Hawaii recap

A while ago, I wrote an outline of my Hawaii/LA experience before the memories got too mucked up in my mind. I was hoping to flesh out everything, but I think an outline with pictures is good enough. I'm still trying to decide on which photo service to go with (any suggestions on that are welcome!) so that I can post all the pictures.

Day 1

• Fly to LA and meet up with Dear's cousin for lunch and short tour
• Eat at Cholo's (Mexican food)
• start with fresh tortilla chips (still warm!) and cool guac
• sweet corn tamales
• Dear has chicken chimichangas
• Tour Venice and other parts of LA by the shore
• Dear's cousin goes back to work and we sit in airport for a few hours to wait for next flight
• Land in Honolulu dead tired b/c awake for 24 hours (surprised and disappointed by the humidity that hits you as you walk out of the airport)
• Take Robert's Hawaii shuttle to hotel
• Stay in Executive Suite (got upgraded for some reason) of Hilton Prince Kuhio in Waikiki but hardly get to enjoy it because we check out less than 24 hours later
• Take shuttle to airport and driver asks if we're on honeymoon -- we say yes :)
  

Day 2

• Have haupia (coconut)-flavored cream puff at Beard Papa's for breakfast
• Take bus to Chinatown for $2 per person, each way
• Look for good dim sum and settle on Golden Palace Seafood Restaurant (disappointing but seemingly larger portions than in NYC)
• Buy bag of fresh lychees (so sweet and juicy, with a small pit)
  
• Fly to Kona on Hawaiian Air
• Pick up rental car and on way to hotel, eat at Denny's because everything else is closed (10pm)
• Try moco loco (Hawaiian specialty of hamburger patty and egg on top of rice, covered in gravy) -- surprisingly good
• Check into Kona Tiki Hotel

Honolulu's Chinatown

Fresh, juicy lychees that we enjoyed on our lanai (patio) in Kona

Day 3

• Have fresh papaya, banana, pineapple for breakfast at the hotel; POG (passionfruit, orange, guava) juice
• Visit farmer's market up the road
• Buy sweet, crisp mountain plums, green apple bananas (that never ripen), lillikoi (aka passionfruit)
  
• Plums are rare in Hawaii because they need frost, hence they only grow on the mountain
• Plums were about the size of large cherries
  
• Dear suckered into buying sandals b/c the ones he brought from NYC feel loosey-goosey
• Go to Wal-mart to get snacks, beverages
• Visit Costco and have lunch there; they offer coffee smoothie but regretfully we do not try
• Drive past lava rock terrain on way to Hapuna white sand beach
• Dinner at Big Island Grill for dinner
• Big bowl of saimin (ramen-like noodles) with shrimp tempura (lots of thick batter)
• Dear has mixed plate of fried seafood; comes with potato salad and rice
  
• Walk around touristy parts of Kona
• Snack: Scandinavian Shave Ice with macadamia nut ice cream

White coral graffiti against black lava background of North Kona Coast

White sand of Hapuna Beach

Day 4 (July 4)

• Visit Puuhonua O Honaunau NP
• See sea turtles and explore tide pools in lava rock
• Park exhibit is a bit boring but scenery is nice
• Eat lunch bought from KTA supermarket at picnic area overlooking ocean
• Fried chicken with Spam musubi
• Attend luau -- big disappointment because felt like a very touristy, historically inaccurate dinner show
• Tried poi (taro paste), lau lau (meat wrapped in ti leaf), kalua (Hawaiian roast) pig, poke (marinated, raw fish) for first time
• Drive to old airport to watch fireworks in the rain (bummer for the convertible)

View from Puuhonua O Honaunau

Firethrower at commercialized luau

Day 5

• Drive to Hilo, passing Waimea, cowboy country, and scenic mountain passes
• Explore Hilo Farmer's Market
• Buy fresh, cheap lychees and sweet, juicy mangos with little fiber and small pit
• Search for recommended sushi restaurant and shave ice place but everything closed for July 4 long weekend
• Exchange cars at airport because trunk won't close
• Settle for local lunch place recommended by guide: 1lb. beef and pork lau lau -- stuffed!
• Find Two Ladies Kitchen by accident and get freshly-made mochi with traditional fillings like red bean and also non-traditional fillings like chocolate, peanut butter, and candy
  
• Pick up dinner from KTA supermarket
• Eel over rice
• Dear has seaweed salad and something I don't remember
• Drive to Mauna Kea Visitor Information Station, up steep, desolate road with moon-like terrain on either side
  
• Mountain is probably 20 degrees cooler than ground level and we put on long pants, jacket, socks, closed toe shoes
• I put on additional 2 layers of long sleeves and still feel a bit cold
• We eat part of our dinner with the convertible's top down as the sun sets
• I fall asleep during astronomer's presentation but wake up in time to get a piece of a meteorite he found
• We wait for sky to darken to stargaze -- we see Jupiter and the moon through the telescope
• Drive down dark (unlit but for moon), windy, steep road down the mountain in low gear but brakes still overheat
• Drive unlit, windy 2-lane Saddle Road back to Kona

Soft mochi from Two Ladies Kitchen

View of top of clouds from Mauna Kea at 9000 ft

Day 6

• Head to Volcano NP
• Stop at Tex Drive-In for malasadas (very light, filled donut-like treats) and buy lunch to go
  
• Eat lunch at Akaka Falls SP in convertible
• pineapple burger
• Dear has shrimp burger
• Short walk to Akaka Falls, take pictures and head out
• Pass through Hilo with a quick drive by the shave ice place, with no luck
  
• Arrive at Volcano NP and attempt to hike Kilauea caldera before noxious gases make us head back
• Ranger Joe teaches about Ohia trees and ferns
• Ranger's monitor goes off and we feel burn of sulphuric acid in our lungs
• Drive to lava flow about 1hr away
• See town covered in lava
• Wait for hours to watch glow of lava flowing down the mountain and gushing into the ocean
• Leave right after dusk and walk over lava rock in dark
• Sight to see line of flashlights of people leaving behind you
• Traffic jam to leave and only place left to eat when we return to Kona is Denny's

Malasadas from Tex Drive-In

Akaka Falls
Waiting for dusk on hardened lava trail

Watching lava flow at dusk

Day 7

• Do laundry at grungy-looking place down the road but get a good bit of reading done
• Eat lunch from Ba Le (Vietnamese) by hotel's pool
• pork sandwich
• special sandwich w/ pate
• Snorkel with SeaQuest tours by Captain Cook's monument
• great guide taught a lot about history of the island and showed us a lot of neat stuff
• hard-bottomed raft -- really fun to go at fast speed and to see gorgeous scenery by water
• see spinner dolphins (about the size of a dog!)
• Visit marketplace in Keahou and try shave ice there -- friendly woman gives it to us for free because we're last one there
• At sunset, light 7 tiki torches at Kona Tiki hotel while Dear blows on conch shell
  
• Dinner at Huggo's (expensive and not that great)
  

Following tradition, I light tiki torches after Dear blows conch shell

Day 8

• Visit Kona Joe coffee farm, where they grow coffee on trellises like grapes for wine
• Eat lunch at L&L Hawaiian Barbecue (local chain)
• lau lau w/ kalua (delish but couldn't finish huge portions)
• Dear disappointed by bbq sampler mix plate because he was expecting Southern U.S. bbq, not Asian bbq
  
• Visit Hamakua Macadamia Nut Factory (a bit lame, but got to crack a few nuts and bought nuts)
• Finish souvenir shopping and even stop by a sewing store to get recommendations on sewing machines
• Dinner at Kenichi in Keahou disappointing and way overpriced; realize you don't go to the Big Island for food
  
• Get dessert from KTA

Day 9

• Fly back to Oahu very early in the morning
• Surprised how many birthday messages I get -- maybe I should always travel on my birthday! :D
  
• Deja vu: take shuttle to Waikiki; drop off luggage at hotel
• Walk to Eggs N' Things for brunch
• Mozzarella omelette with side of pancakes
• Variety of syrup: pineapple, coconut, boysenberry, maple
• Dear has eggs and hash; declares best meal he's had so far in Hawaii
• Try surfing in Waikiki
• Dinner at Sansei
• Omakase menu was delicious from beginning to end
• White tuna sashimi and a half-price roll
• Service was stupendous: waiter not intrusive but very attentive, had recommendations like he really knew the menu
• Only regret: not that hungry after the huge brunch

Various pancake syrups at Eggs N' Things, plus salsa for hash

Resting in the waters of Waikiki -- surfing is hard work! (I am in red)

Day 10

• Take bus to Pearl Harbor (takes forever, but just $2)
• Do self-guided audio tour while waiting
• Run into Dear's co-worker on his honeymoon
• Take long bus ride back to hotel
  
• Walk to Waiola Shave Ice (yummy goodness that makes my mouth water as I think of it)
• 3 flavors: lillikoi, melona, mango(?) with condensed milk on top
  
• Dinner at Hakone
• Australian Kobe beef
• fresh AYCE sushi

Day 11

• Finish fruit from farmers' markets for breakfast, except for unripened bananas
  
• Lunch from Me Bar-Becue
• bimimbop
• Dear has beef ribs, I think; he likes the pickles
  
• Flight to LA delayed; 3 remaining plums and bunch of bananas confiscated
• Arrive in LA and it is actually cool and a jacket would've been nice
  
• Pick up ghetto rental car
• Dinner at McDonald's in San Gabriel :(
  

Started second box of mochi from Two Ladies (small, candy-like and unfilled) while waiting in airport

Day 12

• Meet up with Dear's cousin again for dim sum at huge restaurant in San Gabriel
• Target stop to get drinks
• Attend friend's Wedding

Day 13

• Lunch from In N' Out Burger: each get Double Double, and share strawberry milkshake and fries
• Everything is made to order, so it's very fresh and yummy
• To boot, it's pretty inexpensive
• Fries could use a double-fry
• Return to heat and humidity of NYC
• Dinner at Georgia Diner (options limited at 1am, but at least there are options past 10pm!)