We stopped by Oahu and Honolulu in order for me to see what it was like. Annie had been there before and prepared me for what was in store. The traffic is absurd because the roads are in no way capable of handling the level of cars on the island. The beaches are littered with tourists. The coral has long been destroyed.

The only redeeming factor is a place serves vegetarian canh chua, which is one of my most favorite things to eat. It is a light tamarind-flavored broth soup with pineapple, river herb, sprouts, taro, tofu, and if you are lucky, hot chilis. Often it comes with tomatoes or sprouts.