2022 Oahu Adventure DAY 4

 Today we kind of took it easy.  After the breakneck pace of Day 3 we wanted to just kind of take it easy, since we knew the next 2 days were going to be intense.

Today we went to the ALOHA STADIUM SWAPMEET & MARKETPLACE

 Every  Wednesday and Saturday from 8a,-3pm 

Every Sunday  from 630am-3pm

From their website:  Since 1979, the Aloha Stadium Swap Meet has become Hawaii’s premier outdoor market, featuring over 400 vendors, crafters, artists from all over the world, a true melting pot of Aloha.

At the Aloha Stadium Swap Meet & Marketplace, you can find discounts on a wide selection of high quality products from clothing, accessories, Hawaiian souvenirs, pre-packaged ethnic foods, fine jewelry and vintage antiques. Beautifully handcrafts products and exclusive art pieces are made and sold by the artist themselves, which truly make great gifts for yourself or that special someone.

Cost of Admission: 1$ per person

We head over to Aloha Stadium , ready to spend some money!!  I had a list of things I was looking for and Finn had it in his head he wanted some kind of tiki or totem mask (carved). We knew we had to get our Aloha Shirts and maybe see what else they had.

We made the mistake of thinking there would be more shade available than what there actually was, so I wasnt super vigilant about applying my sunscreen like I should have.   The tops of my feet are no longer speaking to me. 

We were able to get our aloha shirts, I  got some delicious fresh fruit and Finn FINALLY got his dragon mask.

After a few hours at the swap meet we had one of my favorite lunches of the trip in downtown Honolulu in Chinatown.

We went to a place called LAMS KITCHEN.    These next 2 photos are not mine, they are from trip advisor and other online sources.

It was so authentic (and not to worry, it even had pictures for us mainlanders who didnt really know what they were doing.)  But if you are looking for Generals Chicken and Sweet and Sour pork and other such "chinese food"...you will find NONE of that here.  This is the real deal and it was AMAZING!  The lady helping us was SO NICE!!  She knew we were fish out of water and kind of guided us in the right direction.   The restaurant was crowded and full of mostly locals, but I think they appreciated us trying new things and enjoying their hospitality and their freaking delicious food. I also think that they enjoyed us ordering whatever they told us to order.  Shumai?? bring it on. I should get beef with that? OK.  I need to add this on too?  Whatever you think.  Even with all the add ons and stuff it was STILL one of the cheapest meals in Hawaii. And it was wonderful!  If you have a chance, check it out, you wont be disappointed. And dont be scared to try new things, you will be glad you did.  

After lunch we decided to head down to Waikiki.  I am sorry if you love Waikiki, but I hate it.  It is SO CROWDED and just such a tourist spot.  It is like the Myrtle Beach of Oahu.  Seriously.  It is where most of the beach hotels are, the traffic is horrendous and it is so commercialized. The cost of everything is sky high in Waikiki.  I think it is the most famous because people know it from Hawaii 5-0 and Magnum PI and other "a very special Hawaii episode" from every sitcom ever made.  It is NOT the real Hawaii, and if thats all you do on your vacation then you are truly missing out. 

We went to the aquarium to kind of finish off the afternoon. The aquarium in Waikiki has an interesting history.  It has been there since 1904 and is nestled in right at the base of Diamondhead Crater.  It is the second oldest public aquarium in the United states.  Back then it was known as the Honolulu Aquarium. It was build partly as a way to get people to ride the newly built trolley line all the way to the end in Kapi'olani park.

The aquarium is small...dont expect to spend more than an hour here to be honest.  But that being said, a lot of the exhibits were closed due to their fairly restrictive Covid mandates.  They do however, take good care of their animals and what they did have available was cool.  It was 12$ per adult admission.

After a full day of sun and walking I was beat!  When we got back to the BnB it was dinner time.  I ended up staying home as I think I had gotten just a little too much sun.  Charles and Finn went out for hamburgers .

We went to bed fairly early because the next day was a LONG and jam packed day.

2022 Oahu Adventure Day 3

 Today was kind of an awesome day...probably one of my favorite days of the entire vacation.  It was jam packed from early morning to late evening.  It included everything from favorite foodie finds, the famous food trucks of the North shore, a gorgeous buddhist temple and some wild time at the beach!

We started out fairly early, and drove over to Kailua.  Our first stop was a restaurant called CINNAMONS . (Make sure you get there early, because they get CROWDED!!)

 I had read about their world famous Guava Chiffon pancakes, and they were features on numerous lists for "must try".   I will also put in my recommendation that if you are in Oahu and are looking for something that will knock your socks off, then the Guava Chiffon pancakes at Cinnamons are a MUST MUST MUST!!  When I say that these were some of the best pancakes I have EVER eaten, I am not joking.  The pancakes themselves were a fluffy buttermilk , and they were soft,  smooth an velvety.  The guava syrup was sweet and tangy and mellow yet intense...all at the same time. Like, how is this even possible?  I am not a huge fan of guava in general, but honestly I could  eat these all day every day for the rest of my life and be happy.

Hubby got the Red velvet pancakes, which were dense and moist like a real cake and they send out a sweetened condensed milk/powdered sugar type "syrup", which soaks up into the food and almost makes it a better than sex cake consistency.  but you need a BIG glass of milk for these bad boys.  PRO TIP:  ask for extra topping.  take home and eat leftovers as dessert. You're welcome.

After we stuffed ourselves silly at Cinnamons, we drover to Kanehoe and went to one of the most beautiful spots I have ever seen.

BYODO-IN temple.  (taken from their site): "The Byodo-In Temple is located at the foot of the Ko'olau Mountains in Valley of the Temples Memorial Park. It was established on June 7, 1968, to commemorate the 100 year anniversary of the first Japanese immigrants to Hawaii. The Byodo-In Temple in O'ahu is a smaller-scale replica of the over 950-year-old Byodo-in Temple, a United Nations World Heritage Site in Uji, Japan.The Byodo-In Temple is a non-practicing Buddhist temple which welcomes people of all faiths to worship, meditate or simply appreciate its beauty."

From Go Hawaii.com " The deep drone of the sacred bell (bon-sho) fills the tranquil temple grounds, as it is customary for visitors to ring the bell before entering the temple for happiness and longevity. To sound the five-foot, three-ton brass bell, you must pull and release a wooden log called a shu-moku. Inside the Byodo-in sits an 18-foot gold leaf-covered Buddha where visitors are welcomed to light incense and offer a prayer. Outside, peacocks and black swans roam the garden grounds and turtles lounge beside the pond. The temple’s pond is also filled with koi, a Japanese decorative fish that is a symbol of love and friendship."

The cost for admission is 5$ a person. You can also buy containers of pellets for the koi fish for 2$ each.   (The little birds also like the pellets and will sit in your hand while you feed them.  The black swan they have in one of the ponds is kind of cranky, so I would avoid him..)

All in all we spent about 90 minutes at Byodo-In, just walking around the grounds, feeding the birds and fish, ringing the bell and taking photos.   This is one of the stops on  lot of the bus tours/senior trips etc,  but they didnt seem to spend very long, and it never felt too crowded. 

After Byodo-In, we continued our drive around the Island on the Kamehameha Highway, and hit a bunch of the little beach stops and beach parks on our way to the North Shore.

Once we hit the North Shore we found the FOOD TRUCKS!!!  One of the most famous is Giovannis Shrimp Truck.  There was a wait. It is Cash only. It is messy.  But were those Garlic shrimp worth it?? Yep.   I could have kept vampires at bay the rest of the day!

After a delicious lunch, we went to WAIMEA BAY BEACH PARK

Waimea bay is famous for the largest surfing waves in the North Shore. And I mean LARGEST!!

This is not my picture, It was taken from worldbeachguide.com  

Unfortunately I had forgotten to bring my phone with me on the beach and I was too lazy to hike all the way back to the parking lot to go get it. I wish I had though, this was one of the funnest beach days I have ever had.

The day we were there the waves were BIG and powerful. The current was crazy strong. It was so intense, and we spent the afternoon playing in the water and trying to body surf  with these waves just HAMMERING us . We found sand in places we didnt know we could get sand.  In face I am STILL finding sand a month later LOL.

Those lifeguards dont play though, and they are BRUTALLY funny about some of the people in the water and taking selfies and putting themselves in danger for the insta.  

After a glorious day in Waimea,  we ended our day in  Haleiwa, a quaint and historic old North Shore surf town with lots of great little shops and of course the famous  Matsumoto Save Ice!! I had Strawberry/Pineapple/Coconut with vanilla ice cream.  Charles chose Strawberry/Lemonade/Guava with vanilla ice cream and Finn went ALL OUT with  White Cake/Coconut Cream with vanilla ice cream AND sweetened condensed milk.  We sat outside at a picnic table, enjoying the warm air and gentle breeze, eating our "dinner" before making the trek back into Honolulu. 

Seriously one of the most perfect vacation days in my life.

2022 Oahu Adventure Day 2

  One of things I love to do on vacation is try all the "must eat" places. So I spent 4 months scouring Pinterest and compiling a list of unique Oahu food finds, and tried to hit at least 1 a day.  One day I hit 3!!!  We started our 2nd day with a trip to the World Famous LEONARDS. This place is at the top of every "must eat" list, and has been a Honolulu institution since 1952. 

Leonards is famous for the Malasadas, a deep fried Portuguese Sweet Bread type donut.   There is always a line, and always a wait...but apparently always worth it.

When we hit Leonards the parking was non existent, and there was a line of people out the door and down to the street. However the donut gods smiled upon us as we rounded again to find parking on the street, we saw a newly vacant space right in their little parking lot!! it was meant to be. The wait was about 20 minutes, but that first bite into the bouncy, fluffy, steaming hot fried dough , and the sweet and slightly crunchy sugar was heaven. Get 'em while they're hot, it's the best way to eat them!  We got a dozen mixed: Original and filled.  Our filled included macadamia, guava, chocolate, coconut and custard.   The original and the custard were my favorites. Make sure you get plenty of napkins, and I dont recommend eating them in the car. That sugar gets EVERYWHERE. It's like beach sand.

And they come in the recognizable pretty pink box!

Of course being a teenager, Finn was quite irritated when he saw the long line and lack of parking and was REALLY mad when we said we were waiting 20 minutes.  After a few complaints we had to say " Either go wait in the car and you dont get any, orbe quiet and just enjoy.  These are on every Foodies Must do list, we are doing them with or without you kid!"  (SIGH and eye roll:  but It's just a donut! )

let me just say that AFTER he ate "just a donut" he knew he had been unreasonable and we didnt hear another waiting in line complaint the rest of the trip.

After Leonards we head over to Pearl Harbor and its surrounding museums. Due to poor planning on my part, I forgot to secure tickets to the Arizona Memorial a day ahead of time.  The tickets get released at 3pm the previous day, and if you arent on the website and ready to go at 3, they are gone very quickly  or all you are left with is end of day times.   HERE is the site to get your tickets. Make sure you have an account and are logged in ready to go at 3pm(Hawaii time)  ON THE DOT the day before you wish to visit.

HOWEVER if you arent lucky enough to snag the tickets to the Arizona, there is still PLENTY to do!!

We decided to do the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum and the USS Bowfin Submarine Tour.  

The PHAM is located over the bridge and  you have to take their shuttle, which runs about every 15-20 minutes. You cannot go across the bridge in your own car, as it is government base and property.  The Aviation Museum tickets are 26$ per person for adults.  The museum is housed in a WWII era hangar (HANGAR 37)  and tells the story of America's involvement in the war, starting with the Attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941.  They have an original Japanese plane that was shot down, a portion of one of the battleships that sunk, and even have artifacts from the Ni'ihau Zero incident.  

The piercing holes in the hull of the Arizona from the attack

Ni'ihau Zero Incident

Authentic Nakajima that was shot down and recovered

You then head outside and over towards Hangar 79.

"Hangar 79 picks up where the story in Hangar 37 leaves off, documenting the rise of American air superiority that was established in World War II and continued to climb in subsequent decades in the Korean War, the Vietnam War and the Gulf Wars. " (PHAM website)

 Unfortunately Hangar 79 was closed and all those planes were outside in in the lots behind the museum. They were really cool to look at but it was HOT and there was NO SHADE!!! SO bring your sunscreen!!

After we toured the Museums, we got back on the shuttle bus and head back over the bridge to Pearl Harbor Museum and did a Tour of the USS Bowfin. This sub and museum is $22 per adult.

  This is the best preserved and most visited WWII submarine. She is a legend in her own right for the sheer amount of tonnage(enemy ships/cargo) that she sunk! We were able to climb aboard and even go down and tour the vessel itself. I have a new appreciation for those people who can do that!! How they could even function in such cramped quarters!! 

Clearly Submarine servicemen were not 6'3, he could barely fit behind that viewfinder!!

From the top of the bowfin you can look across the harbor and see the USS Arizona Memorial. It is such a somber place. I cant even imagine the horror  on that fateful morning, or the terror they must have felt during the attack.

You can see the memorial right underneath the tip of the flag

This was a really cool place to visit, but get there early, because they get crowded!

That night we went to a local restaurant called O'ahu grill and had  a nice dinner. It was pretty good!!

A great 2nd day and we went to bed full, tired and maybe just a little sunburnt....

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