When we arrived in Honolulu on Saturday, there was a strange haze over the island. The Hawaii that I remember had clear blue skies and clear blue water but on that day, it was a grayish blue in the sky and the water looked darker than usual. Apparently, the haze is due to the volcanic activity going on on the Big Island. It’s sulfur in the air coupled with a light wind that is almost non-existent. Yoon called it “Vog” and said that all the locals have been just as confused by the gray skies as I was. Anyway, the Tradewinds returned on Sunday and the sky was bright blue again and so was the water. Thank Goodness!

So, we spent most of Sunday outside in the sun and water. In the morning, I got up early to go down to the beach to take some photos. On trips like this, I am so in love with my 18-200mm lens. I can get wide angles and zoom close enough to get shots of the surfers from the shore.

Once Jes was up, we had a fancy breakfast on the veranda and I tasted some of Jes’ Kalua Pork hash served under some eggs benedict. Yum! We then took a morning stroll to the Waikiki Aquarium to make our usual visit and donation of $18 in support of their little exhibit. On our way back, we stopped along the water to watch the trigger fish zooming left and right in the ocean. They’re so fast!

The afternoon was spent on Waikiki beach in the sun and water. We snagged a spot in the hotel’s roped off beach area where we had two lawn chairs, a small table, and umbrella. The best part was that there’s a server who comes by to bring you cocktails. Right on the beach!

We had a fancy dinner at Chef Mavro, which was such a fun experience. I got the four-course tasting and Jes got the six-course tasting. Each and every dish was paired with a generous pour of wine and by the end of the meal, we both stumbled out of the restaurant and into the cab. What fun! If you’re in the mood to splurge, this is a good place to do it. Their servers are all very attentive and the food was prepared as if I was a judge on Top Chef.

And…HAPPY 4TH BIRTHDAY KOA!!

We arrived on Saturday morning at 11:00 am HST and were greeted with leis from Yoon when she picked us up in her convertible. How awesome is that?! We immediately went to Boots and Kimo’s for some breakfast, which included some banana pancakes (what they’re famous for) that were actually pretty good. Did you all hear that?! It had BANANAS in them and I thought it was ok!!!!!! I had an initial gag with the first bite but there’s something in the macadamia nut sauce that makes up for it so I managed to eat a couple more bites. I think Dayantha’s right, the sauce does taste like melted vanilla ice cream. I also had some pretty tasty Hawaiian sausage that I didn’t even know existed. Ah…beakatude’s got a new favorite breakfast place on the island!!

Afterwards, we drove to Lanikai Beach to take a look around. We couldn’t stay long since we were all not dressed for the occasion. On our way to the hotel, we stopped at Bubbies, which was HIGHLY RECOMMENDED by a co-worker/friend who said she’d kill me if I didn’t try it. So, I went and it was so yummy. They have mochi ice cream and I tried lychee, pineapple coconut, and chocolate mint. Yum. Thanks for the recommendation, R! That photo was taken just for you. 🙂

Back at the hotel, we unpacked, changed, and went downstairs for some cocktails. We then did some shopping and had a nice steak dinner to end the night. Being on vacation is awesome.