For my vacation during spring break, I went to visit my older sister, Sarah, at her house in O’ahu, Hawaii.
Hawaii has been considered a popular exotic tourist spot in our country for almost a century now, though, when I arrived at the island, I was surprised that most of the environment was not that unfamiliar to me. It had the same urban setting we see in most of the other states. One of the noteworthy features is how it serves as a major nexus point between America, Asia, and all other Pacific islands. Of course, there are still many kinds of tourist attractions that I went to see along with my family during the trip, which anyone could enjoy during their vacation.
First, I took a hike to Ka’ena Point in the northern part of the island.  I watched seagulls and other island birds doing their mating dances and even spotted seals coming to shore along the rocky coastline, right next to the Kuaokola Mountain Range.
We had a luau one night at a place called Paradise Cove.  We spent the whole night partying and playing games like limbo, spear tossing, and hula dancing. We even got to pose with live parrots during a photo shoot and feast on traditional Hawaiian cuisine like roast pork, poi, and seafood. During the feast, we watched as our hosts put on a show that taught us about Hawaiian culture and myths, and demonstrated traditional hula and fire dancing. It was everything we expected to learn about the island’s culture.
The next day, I took a bus to a local tourist spot in Kualoa Ranch. During the ride, we passed many of the locations used to film several Hollywood movies, such as Jurassic Park, Kong: Skull Island, and Lost. Many of these sites were hard to recognize because the props featured in the movies weren’t there, but it was still interesting to learn that the area was used in many different films and TV shows. We also observed other interesting locations, such as several army barracks used by both American and Japanese soldiers during World War II. We even learned a little bit about the different crops and livestock raised by local citizens on their ranches.
Another day we rented a pontoon boat and went swimming over by one of the sandbars off the coast. It was by Kaneohe Bay, and I was surprised the water was only two to three feet deep there, whereas the edge of the sandbar declined very rapidly making this area sort of like an undersea mountain.
The last thing we did was go to the beach at the North Shore by the town of Hale’iwa. This part of the coast is well-known as the best spot for surfing the waves. Reputed to rise as high as 10 feet every so often, the waves here make this a world-famous spot to come for some extreme water sports. The amount of fun I had there I can only compare to the days I spent in Florida on another vacation.
There is so much to see in Hawaii, including the local culture and the famous pop culture sites, that I only just scratched the surface.  You can be sure there is even more to see than the things I’ve described. But that is assuming, of course, you are willing to be on an airplane for at least ten hours for the trip there.
