As for food … we recently had lunch at the Vietnamese spot (per advice from our cab driver). And while I have a pretty high tolerance for ignoring signs of health code violations – this pigeon patrolled food court barely passed my test. We did eat the Vietnamese chow mein, tofu rolls and a papaya salad without any getting sick. However, it wasn’t cheap enough (about $20) to risk going back.

So I think I am up to Wednesday of the trip…shopping day at International Marketplace.  That day was also my payday so a few trips to the ATM and we were set.  My mom had gotten up early and done to Lenard’s bakery for malasadas.  If you are just now tuning into my trip report and didn’t catch my rant about malasadas on day 1….go back and read it.

We spent a few hours at the International Marketplace and I’m still certain we didn’t see all of it.  My son got this weird T-Shirt that lights up when you talk, my daughter got some jewelry, we bought some hand carved tikis from the “natives” for us and my son’s BFF and did some tattoo-ing.  My mom and my son got the traditional air brush tattoos but my daughter got a henna one.  Once the guy started applying the dye to her skin he starts spewing out the rules…. Can’t go in the water for 4 hours, can’t touch it, can’t allow anything to come in contact with it, can’t let your shirt hit it etc..yada yada.  I was starting to think why the hell did I agree for her to this??  It did end up looking pretty cool tho.  Later that day the ink dried up and peeled off and left behind the actual tattoo.  Now, 2 weeks later you can still see it on her arm.  We spent the better part of the afternoon trying to avoid her arm like the plague.

“Mr. Dragon”

Attn: Wet Paint!

Mom liked it so much she wants a real one now!

My husband stopped to have a hot dog at this place called Hank’s Haute Dogs over by the tiki guys.  Seeing that it had been on Food Network and that Anthony Bourdain had eaten there, my husband and son had to try it out.  He said that it was good but that it’s more of a sausage than a hot dog. (That’s what she said….)

I luv Anthony Bourdain

Hanks Haute Dogs

My son was very impressed by the fortunes that the Great Swami were spitting out at him and I think I went through about $3 by the time he was completely satisfied with his predicted future.

The final stop of our shopping day was to the Ukelele store to buy one for my kid.  He just HAD to have one so where better to buy one than in Hawaii?  One Uke, coming right up……we’ve been home over a week and I still haven’t heard any Hawaiian music coming out of his room…….  Looks like it is soon to be MY Ukelele.

On the way back I nabbed some sushi at Sushi 2 Go (sounds scary I know but it was really good) and the kids had Subway again. We had made plans to visit the lagoon over at Hilton Hawaiian Village with my aunt and little cousin Kai.

Salmon Roll yum!

The Hilton Hawaiian Village lagoon is like a big man made swimming hole.  I much prefer the actual ocean side because the lagoon is…well, kinda nasty.  The sand is packed so hard it’s like you are walking on concrete and it’s not very clean. Even though you are not allowed to smoke in that area I saw several cigarette butts on the ground.  The positive thing about it is the reason we went – its shallow for the little ones and there are no rocks to fall on while you are learning how to paddle board.  The paddle boards cost twice as much as they do on the Oceanside but the kids enjoyed learning on them.  My son was actually able to take his out and around the lagoon a few times without having to worry about waves or rocks.  By the time we were done my daughter thought she was an expert paddle-boarder!

Rainbow Tower

Getting the hang of it!

While walking back to the ocean side, we noticed that they were setting up for fireworks later that night and invited the Hawaiian fam back over our condo later on to watch them.  My aunt and cousin left for home and it was definitely time for a beverage.  We stopped at the Hale Koa beach bar and I had the 2 most yummy drinks ever.  Both a concoction of vodka and some kind of juice.  The non-drinkers in our group — namely everyone but my mother and I —  had ice tea.  This tea must’ve been like no other iced tea known to man as it was gone within a few seconds.  Either that or they were just really thirsty.

We laughed our asses off when the kids ordered an ice cream brownie sundae (described as a chocolaty brownie topped with ice cream) and what they got was a brownie wrapped in plastic wrap and a blue bell vanilla Dixie cup sitting on top of it on a plate.  The fact that I had downed two vodka drinks in less than 30 minutes could’ve attributed to the hilarity of the moment as well…

Drink #1

Drink #2

Looking towards the Hale Koa beach bar

Another view

Off to the beach for a while until the sun started to set.  I attempted some beach yoga which was very interesting and drew some very strange looks…it could’ve been that I kept falling face first into the sand while trying to do crow.  The beach was sloped. the beach was sloped!!  I got some awesome sunset pics that evening.

After our beach time we hit the snack shack again for dinner.  Shortly after, the fam came over to watch the fireworks.  My cousin brought over some Mochi Ice Cream which I had never tried before but instantly fell in love with.  My kids loved it too and now that we are back in Texas we are on the search for how to get our hands on some here.

We were able to see the fireworks pretty good from our lanai.  There was one tree slightly in the way but overall it was really nice to be able to sit out there and watch.  I think everyone had a great time that evening.  I ended the night with yet another vodka tonic – this time I mixed some guava juice in there – and a few chapters of my book.  Alas, another day had come to a close.

Setting sail (albeit on an airplane) for the Sandwich Islands puts me in mind of a story.  I fly for a large, international airline with flight attendant bases in five countries, but at heart, our work group is more like a small town, and anybody who cares to can know your business.  Stories abound of the two girls together on the jumpseat rhapsodizing about their wonderful new boyfriends, everything sunshine and lollipops until the identical photos are busted out and yet another pilot is found out for the dog he is.  On a Maui trip many years ago, I worked in First Class with the captain’s ex-wife while his new wife slung trays in Coach, and I don’t mind saying, a more uncomfortable hotel van ride I have yet to endure.

Stories have a way of getting around.  When I was still based in San Francisco, I flew a month of Chicago all-nighters with a fun, junior crew.  Mostly we stood around the back galley of a 767 playing cards, and one night the Purser busts out with one of her favorite stories.  Seems her friend, whom we’ll call Edgar, worked a trip to Kauai a while back with these two knucklehead guys.  After buying huge beers at the ABC Store, the trio ends up late that night in one of the hotel’s myriad hot tubs, where Edgar’s flying partners soon decide they would be more comfortable without their trunks on.  So comfortable are they naked in the water, it turns out, that they soon decide that the Pacific Ocean, only steps away, presents a much better skinny-dipping opportunity.  In no time they put their trunks back on, scoot down to the beach, ditch their trunks again and run headlong into the Ocean and begin at once to cavort.  Rascally Edgar stays on the beach, and once the goobers are frolicking sufficiently far from shore, he scoops up their trunks and makes off with them.  The boys espy him and — several beers into the proceedings, remember — they give pursuit.  Naked as jaybirds, they dash across the sand after their shorts, eventually tackling Edgar near a tree under which, needless to say, two more flight attendants are spectating.  Our flying partners were rolling as the Purser drew her retelling to a close, but I merely smirked.  “Has Edgar told you that story before?” she asked me.

“No,” I told her, truthfully.  “I’m hearing the story for the first time.  But I was one of those guys.”

I am a well-behaved and faithful partner, and have no reason to be ashamed of an innocent bit of Hawaiian streaking.  Jared has heard this story more than once.  But it’s made the rounds — I’ve heard it from other flight attendants since, and it has evolved over the years, even briefly calling into question the commitment of my straight cohort to his sexuality, even though he behaved like a perfect (if naked) gentleman.  I have nothing in particular to hide from my co-workers, and certainly nothing to keep from my husband, but I have nevertheless learned to play my cards close to my vest on the airplane and be stingy with the personal details that I hand out.  About myself, anyway — I have hilarious stories to tell about my friends!

But last month, just before the end of the year, I was surprised to read a small article in “Pacific Business News” that reminding us that the iconic International Market Place in Waikiki (along with the Miramar Hotel) will be demolished and redeveloped in 2013. The new project will involve “a new three-level retail, dining and entertainment center” (“Waikiki’s International Market Place, Miramar Hotel to be razed under redevelopment plan” 12/28/11).

The development has been planned for years, but I couldn’t believe that they would actually tear down the International Market Place.

I know that it’s not an “authentic” Hawaiian experience. I know that some people would consider it a “tourist trap” full of small stalls and narrow walkways. I know that it has become out-of-place in upscale, beautified Waikiki.

But I also know that it’s a fun, informal, and interesting place to wander around, without feeling as if you’re under-dressed. I remember strolling along the winding path, just a little lost, in search of those elusive souvenir penny machines. There’s a beautiful, towering banyan tree; I look up and appreciate this exceptional tree, the hub of the Market Place. 

Consolidated’s Waikiki Theatres have been closed since 2002; the Waikiki IMAX Theatre lasted a little longer, but admitted defeat in 2003. Further down Kalakaua Avenue, Niketown in the King Kalakaua Plaza, a four-story shopping and entertainment complex, has been vacant since 2009. Maybe Hawaii visitors and local residents don’t want another expensive, mammoth “entertainment center” in Waikiki.

Is there a way to save the International Market Place? Is it an eye-sore or a Waikiki icon? What do you think?

Our first stop was Tanaka of Tokyo in the Waikiki shopping plaza.  Our dinner was very good and we were all happy with the atmosphere and food.  We sat around the grill and enjoyed each other’s company.  John had lobster and steak and I had chicken and steak.  The prices were higher than I would have liked but it was a very authentic Japanese restaurant and it was only about 2 blocks from the hotel.  Everything is more money on the strip.  I would recommend it though we enjoyed ourselves.

Next, we walked the 2 blocks to the hotel where the show was to take place and along the way Meg and Brian found a street vendor selling some really neat paintings.  We watched him make one with spray paint.  It was really neat art. 

We got to the comedy club as the first show was wrapping up.  We had tickets to both shows but we took our time with dinner and stuff so we just saw the later show.  We all enjoyed a drink and the show.  There were a total of 4 comics including the MC.  Each one of us had our favorites but we all got a good laugh.  As for the ambiance it was a little makeshift.  The comedy theater is in a conference room that has been set up with a small stage.  I’m not sure if the place is just getting off the ground and has plans to move to a better venue or if it’s just that people don’t really come to hawaii to see a comedy show.  Most people who come to Hawaii want to go to a luau and see Polynesian dancing. 

After the show we walked to Cheesecake Factory for desert.  When all was said and done we got home around 1:30am.  It was nice to walk around the strip just to see the street vendors etc.  I think we will have to do it again some time.  Thanks to a good friend it was possible to get away without the kids for a while.

By far, hands down, the Best Restaurant in Honolulu, is Hank’s Haute Dogs.  I like this place because I:

Love Hot Dogs!

and

Love Food and Creativity!

And I like to eat, often…

I guess I’m one of those people who makes a connection with something and I just want to keep going back.  What I like about Hank’s is its menu and imo, one of Honolulu’s best lunch spots.  I mean seriously, they have a Lobster Fat Boy, a homemade lobster sausage wrapped in Bacon and topped with garlic aioli, lettuce, and tomatoe.  Then there’s things like a Buffalo Sausage, Alligator Andouille, and I heard they even have a Reindeer Sausage!

I’m pretty stoked on the variety in terms of the specials and their regular menu is pretty cool.  I’ll write about other food spots.  But Hank’s Haute Dogs is the best place for fine dining in Honolulu!  I’m serious, the owner has a background in fine dining!  What more can you ask for: hot dogs and fine cuisine, it’s amazing!

It’s located at 324 Coral St. and is open every day!  Pretty cool too is they have a second location in Waikiki’s International Marketplace, so if you’re looking for where to eat in Waikiki, be sure to stop by!

Dont Miss this event.

The International Marketplace
July 27, 2011
Houston Branch, Federal Reserve Bank of
Dallas

In its third year, International Marketplace probes the
challenges and concerns of global interconnectedness. As global trade and
specialization continue to be a factor in economic growth and development, trade
flows are becoming more and more complex. Many of the items we purchase, or
their components, travel the globe extensively before they land on our shelves.
This year’s event not only addresses global trade but also provides an in-depth
view of two important U.S. trading partners, China and Mexico. In an
increasingly complex international landscape, it is especially important to stay
informed of the changes and challenges that our trading partners face.

In addition to this year’s content focus, skills will be
presented that enable students to become successful participants in the
international marketplace. Teachers will also receive classroom resources and
tools, provided by the Federal Reserve and the Texas Council for Economic
Education.

Wednesday, July 27
8:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m.

Try to make it.

Copyright 2011 Ian Hurwitz  ”Trade Is International And Complex“

Planning:

We planned our vacation carefully, but also remembered to stay flexible since this was an uncharted destination for us.  We booked our hotel, flight and car rental in one package through an online travel site, and while we researched destinations and activities available on the island online, there is only so much one can learn from the Internet.  This flexible frame of mind was essential in keeping our vacation relaxing, instead of just plain intense (which can happen once in a while when you’re a Type A kind of person – like me!).

Length of Stay:

We allowed seven full days for our vacation (two days for travel and five full days on the island).  This was due to numerous factors, including money, responsibilities at home and work, and knowing our own tendencies.  For us, five days on the island was the perfect amount of time to do the things we wanted to do most, spend the amount of money we were willing to part with, and allow us to leave the island wanting more, and dreaming of our next vacation to Hawaii.  It’s best to carefully consider your own tendencies and circumstances when deciding how long your vacation will be.

One of the best things we did was wait six weeks after our wedding to take our trip.  We were married in early May and took our trip in mid-June.  By this time, the wedding gifts had been put away, the thank you cards had been written, the bills had been paid, and we had time to get used to “married life” a bit.  We also didn’t have the added stress of planning and packing for our honeymoon during the last crazy weeks before the wedding.

Travel:

We live in the Midwest, so we had to make two connections during our flight to Oahu.  We flew into Denver, CO for our first connection and LA for our second.  With multiple connections, you may want to consider taking a day or two in your layover city to get used to the time change and break up the drudgery of airplane travel.  We boarded our final plane in LA and arrived in Honolulu five and a half hours later.  It felt like evening to us, but because of the time change, it was only early afternoon.  We were exhausted, but once we arrived at our beach-front hotel, all our exhaustion melted away to pure excitement!

The view from our hotel’s beachfront café.

Hotel:

We stayed at the Outrigger Reef on the Beach hotel.  The location was excellent — it is on the most Western tip of Waikiki Beach, away from the Hawaiian equivalent to Spring Break.  Staying at the Outrigger Reef on the Beach allowed us to be near the action and excitement, but also be away from it whenever we wanted.  Below is a great map from the Waikiki.us website.  Outrigger Reef on the Beach is #49 and located in the middle of the map.  The map details the main tourist areas for shopping, restaurants and hotels.  Much of your time in the city of Honolulu will be spent in the areas detailed on this map.

The beach is literally right in front of the hotel, so guests are constantly walking through the lobby in their swimsuits.  The beach in front of Outrigger Reef on the Beach is not quite as nice as the sand on Waikiki Beach proper, but since the walk to Waikiki is less than one block, it was a non-issue for us.  Additionally, the added privacy on our end of the beach was worth the most to us.  The street entrance to the hotel leads you to numerous shops and restaurants right outside the hotel.

There are three restaurants in the hotel — one casual, one fancy, and one in-between.  We found the food to be okay, but the atmosphere to be great.  At two of the restaurants, they feature live Hawaiian music nightly.  There is also an outdoor pool in the hotel, perfect for lounging by when you don’t want to get covered in sand, and perfect for kids who just want to splash around.

There are also numerous gift shops inside the hotel, as well as a Starbucks and a spa.  The spa was closed for renovation when we visited, but the gift shops and Starbucks proved invaluable as we stocked up on caffeine, postcards, snacks and other items we forgot to pack (like Q-tips and Tylenol).

It is important to note that there are two Outrigger hotels along this beach — the other Outrigger is called Outrigger Waikiki on the Beach and is located further down the beach, on Waikiki proper.  This hotel also looked quite nice, and featured a spa that my husband and I took advantage of, but I preferred our stay at the Outrigger Reef on the Beach for it’s more serene atmosphere and location.

This is a standard room (king size bed) at the Outrigger Reef on the Beach — not too shabby!

What to pack:

I had illusions of grandeur about looking lovely and sophisticated while in Hawaii, but I soon realized that casual is the way to go while on the Islands.  The weather may be beautiful, but sand, wind, saltwater and lots of active swimming and walking is not conducive to formal clothing of any kind.  Shorts, t-shirts and tank tops will suffice for the majority of your trip, but even in June I found the need for jeans and even a lightweight cardigan in the evenings when breezes off the ocean can be cool.  Sundresses are a good option if you’d like to bring something a bit more dressy, because they can often be dressed down for daytime and dressed up for a fancy dinner.

Although we had many activities planned away from the beach, we ended up spending much more time in our swimsuits than I expected.  Investing in more than one swimsuit and a few cover-ups before your trip is well worth it.  I’m a one-piece kind of gal, but I found my tankini to be more convenient – it doesn’t trap sand as much as a one-piece and is much more convenient when a day of beach hopping finds you using multiple public restrooms on the beach.

Sandals will suffice for footwear – I’d recommend one pair of sports sandals and one pair of casual leather sandals.  High heels have no place in Hawaii – you’ll end up carrying them if the mood strikes you to walk back to your hotel along the beach rather than the street.

Sunscreen is a must, of course.  I recommend SPF 50 (and apply it all over – right when you get out of the shower.  This will prevent those burn lines right up against your swimsuit where you didn’t apply quite enough sunscreen).  Bring sunglasses, too.

Don’t bring beach towels – we made this mistake and they took up way too much room in our luggage, and beach towels and beach mats are readily available in nearly every gift shop very inexpensively.  Buy them when you arrive and gift them to another tourist in your hotel when you leave!

A backpack or large tote bag is helpful for lugging all your items down to the beach.  We visited local grocery stores to buy snacks and bottles of water that we lugged around with us to the beach and while exploring the rest of the island.

Itinerary and Activities:

We filled our days on Oahu with lots of great activities, but there are others that we didn’t get to.  This is fine by me, as it leaves us wanting more from this beautiful island on our next trip to Hawaii someday.  Some of the items we didn’t get to include:

The Polynesian Culture Center, which we have heard mixed reviews about.  Some tourists love it and others hated it, claiming it was too commercialized.  If a little bit of commercialization is okay with you, however, I would recommend at least looking into it.  Because the complex is so large and located quite a ways from Honolulu, it will likely take up an entire day of your vacation on Oahu.  If you’ve visited this attraction, let us know what you thought in the comments section!

A traditional Luau, of which there are several to choose from.  Here again we heard mixed reviews about many of the major luaus available for tourists, and since it is an activity that takes up several hours of your day, we decided not to risk it.  We’ve heard that both Germaine’s Luau and Paradise Cove Luau are two of the most popular.  The tickets are expensive, but visitors get to experience quite a bit of Hawaiian culture (even though it is canned for tourists) and get lots of great food.  We’re told that they often put on “shows” that sometimes include audience participation.  This fact, as well as the money and time investment of attending a luau, are the two main reasons we decided to strike it from our list of things to do during our 5-day stay.  For us, it wasn’t a high priority, but if we’d had more time we likely would have checked it out.   Many luaus will send a shuttle to your hotel to pick you up in the afternoon, and bring you back late that evening.

Hiking at Diamond Head, which we tried to do, but arrived too late in the day.  This volcanic crater is famous for its magnificent views at the top, and manageable hike that is accessible to casual hikers like tourists.  Diamond Head is designated as a state park, and the park’s hours are 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.  However, the attendant will not let hikers into the park until 6 p.m. because the hike may take an hour or two to complete.  We’ve heard that there is almost no shade on the trail, and our research said that getting to the park early was key.  Getting there can be tricky, as well, and it took us a few attempts to find it.  There is a wonderful map at this site.

The entrance to the park is located near the intersection of Diamond Head Road and 18^th Ave., as seen on this Google map.

Sample Itinerary:

Tuesday:  Hotel, Beach and Waikiki Beach Walk

Our plane landed in Oahu at 2:00 in the afternoon, which felt like midnight to us because of the time change.  We’d also had to get up very early that morning to begin our traveling, so we were very tired upon arriving.  However, the view of the ocean and beach quickly revived us!  We had a quick lunch in the beach-front restaurant at our hotel and put on our swimsuits – we couldn’t wait to get our toes in the water!  Relaxing on the beach and then walking around that evening, familiarizing ourselves with the tourist part of town (named the “Waikiki Beach Walk”) took up the rest of our first day in Honolulu.

Wednesday:  Pearl Harbor Memorial and Kailua Beach Park

Visiting the Pearl Harbor Memorial is best done early in the morning, as this is the most popular tourist destination on the island.  We chose to do this our first full day in Hawaii as we were still adjusting to the time change, and awoke early on our own because of it.  The visitor center is open from 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (but the last program begins at 3:00 p.m.)  At the memorial, there are multiple things one can visit.  When you arrive at the memorial, you should first get in line for your ticket to the USS Arizona monument, which is free.  The ticket you receive will place you on a boat leaving the shore at a certain time and will take you out to the memorial, where the ship is sunk.  Although we arrived early in the morning, the tickets we received were for a boat leaving in two and a half hours.  While you wait, there are multiple things to keep your interest.

The USS Bowfin submarine is docked in the area and open for tours.  These tickets are not free, but worth the price to keep you entertained until it’s your turn to visit the Arizona monument.  This site offers helpful information about the bowfin tours.

Touring the (tiny) Bowfin submarine gave us a deeper understanding and appreciation for what it meant to be a Naval seaman.

At the shoreline, there is also an (air conditioned) museum to which you can purchase tickets, as well as a (free to browse) gift shop.  Food choices are limited, but hot dogs and sweets are available for purchase.  There is also a Remembrance Circle near the shore that is free to view.

In short, it wasn’t difficult to keep busy while we waited for our dock time to be called to take the boat our to the USS Arizona Memorial.

The USS Arizona Memorial (the sunken ship that remains as a resting place for over 1000 men who died in the December 7, 1941 bombing of Pearl Harbor), as well as a visitor’s center museum about the Arizona.  Before boarding the boats out to the memorial, visitors watch a 20-minute video explaining the history of the Pearl Harbor attacks.  The memorial is actually a concrete structure built on top of the site where the ship still lays.  The memorial is a simple one, with the names of those deceased the day of the attacks.  There is also a list of Naval men who have passed away since and have elected to have their ashes scattered at the site where so many of their peers were killed.  It is a very touching experience.

Photo courtesy of:  http://hawaiiantouristattractions.com/Pearl_Harbor_Memorial.php

It is important to note that purses, backpacks, camera bags and diaper bags are not allowed on the premises.  Leave these items in the trunk of your car for safekeeping.  I would recommend encouraging your husband or male member of your travel party to wear cargo pants/shorts that day – the large pockets are perfect for holding your camera, wallet and sunscreen (which are basically the only things you’re allowed to bring inside).

After all the reflecting and learning at the Pearl Harbor memorial, we were ready for something a bit more relaxing for our afternoon.  We got in our rental car and drove along the east coast of Oahu, weaving in and out of small Hawaiian villages (which are not at all touristy) to visit a beach we’d read about online:  Kailua Beach Park.  This was by far one of our favorite beaches – away from the tourists, quiet, low-key and absolutely tropical.  This is where the locals come to surf, to play with their children, to read the newspaper.  It was heavenly.

We spent the remainder of the afternoon there (my husband playing in the waves and myself reading on the beach), and we packed up the car and meandered back to Honolulu where we cleaned up at our hotel and headed out for dinner.  More on the restaurants in Honolulu later.

Thursday:  Byodo-In Temple, hike to Manoa Falls, and shopping in Honolulu’s International Marketplace

The Byodo-In Temple is a Buddhist temple we read about online, and was truly a gem find on our part (if I do say so myself).  Entry fee is only $2 and it gets you all the time you want to lounge in the beautiful gardens surrounding the temple, to sit by the babbling brook that winds its way toward the creak that runs in front of the temple, to bang the large gong near the entrance to the temple, to explore the bamboo forest located behind the gift shop, to set foot inside the Buddhist temple itself and wonder at the large statue of Buddah inside (something I’d never done before), and of course to peruse to your heart’s content in the small gift shop.  It would be an excellent place to have a picnic lunch.  And, of course, you get some amazing photos:

Read more about the Byodo-In Temple here.

My husband and I then stopped at a near by supermarket to load up on snacks and bottled water (a tip for anyone wanting to save money and avoid hunger-induced crankiness in yourself, your husband or any other travelling companions with you).  Then it was on to a beautiful hike through rainforest-like conditions.  This hike is not what I would describe as “easy” but it is just fine for beginners.  I say that it’s not easy because if I think about it, my out-of-shape 60 year old father would likely not make it too far on this hike, but his in-shape 67 year old wife would likely do just fine.  The trail is approximately two miles roundtrip, and up some fairly steep hills at times.  If you are not terribly overweight and are used to walking more than a few miles at a time, you will do just fine.

Here’s a tip:  use the bathroom before you embark on the hike (portable toilets along the way are very unclean), take plenty of water with you, and be prepared to get sweaty and muddy.  The environment there really is rainforest-like, so it’s all very lush, green, and humid.  Because the canopy shields much of the sunlight, it isn’t terribly warm, but once your heart gets pumping from the vertical ascent, you’ll start to sweat.  Plan to return back to your hotel after this hike to take a much needed shower.  Also, don’t bring numerous purses, bags or anything else you’ll need to hold on the hike.  My husband and I brought a small backpack in which we carried our water and our camera, and one of us wore it on the way up and then switched for the way down.  Because it is steep, there are places you’ll need to use your hands to steady yourself, and you’ll want them to be free.

However, the hike itself is just gorgeous and my husband and I, coming from the Great Plains, saw plants and trees unlike we’d ever seen in our lives.  The waterfall at the end of the hike (Manoa Falls) was slightly unimpressive when we were there – it was down to a mere trickle rather than a proper waterfall – but the hike was well worth it nevertheless.  After all the eating we did while on vacation, doing something active felt extremely good.  We returned back to our hotel exhausted and happy.

After a nap and a shower, we set out again to peruse the International Marketplace in Honolulu, a tourist shopping area filled with overpriced souvenir-type goods.  Haggling is encouraged at these kiosks that are all selling the same items.  Walk around to different kiosks to see which vendor will give you the best price.  Exhausted from our active morning, neither one of us lasted long shopping and so we ended up at a local restaurant and enjoyed cocktails on the patio, people-watched and enjoyed the breeze.  A beachside walk back to our hotel and I’d call it a successful day.

Friday:  Beach hopping

Friday we hopped in our car and decided to explore the island even more.  We happily meandered along the eastern coastline of Oahu and stopped at each and any beach that suited our fancy.  There were also several scenic outlooks along the way where we stopped to marvel at the Pacific crashing against the rocky shore.  This was absolutely the most fun we had, because it gave us time together alone, with us literally in the driver’s seat of our day.  We stopped when we felt like it, drove when we felt like it, even pulled over for an afternoon nap when we felt like it.  It felt gloriously normal, almost like we were Hawaiian citizens enjoying a day off from work and just spending the day together.  Some of the beaches we stopped at include:  Bandy Beach Park, Waimanalo Bay Beach Park, and Sunset Beach Park.  The drive took us all the way to the northern tip of Oahu, then we took the main Highway through the middle of the island through Pineapple fields and more lush greenery.  We ended up back in Honolulu in time for some serious shopping along Waikiki beach walk.

Saturday:  Snorkeling at Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve and an afternoon at the spa

I’ll admit, Saturday was try #2 at snorkeling at Hanauma Bay.  Our first attempt was Friday, when we arrived at the preserve at 10:00 a.m. to find the parking lot full and no access allowed.  The park opens very early (6 a.m.) and the parking log only has so many spaces – once it is full, no one else may enter until someone exits.  It’s like the hottest night club in town, except it’s a Nature Preserve and you must arrive very early in the morning.  The popularity of Hanauma Bay speaks for itself, however.  There’s a reason everyone wants to come here – it is one of the easiest and most beautiful places to snorkel on Oahu.

So, we tried again Saturday morning and arrived at the Bay at 8:00 a.m. and got in with no problem.  I am a prairie girl who does not do well in water, and really doesn’t know how to swim at all.  Still, I knew this was a great opportunity that I wanted to participate in so I bit the bullet and raised my hand when the tour guide asked if anyone needed a floating device.  Along with my flippers and other snorkel gear, the brief orientation we received before heading out into the water sufficed and I was able to swim with the fish without feeling like I was too much in danger.

We had read that sunburns are especially common for snorkelers, because it’s easy to get so enthralled in the underwater world you’re observing that your back, neck and legs can be left exposed long after the sunscreen you applied has worn off.  So, as a precaution, my husband and I both wore long sleeved athletic shirts with a collar that helped protect our back, arms and neck.  The breathable wicking material was comfortable and dried quickly when we were finished snorkeling.

The experience of snorkeling was amazing, no doubt.  Bright, colorful fish are literally just beyond your fingertips.  The only difficult part of the experience was trying not to bump into or scrape against the huge coral reefs at the Preserve.  Guests are asked to not step on the coral to prevent damage to the organism, but because the reef is huge and abundant, it’s difficult to stay away completely.  Snorkeler beware:  the coral can cause serious scrapes on the hands and legs.  Kick carefully.

We spent over four hours kicking around in the underwater world, and when we returned to our hotel, we were famished and exhausted.  After grabbing a quick bite to eat, we relaxed a bit in our hotel and decided the best way to while away the afternoon would be on the table of a masseur at a local spa.  We visited the spa inside the other Outrigger hotel, the Outrigger Waikiki Beach hotel.  The services were of course overpriced (about double what one would pay in their local city) but how luxurious to be padding around a spa in Honolulu in a plush robe, recalling your morning swimming in Hanauma Bay.

Sunday:  Shopping

By Sunday my husband was ready for some quality TV time in the room and I was ready to give my credit cards a good workout at some of the fabulous shopping in the tourist district of Honolulu.

As our last day in Honolulu, this was the time to load up on any souvenirs we still wanted to purchase (including the very dangerous chocolate-covered macadamia nut – we forced ourselves to wait until our last day to purchase a box of these, otherwise we would have devoured entire boxes during our five days on Oahu.  As our plane left early the next morning, we also needed to visit the grocery store one last time to get any snacks we needed for the journey, take our rental car to the car wash, and pack our suitcases.  After all the business of wrapping up our vacation was done, we enjoyed one last leisurely dinner and one long walk along the whole of Waikiki beach before turning in for the night in preparation for our very early departure Monday morning.

Food and Restaurants

We are neither excessively frugal nor excessively rich, so our travels dwell in the “plain good sense” happy middle area when it comes to cost.  We try to spend money on what matters most to us, and cut corners in places that don’t matter as much.  When it comes to food, we found ways to cut corners but also found opportunities where spending more was well worth it.

To avoid a case of hunger-induced grouchiness, we always try to travel with at least a few snacks in our bag.  I packed these up at home with cereal, crackers and cookies I had purchased at the grocery store.  We continued this habit once we arrived in Hawaii as well.  Because we had our own rental car, we quickly and easily found several grocery stores where we stopped a few times to load up on snacks we could take with us in the car, on hikes and to the beach.  We also stocked up on plastic bottles of water, which we refilled with tap water from our hotel room and kept cold in the mini-fridge in our room.

Because all I want in the morning is cereal, and my husband is not a big breakfast eater, we bought a box of cereal and a small quart of milk at the grocery store and kept it in our room for breakfast each morning, along with a few bananas.  This, along with a coffee from the Starbucks in the lobby of our hotel kept us satisfied until lunch time.

There are numerous restaurants right near Waikiki Beach.  For a partial listing, look here:  http://www.waikikibeachwalk.com/dine.aspx

The problem with many restaurants in tourist areas is that waiters don’t ever expect to see their customers again, and therefore care little about the kind of service they give them.  Our reviews?  The Yard House had superb service and food each time we visited (I say each time because it was so good we ate there twice!).  Giovanni Pastrami should be avoided at all costs – we ordered a dish of spaghetti to split, and there was so much oregano on it, we couldn’t eat it.  When we asked the waitress to bring us something else, we waited for 30 minutes and never got our second dish.  After being told that the manager was coming out to see us, and waiting 10 more minutes, we finally just left the restaurant, disgusted that an evening of our vacation had been ruined by this frustration.  Luckily, a very reliable Ben and Jerry’s ice cream shop around the corner helped soothe our irritation.  Otherwise, I hate to admit, but the ol’ standbys of The Cheesecake Factory, P.F. Chang’s and even Denny’s were a comfort when we were weary of trying out the unknown when it came to restaurants.  If you are more adventurous when it comes to food and have other suggestions, please note them in the comments.

Helpful all-around tips:

Rent a car, and reserve it beforehand.  Although a reservation may not be necessary, it at least locks in a price for you.  I’ve had to rent a car at the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport before without a reservation, and they can charge you anything they want to.  Having a car gives you so much more freedom than having to rely on tour guides or city buses.

That being said, a GPS is also a must if you are renting a car.  Sure, Oahu is a small island with only a few major roads, but the traffic is still that of a large metropolitan area, and the GPS helped bring down the stress-level of driving in a new place.  Still, it’s a good idea to buy a map of the entire island at a local gas station, too.  When you’re exploring the island without a specific destination in mind, it’s handy to have.

Also, when you’re researching and planning out a tentative agenda before you leave, try to write down the addresses and driving directions to each from your hotel – because even GPS systems are not foolproof and do not always take into account construction, etc.  We were using a Tom-Tom GPS device, which often requires you to enter a specific address for the destination you were looking for.  There were times when we didn’t have the address of the attraction, and using the GPS was less than useful.  Once again, it was helpful to turn to the directions I had printed off the computer before leaving and to consul the map of Oahu we bought.

Bring a small laptop if you have one.  Having a small laptop in our room was so useful when we were making plans for the next day, looking up directions, checking on hours of operation, inquiring about spa services, etc.  Almost every hotel will have wireless internet access, and having a laptop in your room really amps up the convenience factor.

Carry a water bottle with you everywhere. Forget about the normal effects traveling can have on your digestive system, but being dehydrated from being active and in the sun all day will only make those problems worse.  Headaches and crankiness are often caused by dehydration as well.  Bring a water bottle with you everywhere and keep re-filling it throughout the day.

The International Marketplace on Decatur has over 40,000 square feet of staples and specialty foods from all over the world. Their fresh meat department features paper thin sliced meats for shabu-shabu and those hard to find items like fresh cow lips and pig uteruses in two popular sizes, large & small (I don’t think I want to know what happens to the medium size ones). Relax, I actually don’t have any recipes for those last two items. The store is arranged according to country and has a seriously impressive inventory of Asian, Middle Eastern, South Pacific, Italian and other European foods all very reasonably priced. They also have an impressive selection of home décor, kitchenware and specialty electric appliances such as rice cookers. Located at 5000 S. Decatur Blvd.

White sands, blue seas, palm trees, and people line the beaches of Waikiki

Blog entries were piling up on my computer like snow in a storm. They still are as I write from the ship on the 6th of May. But in Waikiki I found a place where I could access free Internet and upload a couple of entries. That’s all the battery I had on my little, old PowerBook G4.

The place that offered free Internet? The local Mac store. We were wandering in search of a wireless hotspot and didn’t like the high prices we were being quoted. Then a young woman with a Mac laptop pointed us toward the Mac store, and we were in business. We checked e-mail, and then Robin went off to look around Waikiki while I uploaded to the blog.

Fish swimming in the pond of the International Marketplace

While we were wandering in search of a hotspot, we stopped by the International Marketplace. At the waterfall and pond where a small sign announces the location, we stopped to watch some well-fed fish. They’re used to tourists so ignored all the bodies looming over them, cameras in hand.

Robin standing beside the fish pond

A big banyan tree casts a canopy of shade over the market, making it a welcome oasis on a hot day. I had Robin stand by the fish pond to show the scale of some of the big tree’s many trunks.

The International Marketplace is a colourful place to pick up tacky tourist items from dozens of small vendors. Given the sameness of the offerings in stall after stall, I suspect they all buy from the same wholesaler.

A boogie boarder nearing the end of a successful ride

For a while we watched the boogie boarders along Waikiki and Kuhlo Beaches. Dozens of them bobbed out in the surf, waiting for the right waves. Then they’d mount their boards, judge their entry into the wave, and make a wild dash to shore.

Robin particularly wanted to show me the spot because it’s where he first tried boogie boarding. He’d brought his band on a concert tour. Always ready for an adventure, he was disappointed when not one of the teens was willing to even try the sport. Didn’t stop Robin, of course.

This canoeist repeatedly rowed out to catch a wave, then rode it back to shore

Another wave rider paddled out to the surf and rode it back repeatedly as we watched. He was in an outrigger canoe. His only passenger was a happy dog.

The familiar shape of Diamond Head rose in the distance. Seeing it for the first time in my life, I wanted to be on top of it, to check out the view from that height, to get a sense of its girth from close up. And next day, that’s exactly what we did.

Diamond Head is one of Hawaii’s most familiar icons

First, I would like to state that I love taking off in an airplane. It’s a cool sensation. After that, I can leave the whole thing and go by car. Fortunately, I have not had the experience, as my nephew did, of having a NEAR mid-air collision, or as a friend did of dropping 10,000 feet in one second, while mid-air.

Our plane, the same plane we had flown over the ocean from LAX, took off after our abbreviated stay in Maui. At 20,000 feet, it sounded as if they were lowering the landing gear again. It was making strange enough noises that everyone had stopped reading and was nervously looking around.

People, who had traveled across an ocean together, in complete silence, suddenly started chatting.

“Gee, is it time to make our wills out?”

“Wonder where the pilot is?”

“Notice, there isn’t a flight attendant in sight?”

We started making all those nervous, lame comments you make when you are afraid you are about to face your imminent demise. After all, we had listened to the engines for many hours, so we knew what they SHOULD sound like. We also began buckling up.

It was a very long half hour before the pilot finally came on the intercom.

“You’ve probably noticed that we lost our right rear engine shortly after we left Maui.”

Well, DUH! PROBABLY? You would have to have been deaf not to notice.

It also would have been nice, presuming he was not fighting to keep the plane in the air, to announce to the passengers that‘even though we have lost our right rear engine, we have three more or two more or even one more engine and we are not in any danger, but it would be advisable to buckle up.’ You know, just something, anything to make us feel like we were not alone in this; without any control.

The pilot continued.

“I don’t want you to be concerned by the fire equipment standing by in Honolulu.”

Which, as it turned out, was so far away that we probably would not have noticed the four fire engines, ambulances, etc at the far edge of the field, had he not told us? It certainly was not as worrisome as the frikkin engine noise we had been listening to for the last half hour or more.

He did bring us in for a safe, albeit bumpy landing and we thanked him with a rousing, well subdued, round of applause.  Hey, I was happy, four take offs and four landings are enough to make me applaud being done with it, even without losing an engine. Which, by the way, makes me wonder–What exactly is the airlines definition of “losing” an engine? Did it actually fall off into the ocean? Or is it on the plane and just not working well, or at all?

We touched down, in Oahu, at 3:55 pm, Hawaii time and received a beautiful flower lei greeting. It smelled so good, no artificial perfumes, and almost made the rest of our troubles worth it. It was one of the few flower leis, placed on our necks during the next two weeks that we were actually allowed to keep. I had secretly paid for this when we booked the flight, so mom would be sure to have a nice one.

The first thing we did was look into a ship for coming home. Our “faithful” travel agent had abandoned us for Tahiti. Bet she wished she had stayed there, and she was probably on a plane with all its engines, so we just asked everyone about a ship home and got laughed at. The general consensus is that you have to book a ship three months in advance and pay $2,000 per person, so that was out. 

On to the hotel:

Mom does not like to stay above the third floor. I have pointed out that an eighty year old lady will probably have as much of a problem jumping from the second floor, as the third, but three is her limit. We had reserved a third floor room, and were assigned a room on the sixteenth floor. Mom turned green and I threw a polite fit about it.

One of my jobs was to make the trip go smoothly and I was fast failing at that. They showed us the room, with an offer to move us if we could not accept it, and we found out that the pool jutted out two floors below us so we would only have to escape down two floors into a pool. Looked like fun to me and she was happy (By the way, she won’t stay on the ground floor either).

Mom wanted to see Don Ho, but he was out of town, so we decided to roam on down to the International Marketplace. We were told it was two blocks away.

Now, if you are traveling to Hawaii, this is a very important lesson. Read carefully: EVERYTHING IS TWO BLOCKS AWAY. It is the most miraculous place in the world. It does not matter where you are standing or where you want to go; just ask four different people, heck ask twelve different people and they will all say, “It’s two blocks that way.” I dealt with their “two blocks” joke for the next ten days.

The International Marketplace was eight blocks away really. A hike for mom, so we eventually, after walking a couple of blocks, grabbed a bus. It is an open air market, with one aisle of better class stuff and other aisles being bargaining aisle sales. Mom eventually got into the “will you take $5.00 for this,” something I doubt she had ever done in her life. It was just fun to wander after dark, in this tropical paradise, with all the new sites and smells.

The disappointing thing is that I never really found a section that I considered to be International. I like to find hand crafted things made by indigenous people. There was a lot of mass produced stuff at the market. But, obviously, I did not see the whole thing.

I promise tomorrow to tell you about being kidnapped by the “Pleasant Hawaiian” people.