Despite my fast-approaching exams, in May 2022 I went to San Francisco and Hawaii for my mum's birthday (postponed due to covid-19). Both places had been on my Bucket List for years and I was very excited to finally visit these contrasting locations.
San Francisco, California
The flight from London to San Fran lasted 11 hours, though unlike most people, I actually really enjoy long-haul flights, and we got a spectacular view of Greenland's mountains and enjoyed a delicious afternoon tea during the flight.
On the day we arrived, we were determined to adjust to San Fran's timezone, which was 8h behind London's and meant staying awake for over 24h. To accomplish this, we decided to explore some parts of the city that we otherwise wouldn't have time to, specifically the Mission District. We walked from our hotel near Union Square along Mission Street, with the aim of seeing the colourful murals in Mission District, however we were shocked by the extent of homelessness in the area - I've travelled avidly and have never seen homelessness on this scale (perhaps with the exception of Delhi, India). There were many areas filled with tents or random items being sold and various people supported open wounds or mental illnesses.
As we approached Balmy Street, the building names and cuisine became distinctly more Hispanic. I actually quite enjoyed this part of the city as it was filled with art, and as we headed back towards Union Square the houses had the iconic Victorian design, which I am a big fan of. It was this evening that I tried a cheesesteak for the first time, and although it wasn't my favourite dish, I was glad to have tried it.
The following day, due to jet lag we'd awoken very early and enjoyed American pancakes at a diner nearby (Café Mason) before walking through the Financial District towards Embarcadero. This was the location of many sights on my to-do list, including the Ferry Building, Alcatraz, and Pier 39. We walked through the Ferry Building and headed along the riverfront to Pier 33, where you can get a boat to Alcatraz. Having missed Robin Island due to weather conditions, I was very keen to visit Alcatraz and we managed to bring our slot forward from 10am to 8.45am. After a quick ferry ride (and gorgeous views of Golden Gate Bridge, as shown in the video above), we arrived at the surprisingly small island. An audio tour led us around the prison and it was extremely interesting and highly recommended; there was a mix between individual prisoner's accounts, information on the Alcatraz Escape, and infographics about the US incarceration system in general (including how it tends to be for profit in the US and how black people are disproportionately incarcerated). One thing that surprised me was the abundance of flora on the island and its significance to Native Americans.
On the boat ride back to the mainland, we saw dolphins swimming in the river and then promptly headed towards Pier 39 to see the sea lions lazing about in the sun. This pier was reminiscent of Santa Monica pier in LA: filled with souvenirs and fairground rides. Fisherman's Wharf is nearby and here we enjoyed various seafood dishes, which were delicious. We then took a quick detour to Umbrella Alley, which featured a lot of cool artwork, before taking a typical cable car to Powell. Although pricey, this ride was surprisingly entertaining due to the steep inclines of the roads and quick descents.
During the remainder of our time in San Fran, we visited the Bay Area and the remaining landmarks via a hop-on-hop-off bus which, as I've mentioned in other blog posts, is one of my favourite ways to explore and learn about a city if time is limited. On this trip, we visited Haight-Ashbury, which was the home of hippies (and also where a local shopkeeper screamed at us welcoming us to the city). In addition, we visited Golden Gate Park, which features a Japanese tea house, many eucalyptus trees, and locals playing baseball, Coit Tower, which offers impressive views of the city, Lombard Street, which is a very crooked street featuring eight hairpin turns, and the Painted Ladies. Of course, one of the highlights of the trip was seeing the famous Golden Gate Bridge (which always reminds me of Ponte 25 de Abril in Lisbon), and we actually crossed the bridge to the other side, which was the most cold and wind I'd experienced in a hot minute, but was enjoyable.
Other sights that were recommended but I didn't manage to see include Sausalito and Napa Valley.
Maui, Hawaii
With a bad sun burn courtesy of the bus tour in San Francisco, we headed to Maui, which I suspected would be the highlight of the trip. This was my first time flying with Hawaiian airlines and the 4.5-hour flight flew by as we were given rum punch and local biscuits alongside our meal. On arrival I had two initial impressions of Maui: the first, that is reminded me greatly of Madeira (which was solidified the more time I spent on the island), and the second that it was very humid. We enjoyed ahi poke and local beer as we settled in; we were now 11 hours behind London.
We had rented a car and planned to go on a road trip: the Road to Hana. Despite storm weather warnings and a poorly mum, we persisted and drove along the very windy roads in an attempt to explore the island. The route featured an abundance of waterfalls, streams and rainforests, and was simply stunning. Flowers bloomed in every corner of the island (especially plumeria) and there were various shacks and stands to stop at for food; we tried a variety of local foods including shaved ice, banana bread, papayas, and local coffee, all of which was delicious. The rainforests reminded me of the Amazon rainforest in Brazil, however each part of the island offered differing landscapes, and it made me yearn for Madeira. On another day, we drove above the clouds towards Haleakalā National Park, which was beautiful and featured various traditional houses.
Maui was so peaceful and beautiful that the cloudy weather wasn't a bother in the slightest, in fact it allowed for many rainbows, which bring me a lot of joy. That said, it was roughly 24°C throughout and we managed a few days of sun too - the white sands and clear waters provided for a perfect beach day and epic sunsets into the sea. The Pacific Ocean is much warmer than the Atlantic, and the waves were ideal for surfers, who would partake in the activity in the mornings and evenings along the beach front.
Maui was incredible: everyone was laid back, the landscapes were astounding, and the food was delicious. I'd specifically recommend Kihei Caffe Lahaina for breakfast as their pancakes and coffee are great, and trying the fresh tropical fruits and poke. Maui was a tropical paradise and reminiscent of the landscapes in '50 First Dates' and 'Lilo and Stitch'.
Oahu, Hawaii
Our last destination on this trip was Honolulu on the island of Oahu. Despite also being in Hawaii, our experience here was completely different to that in Maui (although we didn't rent a car here and mainly stayed in the city centre). As soon as we left the airport, we noticed a lot more traffic and as we headed into the city centre it was apparent that Honolulu was a lot more populated and had many more homeless people than Maui; we would often see people rummaging through bins and collecting any plastic bottles (presumably to recycle in exchange for money).
The weather seemed to be nicer here (though it could just be that the storms had passed), though the beaches were also infinitely more crowded and I've never in my life seen so many surfers in one place. One evening as we waited for a Hula performance, we sat by the beach and the strong sense of community between the locals was apparent. There was a large family in front of us where everyone surfed, from the toddler who couldn't fit into her wetsuit, to the grandma, which was great to see. Some of the surfers were absolutely incredible too and it was very entertaining and inspiring to see.
There are various statues along Waikiki Beach from which you can learn a bit about Hawaiian culture and people and I was fascinated by the (heavy) commercialisation of Hawaii and the diversity of the local population. Interestingly, I learnt that alongside the Japanese and Chinese workers that came to work on the plantations in Hawaii, many Portuguese (specifically Madeirans and Azoreans) immigrated there too (and is perhaps why the ukulele, which is heavily inspired by the Madeiran 'braguinha', is attributed to Hawaii).
One of the most interesting excursions we went on in Oahu was to Pearl Harbour, and it was fascinating (albeit heart-breaking) to learn about the specifics of this attack, although I found it strange that the atomic bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki in retaliation weren't really mentioned (especially having visited these cities previously and learnt about the horrific effects of the bombings). Regardless, it was an interesting experience and I'd never been inside a submarine so it was interesting to explore the inner workings of the watercraft. Coincidentally, a ceremony was held during our visit as a Marine was retiring after 27 years of service, which was heartwarming to see. It was also here that I was able to pick an oyster, from which the pearl was extracted and attached to a necklace as a birthday gift for my mum, which was special.
Despite the vast distance between Hawaii and the UK (it took over 24 hours to get home on the way back), this trip was incredible and many unforgettable memories were made.
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