Oahu: Day 2
Day Two: Thursday 4/24/14
With the 3-hour time difference, I was well-prepared for an early wake-up call. We turned down the crib when we checked in and had Kumquat sleep on the second double bed that we had in the room. She did just fine but I slept with her just to make sure she didn’t wake up with a head injury.
We were up by 5 (not too bad) and Kumquat did a decent job not waking Jes.
Most mornings we would go down to the infinity pool for breakfast. This infinity pool is so pretty. 
It looks like Kumquat could roll right into the ocean if I didn’t have the brakes locked on that stroller.
Lawson Station is the general store at the hotel and it’s awesome. They have just about everything you need to survive: milk, fruit, toiletries, souveniers, oh and did I mention Spam musubi, made-to-order udon, manapuas, and BUBBIES MOCHI ICE CREAM?!?! 
On top of that, there’s a Peet’s coffee in the hotel and they also sell Dole Whip! Whut?! I seriously wouldn’t need to leave this hotel if zombies were attacking Hawaii and we were on lockdown.
While the beach was still empty and quiet, we took Kumquat back out for her daily “aloha” to Mr. Ocean. 
Yup, she was still not having it. She clung so tightly that I didn’t really have to hold her. We did make progress though. There weren’t any tears but she still wouldn’t stand on the sand.
This day was designated as our pool day and after the beach, we rented a cabana (basically two cushioned lounge chairs with a shade) for the day. It was going to be our homebase from 8am-6pm today and it was awesome.
The day before, I took her to the kiddie pool (it’s only 1.5 feet deep) and she was still not sure of standing in it. The water came up to her chest and eventually she was brave enough to stand and walk around. Unfortunately, she stumbled and went right into the water – face and all. I picked her up out of the water and she didn’t cough or cry. She was mostly spooked and confused.
From that day on, we kept her in the floatie and she was happy again. It was also nice to have Jes there to help supervise. It’s scary taking a toddler to the pool by yourself!
After a morning at the pool, we lucked out on having a sleepy toddler passing out in her stroller so we got a nice quiet lunch at Tonkatsu Ginza Bairin. I had a tasty katsu-don with an oozy egg on top. Yum. It was delicious and big enough to have some left over for Kumquat to eat later when she woke up.
After lunch, we headed back to the pool and met up with the rest of the gang. 
Dayantha and Krissy had gone to Foodland and brought me some poke and Maui Onion chips. It was perfect with my Mai Tai.
The location of our cabanan turned out to be the perfect location for relaxing, hanging out near the wading area, and enjoying a few drinks.
The Lams and Kwaks also joined us and it was like our own little corner of paradise.
This kid got used to this whole vacation thing really quick.
It was so fun hanging out with Holly and Andrew. Andrew is in an “I don’t like taking pictures” phase.
Before dinner, we hung out near the hammocks and Kumquat enjoyed swinging with Daddy.
We were also greeted by a rainbow that evening!
Eventually, Kumquat had fallen asleep so she missed out on another dinner. She would have loved this one too.
We went to Marukame Udon, which has a cafeteria-style service and a line out the door all day long. The noodles are handmade in the store and it’s so cheap!!
The broth is very tasty and was even better with the soft egg added to it. Andrew ate up all the egg yolk before Holly could even try some.
I also picked up a Spam musubi for Kumquat’s breakfast the next morning. Yes, this kid ate a lot of Spam (aka “bacon” to her) on this trip.
We flew on Hawaiian Airlines (our usual) on Wednesday (4/23) and stayed in the Sheraton Waikiki this time. The flight went pretty well with the exception of when we were boarding the plane with a toddler who was screaming and refusing to walk and a husband who was on a conference call and couldn’t help.
I loved that Kumquat had her own seat and I came well-equipped with food, toys, and the iPad loaded with new apps and videos for her.
1) Kumquat puked in the car on the way to the airport (gross) and 
2) I spilled half a glass of mimosa all over my lap and didn’t have a change of clothing (stupid).
The Lams joined us on the flight, which made it an even more interesting flight. I think they had it pretty rough considering they were flying with an 18-month-old who didn’t want to nap and a 3-month-old who had to be held the entire time.
Luckily, they did get a moment of respite when Keenan finally fell asleep. They were exhausted that afternoon when we arrived in Honolulu.
Instead of renting a car for the week, I made arrangements for Roberts Hawaii to pick us up. It was great, they greet you at luggage claim, take your bags, and whisk you away to your hotel lickety split. Kumquat especially enjoyed the bus ride and Jes took a nap.
When we arrived, Dayantha and Krissy were out front and we we went to have lunch at Ramen Nakamura. 
Here’s my kimchee miso ramen with a side of fried rice. The ice-cold beer from the ABC Store threw it over the top for our first meal on the island.
The rest of the day was spent at the pool. Jes took his usual monster-long after-flying-to-Hawaii nap while Kumquat and I met up with the Fernandos. It’s fun having other friends in the same hotel – especially when they’re able to be an additional set of eyes on a constantly-moving toddler in a pool. Fortunately, she liked the pool and having the 1/2-foot wading area was perfect for her. The pool at the Sheraton is definitely a +1 over Moana Surfrider.
Dinner was at Duke’s and we stayed longer for drinks. I got my first order of poke and it came with furikake rice. Nice touch, Duke’s.
Yoon came by after another social function and we were lucky to have a kid that sleeps well in a noisy restaurant.
Since Humphry Slocombe opened in the Ferry Plaza, it was the perfect opportunity for the girls to meet up with me for a Saturday morning food crawl. 
Ranee and Stephanie brought their families over from Walnut Creek and we had quite a feast.
It started out with Roli Roti. You can never go wrong with starting your day with a porchetta sandwich.
Next stop was Blue Bottle for some coffee and a piping-hot waffle straight out of the griddle.
We also stopped for breakfast and a little street music.
Later that day, we jumped on Caltrain and sat on the floor in the bike car like peasants. Actually, we felt more like cattle. Heh heh.
We had dinner at Blue Line Pizza and ordered a thin crust AND deep dish pizza for the 5 of us. I liked the deep dish one better than the thin but they were both pretty good. Unfortunately, our table was a bit crowded and I ended up knocking over (AND BREAKING) a wine glass by the end of the meal. Doh!
Our ride home was a lot more comfortable and I was surprised to look down and find the little one asleep next to me. Maybe there’s hope for our 6-hour flight to Hawaii in a couple weeks.
Sunday was more laid back. We were home in our pjs for most of the morning. We did make it outside at least once and I’m glad we did. It was so sunny and warm! Who says SF has terrible weather?!
Weekends are great and they’re even better when the sun is out like it was this past weekend.
On Saturday, we went to our favorite place, the Farmer’s Market. For breakfast, we shared a red lox open-faced sandwich that had a thinly sliced Meyer lemon that was edible. Yum.
After lunch at Il Cane Rosso (no photos of lunch today), I picked up two scoops of Secret Breakfast for Jes and I to eat on our walk home.
The kid fell asleep so we took advantage of the quiet time and spent the next two hours at Hi-Dive.
Three beers and two glasses of wine later (between the two of us), the kid woke up and we were on our way home finally. Aaaah…what a fun morning.
Recent Comments