Obama back on trail after Hawaii break

US Democratic candidate Barack Obama left Hawaii on Friday and hoped to return the next time as president of the United States.

Obama departed his tropical former home state after a busy weeklong vacation. Relaxation for the fit 47-year-old did not include much time on the beach.

Obama spent two multi-hour stints on golf courses, worked out at a local gym, went bodysurfing, visited Pearl Harbor, and took his children out for the Hawaiian version of a snow cone known locally as "shave ice".