Stepping Out

In between errands today my friend and I had lunch at the Wedding Cafe nearby--fun decor (and serious business) and truly delicious sandwiches (pineapple iced tea that is like ambrosia!).





Our treat for evening drinks and pupus was my friend's favorite place here, the Kahala Hotel. I had my Mai Tai (a treat at last at the end of my stay) and the spring rolls were joined by mango chili sauce. Ooohhhh!

On Kahala Beach (not far from Shangri La) surrounded by sea, dolphin pools, beauty and serenity, paradise is believable.
My friend loves the orchid wall, so we drifted back to the car park via the orchid stairs......

Almost Indigo Tonight

My friend and I had reservations at Indigo tonight, but we both felt under the weather, with tummy part, and canceled. Hoping to be on top of the world and able to enjoy tomorrow. Wish us well!

Lovely Easter

On a brilliant blue and sunny Easter Sunday, my friend and I went to church, which is at/in the Koolau Golf Club half an hour from here. We took the luxurious shuttle bus, and the large and beautiful former golf club house half bought by the church was stunning. Coffee and breakfast breads after in the waterfall atrium.

For dinner, we went to Olive Tree, the Greek cafe. Souvlaki lamb was my main, with Greek yoghurt/mint sauce, and yummy Greek caviar was the starter, with pita. Despite the disparaging remarks in the Ono Kine Grindz blog, this restaurant has long lines nightly, and has for at least the 17 years my friend has lived here.


Masterpiece Theater presents Jane Austen's Emma tonight, so a great ending to a lovely day.

Bhutan update: today's paper has an article on the new parliamentary elections in Bhutan! This from last year gives more. Very meaningful after the film experience. Who knew there was an ideal country somewhere in the world, free and happy (GNH: Gross National Happiness index!), but still limiting tourists. What will democracy to/for them? Stay tuned!

Another Movie Day

On a clouding-up, sprinkling-rain day, how nice to escape to a movie theater for a fun diversion: Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day. Gives a girl hope, that movie does, and the lingerie, as well as the men (one of whom designs the lingerie), are enough to make one long for the late 1930s in London. With popcorn.

And for dinner, a GREEN salad (and Guinness): Mediterranean Salad with edamame.
torn romaine lettuce, thinly sliced cucumber, cherry tomatoes, feta cheese, edamame, slivers of red onion. Dressing: rice vinegar, olive oil, oregano, black pepper and garlic powder. Toss and and serve with olive bread like we did!

To Market, to Market

The great KCC Saturday market provided me with local-bread French toast and Portuguese sausage, plus Kona coffee, for breakfast. This photo leaves out the hordes who all stopped behind me in deference to my super-photographer abilities. Foodland grocery store provided me with pate to go with my Market olive bread (who knew there was pate to be had in Hawaii; never found any in Alaska!). The Market provided us with Alaskan salmon, too!

Saturday is errand day everywhere, even in Paradise, and so we moved through them all morning, and my friend had an errand in Macy's where I needed to occupy myself for half an hour, so I found two Hawaiian shirts, 3/4 sleeve and a Tee, with total price (yes, for the 2!) of $21.

New flowers pop up in the yard daily--these little orchids are the latest.

And, so it goes with Daily Life in Honolulu, taking over from The Tourist Round: Alaskan salmon at home tonight and a DVD of a classic movie from Movie Museum (rental, not on-site). The trade winds are back, so that wilt-in-a-minute hot spell is over and Paradise regains its appeal as, well, Paradise. With pate.

Another Week in Paradise

You noticed the new title of the blog! Well, what with one thing and another, plus a direct flight with a front aisle seat waiting in the wings for me, I added 9 days to my stay here in Honolulu. I'll get back to Alaska at dawn on March 28th.... I'm still wrapping my head around this.

After errands today, my friend (she's back-->my house-sitter career is over already) had made us reservations at Town for dinner with her son and his girlfriend. An organic, local ingredients bistro, it was sophisticated and delicious. Town doesn't have a Web site, so.... the outside photo does not do justice to the dim, art-work-on-the-walls casual elegance of the interior, but..... The menu changes daily, being local, and I stopped at the appetizers: pickled fennel, cucumber, radish, frisee lettuce, walnut and gorgonzola salad with another starter of local venison loin, grilled radicchio and limequat marmelade, and their homemade breads, of course. Even though I was not major in the conversation, my jaws ache now, and it is hard to tell people how alien-wonderful it is to be out at night with people to talk to--not to mention the Hawaiian food!

Beautiful Day Kafe

A very comfortable and cool place to work for a few hours on a hot afternoon, It's a Beautiful Day Kafe near here turns out to be a popular drive-through. In a former gas station, it also has a patio area with two big couches and lots of tables and chairs and a lovely breeze. There were some elderly people with the son of one them to help them in and out, who were enjoying a lively conversation in the couch area on one side. Nice little oasis. The owner and another woman who was there later are really nice and the whole experience is a lot better than Starbucks (no, I don't go to Starbucks, but pass it).

Beautiful Day has marvelous teas--the African Tropical and the Green Jasmine are divine. And, I tried an oatcake, hallmark of the islands (I think--they seem really big here). A quiet afternoon for a very tired lady--it seems that this is the hot season--blazing sun and no trade winds. Takes a lot out of a gal from Alaska! Thank goodness for the Beautiful Day Kafe! Otherwise, a droopy-gal day. Apparently this "kafe" is nicknamed "the Parachute" since the seating area is covered with a parachute! Wireless Internet connection, of course.

Kailua Charms

Spent the afternoon on Kailua Beach today . . . along with a lot of other folks, but nothing was crowded. Just lots of people of all ages having fun in the sun (and the shade). I took my lunch (the couple sleeping here had their sandwiches, too) and loved the warmer water, which is aquamarine, green! Milky, like a gem. Strong waves and brisk winds, so in the water was the warmest place. Outside it was chilly so I wrapped up in a towel (forgot shirts--got burned).

There was a woman swimming with her 3 dogs, two on a small styrofoam board and one swimming along. Sorry for bad photo--ran across them on the beach later as they were going back in--she puts the two on the board and throws a Frisbee far out for the third, and she swims back (a long way!). Who was holding on the rope of the board I never found out. She's swimming out front on your right, the two dogs on the board in the middle, and the big, swimming dog, at the end. A beagle and a pug on the board, big dog alone.

Finished with dinner at Zia's--their special: pear, blue cheese, mushroom and chicken pasta--green flat pasta. It was so good!! Of course eaten outside. Since it's only a 20 minute drive from here, this charming little town is the place to do beach things. Big bookstore, Coldstone ice cream, and a lovely, cool green drive to and fro.

Pacing Myself

I've had to give in and pace myself, take breaks and rest more. Maybe my Alaska-acclimated blood is still too thick for the heat here, or . . . . but I'll just have to save parasailing and hula lessons for the next time (though I've had two offers of places to stay if I want to extend my time here).

So Monday morning yoga under the palm trees (today photographed by a Japanese promotion team for ads back there!) while Pihalani practiced her yoga stretches at home (her left arm was straight up but she moved when I took the picture), then a walk into central Waikiki to International Market which is the only place on the island that sells fanny packs (the zipper broke on the one I brought), and just a half hour relaxing on the beach. On the way back to Sans Souci along the ocean I saw a man in a thong bathing suit -- the front just a strip of cloth from low-riser elastic (Amazon has a lot of samples...) -- and I turned for the back view and a charming, handsome guy walking his bike next to me struck up a conversation, "You don't see that very often, huh." I told him I was sorry not to have my camera for my blog and he gave me some great blog quotes to use (if I'd gotten a picture, that is).

Then off to Ono Hawaiian Foods, since this is about the last time I'll be able to work this in. Fuzzy photo of interior, walls plastered with photos of the famous who've been there (I recognized Lily Tomlin). The nice man asked if I wanted fresh or day-old poi (??!); day-old is tarter and more sour, and I chose that. He gave me some fresh to compare--hard choice. I got the combination of course (chicken lau lau), to try everything. Since "ono" means "delicious" in Hawaiian, no wonder it was fabulous. What I hadn't known is that everything is dipped in the poi; I used to just eat the poi straight. The cooked taro leaves were the best I've had, and the haupia melt-in-your-mouth.

Mother Nature Won't Email

If only Mother Nature would send email weather alerts I would have done Chinatown today or tomorrow in overcast cooler weather and in yesterday's blazing heat have gone to the Contemporary Museum (5 minutes and $3 from here) up in the lush green chilly mountain. Instead today was the museum and I was alone to enjoy it, taking in the powerful Misrach exhibition of huge photographs (you can see some here). Enormous grounds with sculptures and lots of paths winding among the gardens and nooks. Calming afternoon. In the lobby is a work in which, standing in the right place, you can see 144 reflections of yourself.

And at dinner tonight, there'll be sea asparagus from the market. Market was after breakfast at Andy's--best spinach-cheese omelette in town and Andy's homemade wholegrain toast and fabulous coffee--all in air-conditioning.

Chinatown

After yoga at the Community Center ended at noon, I decided to give Chinatown a whirl. One wrong turn = learning a LOT about Honolulu streets, but made it to Chinatown and went to the Vietnamese Pho 97 in the historic Mendonca building. This is a photo blog about a different Pho 97, but the owners and dishes are the same. I got the beef rib-eye steak noodles described in the blog (seen in my own photo here), except the meat (red, just put in) was already in the bowl. My plate of bean sprouts, basil and chilies were just like in the blog you can click to. It was so good,even the bean sprouts were like nothing I've ever had and the soup was divine. Decided against pastries, but did get rambutan (like lychees).

Passed Indigo and Tea at 1024 that I saw in today's paper (photos at their site), but just kept going today. It gets really hot in the middle of day now, even though the nights are cold and early mornings call for a long-sleeved shirt plus a sweatshirt. So, today, just the heart of Chinatown, which is only a few blocks square and a real treat. Well, the rambutan should be cold enough for a delicious bedtime snack. . . .

Queen Emma's Palace

Why does Queen Emma's Summer Palace fascinate me so? Small, quickly seen, it is a place I cannot wait to go back to! That's a kukui tree on your right as you look up the steps. No photos of interior--but the calabash bowls are marvelous, all sizes, many very large. Used to store bed linen and clothes. The cradle, to only mention one piece of furniture, is astounding. The Hawaiian owl feather standards in the entry are worth a return trip.

The palace visit was only one piece of the day, though. It's Monday, so early morning yoga in the beach park under the palms. Stopped by Leonard's on the way to get malasadas (this is the haupia, coconut). Worth the wait! Ate two(!) on Waikiki watching the surfers after yoga was over.

Two things to do in Manoa Marketplace before setting out for the afternoon, so got a Roast Turkey sandwich (pink paper middle right of menu wall!) at Andy's Sandwich Shop, a landmark. So healthy! Yep, that is the woman who made my sandwich, right there in the photo. This is what an Andy's sandwich looks like (scroll down).

Yellow hibiscus at Queen Emma's palace, biggest hibiscus I've seen (state flower). What a beauty!

Pali Lookout is only 5 minutes further, and even though the gray clouds were rolling in I went to see...and glad I took a sweater. Yes, the wind is strong.


The photo is of the Ho`omaluhia Botanical Gardens! Both palace and lookout small and quickly seen, but very powerful and memorable.

Roast duck pancakes from Manapua Factory for dinner ... fighting the local cold virus, so early night.

Slow Sunday

Sunday is a good day to walk on campus, and then jump in the car to go up to Manoa Marketplace for the farmers' outdoor market, and then a few doors down to the Manapua Factory shop for coconut Jin Dui (Chinese sesame balls) and mochi (pounded sticky rice balls) for breakfast with Kona coffee. Both of them had treasures of coconut at the center--so good! Also got some Dim Sum for lunch (menu here). Great cartoon on the subject from today's paper is here. Breakfast with the local paper, lunch with the New York Times. Ah, sweet Sunday.

Lucky to have gone out from 7:30 to 8:45! By 10 a.m. darker and grayer clouds and stronger winds rolling in, by 10:30 a.m. driving rain so intense French doors have to be closed--far more dramatic rain than in the first week I was here. Hmmm, cancel Queen Emma Palace/Pali Lookout today?

But, at least it is cooler! The local Sunday Paper Travel Section is on . . . wait for it . . . Alaska! Talk about cool!

Asian lunch today! The potstickers were the fattest and tasiest I've ever had.

The handmade soft tofu as good as always, and the Tokio flavored tea an elixir.
Clouds aren't lifting so no Tantalus or Pali lookout today, but a delicious Asian lunch sort of makes up for it.

No, I didn't eat the pink-tinged frangipani on the left. The underside is a surprise! They fall face-down on the path sometimes, and they are gorgeous. Here's the paler top side.
I have to walk through the fallen blossoms on the last few feet in front of the door---tough, huh.




The Academy Awards started at 6:00, so it was popcorn for dinner tonight. And I got to watch the whole Oscars show!! It was fun this year.

Hanging out with Don

This photo, taken on the quick, doesn't do justice to my charming friend, Don--sorry, Don (who was about to tell me something!) He's my good (translator) friend from Kitano-cho, in town now, and we went for brunch to Eggs 'n Things where he's been a regular for 20 years. Their photo page shows non-Japanese tourists, but it was almost exclusively Japanese tourist clientele when we were there (and a lot of the time). Super good (cheap--this is Waikiki!) food. Kona coffee is their "regular"--lucky me. We hung out the rest of the afternoon cruising Ala Moana Beach and then swung over to his condo on the 42nd floor with the killer views of Honolulu from Tantalus Mountain to Diamond Head. It was a really fun day!

Don's gift: Punahou Carnival Mango Chutney! Something like 10,000 jars sell out in the first 2 hours! Burleigh's daughter Linda had lamented that she was a little too late to get any (having come from Santa Fe!) and Don had no idea mango chutney is in my top-5 food favorites. I'll hand-carry this with me! Thanks so much, Don!!

Early Morning Lights Out
4:16 a.m., something wasn't right. Aha, no air...the CPAP mask wasn't working. Aha, again, the electric clock was out, the lamp wouldn't turn on....lots of clues for an outtage. No lights around the neighborhood--whew, it wasn't just here. Got up later and it is amazing how dark it is in Hawaii at 7 a.m. Down to the street to get the paper and sure enough, the traffic light wasn't working. To make a long story short, a bit after 7 I opened the fridge to get Piha's food and the fridge suddenly turned on. I jumped a foot, then relief set in. Much more relief when everything worked, the Internet connection, etc. So nice to have a little scare that turned out to be a non-event.

Kailua Simply Beautiful

Today I went to Kailua, directly north from Honolulu on the Windward coast for an appointment there. To my surprise, the drive took only 20 minutes through a cool rainforesty canopy of green. Passing through two tunnels, the vista opened on a distant view of Kailua and the blue ocean. After my appointment, I went to Kailua Beach, said perhaps the best in the world with its powdery white sand, its immensity, its crystal blue ocean. And lots of shade! May be worth the quick drive to go the beach there! Plenty of easy parking, non-clogged highway, small town feel.....and, yes, the bumper-to-bumper return from work in Honolulu traffic I saw on the way back showed how many people were willing to drive for the simple beauty of Kailua.

As for my "Mamasan Curry" at Mekong last night, it turns out that's a typo; it's Massaman curry, a "Muslim" curry with a Middle Eastern rather than Thai flair. Dark brownish red, spices so unfamiliar in curry, not Indian or Thai, it had chicken, carrots, onions and sweet potatoes! First ever sweet potatoes in curry! But it did have coconut milk (lite). The Bangkok Wings were deboned chicken wings stuffed with mushrooms, pork, carrots, long rice and spices and served with a thick peanut satay sauce. My leftovers tonight were just as delicious as the originals last night!

American Gangster

The book, American Gangster, was my plane reading on the way over, so had to see the Denzel Washington/Russell Crowe movie at the $1.00 movie theater. Sobering as the book, but a really good movie! The open air bar in the complex where the theater is looks delicious, but what was really delicious was the mahi-mahi/short-grain brown rice/salad plate lunch at Yoshi fast-food. Complemented by fresh salmon poke from the local Safeway for dinner (rain started again, so bagged Punahou Festival)---WILL go tomorrow.

In other food news, this is the papaya and apple-bananas I've started with in the fruit department. Veggies are fabulous, and the water is so wonderful I am in awe--how good the tea tastes, how soft my skin is! Now to add some ocean water to the mix!