Browse Tag: hawaii

Sun and Surf

We’re back from Hawaii and we truly made the most of our last full day. Yesterday I woke up early and headed out to Starbucks for a quiet morning with a cup of coffee and free internet. Jes got to sleep in and I watched the rain come down. By the time Jes woke up, it had stopped raining and we were ready to take on a full day of chillin’ before catching our red-eye flight the same evening.

Breakfast was at a place called Eggs ‘n’ Things. There was a very large out front and we ended up waiting about an hour for a table for 2. Luckily the wait was worth it. I had a scrumptious coconut waffle that was made super thin with just the right amount of crunch and chewiness. To make it even tastier I dipped the waffle in coconut syrup and guava syrup. MMMM…

The rest of the day was spent at the beachside bar. We snagged a table with a good view of the beach and watched the sunbathers get soaked by an unpredictably high tide. The waves were extra active that afternoon and it looked like a lot of fun. We didn’t go in that afternoon since we had already checked out of our hotel room. It was still fun watching though.  By the way, you like my new floppy hat?  It’s dorky but totally saved my face and ears.

We met up with Yoon for ramen around 1:15 and then headed back to the hotel for some more people watching and a refreshing beverage. We sat and sat and sat until the sun went down. It was so nice to be able to do that with nothing better to do.

We eventually made it over to a cute little Japanese place that served really traditional items including the most amazing broth I had ever tasted. It was so rich that it was served in a tiny tiny bowl.

Yoon later picked us up from the hotel and we caught out 11 pm flight home. We were sad to leave but also had a wonderful time. Sometimes 4 days in Hawaii is all you need to rest and reset.

Happy Longest Day of the Year!

Today is the first day of summer and we are having a great time here in Hawaii.  To celebrate the longest day of the year, Jes went out for his first surfing lesson this morning. He took a one-hour lesson and caught 3 waves!  He had a good time but was pooped out by the end.

We just got back from a day at the pool and we’re heading out for a cheesy luau at Germaine’s.  Jes is looking forward to seeing some dancing coconuts and eating kalua pork.

Umbrellas are cool.

On Sunday morning, I was up by 5:45 am again and took a little stroll down to the beach to watch the surfers.  Once Jes woke up, we headed down for breakfast at the Beachhouse and then over to the towel hut for a day at the beach.  We rented an umbrella for the day and it was totally worth it.  They set us up with two beach chairs and plenty of towels.  We were there from around 9:00 am and had it to ourselves until 5:30!  So we lazied around in the sun and then under the umbrella and then back in the sun.  We’d take a few dips in the ocean to cool off and then go back to the umbrella.  What fun!  By 10:30, the poolside bar was open and the number tag on our umbrella was flipped over as a signal to the waiter that we needed assistance.  We sat for another hour with drinks on the side table until it was time for lunch.

For lunch we walked over to Ramen Nakamura, Jes’ favorite ramen place, and stuffed ourselves silly.  We browsed through some of the stores on the way back to the hotel, gathered up our belongings from our room, and headed back to the umbrella.  Ah…it was just sitting there waiting for us.  How nice.

We spent another couple hours in our chairs until Yoon and her friend came by to join us.  We asked for two more chairs and the four of us just hung out watching the people on the beach.  Jes also had fun floating in the waves and I bobbed up and down in the water with my waterproof camera watching all the activity around me.

At the end of the afternoon, Yoon took us for a drive up the coast to see China Wall.  It’s actually called Koko Mini Beach Park and it had a spectacular view.  We carefully walked down the rocky steps to a flat area just along the crashing waves.

There’s a series of cut-up rocks and walls that make the water swirl violently in the middle and then crash up against the walls.  It was pretty fun to watch!

We drove farther up the coast to find a few other pretty places to take photos and then headed back to town.

Dinner was at Azure inside the Royal Hawaiian.  We had their tasting menu and I really enjoyed all of the items, well, maybe except for the veal.  Poor baby cow…  By the end of the night, we were pooped and asleep by 11.  It was yet another good day on the rock.  Umbrella day was fun.

Aloha from Hawaii!!

Aloha! Jes and I are on our annual long weekend in Hawaii and it’s gorgeous out here. We flew out on Friday night and arrived around 10pm HST with Yoon picking us up. We were starving so we stopped at a local sports bar that served a tasty BBQ pork loco moco and salt and pepper shrimp. We stayed at the Sheraton the first night since the Moana was sold out that night and got upgraded to their deluxe ocean view room overlooking the Moana. Yippee!

On Saturday am, we lazied around and had the requisite McDonald’s spam, eggs, and rice platter with a side of fresh pineapple. Ah…what a great way to start the day. I also ended up taking two naps before 11am. Boy, I must have really needed this vacation.

By 11:30, Yoon came by to pick up Jes. She hooked him up with a friend that needed crew for a sailing race in Kaneohe Bay. Nice! So I stayed behind and did some shopping, had Yoon’s favorite kim chee fried rice from Choi’s Kitchen, and took another nap.

Dinner was at Orchids and we had some tasty local fish there. By the end of the night we were both passed out by 9:30. It was certainly a good first day of our vacation.

3rd and 1st Place

#1

Jes has been in search of the next best bowl of ramen for the past 2 years since we moved up to SF from the OC.  His #1 is at the food court at Mitsuwa in Costa Mesa called Santouka Ramen. It has tender pork, a good salty taste, and comes with a soy sauce egg on the side.

#2

His #2 is at Ramen Nakamura in Waikiki. It’s hearty, comes with gyoza and fried rice, and their broth is so savory.

#3

Last night we had dinner at Katana-Ya and I think we found his #3.  Since this one is the only one we can access immediately, I suppose this is his local #1 thus far.  We have been to so many ramen places and he always leaves a little dissatisfied.  Thankfully we’ve finally found something worth going to again.  I had read about this place and had it bookmarked but when Susie mentioned to me the other day that it was her favorite ramen place in the city the deal was done.   So on our usual Wednesday night dinner, we had to get some.  Ah…now we don’t have to go to Costa Mesa or Hawaii for good ramen.

The Wedding continued…

reception

As a continuation of Joy and Johnny’s wedding in Hawaii, we held a local reception on Saturday at the Cerritos Library.  The dress code was casual Hawaiian so it was great to be able to wear flip-flops to a wedding reception.

feast

The party was complete with a Thai feast, slideshows, speeches, dancing, drinking, and plenty of hijinks.

family

neighborhood kids

I was so happy to see my family all together again and it was fun to see Johnny with his friends from all the stages of his life.

dancing

There were lots of little kids and toddlers roaming around and it was fun watching little Brandon boogie down on the dance floor among all the grown-ups and slightly older kids. He’s the little guy in the sweatshirt on the bottom-right doin’ his own thang.

new sister

Overall, the party was a success and ended with the bride and groom leaving the place in a dizzy slurring mess. We hung out with them this morning at the Magical House and it was good to see them alive and well with the exception of a little tiredness in their eyes.  I’ve been back in SF for only an hour and I miss home already.  I guess it’s time to book my next flight. 🙂