Hawai`i 2009: Day 6

Today was our last full day in Hilo so we decided to spend most of it in downtown. We started with the Pacific Tsunami Museum. Its friendly staff gave us a quick introduction to the museum and a brief history of Hilo's enduring struggle with the tsunami. Twice ravaged by powerful tsunamis in 1946 and 1960, Hilo has become an epicenter for tsunami awareness and evacuation training. After the 1960 devastation, the main drag of town was moved back away from the waterfront and it is now illegal to build that close to the bay.





In addition to the two big tsunamis, Hilo has endured several smaller scale ones and most people in town seem to think it's only a matter of time before the next big one. The museum tour features a movie with personal accounts of the great tragedies of 1946 and 1960 as well as interactive science exhibits, photographs, videos and a gift shop. We bought another shot glass to add to our collection



For lunch we headed up Kilauea Ave to the famed Cafe 100, and then drove back downtown to check out the Mokupapapa Discover Center. The Center serves as an educational center for the natural science, culture and history of the Northwest Hawaiian Islands. These are the isles, shoals and atolls north of Kaua`i and are homes to some of the rarest ecosystems on Earth.



Unfortunately, even these uninhabited (by humans) islands are not immune to pollution. This picture is taken of a beach littered by human trash that had washed up from the ocean.



The center is free to the public and features a large aquarium with a unicorn fish.


DanG needed some sunglasses and new aloha shirts so we headed down Kamehameha Ave to do some shopping. We found some scores along the way, including a new tree ornament and a book on the history of the Big Island as well as the shirts and sunglasses.





Despite being full from the loco moco lunch, we had to make a stop at Two Ladies Kitchen. Their strawberry mochi is legendary. Dan knows more about the food stuff, but this is worth a special shout-out. In fact, it may rank in the top 5 bites in my entire life! Don't let the unassuming store front fool you.



There is so much to do and see in Hilo. It's our third trip here and we're still leaving things behind for future vacations. Since we'll be staying just 30 minutes out of town for the remainder of our stay, we hope to get back a few times.

As the afternoon drifted on, we stopped at Sack-n-Save for some items we needed to pull dinner together. DanG has been enjoying cooking with the local island ingredients and I get to reap the rewards!

Tonight was our last night at the Falls. We did some yoga, relaxed and watched the weather turn constantly from rain to low hanging clouds to bright blue sky. You never know what to expect from the weather in East Hawai`i. Maybe that's why we feel so comfortable here - it's just like home.

Hawai`i 2009: Day 5

Today was marked by a busy morning and blissfully lazy afternoon. After fueling myself with 100% Kona Coffee, we drove downtown and made our triumphant return to the Lyman Museum. We first discovered the museum during our October 2007 trip, but only had time for the Mission House tour and the main floor exhibits. The friendly staff encouraged us to come back, and wrote us out a "rain check" as we were leaving that never expired. We hoped to return last June, but we were just too busy with the wedding, and this year we realized we misplaced the rain check.




Once again we were short on time, but we did get to see "Grandfather's House," a re-creation of a rural Korean home during the 1930s as well as a brand new exhibit featuring salvaged photographs capturing life in the Kingdom of Hawai`i from 1883-1905. And, since this time we were also on a timeline, the staff graciously wrote us out another rain check!

From the Lyman Museum, it is just a few blocks to the Palace Theater, where we ventured next for the weekly morning live theater show called "Hawaiiana Live!" Now in its third year, the show is hosted by cultural practitioner and local wahine Leilehua Yuen. It is a delightful 45-minutes of organ playing, history, music, hula, video and aloha. Before introducing Leilehua, the organ player gave us a concise history of the theater. It was built in 1925 and has weathered two tsunamis! We were hoping to experience some more Big Island local culture on this trip, and this was a terrific start.





After a lunch of Mexican food at Reuben's, we walked next door to the Hilo Farmer's Market. The market is one of the most talked about in the world, and at the forefront of the local food movement. It takes place in all its glory every Wednesday and Saturday, while some of the vendors stick around throughout the week. We were struck by how inexpensive the fruit was, but perhaps we are just used to the idea of anything so exotic as an avocado costing us an arm and a leg back in Seattle.



We had one more stop before heading back to the house: Suisan Fish market. It is a Hilo institution, and located near the Hilo Hawaiian Hotel (where many of our guests stayed last year).



With such an industrious morning behind us, we took advantage of our open afternoon by lounging, napping, reading, taking pictures and enjoying the natural beauty around us.

Later, it rained for the first time. From what we hear, Hilo needed it.

Hawai`i 2009: Day 4

We awoke early today, and quickly pulled together our suitcases for the mid-morning flight to Hilo. We had some time so we took one last walk on Waikiki Beach, savoring the salty morning air.

An odd thing about Waikiki: limousines everywhere. We were confused by this until we hailed our taxi to the airport. Yep, a limousine! My first time ever riding in one, actually. The cost was the same as a regular taxi.

Check-in was smooth at HNL so we had plenty of time to walk around. The interisland flight to Hilo took about 40 minutes, landing in ITO around 11:25am. Immediately, we felt a bit more relaxed being back on the Big Island. After figuring out the rental car (and almost being confused into paying for insurance we didn't need), we were off to downtown for some lunch at Cronie's - a place we discovered last year.



Because we could not check into The Falls until 3pm, we puttered around the Hilo shops for a few hours, adding some items to our mental wish lists at Basically Books (one of the finest book stores around, with exceptional customer service).



Finally, we hit the local Sack-n-Save for some groceries and drove up to Reed's Island for our reunion with Paradise. While our anniversary was yesterday, we decided to wait to observe/celebrate it today while in our favorite spot. The owners are gifted hosts. Not only is the house impeccably clean upon arrival, there are fresh tropical bouquets on each table, gifts of coffee, cookies and mac nuts laid out on the kitchen table and Hawaiian music already playing on the CD player. All the memories of our wedding here last year came rushing back. We just couldn't stop smiling.

For our anniversary dinner, we returned to Cafe Pesto, where we held our rehearsal dinner last year. Following an amazing meal that Dan will write about in fine detail, we walked home. As a side note, walking in the dark in the tropics is kind of spooky.



DanG surpised me by tracking down the baker who made our wedding cake last year and having her re-create the top. We did not have to miss out on that tradition, which was wonderful.

More adventure awaits us on the Big Island!

Hawai`i 2009: Day 3

We had two agenda items for our last day in Waikiki: The Aquarium and Diamond Head. The latter proved more challenging to scratch off the list.

The Waikiki Aquarium is about a ten-minute walk from our hotel. DanG was there more than thirty years ago with his family, and wanted to see if a re-visit would trigger any memories. The museum is affiliated with the University of Hawai`i and serves as an educational tool for the preservation of native species and healthy ecosystems.



We were given audio wands when we checked in that provided in-depth information about the various exhibits. We learned about coral, sharks, reef habitats, fresh water habitats, monk seals, giant clams and more. There was a group of kids on a field trip so the energy was sky-high!



From there it was (we thought) a quick walk to the entrance of Diamond Head National Park. We bought a flashlight at an aptly named "Diamond Head Grocery" and were on our way. However, as we walked and walked and walked we realized we were not getting any closer to an entrance. And there was no signage. So we started walking the other way. And we walked and walked and walked. It was hot today, around 90 degrees plus humidity. Determination prevailed, though, as we spotted a sign just as were ready to push the hike to "Next time" status.



The hike is short - less than one mile - but fairly steep in parts. There were many people to share the trail with as well. Water is recommended, though the flashlight that is suggested in all the guidebooks is not necessary. The tunnel portion of the hike is brief and lit well enough to pass through without additional light (which is good because by the time we reached Diamond Head the $6 flashlight we bought was already toast!).



The view at the top is gorgeous, and we are glad we muscled our way through the experience of finding the park's entrance. As a reward (and thirst quencher) we each got a lilikoi shave ice from the truck parked at the beginning of the trail.

As luck would have it, we ended up sharing a cab back to Kapiolani Park (costing us only $3 each) and then hit a favorite spot of ours in Kona called Lulu's (we didn't even know it was a chain).

After completing all our action items for Waikiki, we decided to rest on our final night. It was a little bit of TV, room service and deep slumber. Three nights in Honolulu seemed perfect for us, and it has been a pleasant way to break up our travel. There is still much to see in this bustling island, such as Washington Place, the Honolulu Art Museum, the Polynesian Cultural Center and the famed North Shore.

But for now we bit adieu as tomorrow we return to our favorite little town of Hilo.

Hawai`i 2009: Day 2

We started our second day in Waikiki with breakfast at our hotel's 24-hour restaurant, simply called Mac 24/7. We then ventured out once again to catch TheBus to Bishop Museum, one of the main reasons we wanted to spend some time in Honolulu.



It is about a 45-minute bus ride from Waikiki, and spans 5 major buildings. Unfortunately, the Hawaiian Hall is still under construction. We began with the Polynesian Hall, an exhibit representing the various Pacific cultures across Polynesia, Micronesia and Melanesia.



We then walked across the Great Lawn to the Richard Mamiya Science Adventure Center, and had fun with a series of interactive exhibits that taught us all about volcanoes, biodiversity and waves. Finally, we toured the current touring installation in the Castle Memorial Building - a display called Backyard Monsters: The World of Insects. The kids at the museum had a ball with the giant-sized moving robotic insects, and it was fun for DanG to brush up on his entomology. Upstairs is a small display of the museum's early collections.




The museum is epic and impossible to do justice to in one day. We'll have to go back when the Hawaiian Hall re-opens. In addition, there are daily movies, workshops and lectures to augment one's learning experience. It is an impressive and well-run facility.



After reading so much about the "Pink Palace," we just had to check out the Royal Hawaiian Hotel. It recently re-opened after 7 months of remodeling. Many consider it the jewel of Waikiki, and it definitely has an air of nobility to it. We found our way to the Royal Mai Tai bar and had one of their famous concoctions while looking out at the sea of bodies on the beach.



Finished with our touristy activities for the day, we melted a bit into vacation mode with some time by the pool and later I used the hotel's fitness center.

We were both craving sushi so we used the hotel's business center to find the closest options, and then headed to Hula's for a pre-dinner drink. Hula's is a gay bar in Waikiki that many people have recommended to us for its friendly vibe and superb location in the shadow of Diamond Head.



From there it was sushi at Sansei and then a post-dinner walk on Waikiki Beach. Waikiki is unlike any of our other Hawaiian adventures. In many ways, it reminds us of Los Angeles. Yet it has its own distinct flavor (and much more beauty). Like Los Angeles, though, there seem to be many drifters, transplants and physical fitness gurus.



Our hotel is famous for its "killer cupcakes" so we decided to get a couple to take up to the room. We both opted for the Chocolate Peanut buttercup. The cashier asked us if we wanted utensils, as the cupcakes were "pretty big." Indeed.

Hawai`i 2009: Day 1

Our flight this morning was at 8:05, an hour earlier than we normally fly out from Seattle. So we awoke at 4:30am, finished packing and called a taxi to arrive at 6:00. It was a pleasant morning in Seattle, and the cab driver got us to Sea-Tac in about twenty minutes. Then came the long wait for boarding pass and baggage check. Hawaiian Airlines has a new baggage policy: $15 for ALL checked bags. This means people have to quickly get out a debit or credit card and the customer service specialist must take extra time to swipe the card and print the statement. Something to be aware of next time you fly Hawaiian - get there early!

We were fine, and as always, Hawaiian beat its expected time and got us to Honolulu just before 11am local time. Very little turbulence along the way.

After grabbing our bags and hailing a cab, we were off to the hotel which ended up being nicer than it looked on the internet.



We even got upgraded to a slightly nicer corner room when we asked for one King instead of two Queens. The hotel had a nice pool area on the 10th floor, where we sat and had our first mai tai in the islands.

View from our room:




Then we tredged on exploring by walking up to `Iolani Palace for the audio self-guided tour. It is the only royal palace on US Soil. It was designed by King David Kalakaua in the 1880s, the most extravagant of the Hawaiian monarchs. It was his passion to put the Kingdom of Hawai`i on the map as a nation of prestige, sophistication and pride. The interior has been restored, and parts of the palace are roped off for preservation purposes. It is a stunning site. Perhaps the most powerful room is also the most solemn: the upstairs bedroom where Queen Liliu`okalani was imprisoned by the American businessman who overthrew the Hawaiian Government and de-throned her in 1893.





The walk there was a little long, especially in 88 degree weather, so we opted for taking TheBus back to our hotel. TheBus is $2 per person and seems to run all the time -- and it has air conditioning!

Once we were back in the Waikiki area, it was dinner at Cheeseburger Waikiki followed by an early slumber as we acclimated to the time difference.

Hawai`i Trip 2009

We've been very quiet, but only because we've been so busy planning this year's trip to Oahu and the Big Island. In just a few short hours, we get on a plane headed to Honolulu!

We'll be posting about our 3-week adventures here, as we explore Waikiki for the first time, re-connect with Hilo to celebrate our one-year wedding anniversary and then go exploring/relax in Kapoho.

Today's agenda includes lunch in Waikiki, a tour of `Iolani Palace and perhaps a drink near the beach at sunset. Of course, as soon as the plane lands and we step out into that velvety air...it's island time.

Aloha!