Trips: Hawaii (Part 1: Oahu)

A fantastic second time around in Hawaii.  It all started with an idea: Katie was planning a medical elective there and I figured why not try to visit?  Next thing I know, I'm crashing at my friend Lisa's place, while she and my cousin show me around Honolulu and Oahu, rushed since I have to head to Kauai with Katie and Sarah.  It really is a small world.

Gosh, I was in Hawaii back in 2000.  I went with my family and we spent some time in Honolulu before making our way to Maui for my cousin's wedding.  Yes, the same cousin who took me around this time around in Honolulu.

Honolulu is expensive.  I was quite grateful to have Lisa and Josh put up with me in their apartment, which, sigh, is a ten minute walk from Waikiki Beach.  Such is life.  They graciously picked me up from the airport.  I got settled in their home.  They took me around Waikiki.  We hung out on the beach.  We ate and drank at Duke's.  By sunset, I was successfully and unsuccessfully able to direct my friend Katie, who was doing a pediatric surgery elective at University of Honolulu, to our location at Duke's.  Her journey was complicated by a pigeon defecating on her.  Such is life.  Nothing that good food, alcohol, and company during a Waikiki sunset can't fix. 

Thursday I grabbed breakfast at Wailana Coffee House, a local dive and diner.  It was a delicious breakfast.  But no, I didn't have any urgent need to eat spam on this vacation.  My cousin picked me up at Lisa's place around 11 AM and proceeded to take me on a guided tour throughout the south and eastern parts of Oahu.  Lots of great stops: Diamond Head, Gold Coast, a random secluded area in what seemed like some random person's backyard, Hanauma Bay, Halona Cove (best known for the beach scene in From Here to Eternity), and the Pali Lookout.  Words can't describe the views at all these places.  I thank my cousin for this: we went to Big City Diner where I had my first loco moco: a local dish involving a burger patty on a bed of rice, topped with a sunny-side-up egg and gravy.  Delicious!  We picked up Katie at her on-campus housing site and my cousin took us on a tour of the historic part of downtown Honolulu.  I didn't get to see any of this when I was in Honolulu more than ten years ago.  Thank heavens for a cousin willing to give the tour for free!  We wrapped up by going to dinner back near Waikiki, at a sushi place called Sansei.  "It's great sushi," my cousin told Katie and I, "but not the best view."  We were seated at a table with a view of Waikiki Beach.  I guess Hawaiians get spoiled with what's a good view.  The sushi was fresh and delicious.  But I'll admit, I didn't eat as much as I would've wanted.  After a huge breakfast and an even bigger loco, and dinner at 6 PM, my poor stomach had no more room!  That being said, it was awesome to catch up with Ranilo and Katie, both who I hadn't seen in person for years.  We ended the evening with some ice cream and relaxing on Waikiki Beach at night.  We decided to turn in early though: Katie had to be up for work and I had to meet Sarah, who had just landed at the airport, who was going to head to Lisa's apartment.  Then Sarah and I had a morning flight to head to Kauai. 

You can read my last post about our ordeal with Go! Airlines on Friday morning.  I'll fast forward to the part where we arrive in Kauai.  

Sarah and I arrived in Kauai around lunchtime Friday. In an instant, we could sense how Kauai seemed completely at odds with Honolulu.  There was rain.  It was lush.  It was seemingly deserted.  It was quiet.  You never really get to escape when you're in the heart of Honolulu.  In a minute, I knew I had escaped.  

We picked up our rental car and drove.  Ignoring Sarah's directions to our hotel in Lihue, I kept driving north.  There's I like more than a relaxing and therapeutic drive.  Next thing I knew, hunger swept over both of us and we were approaching hypoglycemia.  Sarah spotted a true hole in the wall place: Duane's Ono-Char Burger. This looked promising.  Despite a long wait (we would soon find out that any order on this island took a while because well, who really is in a rush?) I got my local boy: essentially like The Vortex's Yokohama Mama Burger, with cheese, pineapple, and teriyaki sauce but on a more human and less behemoth portion.  Absolutely delicious!  We continued to push north, stopping by a fruit stand for looks, and hitting up the scenic Kilauea Lighthouse and it's surrounding wildlife and birds.  As the rains were starting to come down, we retreated back to our hotel, the Aston Islander on the Beach.  I must say, I was quite happy hear.  Centrally located on the island in Lihue and with a pool, jacuzzi, and the beach outside your porch, I'd definitely stay there again.  A quick nap on the beach.  A quick dip in the jacuzzi, where, go figure, we run into an endocrinologist from Britain and his teenage daughter (she was surprised by her dad by having her 19th birthday in Kauai) and a nurse and her husband from North Dakota.  So not only is it a small world, but it's also a small medical world.  Later that night, amidst numerous delays, Katie finally made her way into Lihue.