Not even two hours after getting off the plane, I headed out for some night fishing at the Hawaii Kai Boat Harbor (site of our infamous hammerhead shark catching) with Dan & Clif. Unlike our previously successful trips to the harbor, I had the only catch of the night: a long & thin trumpetfish.
What's a trip to Hawaii without some shave ice. Here's a pic of the tourist (Daniel gave up his HI driver's license for a Cali one) and the kama'aina (local) outside Waiola. He chose the melona flavor and I have lilikoi/lychee.
Daniel & I taking the scenic route along the east side of the island. We're on the western side of the Blow Hole parking lot overlooking the beautiful, blue Pacific.
Continuing on the drive around the east side, we stopped at the Makapu'u lookout and hiked to the rock climbing area. After an uphill climb (and a few nasty thorns through my slippers), we arrived. Unfortunately, it was bloody windy and neither of us had climbing gear. So much for being prepared...
No matter since our reason for driving around the island was to get food. I've got the Pakalolo omelette (herbs & ham) with fried rice and Clif chose the seafood special omelette with hash browns.
Daniel opted for the house specialty: banana & macadamia nut pancakes with a special mac nut sauce. We all ended up sharing and I must say, those pancakes are phenomenal.
If you happen to be in Kailua during breakfast or lunch hours, you MUST go to Boots & Kimo for those pancakes. No Ka Oi!
Another food favorite is Jurison's Inn in Waikele. Home to some wicked good mochiko chicken. Here's Daniel enjoying his bowl.
P.S. Traci, I left the voicemail on your phone shortly before taking this picture.
A closer look for those who've never seen/had the mochiko chicken.
[Apologies for the poor focus]
After passing through Waikele (with a short, obligatory stop at the Adidas and Local Motion outlets), we continued to Haleiwa where we enjoyed Matsumoto's shave ice. So, after stopping at both major shave ice institutions on the island of Oahu, the verdict is Waiola has superior ice (much finer) while Matsumoto's has the better syrup. Well, that's my opinion at least...
The famous bridge in Haleiwa (I think it even appeared in an episode of Lost!).
And, I finally made it to an outdoor rock climbing site after missing out on the Fontainebleau boulders and a couple of Stoney Point trips. Here I am putting my shoes on at Waimea Bay.
And here I am climbing!
In the meantime, Clifton entertained himself with the frisbee & green ball.
And here I am determined not to fall (though, I think I fell shortly after the pic was taken). Daniel's desire to get in the water meant that I was without a photographer for the times that I managed to successfully climb. Go figure.
Climbing and swimming (damn, I miss the warm, clear Hawaiian water) sure makes you hungry so we stopped by another famous food establishment, Giovanni's, for some Kahuku shrimp scampi. All that butter and garlic...mmm.
Clif, Dan & myself with the famous Giovanni's White Truck.
Moving on from Kahuku and their tasty shrimp (and corn), we made it out to Laie Point for more photos.
Onward from Laie, we passed through Waimanalo on the way home and passed by the "Jackson Chameleon" sign that's been there for ages. Not sure if you can read the sign below, but it says "Slow Down through 'Nalo Town." Classic.
And, it's rare to go home to Hawaii and not eat at Zippy's. Here's my saimin.
Clif went with the chilli cheese fries (my usual favorite) and a strawberry shake.
Dan ordered the won ton min.
So, the Hawaii trip was short but awesome. It's been a few years since Dan, Clif & I were all able to hang out and enjoy all the cool things that make Hawaii so special. Not content with one trip to do some outdoor climbing, I had to get another trip together.
Without further ado, I present me & Travis at Stoney Point.
First order of business was to climb "Boulder 1" just off the road. Here's Travis after having been the first to succeed. You can see our car just peeking out behind the boulder (a closer shot of the car to come).
And here I am after getting up there myself. What a feeling. It won't ever be the same climbing indoors in Lyon's center (USC's student gym) any more.
Travis & I in matching photos hanging onto the same ridiculously difficult rock.
As Justin Timberlake might say in a McD's commercial, "I'm Lovin' It!"
Travis showing that he can reach a lot farther than I can (I couldn't quite get my hand around that grip nearly as much as he could).
Travis between a rock and a..well...another rock.
Me. Same spot, different view.
Last but not least, our means of transportation: A Mini Cooper Convertible! How cool?! So what if we couldn't hear each other speak without yelling and we were continuously pelted by small rocks being launched into the air by semis. It was a hell of a fun drive! It was rented courtesy of Flexcar (they have a handful of different cars on campus for members - in our case Travis - to rent). What vehicle will we take next? Tune in a few days from now and I'll have an answer for you!
Well folks, that sorta marks the beginning of summer for me. Got my camera, camelbak & frame pack all up in Pasadena. Plus, my climbing shoes and a healthy sense of adventure should mean that there's a lot more fun to be had in the outdoors. And, you all know I won't ever stop with finding out (and taking pictures of) the best food around. So, more Food & Outdoors to come! I'll keep you all posted. Take care everyone and I hope you enjoyed the pics!
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2 comments:
i like the cooper :P
i miss hawaii now.
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