Monday, July 2, 2012

The Island of Oahu (July 2, 2012)

Monday, July 2, 2012

I had a lazy morning today. I woke up late, caught up on Facebook, and walked around people watching in Waikiki while Kris, Casthead, and Heather went to Pearl Harbor. Many many moons ago when I was lucky enough to go to Hawaii with Sharon, Rachel, and Leigh Ann Blair, we went to Pearl Harbor. It was actually Pearl Harbor Day then. I didn't think I needed to go again.









Kris did take a few really good photos of Pearl Harbor though, so I thought I would include some photos.





When they were done, Heather drove us all for some authentic ramen. I was rather annoying in my checking to make sure my food didn't contain fish or fish derivatives or fish broth or anything spicy. Poor Heather and Casthead must have been frustrated with me, but who wants to be sick on vacation?





Our next stop was Manoa Falls. We'd read great things about Manoa Falls on TripAdvisor and Heather and Casthead had been told about it by the owner of their rental unit. It was said to be an easy walk to a gorgeous waterfall. Wrong! It started off really nice, but it wound up being a very muddy hike between 3-4 miles and rather steep in parts. Also, it was so crowded at the top it wasn't worth going. When we were halfway back to the car, we ran into some Australian guys going up. We told them it wasn't worth it. Whoever is recommending this has never been exposed to some of the incredible waterfalls Kris and I have seen. I'm still baffled that it was highly recommended by several guide books.

















It's also never fun to get to the top of a hike and see Area Closed or Danger signs...but why people don't heed warnings is beyond me. People were swimming and bathing in the falls.





I relished the opportunity to go shower after Manoa Falls. We all needed to gussy up a bit for the Hale Koa Luau. It seemed appropriate to luau in Hawaii. There were pre-luau festivities, we all got shell leis, and a guy climbed a tree.













Naturally there were shell bugles to announce the unveiling of the pig. We also learned that it was traditionally the Hawaiian men who did the hulas and the cooking.













Kris got to ask someone to pass the poi...then said maholo. (Side note: poi tastes a bit like I imagine rancid baby food would taste.) The appetizers were served on the table and you could get what you wanted (and how much you wanted of it). I could have eaten my weight in the delicious pineapple.





I fully expected the food (for whatever reason) to be served family or buffet style. Unfortunately it came pre-plated with a huge hunk of fish on the top and seafood rice on the side. Between the two objects, they were touching almost everything on the plate. It took a long time to get a new plate without fish, but I did. The fried banana was fantastic, and the rest of the meal was pretty good too.





We saw hula dancing, a sarong fashion show, and a fire display at the show. There was even a singing impersonator.





















I was quite impressed by the talent...especially the boys who do amazing things with fire at the end of the show. I was less impressed with Kris's fashion sense.










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