Downtime for a few days
Posted by: ashleystravel in Hawaii 2007, Traveling Aroung the WorldI have finally made it back from my Hawaiian vacation. It was lovely, even if we did have the car wreck, and I got sunburned (surprise!) and I cut a chunk of my heel off on lava rock. Yes, it was still fun. I was able to fill up 3 1GB memory cards plus 2 smaller cards worth of pictures. I have a feeling it is going to take me forever to go through them all. Don’t worry, I will let you know when I post them to my gallery.
So to give you the quick run down of the trip (and by quick I mean grab a drink and a snack before starting on this wordy journey):
Days 1 & 2 were spent in Oahu. Highlights were hiking Diamond Head and Manoa Falls (although we got a little lost) and eating dinner at La Mer. We had the Tasting Tour menu from La Mer. The Duck foie gras was the highlight. Everything else was good, but nothing outstanding. The husband and I took The Bus every where ($2/person w/one-time use transfer). I know we faired better than renting a car as parking started at $15/day. We also had lunch at Tiki’s our first day there, which was pleasant but simple. I had the fruit salad and some beef sliders (on taro rolls).
Days 3 -5 were in Maui. More fun and excitement to be had! We did the Road to Hana (notice the wreck in the previous post) and tried to make it up Haleakala for sunset, but missed it by about 10 minutes. We still got to watch it above the clouds, which was still very enjoyable. Maui was also our luau time over at Old Lahaina Luau (supposedly the best). It was very enjoyable, but our table was one of the last to go up for food, which meant no time for seconds. They were already starting to clear the buffet when we were up there! I had the poi. What they say is right, it is an aquired taste. I actually didn’t think it had a taste and probably should have added salt or sugar or something!
The last 5 days were on the Big Island. This, by far, was my favorite island. If I ever go back, I will do Oahu once more to get to some of the things we didn’t have time for (Sea Life Park and Chinatown, etc.) but I would still want to spend most of my time on the Big Island. It was so beautiful, so calm, not too touristy. We stayed in Hilo, which probably added to that feeling. Downtown Hilo is quaint and homey. I would want to live there. Farmers Market twice a week and great cafes, it had lots of character. We were able to see Rainbow Falls and Boiling Pots, Volcano National Park at night time (bring a flashlight) and Thurston Lava Tubes, coffee plantations, macadamia nut farms… I could go on! We even tried to go up Mauna Kea (you really need a 4WD - we almost got stuck) but never made it because of my sinus problems. It was still great to be there. I will blog more in detail about the Big Island once I get the pictures up; it is such a visual experience. And a flavorful one. We ate some of the best food in Hilo (some even better than La Mer!). And if you are ever in town, you MUST get the chocolate shortbread cookies from Big Island Candies. Seriously! We had to go back our last day to stock up for the trip home. They also have their wares for sale online!
So that was my Hawaiian trip in a nutshell. I leave for Seattle and my Mediation compitetion Friday so hopefully I will have more fun travel news in the future! For now, I have mail and school work to catch up on (big shock there!)
***Update 3/21***
I have pictures uploaded now. Not all of them are labeled yet, but at least you can see some here.
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