Oahu Day 6

We rented a car the next two days using our $150 credit from the timeshare presentation. The next few places were farther out and you'd likely make many trips in between so renting a car would be a good idea. First stop, dole planation for dun dun dun....DOLE WHIP!!! Authentic version vs disneyland version. Yes...the disneyland version one tastes similar to the real one, although Grant thinks otherwise, yet he refuses to even try the disneyland one.  Though I do admit, the Hawaii is a bit more fruity and fresh if i recall correctly. Plus the lines were better.

This is nice. They offer many options. We decided to go with the one with fresh pineapple topping which was really tasty. There was also dole whip float, banana split dole whip, and a few others I can't recall right now.

Yes they even have spam flavored mac nuts... Its normal to see spam in quite a few places.

A pretty rainbow colored tree at the dole plantation.

Cute baby pineapple. There were quite a few other nice picture opportunities including standing in a big pineapple (it feels like you're spongebob) and also those cutouts where you can put your head in it, so you become a pineapple head.

That was a great weather day... probably the best on the trip

Matsumoto's! That line was really long but the place is famous for it's shaved ice. It's worth waiting for but we hear that Aoki's just down the street is really good as well. It's probably worth trying both places if you have the opportunity.

The lychee, papaya, pina colada with condensed milk tasted really good.

There was a thai mobile truck restaurant nearby. We tried some pad thai and green curry. The pad thai was really good.

Shrimp truck. We tried to look for something on the menu but couldn't find anything veggie friendly as expected. They could probably easily make a veggie friendly version with substitute shrimp.

The north shore was really pretty. We dropped by a couple beaches. These are the first few....(grant add here)

This one is ehukai beach with the pipepline. We decided to first take a nap. It was very blissful laying on a nice beach mat (also good idea to get one of these made of bamboo fibers), feeling the nice warm sun, and hearing the peaceful sound of the ocean. After our hour long nap, we took a walk along the beach. More towards the left side of the beach, there were less people and the waves were bigger. There were life guards warning people because there were sudden drops in sea level on this beach. You could start at feet level, then walk in a few feet and already be at waist level.

We drove by this tidepool place a couple times and decided to drop by and check it out. It was unique. The water was a bit murky in some areas due to the lava rocks, which can be quite sharp. Be really careful. I was wearing flip flops and cut my foot on a rock. It would definitely be smart to invest in some water shoes at the start of the trip. When stepping on rocks also be careful because some can move. More towards the center, the water was clearer and people were snorkeling. There were a few small fishes.

A james bond pizza? Other than having 7 toppings, we didn't really see how this was related to james bond.

Lava flow round 2 at a diner cafe. It was pretty good. We realized lava flow tastes best without the rum.

Maui Day 5

We were left to our own in Maui the next day. I was given the keys to the second car. I'll add that I was a bit apprehensive. This was the first time driving on the right side of the road in two whole years! But all was okay. It felt just fine. I did hit the wipers a couple times (wipers and turn signal swapped with different side drivers). We stopped by random beaches on the way to Kihei. This was really nice. More of the typical Hawaii. Less people, quiet clean beaches. So nice.

We got lunch from a place called 808 cafe. They had a nice assortment of sandwiches and paninis and even hots dogs. I think they're supposed to be the best sandwiches on Maui or something. It was pretty good. What was even more awesome was because the cafe was so packed, we took our lunch literally across the street and sat on some park benches and ate lunch looking over the ocean. Sweet...

Twix pudding. Tasty. It's like warm ice cream.

We were treated to dinner at a Filipino restaurant, which I confess I had never been to one before. It was good food, but most importantly good company. We tried a lot of different desserts... yumm... including this creamy shaved ice thing with coconut pudding ice cream (it was realllly goood),  chocolate cake thing with mochi ice cream, and fried banana. After dinner, we were rushed over to the airport, which was really close. Fought through a packed line to get through security, and ran towards the gate. We were the last to board the plane and made it there with 3-4 minutes to spare. The flight attendants at the gate greeted us as if they expected us. It was the closest I have ever been to missing a flight, but everything was okay in the end.

Maui Day 4

Took a flight to Maui to see my friends there. It's only a 35 minute flight. About $65 one way. Overall not too bad, but I heard it used to be really cheap. Maui's nice, but it's definitely smaller than Oahu in population. We went for lunch at this cafe and had a banana cream pie among other things. Unfortunately, we didn't take a picture. Then we went snorkeling. I'll say this. It's even better in Maui. Water was clear (or so I'm told). I didn't use a prescription snorkel, so I thought the water was cloudy, when actually one could easily see the bottom of the ocean floor. The reef was just a random spot where we went snorkeling. Coral was quick to see and there were plenty of different fishes around. My friends are so lucky. They can do this everyday after work if they wanted. That's how easy it is for them. Best coral of the trip I would say. I think it helps that Maui is less populated. We even saw some whales in the water. Very nice. 

We had a nice team made dinner that night. We decided to try out the grill and make kabobs, except that we forgot to buy the kabob sticks and ending up constructing them with chopsticks. Yes, bear grylls style with wooden chopstick in one hand and knife in the other. The veggies came out really well, though i accidentally marinated and bbqed my friend's cucumber which was supposed to be used for the salad. They have such a nice house, a very modern beachy style. It was so serene.We were really really envious. I'm really happy for them. Dinner was awesome, but it was just more awesome that we could hang out, talk, make dinner together, and really just enjoy each other's company. They were kind enough to let us stay overnight in their guest bedroom. Nicest bedroom of the trip. Thanks, EKP!

Oahu Day 3

I had been to the Polynesian Culture Center when I was 11 or 12. I all remembered from that was that it was raining the whole time and it had green bananas, which were really bitter.

But Felice had never been, so we went. We took the bus from Ala Moana Center. There are a couple morning ones in the morning leaving around 9:30 and 10 something, which will take you up to Kaneohe, then up the Windward (East) shore up to Laie where the Polynesian Culture Center is. It's bus 55, can't miss. PCC opens it's doors around noon, so no rush.

We prebooked our tickets to include buffet dinner and the show, Ha... breath of life. It has a "schedule," but you pretty much do whatever you want. I think we tried to plan at being in certain places, but there's really no need. You use the "schedule" to guide you in terms of where the biggest events are happening, but some are better than others. Aotearoa, which is basically the Maori of New Zealand, was good. Fiji was okay. Tahiti was kind of lame. Tonga was pretty good. Everyone will have different takes though. The Samoan coconut scrapper was pretty funny though.

This taro become poi. It's actually not that bad. Not good, but not that bad.

I forget what this was. A coconut bread baking oven?

Canoe show around 2:30pm showcasing the various island garbs. The guys are all ripped. I mean, they were ripped. I love the hula hip bouncing. It's so mesmorizing.

We were dorky and we got the Tahitian ink "tatoos."

The Tonga drum performance. They had people from different places come up and emulate after the main drummer guy. A guy from colorado, japan, and new jersey I believe. He referred to them by their place, "okay colorado, let's go!" It was really funny.

Tropical sorbet on fruit. Pretty good. They used canned fruit, which was kind of cheap. $5, served by your friendly waitress on a canoe. That is not actually a photo of our sorbet. We were too excited about the sorbet we forgot to take a photo, so we ended up leaning over a tourist's shoulder and taking a photo of their sorbet. Secretly...

Fiji stick stompers? 1-2, 1-2-3. 1-2, 1-2-3. 1, 2, 3, 4. 1, 2, 3, 4.

Ha... breath of life (aka adult human version of lion king). I thought it was so-so. It was like a showcase of the day's cultures, which I guess is the point of a culture center. Things were so-so until the fire dancers came out at the end. Then it was pretty awesome.

We took the 55 bus back. There are only 2 late ones around 9:30 and 10:30 pm. It'll take you back to Ala Moana Center, so you then need to take the 19 or 20 back to Waikiki, which will get you home around 11:30-12:30. I would sneak out of the show a few minutes early to take the earlier bus. The bus is a bit dodgy at night, so I was a little on edge, but nothing happened. In retrospect, I think I would have arranged for the shuttle to PCC and back if they didn't have just a one-way shuttle trip back. I don't think a car rental is necessary for the whole day since it is a whole day affair and there is a parking fee of $6 or something like that. I think the bus is safe overall, but it was a bit uncomfortable that late. Unscrupulous characters and whatnot. I don't think you need that feeling on a vacation.

Oahu Day 2

Didn't take many pictures this day, but started the day with a run. I like running outdoors when I can because it reminds me, "Oh snap, I'm Hawaii... this is nice." There are also less people in the morning, so the atmosphere is different from the late mornings and afternoons when the Japanese tourists come out to play. Beware of people walking on the paths as they're not accustomed to runner/walker etiquette. Left... left... left!

Famished after the run, we took up breakfast at a nice cafe. Most eats are open early in the morning. Many as early as 6am. So no worries about an empty stomach. That morning, we stopped by a place called Hula Grill on Kalakaua and Kapahulu.

We got a straight up omelette and french toast stuff with macadamia cream cheese. It was better without the syrup, which made it too sweet. Very good. 

We were side tracked that day by a timeshare presentation. Totally by accident. It's a nice idea. I learned a lot about time shares. We also got a kickback of $150 which we ended up spending on our car rental, which sweetened the deal for the trip.

We went walking along the whole Waikiki beach and talked. Then we went swimming and watched a bunch of Hawaiian kids make fools of themselves. It started sprinkling a bit, so we got out.

This is us at Footlocker being amused by the small kiddie Jordans. I think these were for $30-40. For a pair of shoes that will be outgrown in less than 3 months. Crazy.

Oahu Day 1

Finally, some time off to do something nice. It's easy to get wrapped up in the demands of life and not remember to live. Well, now we're living!

I flew in from Sydney (domestic transfer from Brisbane) into Honolulu at around 6:45am. Before I even start about Hawaii, let me tell you about Jetstar. Buyer beware. It's a bare bones airline. No entertainment, no meals, not even a blanket. Nothing... on a transocean flight. I wasn't even familiar with Jetstar before this trip. The pilots sound and look Aussie. The flight attendants look "Singaporean." I just know it's affiliated with Qantas. Virgin Australia is so much better. Just wanted to mention that.

Anyway, I arrived bloody early in the morning. There's no around. I'm obviously hungry because of the excellent Jetstar meals. I buy a frappacino and a croissant. Pardon me, it's been awhile since I purchased something from Starbucks, so I forgot it was a cold drink. Still tasted good though.

Felice's flight wasn't coming in until 11:45-ish in the morning. So, I'm pretty much bored for the next 5 hours. I would love to have said I waited at the beach, but that isn't going to happen at the airport. Plus, embarassingly, I have not a single US dollar to my name. I found a nice bench of two and laid on my carry ons and basked in the blue sky, the coconut/palm trees, and remembered again. Hawaii is a lovely place. It's awesome. I fell asleep a couple times until it was close to picking up Felice. Each time I woke up, I thought, "oh snap, I'm in Hawaii... oh wait, I'm sleeping on a bench like a hobo."

I stood outside waiting for awhile for Felice coming in from San Jose on Alaska Airlines (totally ironic) with a "name" sign. She was late coming out, so I got a bit worried for a little, but everything was okay. I was glad to see her. :)

We took TheBus into Waikiki. It's cramped, there are dodgy people, but it's only $2.50 a head as long as you don't have major check-in baggage. Both of us only brought carry-ons so we were good. I kind of felt bad about the bus being very... unsexy. But I still believe it's a great deal. Shuttles and whatnot cost at least $11-12 up, although admittedly provide better comfort and time flexibility.

Since we were both famished, we quickly dropped out bags off and changed at the Seaside Hotel Waikiki (now 1 week later known as Shoreline Hotel Waikiki).

Let me tell you. It was nice. Small as are most hotel rooms in Waikiki, but nice. Nice sheets, nice furniture. Tasteful. Good bathroom. We got a great price, too. $118 a night, tax and fees included. It's a 1.5 block walking distance to the main Waikiki street, Kalakaua Ave. It's across from Ross, which I'll get to in a minute, and up the road from the Royal Hawaiian, which sits on the beach. Walking to the beach is 5 minutes tops. I've stayed in probably 5 different low price hotels to date in Waikiki. Hotel rooms are generally just more expensive here or you get less for your money. But this place, it was priced right without compromises. It's my place to return to next time. Hands down.

Anyway, we were a bit peckish. We walked down Waikiki, taking in the sights, the weather, and just "hell yeah, we're in Hawaii" sort of thing. We came across Cheeseburger Waikiki. It's a nice place. Very "Hawaiian." Felice has big eyes, but not a big stomach, so we ordered a Loco Moco with the garden patty and some cheese fries. Loco Moco is usually a beef patty with egg on rice with gravy. Not very healthy. Yum.

Weather wasn't flash, but this is about as bad as it gets in Hawaii. This is considered a bad day. Think about that for a second.

Remember when I mentioned Ross? Dress for less? There are some things that I knew a person needs in Hawaii that most people may not think of. There are also some things that I learned even from this trip. First, sandals. And I mean nice comfy sandals. Don't go investing in Birkenstocks. I'm not a big fan of the plastic foot straps, so I wish I had bought a pair of thicker soled sandals with cloth straps earlier in the trip. You do a lot of walking around Waikiki in sandals, which is great, but only with the right kind of sandals. I ended up buying a fair one nice and cheap from Walmart, but I saw many at Ross, too.

Second, umbrella. Yeah, I know. Weird, right? It's a tropical island. Which means it'll randomly tropically rain on you. It usually won't last long, but it can go downpour for a good 3-4 minutes before letting up. It's a good idea. Either BYOU or buy a cheap one. I brought mine which I purchased in China 5-6 years ago. Getto plaid, manual, but it still works.

Third, reef shoes. Seriously, get this early. Hawaiian beaches aren't the kind you imagine in the Caribbean. It's coarse sand and there are a lot of rocks and shells in the sand and water. It can hurt. Buy it on day one. Felice got hers from Walmart later in the trip. At Walmart, it was easily less than $8 for a decent pair. I brought mine, but stupidly left them in the hotel a couple times. If you might go into the water, bring reef shoes.

Lastly, take the bus on a trip to Ala Moana Center (bus 8, 19, 20 usually) early in the trip and walk across the street along Keaaumoku to the nearby Walmart there to pick up snorkels. Even on your first day. It's probably a good idea. If you can hop back on the bus within 2 hours, it'll only cost you $2.50 each as this also includes a free "transfer" aka round trip. An inexpensive set is about $10-15 there. If you need prescription, you might go for a rental from Snokel Bob's at the other end of Waikiki on Kapahulu and Date St. I think in retrospect it's a good idea to get it earlier. The reason is even in Waikiki, there are snorkel opportunities. There are snorkel opportunities almost everywhere. Granted, Waikiki beach is not a good snorkel place because you'll spend most of your time dodgy noob surfers. But if you walk on Kalakaua beyond Kapahulu at the east end of Waikiki, you'll come across the War Memorial, Queen's beach, and Sans Souci. There are less people, but there's a reef out there. If the waters are calm, you could be snorkeling on day one. How awesome is that?!? Snorkelers beware. Don't stand on the reef and damage any coral or the marine environment. Make sure you're a decent swimmer. Go out with a buddy. And fins, while not mandatory, do make life a bit easier and less tiring.

The evening caught up to us pretty quickly. I wanted to hook Felice up with some Lava Flow. That's one good tropical drink. It's basically coconut syrup, pineapple, and strawberry syrup with crushed ice and a touch of rum. It's so good. For non-alcoholic drinkers like us, there's virgin Lava Flow or Volcano as it's call at Duke's. They make them well there. It's so good. I like Duke's, which is named in tribute to Duke Kahanamoku, the father of modern surfing. It's got a Hawaiian vibe atmosphere, too. Tiki torches included. Note, there are two Duke's. The indoor restaurant and the outdoor Barefoot Bar. Go for the Barefoot Bar. It's cheaper, outside sitting, and access to the drinks and desserts.

Lava Flow was really good. Tropical smoothie (left) was okay, too, but I don't think it was what I would call "unique."

This is dessert. Felice always makes room for dessert. Kimo's original hula pie. It's basically like vanilla ice cream on a Oreo cookie base topped with chocolate syrup with whipped cream and sprinkled with macadamia nuts. It's huge. Two or three person eat. It's so good.

Too bad we didn't take more pictures, but day one was a great day and a pretty good start to the trip.

Sunlight Lamp

I had a chance to drop by IKEA today. Australia does have IKEA and it's very similar to the states.

Got this cool solar powered desk lamp. For only 20 bucks, I thought it'd be good to give something environmentally friendly a try. A lamp powered by sunlight. It's a bit ironic actually.  Not sure how long it will hold charge. 2-3 hours, I'd be happy. 4-5 hours, ecstatic. :P