10.27.2012

Hawaii

I had the most amazing opportunity to visit Hawaii when my friend Cee's friend's, E, was to spend four weeks in Honolulu for work. Lucky for me, I invited myself and tagged along to visit Hawaii for the first time. There is a reason that Hawaii is everyone's dream vacation; it's because it's a beautiful, idyllic island.

I just wanted to write an overview of my week in Hawaii, which will be photo heavy. I will follow with the food write-ups (17 of them in total!). It's a different vacation when you travel with a fellow foodie and we did not hold back!

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E stayed in a condo in Waikiki, in the heart of the action. It was perfect to go on morning runs on the beach (especially when I would wake up, still on East Coast time) or walk to a great selection of restaurants in Waikiki.

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Waikiki.

Cee and I landed on the Friday before Labour day weekend, and we decided to join E on a 3 day trip to Molokai Island. Molokai is the 5th largest island in Hawaii, and is one of the lesser touristy one, unlike Maui.

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Molokai Island.

We rented a Jeep and E drove along the coast to check out beautiful beaches. We also went on a few hikes including to Haipuapua Falls and down the Kaulapapa Trail to find a beautiful remote beach.

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Beaches on Molokai Island.

One of the highlights of Molokai was enjoying fresh tropical fruit: passion fruit, pomelo, papaya, pineapple. The lady who ran our B&B had avocado trees. On one of our hikes, we walked through mango trees, and I could smell the fruit that had fell on the ground. Surreal!

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Tropical fruit.

When we got back to Waikiki, we checked out the city, including going to the flea market at Aloha Stadium (where I picked up  my own ukulele!). There, you will find souvenirs that are more affordable than in Waikiki. I also tried pineapple with li hing mui, a Chinese (I think) mix of sweet and salty seasoning. There is a lot of Asian influence when eating in Hawaii.

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Flea market.

Cee and I spent a day driving along the North Shore to check out more beaches. We encountered shrimp trucks, and looked at sea turtles basking in the sun on Laniakea Beach.

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North Shore beaches.

A worthwhile expedition is snorkeling in Hanauma Bay. It's very touristy and busy but that's because the reefs are just amazing. I saw so many colourful fish swimming among the reefs. I was also lucky enough to come face to face with a green sea turtle, slowly munching on its lunch of seaweed.

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Reefs in Hanauma Bay.

Capturing sunsets in Hawaii is a must!

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Hawaiian sunsets.

Upcoming posts include encountering an Iron Chef, eating malasadas (Portuguese donuts), visiting many Diners, Drive-in and Dives and going to our first luau.

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