Hey there. Drew and Jamie have made the trek to Hawaii! It's very exciting. They're here for an island cruise and are on Oahu today and next Saturday. As always, Drew had the day planned which was very nice. He found some great things!
I met them at Diamond Head around 9 am. I got there a little early and picked them up at the sign so I could take their bags in my trunk and drive them up to the start of the hike. The hike was as beautiful as ever, and it was a lot easier than it was the first time I did it! I'm very proud of myself. The exercise and diet may not have changed my look, but it's changed the way my body works. I wasn't anywhere near as exhausted and in need for breaks, which just made the hike a lot nicer. I made sure that once we hit the top I got a few pics of Drew and Jamie for them. :-). I didn't bring my camera this time, just the camelback and keys.
After the hike Drew had us go to Ono Hawaiian Foods in the outskirts of Waikiki. It was absolutely delicious! It's this small whole in the wall place that has all sorts of food resorts, including one for #1 place to get Hawaiian food. It was very good. The Kalua pig was the best I've had so far! We got there soon after it opened so we didn't have to wait in line, thankfully. Turns out they even have signs regarding waiting in line, so it seems like lines for often. I will definitely take futures visitors there. I think dad would want to go. It's about as authentic as you can get if you're looking for Hawaiian food. It was very delicious.
The next thing on the agenda was a walk over to Leonards to get Malasadas. I had no arguments when I saw this on the itinerary! Yes, my cousin made himself an itinerary. I love it :-). We got 6 of them and different flavors so they can try. I ended up with two Malasada Puffs which are the delicious Portuguese donuts with a filling- my filling of choice was custard and chocolate. Yum! They were very delightful. I haven't had many of these at all, so I was looking forward to this part of the trip. Drew and Jamie are definitely doing well when it comes to getting the full Hawaiian experience. Especially since they started the day with a walk on the beach! What better way to start a day?
We finished off the visit with a tour of Iolani Palace. Thankfully my GPS took me on the route that made me spot the wonderful parking lot underneath City Hall that I had completely forgotten about. Parking is so terrible, so I was very excited when I saw it and remembered that it was near the palace. The tour was quite pleasant. I really liked the throne room. I've been in a lot of old buildings and castles but I didn't realize, until today, that I had never really seen a throne room with a throne inside. It was impressive. I learned a good amount about the culture and now I can pronounce Lili uokalani!
Now I'm home, resting (very sore from boot camp on Thurs and the hike), and figuring out things before the FRG game night at 6.
It was really nice seeing Drew and Jamie. It's even better that I see them again next Saturday! What fun!
-Meredith
Guess you're with Drew and Jamie again now! Actually Dad & I went to Ono Hawaiian Foods when we were in Hawaii in 2004. I went first on my own and then made him go. It is just as you describe. We did not go to Leonards. Is that just up the street from Ono?
ReplyDelete