Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives

Since I don't own a TV (very much by choice!) I'm not aware of the existence of most non-network shows. Today I caught a few episodes of Guy Fieri's show and my mouth was salivating throughout. I think I'm going to plan a trip across America based simply on the places he features!

A Day of Variety

The start of my 2nd & last week in Honolulu revealed somewhat better weather than my first week here. Here are a collection of photos I captured.

There are several people who you'll meet around Waikiki who have colourful birds which tourists can pose with for a small fee. These folks have to live somewhere and little did I know that two of them live directly behind the suite where I'm staying.

Click on this thumbnail to see a nice panorama of Waikiki Beach.

If you look carefully at the upper trees, you'll see that it was quite windy. This might explain the sparse number of people at the beach!
This is how [some] business people go to work in Paradise!

The annual Honolulu Festival will be occurring this weekend though unfortunately I'll miss the big parade, which is its highlight.
In the evening I decided to go have Vietnamese food. I walked up to a neighbourhood adjacent to Waikiki, about an hour's walk away.
The weather here in Hawaii can change so quickly. As you can see, a lot of storm clouds had set in. Fortunately I had my great rain jacket with me, a piece of clothing that has proven invaluable on this trip! I liked the contrast of the grey sky and the pale yellow fire station.
On the advice of some locals I met, I decided to go to Hale Vietnam. It turned out to be a great choice!
The service was efficient but not so friendly, a trend that I've found frequently at Asian restaurants here in Hawaii. More importantly the good was great!

These Imperial rolls (think egg rolls a la Vietnam) were different than back home in Vancouver in that the tradition here is to wrap each roll inside a leaf of lettuce, and fill it with noodles & basil. A little messy but delicious!
I ordered the Pho, specifically noodle soup with rare slices of beef. It compared very well with the delicious soup I frequently eat back in Vancouver.
On the way back home I walked by the famous Leonard's bakery, though I did not get any malsadas (donuts) as you might have guessed! :-)

A Rainy Day in Waikiki

It wasn't the best weather today so I stayed inside most of the day. In the early evening though I headed out, took a few photos, and had dinner at California Pizza Kitchen (aka "CPK").

This is a shot of Diamond Head. If you click on the thumbnail you'll notice that the photo is very grainy. It was fairly dark so I manually increased the ISO on my Canon G9, which results in a more grainy image.

A Potpourri of Images

My Chicago friend, Toni, and I headed back to Kailua to devour some more of those delicious banana pancakes at Boots & Kimo's.
After I dropped her off at her hotel I drove over to this empty lot close to the Kahala Resort. I was fascinated why these beautiful dolphin statues were all over the property. Maybe someone will see this one day and inform us all!

In the back end (near Macy's) of the Kahala Mall was this interesting monument. Even from a distance I immediately knew who it was!

If you're a big Jack Lord fan then you'll be interested to watch this.

First Full Day on Oahu

After a much needed sleep, I went for a walk around Waikiki. It started pouring at one point, which has apparently been the case for some time this season.

The hometown kid, Barack Obama, is sure one popular guy with many locals.
The beach was as beautiful as ever.
Though seeing tourists with umbrellas was a different sight than last year!

My mom and I picked up our Chicago friend, Toni, and drove up to the north shore town of Kailua where we had breakfast at Boots & Kimo's.
Here's a nice shot of my 88 year old friend, Toni. She absolutely is one of the most hilarious people you'll ever meet!
The restaurant is famous for their banana pancakes covered with a homemade Macadamia Nut sauce. Yum x 1,000 ! ! !
This isn't a very good shot but this little Hawaiian girl should be in commercials. Absolutely adorable!
We then continued on our drive around the North Shore of Oahu. It was windy but fairly clear.


The palm trees give away a hint of the strength of the wind.

Here are my two fellow travelers.
Toni wanted to try the cooked shrimp. Giovanni's came highly recommended.



They definitely didn't disappoint! I highly recommend the Scampi (garlic butter) variety.
The wind made for some pretty strong waves.
Back in Waikiki, my mom & I decided to join Toni for church.
The stained glass windows inside are spectacular!

We dropped off Toni and then went to try one of our favourites, the Rainbow Drive-In.

A long day but a fun one!