In Waikiki for the first time

[dmbrand]

Aloha again!

What a busy two days! The hike up Diamond Head was a good workout; definately no guilt getting the shave ice after reaching the bottom! Trade winds have stopped a bit, so it is very hot. It reached 91 degrees on Tuesday, a record for them.

Surf lessons at Hans Hedemann's in Waikiki were a hit; would recommend to the adventurous folks! Then head up to Lulu's Surf Club for the stongest, best MaiTai I have had! Meals are so large at all these restaurants, my daughter and I have learned to split meals. No one seems to mind.

Germaine's luau was good as a first-time in Hawaii sight. Tried all the Hawaiian foods, and the show was fabulous. The dancers are very talented; but the show did seem a little long. Or maybe we were just tuckered out from a busy day. Being located on a beach was a plus!

Wednesday was the USS Arizona memorial. We lucked out, with tourism down, we were able to get here around 8am, received the 9:45 entrance tickets, and were out by 11:15am. This allowed us to go to Chinatown for lunch. Stopped at the Fort Street Cafe for Shrimp Fried Rice with Spam and Egg(Monty Python comes to mind), hot and sour soup, and garlic chicken. Very good! Then walked into the Hawaiian Pacific University office next door to pick up info for my daughter. Very nice looking place, and the majors are appealing. Hmmm, we'll see.

The best was Hanauma Bay!!! This is exactly the image of Hawaii that I pictured before we came. We snorkeled late in the afternoon during high tide. Definately like swimming in an aquarium with all those fish. And the turtles! I was getting spooked a little; thought they were going to swim up and bite my leg!

Steve-thanks for the tip on the tide wave pools. I will look it up in our book, to see if we can make it. This snorkeling is a big hit with all of us.

Aloha!

[dmbrand]

We're back now

Finished our stay in Waikiki with a day trip to the North Shore, by way of the Dole Plantation. We ran through the maze and tried the Whip, it was a good time. I love their store, it had everything! I almost bought the Dole pineapple luggage straps! Don't see those everyday!

Hubby and kids jumped off the cliff at Waimea Bay, swam in the little falls at the Waimea Falls park, and ate the Garlic Shrimp plate at Ted's Bakery by Sunset Beach. My kids swear they saw Kenneth from 30 Rock. It did look like him, but there are always look-alikes out there!

We then flew over to Big Island to see the eruption at the Kilauea crater. Wish we could have stayed for the night time viewing. Made it to the public viewing area outside the park to see where the lava enters the ocean. Again, it would be better at night, but we were staying on the Kona side and were driving back. We took Saddle Road home in the dark, it is newly paved with road reflectors. It is very curvy, but it shaved 30-40 minutes off our drive time back from Hilo; didn't violate our car rental contract.

Stayed at the Hilton Waikoloa hotel using our Honor points. Very relaxing, and what a fabulous resort! Bring snorkel gear, or rent it here. There are sea turtles, fish, and eels in their lagoon! Oh, and bring your cash! Very expensive restaurants inside; we ate there a couple of times, then shopped at the Queen's marketplace outside the resort.

Didn't realize the time zone change would be so noticeable, we've been sleeping til 9-10am, and wide awake at midnight! All in all, a very good time!

[chriskre]

Originally Posted by Hoc

You mentioned "native bananas." I hope you tried the Apple Bananas. They are the short ones. You can't get them back on the mainland, and you're not allowed to take bananas off the islands. They have kind of a tangy flavor -- one of the best bananas in the world.

FYI - We have those bananas in Miami in case you come to Florida. You find them in the Cuban supermarkets like Sedanos, Star, Presidente, Varadero. Just in case you happen to find yourself in my hometown. People actually even grow these in their backyards in Miami. My Mom has a few banana plants in hers.