I never expected that I’d pay about the same amount for most everyday things and in some cases more than in Hawaii.