The last few days of our trip!

July 6, 2009

Today we hung out with mom, grandma and my brother. Kind of a somber day.. We picked up flowers from just outside of Chinatown to my grandpa and uncle's graves. Grandma also got flowers for her brother's wife and grandpa's sister. We went to the Japanese cemetery (..not sure of the Japanese spelling, something like hakasho.. at least that's how it sounds like it should be spelled) first where all but my uncle are buried. It's very different from cemeteries here. We didn't take any pictures there, but I found one online that kind of looks like ours... here. Except it's out in the open with grass instead of tile, and our temple holds the wooden stakes you see behind the headstones. After we had gotten there, my mom was like 'Oh we should have brought beers for grandpa and uncle Wayne.' It's pretty common to see alcoholic beverage bottles along with flowers.

After the Japanese cemetery, we went to Punchbowl cemetery where my uncle Wayne is buried. It's the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. There always seems to be a problem with our container for flowers being missing.. but now the office has plastic ones you can use while they buy a replacement. Matt walked toward the edge of the crater to take pictures.. nice view of Honolulu/Diamond Head from here. He saw his first mongoose. We checked out the memorial, took some pictures. There were a fair amount of tourists/tour buses.

By this time it was around 2 pm, so we went to this place called Kenny's for lunch. Grandma always loves taking us here for lunch when we visit. The food isn't spectacular, but I think she likes it out of habit. While we were eating I noticed a sign for 'non-dairy' soft serve ice cream which I got really excited about. So we asked the waitress what it was made out of.. she didn't know, but sent someone else over. We asked him and he said it's made with milk... False Advertising at its finest. Bummer.

We went out to dinner pretty late since we had a late lunch. We went to Violet's Grill which is another spot we usually go to. They have pretty good local style food. I wasn't very hungry, so I just had tofu poke which is basically regular poke but with tofu instead of sashimi. Very yummy. Matt had a mix plate kind of thing with sashimi, ahi katsu and chicken katsu. We didn't do much after dinner. Hung out and went to sleep.

July 7, 2009

So the night before we slept awful! I got maybe 3 hours of sleep, and Matt didn't really sleep at all. We went to bed late and then had to wake up early. We went to the fish auction by one of the piers in Honolulu Harbor. The auction started at 5:30am and we stayed for an hour or so. It was crazy seeing all the fish being caught on a daily basis. Tons of tuna, swordfish, moon fish, some mako shark, mahi mahi.. There was even a barracuda! Restaurant chefs and fish market workers come to the auction to get fresh fish. It's freezing inside the building where they do the auction, but surprisingly it doesn't smell fishy. Outside there's a gigantic ice machine, where a guy was just filling these huge crates with ice. Being there makes you realize how much energy goes into commercial fishing.

After the auction we went home and passed out for several hours. The afternoon was pretty lazy. Getting little to no sleep the night before wiped us out. For dinner we decided on grilled vegetable sandwiches. I helped season the veggies and Matt helped grill them. They were some of the best sandwiches I've ever had! And it was just veggies and hummus (and I had a tiny bit of brie, I couldn't resist.. omg best cheese ever!).

We planned on going out after dinner, since it was the last night we'd be able to. We cleaned up quickly and then headed out, looking for a place to go. We ended up at this bar called Tiki's in Waikiki. Live music, good drinks, souvenir cups.. although mine broke on the flight back :(

July 8, 2009

Second to last day in Hawaii.. Uncle Brian, Matt and I went kayaking in Lani Kai on the northeast side. I was a little nervous about it since the weather report said 2-4 foot seas. It was also kind of rainy when we left the house. We went to the kayak rental place, signed some papers, then went to the beach where someone dropped off the kayaks for us around 9am. Very convenient. After we carried them down to the shore, we could see a squall coming in.. ack. Nevertheless, we set off for the Mokulua islands maybe a mile away. It was a little tough paddling against the waves while getting hit with rain, but we got to the island without tipping over which is always nice. Uncle and I put on watershoes, Matt didn't have any but his feet survived. We walked on the rocky the edge along the island. Matt and uncle went swimming in this creepy sort of cove that was protected from the huge crashing waves. It was a little too creepy for me, plus I was cold from the rain and didn't think the sun would be out soon to warm me up. I sat on the rocks and watched foam form on top of the water, then get blown up into the air, swirling around.. very amusing.

From here you can't continue walking around the island so we walked back to the front of the island where we landed. Put on sunscreen because the sun came out, then starting walking around the other side. There are protected seabirds that nest on this island which is why we're only allowed to walk along the rocky shore. We saw lots of bird nests.. kind of like burrows in the ground.. some had cute birds inside, I think they're Shearwater birds. We just hung out, threw the frisbee around. The nice thing about not so nice weather is that it wasn't crowded. After we had been there for a while, other kayaks starts to come out but only about 4. We had to have the kayaks back on shore by 1pm, so we headed back around 12:30. The paddle back was much smoother and more enjoyable. So glad it wasn't that choppy anymore!

After the kayaks were picked up, we went to Maui Tacos in Kailua for lunch. They messed up my taco again (although the first cheese filled bite I had was delicious) but fixed it really quickly. We went back to grandma's house and hung out for a little bit. Later on we went to dinner at my other uncle's house on the east side of the island. My aunt made sweet, sour spare ribs; oyster chicken; asian style nachos (sashimi, seaweed, green onions, natto on tortilla chips).. It was all so good! We brought dessert from Liliha bakery.. guava chiffon pie and coco puffs.. Delicious!

July 9, 2009

Our last day here was pretty laid back. We got lots of coffee and macadamia nut candy to bring home for Matt's friends at work and my lab. We also picked up manapua for the plane ride. Went on a wild goose chase looking for a box to pack our goodies in, but my aunt brought one home from work for us. The rest of the day we just spent time with the family and packed. Saw an amazing double rainbow while hanging out on the porch (lanai is hawaiian for porch).

Saying goodbye to grandma is always the worst. Never sure when I'll see her again. Hopefully she'll come visit this year. We're trying to get my uncle and aunt to come for a football game, maybe Florida/Georgia, which would be so much fun!

The plane ride back was much better than the ride there. Skinny, not crazy people sitting next to us. Didn't really sleep at all even though it's an overnight flight. Didn't eat much aside from a couple manapua. Felt the Florida humidity as soon as we stepped out of the airport.. welcome home!

P.S. I'll have Matt post the rest of the pics sometime soon!

The past week

So it's been a while since we last posted something. Early last week is a blur, but I'll try to piece it together.

June 28, 2009

Sunday morning our flight out of Kauai was at 8:05 am. I was worrying about not being able to check-in, because we left the house 15 minutes late and still had to fill the rental car with gas. But while mom was returning the car, Matt and I checked everyone in.. Everything ran smoothly and we were back on Oahu by 8:30am.

We unpacked and took a nap after we got back. That afternoon Matt and I went to Ala Moana Beach. While we were gone, my uncle had gotten a surf board from a friend for Matt to use. So he went surfing and I just laid on the beach. Matt was out surfing for about 2 hours, and while he was out a guy came by and asked me for some sunscreen. I told him I was almost out (which I was), but when he pointed out that I had three bottles I caved and gave him a little. While he was putting the sunscreen on, he asked me who I came with. I told him I came with my boyfriend who was out surfing, and he appologized, said thanks for the sunscreen and left.. Other than that, it was a nice relaxing day at the beach!

For dinner that night we had Hawaiian food. My mom and grandma picked up poi and laulau. My mom made lomi-lomi salmon, and grandma made beef stew. The laulau was salty, but dinner was very ono (delicious).

-Sarah

June 29, 2009

Monday morning we went to the Pearl Harbor memorial. It opens at 7 am, but we didn't get there until around 7:45.. a combination of leaving a little later than planned and getting lost on the way. So our tour of the Arizona memorial wasn't until 9:15am. While we were waiting we looked at different missiles used by the military through the years including the tomahawk missile and torpedoes. We also perused through the museum of the USS Arizona, which included personal items of crew members and information on the Japanese carriers used in the bombing of Pear Harbor. Before taking us on a ferry to the Memorial, they brought us into a theater where they showed a 30 minute documentary on the events that led to the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the events that took place immediately afterwards. The movie had actual footage from the bombing and was fantastic. It gave a real good feeling to how many people actually lost their life in this one attack. The memorial itself was OK. There isn't much to see other than the names of the people that died and some of the remains of the boat. Going to the memorial to me was more about reflecting on the lives lost for this country and how lucky we are to be a such an advanced country. I felt that some of the tourists were quite rude, talking loudly, chewing gum and just kind of being obnoxious.

After Pearl Harbor, we came back to the house and just slept and watched TV all day. We were still recovering from Kauai...



-Matt

June 30, 2009

We got up kinda late around 9 and decided to go hiking. We hiked the Aiea Loop Trail in Aiea which is about 15 minutes from grandma's house. It's a 4.75 mile hike with some nice views. There were strawberry guava trees all over the trail! There were also a lot of patches of eucalyptus trees.. walking by you could smell the leaves, kind of minty. The trail was pretty muddy in some parts, and my knee was really bothering me from the hike we did in Kauai and I think I tweaked it at the beginning of this trail.

Anyway, the hike was really nice and took us about 3 hours. I wish I knew how to make jam with the strawberry guavas. After the hike, we went to get lunch at a local Hawaiian food place. I can't remember the name of it but it's tag line was "Ono-licious kau kau" .. delicious food.. It was really good; I had chicken katsu and Matt had kalua pig and cabbage. Then we went to Leonard's Bakery for malasadas (Portuguese donuts without a hole in the middle). So good! They have new ones that are filled with a custard filling with different flavors for different months of the year. June was mango, so we tried one of those. It was really good, but the regular ones are better.

We came back after eating and hung out. Around 5pm we went to Ala Moana Park to play ultimate. Everyone was super nice and welcoming. I only played a couple points since my knee was bothering me, but Matt played most of the whole 2 hours they play. After that we went to Wal-mart to look for deluxe boggle. They didn't have it so we got this game called "In a Pickle" instead. We went home and ate dinner. Grandma made chicken, squash and long rice for dinner. I love when we makes this! After dinner we played In a Pickle which was pretty fun!




-Sarah

July 1, 2009

This morning we slept in a little, not in a rush to get going. We drove to the North Shore and since it was later in the day, Waimea Bay was pretty packed. We kept driving and decided on Sunset Beach. This beach is gorgeous!! It wasn't crowded at all and the water was crystal clear. From shore, I spotted a sea turtle swimming in the water. So after we put on sunscreen, we went snorkeling and brought Matt's camera with us. Check out the pictures below!



While we were at the beach, there was a really cute labrador-poodle mix playing in the water. Matt and I had been talking about what kind of dog we'd like to get and I said a labradoodle would be perfect.. an active, water-loving dog that doesn't shed all over. He wasn't fond of the labradoodle but after seeing/playing with this dog,he was converted.

After the beach we drove to Kahala, a little east of Diamond Head, to eat at this place called The Counter. It's a burger place where you can choose your toppings. We got sweet potato fries and ordered our burgers. Mine: sprouts, roasted red peppers, pickles, grilled onions and a garlic aoli on a honey wheat bun. Matt's: sprouts, herb goat cheese, spicy pepperocini, jalapeños, pickles and a garlic aoli on an English muffin. After eating about half of my burger, I found a hair in the bun. I tried pulling it out, and it just kept coming.. it was pretty gross.. I told the waitress, and they brought out a new burger, but after that I wasn't hungry anymore. Apparently their bun supplier isn't too careful, because there was another incident with a twist-tie in a bun. Anyway, other than the hair the burgers were really good. Matt loved his and since he's such a fast eater, he'd finished before I found the hair.

We ate lunch really late, maybe around 4pm. I don't think we did much that night, probably just hung out and went to bed early-ish.

-Sarah

July 2, 2009

Thursday was a pretty laid back day. We went to this store downtown called Phiten for my grandma. They put titanium in the fabric they use for shirts, socks, pretty much everything. My grandma says the socks help with cramps she gets in her feet, and she uses this tape they make for aches. I got some tape to use on my hip and knee.. we'll see if it works.

After that we went to Tamashiro Market to get some fish for dinner. It's a really good fish market in Honolulu, the one we always go to. We got a big, red Uhu (parrot fish) and some smaller Akule (not sure what the english name for this is) to cook later on. We hung out the rest of the day, and around 6:30 we left to go play ultimate at Kapiolani Park (just west of Diamond Head). We got there and threw the disc for a few minutes, then realized there weren't any lights to light up the fields. On Tuesday they said we'd play with lights since it starts later. Apparently we weren't in the right place, but I had no idea where they were supposed to be playing. We drove around looking for parks, but we didn't find anyone playing ultimate. After looking for 30 minutes, we decided to go back home.

The steamed uhu with cilantro, green onion, shoyu (soy sauce) and sesame oil was ready shortly after we got home. It was so good; I love when my mom makes this! I hadn't had it in a couple years, so it was especially good!



-Sarah

July 3, 2009

We got up particularly early to venture to the North Shore again, going to one of our favorite beaches, Waimea Bay. The water, once again was cool, clear and calm. I spent most of my time snorkeling and came across an eel! It was quick to scurry down between a few rocks and disappeared quickly. Soon after that, I heard dolphins in the water and then a warning from the lifeguard for people not to approach. Sarah told me later that people ignored the warning and swam towards the pod of dolphins. Quickly the dolphins swam away and Sarah wasn't able to get any closeup pictures of them.

I swam back to shore and then Sarah and I threw the frisbee on the shore. There was a labradoodle that absolutely loved the water. I threw his frisbee several times into the water and he swam and got it every time. Beautiful dog and acted more like a retriever than a poodle. Sarah wants one since their hair doesn't shed. I'd say after that experience, I'm more willing to get a labradoodle. We stayed at the beach for about almost 5 hours and afterwards went to Pizza Bob's for some local pizza. It was expensive but excellent.



-Matt

July 4, 2009

This day was completely lazy until about 4:30 when we decided to drive to ala moana to have a few drinks before the fireworks. We looked online where to go and decided on a chain called Mai Tai (owned by same company as Bubba Gump Shrimp co.). It was in the Ala Moana mall so everything from our parking to the fireworks were next to each other. We sat at the bar and got to make friends with the bartender Bryan and the dishwasher, Brandon. They were both very cool guys and Brandon had some great stories about spear fishing and how he wants to move to Colorado to go to school. Apparently the guy next to us liked us and decided to buy the majority of our drinks. We couldn't understand anything he said and he only had 2 teeth but any guy that wants to buy me drinks is a friend of mine. After hanging out there for a while we walked down to the beach at around 7:45 to catch the fireworks at 8:30. The fireworks show was one of the best I've ever seen. They had smiley face, Saturn, star and other shapes. After the fireworks, I really wanted a blizzard so I got a tagalong Blizzard which was amazing. We waited in traffic for about 30 minutes, got home and passed out.

July 5, 2009

Once again, Sarah and myself ventured off to Sunset beach to relax in the sun after sleeping in and having Manapua which is a chinese baked good that is stuff with pork. I could probably have about 20 of them in a sitting they were so good. Since we started late, traffic was really congested heading to the North Shore. There was one beach in particular that slowed traffic down because tourist would slow down to hopefully see a Sea Turtle. When we finally settled down on Sunset Beach, I decided to go snorkeling again. I went searching for Sea Glass at first and then decided to take the camera out to take pictures of the Hawaiian state fish, Humuhumunukunukuapua'a. As I turned around to head back to shore, I came across a sea turtle feeding on the seagrass and algae. This is becoming a normal occurence for me when snorkeling. I have a 75% chance of encountering a sea turtle on the North Shore. I took video of it swimming. The audio underwater is good as well and that crackling in the vidoes is exactly how it sounded. I got back to shore, showed Sarah the pictures and video and then layed down. Soon, Sarah and myself were passed out and stayed that way for about an hour. We woke up to a labradoodle walking on the beach. We called it over, petted it and then hit the road. Driving back, we encoutered horrible traffic that was backed up from Shark's cove until we got to that same beach that tourists were slowing down at on the way to the beach.

Once we got back that night, we had chinese again and then picked up Sarah's aunt and uncle from the airport. We stayed up for a bit and I decided to pass out while the rest stayed up an extra hour and half to talk.