Coming from a place like Baltimore I kept my eye open for street art. Most street art had been primarily ocean themed. Then there was Bob Marley on the North Shore. How appropriate. One Love ❤

The best part of my trip was the north shore because of how laid back and low key the atmosphere was. There were minimal tourists which meant minimal crocs and selfie sticks; I was in heaven.

What to do off of Interstate 83 on the north shore?

1. Shrimp trucks. They’re everywhere, but you have to go to the right ones. It’s pretty cool because the shrimp ponds are directly behind the trucks. #fresh.

2. Pick a beach. It doesn’t even matter which one because they all look something like…

3. Pick a sunset location. If your feet are in the sand, chances are you’re doing it right.

What made my trip complete:

1. Pearl Harbor. If you go to Oahu and don’t see this then you’ve missed the point. I learned more in 45 minutes than any textbook I’ve read.

The Punch Bowl also put some things into perspective, too. It is totally ironic how Hawaii is the main vacation spot for those in Japan.

2. Hiking the Manoa Falls trail. After some serious thought this was my favorite adventure. We chose to hike up the mountain instead of down to the water. Once you’ve been hiking about 30 minutes you reach a bamboo forest, and the sound of the wind knocking the bamboo around was most relaxing sound I have ever surrounded myself with.

I really dig the architecture of Japanese temples and although I’ve seen a few, I thought, eh, why not see another?

& while I’m at it, I’ll chill with this parrot.