Oahu, Hawaii 2017 Trip: Day 6 - Spending the day at Kualoa Ranch and finally trying Marukame Udon in Waikiki
This was our last day in the North Shore, we were sad to go but we knew good things were to come. After checking out from our Airbnb, we went to get some breakfast. We decided to try this food truck called Crispy Grindz. This truck serves acai bowls and a couple of Brazilian snacks. We've never had acai bowls or anything Brazilian before. So we got a large acai bowl to share and we each got something called a pastel. Pastels is a huge wonton like wrap with a filling inside of them. I got the spinach and feta and my boyfriend got the pizza one. All the food was really good, especially the pastels. We love our crispy foods and those were a great start to the day. The acai bowls were good, I understand the hype of them but I honestly don't think I would ever crave one. I prefer ice cream or frozen yogurt.
After breakfast we drove to Kualoa Ranch which was in the city of Kaneohe. When we got there, we were surprised how easy it was to find parking. This was an very touristy attraction so of course there was a lot of people there. We had two tours booked for the day, the first tour was the Catamaran Boat Tour - Ocean Voyage Tour and the second tour was the Jurassic Jungle Expedition Tour.
For the Ocean Voyage Tour, we had to go on a bus to go to this "secret area". Then we got on a boat that took us to a forest area that also had a beach nearby. From there we got on the Catamaran Boat and started our tour.
Honestly the Ocean Voyage Tour was not worth the money. The whole time we were just on a boat and they hoped that we would see a turtle during this time. Apparently there was a turtle at the end but we had missed it. Also my boyfriend and I both realized that we don't like boats and that we possibly could get sea sick. The waves were pretty rocky that day so after 10 mins of excitement in the start, we were both looking forward to getting off the boat.
After the tour we got back to the ranch where we had an hour break before our next tour. We thought about getting some snacks at the concession area, but we soon realized how expensive everything was. So we decided to go back to the car and eat our own snacks. If you decide to come here, bring our own drinks and snacks or else you will be spending a lot of money.
Our second tour was the Jurassic Jungle Tour. We got to sit in the back of the truck with a meshed canopy on top. We were actually sitting near the front of the back, so we got some good views in. Our tour guide was so funny and did an excellent job of explaining Hawaiian culture and history. Besides getting to see all the nature, learn about Hawaiian culture, we also got to see cows, pigs and birds. In addition, Jurassic World was actually filmed at Kualoa Ranch, and apparently Chris Pratt was there a couple months ago to film Jurassic World II! During this tour, we got a to see this famous movie set. We all were so excited when we saw this and took a bunch of photos.
During the tour, it was raining and so muddy which actually made the experience even better. Our driver was driving us through bumps so a lot of us in the front got really wet. This tour was a 100 times better than the ocean voyage tour. I highly recommend anyone to do this tour. Kualoa Ranch also offers ATV tours, zip lining and other tours. These tours are very pricey though, I think I paid around $200 USD for the two tours for two people. If you have the budget or you're a huge movie fanatic, definitely book one of tours. However if you're on a tight budget, there's tons to do in Oahu that is free such as beaches and hikes. Overall we had a great day out in Kualoa Ranch, it was definitely a great experience.
Afterwards, we drove back to Honolulu and checked in to our Airbnb. Our Airbnb was again in Kaimuki, it's nice to be in a residential area but I wished that I booked a place in another area just to experience another neighbourhood.
For dinner we finally decided to check out Marukame Udon in Waikiki. Marukame Udon is famous for their fresh made udon and their affordable prices. Once we got there, we were very intimidated by the enormous line. However we decided to wait because I really wanted to try this and I wasn't leaving Honolulu without eating here. We waited in line for about 45 mins to an hour before getting to the front. How it works is that you choose what kind of udon you want, then you'll choose what items you want with your noodles with extra charge of course. There was all types of tempura and musubi that you can choose from. I ordered the curry udon and my boyfriend got the niku udon. We both got some tempura and I also got an Inari (bean curd) sushi with my noodles. I can say that the wait was so worth it. The noodles were so good and the broth was flavourful. In addition I think our whole meal costed around $20-25 USD and we were stuffed.
After dinner we walked around Waikiki and got ice cream before heading back to our Airbnb. We had plans to get up early the next day for more adventures.
Stay tuned!
Vivian
After breakfast we drove to Kualoa Ranch which was in the city of Kaneohe. When we got there, we were surprised how easy it was to find parking. This was an very touristy attraction so of course there was a lot of people there. We had two tours booked for the day, the first tour was the Catamaran Boat Tour - Ocean Voyage Tour and the second tour was the Jurassic Jungle Expedition Tour.
For the Ocean Voyage Tour, we had to go on a bus to go to this "secret area". Then we got on a boat that took us to a forest area that also had a beach nearby. From there we got on the Catamaran Boat and started our tour.
Honestly the Ocean Voyage Tour was not worth the money. The whole time we were just on a boat and they hoped that we would see a turtle during this time. Apparently there was a turtle at the end but we had missed it. Also my boyfriend and I both realized that we don't like boats and that we possibly could get sea sick. The waves were pretty rocky that day so after 10 mins of excitement in the start, we were both looking forward to getting off the boat.
 |
| Chinaman's Hat |
Our second tour was the Jurassic Jungle Tour. We got to sit in the back of the truck with a meshed canopy on top. We were actually sitting near the front of the back, so we got some good views in. Our tour guide was so funny and did an excellent job of explaining Hawaiian culture and history. Besides getting to see all the nature, learn about Hawaiian culture, we also got to see cows, pigs and birds. In addition, Jurassic World was actually filmed at Kualoa Ranch, and apparently Chris Pratt was there a couple months ago to film Jurassic World II! During this tour, we got a to see this famous movie set. We all were so excited when we saw this and took a bunch of photos.
During the tour, it was raining and so muddy which actually made the experience even better. Our driver was driving us through bumps so a lot of us in the front got really wet. This tour was a 100 times better than the ocean voyage tour. I highly recommend anyone to do this tour. Kualoa Ranch also offers ATV tours, zip lining and other tours. These tours are very pricey though, I think I paid around $200 USD for the two tours for two people. If you have the budget or you're a huge movie fanatic, definitely book one of tours. However if you're on a tight budget, there's tons to do in Oahu that is free such as beaches and hikes. Overall we had a great day out in Kualoa Ranch, it was definitely a great experience.
Afterwards, we drove back to Honolulu and checked in to our Airbnb. Our Airbnb was again in Kaimuki, it's nice to be in a residential area but I wished that I booked a place in another area just to experience another neighbourhood.
For dinner we finally decided to check out Marukame Udon in Waikiki. Marukame Udon is famous for their fresh made udon and their affordable prices. Once we got there, we were very intimidated by the enormous line. However we decided to wait because I really wanted to try this and I wasn't leaving Honolulu without eating here. We waited in line for about 45 mins to an hour before getting to the front. How it works is that you choose what kind of udon you want, then you'll choose what items you want with your noodles with extra charge of course. There was all types of tempura and musubi that you can choose from. I ordered the curry udon and my boyfriend got the niku udon. We both got some tempura and I also got an Inari (bean curd) sushi with my noodles. I can say that the wait was so worth it. The noodles were so good and the broth was flavourful. In addition I think our whole meal costed around $20-25 USD and we were stuffed.
 |
| Chefs working hard to make the udon |
After dinner we walked around Waikiki and got ice cream before heading back to our Airbnb. We had plans to get up early the next day for more adventures.
Stay tuned!
Vivian
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