Hawaii Day 11 (Honolulu, HI): The last day

 Today was our last full day in Hawaii.

We booked a tour around Oahu that was pretty fun. My sister and I have already been to a few of these places but my mom hasn't and there's a few places that I feel should have been on the itinerary. It was an all day tour that started at 7:20 in the morning and ended at about 3:45 with a short lunch break

Most of the tour was spent on the north shore. On the way out we stopped at a few sightseeing spots and snack spots. Lunch was at a shrimp stand and we stopped by a few dessert places and the tour ended at the Dole Plantation. We were given a narrative and some history but this tour seemed more "shopping" focused that other tours we've been on. 

We're going to spend the rest of the day packing and getting dinner. I have a gig to head to tomorrow night as soon as I get off the plane. I still have to figure out a way to make that work. 

This trip has been a lot of fun and a trip that I look forward to every year. Hopefully I'll be able to come back again and again. I got to go to a lot of places on the North Shore that I haven't been to yet and there's a whole lot more of this island to explore.

Until next time Hawaii, 

A hui hou

Hawaii Day 10 (Honolulu, HI): Another shopping day again

Today we went out to check out the Costco then Chinatown and stopped at a few spots along the way. We've found a few Japanese thrift stores out here. They're pretty cool, have some interesting things and tend to be a bit higher end. There prices are a bit expensive so it wouldn't be beneficial to buy things there unless it's a rare or generally hard to find. Not everything there is worth the premium. 

The Costco out here is just like any other Costco so there isn't much to report there.

Last time we went to Chinatown there wasn't much going on because we got there pretty late. This time we also went a little further in. There's a lot of grocery stores and herb shops like San Francisco's Chinatown but not a lot of gift shops. It seems like the only spot to get asian food out there is a food hall. Most of the restaurants seem to be pubs and american food.

We're going to a 7-11 and the Ala Moana mall later.

Tomorrow's our last day out here. we'll be going on a tour around Oahu.

Hawaii Day 9 (Honolulu, HI): Another shopping day

Today we started out at 1-2 Buy, a store that imports Asian snacks, then we went to T&L Muumuu Factory and H Mart because they were in the area. It's easy to get sidetracked and go off to another store because it's close and end up somewhere far away not knowing what time it was because you lost track of time and you forgotten how far you walked. This area has a midtown feel about it. H Mart was a big deal when it opened in the bay area and I think we found the snack shop on Tik Tok. The H Mart cafe is amazing! They have a Giovanni's Shrimp spot!

We made our way to Don Quijote and grabbed a few groceries and things for lunch, went back to the hotel to drop our groceries off and back out to Ross. My mom takes forever at Ross.

After Ross we did a little shopping and decided to grab a haupia pie from the McDonalds. The pie's out here are fried and so much better than the ones back home. The first McDonald's only had apple pies so we walked to the other McDonald's down the street. All they had were apple pies too so we settled for the fried apple pies and headed back to the hotel.

I'm going to go out for a couple drinks in a bit so we'll end things here.

I think tomorrow is going to be another shopping day

Hawaii Day 8 (Honolulu, HI): Shopping day

Today was a shopping day. We headed out to the Ala Moana mall and went to the Long's, Walmart, Sam's Club out there

The Coach store out here lets you buy the tags that they put on their bags and customise them. Some of the characters that are available to put on the tags are only available out here. My mom and I got one and I put my name on mine. They weren't as expensive as I thought they'd be. They wrapped the tags in tissue paper, boxed and bagged them. That must have cost more than the product itself. 

Getting around those stores took up most of our day. We could barely fit what we bought in our bags. 

The stores out here have items that are unique to Hawaii. The Sam's Club has Hawaiian snacks, the Walmart has a "gift shop" section with Hawaiian souvenirs and snacks and the Long's has Hawaiian snacks too. 

It's getting pretty late out here so we'll probably grab dinner at Marugame and head to bed. 

We don't have anything planned for tomorrow

Hawaii Day 7 (Honolulu, HI): Performance Day

Today was a performance day for the halau they had rehearsal in the morning and a performance at the workshop later that day.

Rehearsal was at a hotel garden. It was pretty cool. A lot of people watched and cheered from the balconies. A group also came down to watch but we were already packing up.

The performance was absolutely gorgeous and the food was good. the sun was setting as the event was wrapping up and it was a perfect ending to a series of workshops. This was a ticketed event and a lot of people came to watch. 

After we got back my mom and a couple of her hula sisters grabbed their lei and scrap foliage to release back to the ocean. On our way out we passed by a rock formation, Kapaemahu. Kapaemahu is a four rock formation that pays tribute to the four Mahu that brought the healing arts to Hawaii from Tahiti. 

Tomorrow we're switching hotels again. After that, it's practically a free day

Hawaii Day 6 (Honolulu, HI): More workshops, food and exploring

Today was another workshop day for my mom's halau so our itinerary was very similar. It felt like we did a lot of driving and eating today. I felt like I was eating all day!

We hung out at Kako'o Oiwi, the workshop site, until everyone was settled in just in case they needed anything and headed out to explore the area around the north shore. 

Our first stop was 7/11 for snacks. I got more than I needed and it through my whole food schedule off.

Before lunch we did a little sightseeing and walked out on a sandbar and took some pictures. We also drove around BYU's Hawaii campus. It was pretty!

After exploring for a little bit we went to the food trucks on the North Shore. There's a bunch of food trucks and shops out here. I wasn't hungry at all because of the snacks so I shopped around the area for a bit but didn't find anything. I got garlic shrimp even though I wasn't hungry and it's been one of the best things I've had on the island! It's a buttery garlicy shrimp scampi and rice topped with garlic. I'm so glad I had breath strips.

We considered getting haupia ice cream on the way back but I feel like I've been eating all day! We made a stop at 7/11 and got a couple of things to snack on for dinner. 

When we got back to the workshop site everyone was on a break so we explored the property. This place is mostly a farm that hosts educational workshops and sells produce on the side.

At the end of the day the workshop participants did another mini Hoike.

We got back to the hotel late but I went out and did a little shopping before heading to bed.

It's been a long day

 

Hawaii Day 5 (Honolulu, HI): Kako'o Oiwi, Safeway and Waiahole Poi Factory

 Today was a workshop day at Kako'o Oiwi for my mom's halau which means an early day. We headed out to the workshop site then out to Safeway to grab a couple of things and poke for breakfast. This Safeway has a poke bar! We ran into a couple of other people from the halau and heckled them for a bit. This occurrence has to be explained in person to be conveyed correctly. Ask me about it later.

Waiahole Poi Factory is another one of my favorite spots out here. They're known for their haupia ice cream and hawaiian plates. I got a sweet lady of waiahole and it was really good! It's warm kulolo and haupia ice cream.

On our way back we grabbed some stuff from 7-11 for dinner. The 7-11's out here are so much better than the 7-11's back home. The food here isn't your average corner store food. They're patterned after japanese combinis and adapted for hawaii. They have hawaiian hot foods and bentos. These are full grab and go meals!

After the workshops the halau's that participated did a mini hoike. There were halaus that came as far as Japan to participate.

Tomorrow is another workshop day. We might head to a mall while the workshops are going on.