Turtle Bay

Poppy came to visit! He got into Honolulu late on Thursday, then Friday after work he and I headed up to the North Shore of Oahu to the Turtle Bay Resort for the weekend. It was my first time driving up there, and I was amazed by a) how huge the waves were compared to Kailua and c) how many "Shrimp Trucks" we passed. Why would anyone want to buy shrimp from a truck by the side of the road? Obviously there's a demand because we saw a LOT of those trucks.

Anyway, we got up to Turtle Bay which was lovely. It's an older resort but very open and airy and stunning views from all over. (It's also the setting for "Forgetting Sarah Marshall.")

There was a turtle friend waiting on my bed, which I loved, because I'm about 8 :)

This was the view from the balcony, of the two pools and Turtle Bay. Once I saw the size of the waves out there, I started to chicken out on the surfing idea.
Friday night we decided to try out the Hawaiian buffet dinner. I thought it'd be a good chance to finally try some "real" Hawaiian food without having to commit to a whole meal of it. So I was brave and tried both poke (chopped up raw ahi with sea salt, soy sauce, and some other stuff) and poi (mashed up taro plant, looks like purple goo.) Well I took a small taste of poi, and that pretty much tasted like dirt. I tried to segregate it from the rest of my plate but the goo kept spreading into my salad, it was pretty unfortunate. Then I tried the poke... I don't even know what to say, except it was awful. Horrendous. Once I tasted it I realized I couldn't stand to bite into it, so I swallowed the chunk of fish whole which was just terrible. The taste was like a mixture of fishiness and astringent. Anyway then I chugged my entire tropical drink, which I previously had thought tasted too strongly of vodka, but was much preferred to the poke. Sadly, there are no photos of this experience, but so it goes.

On a happier food note, on Saturday night we decided we needed some sweets and found out that we could take dessert carry-out from the one restaurant. They gave us a box and for $6 said we could fill it up from the dessert bar. This might not sound like a big deal, but in Hawaii, and especially at a resort in Hawaii, this is super cheap. So we filled the box with carrot cake, brownies, chocolate mousse, chocolate cake, and bread pudding. Then we ran out of the place like we got away with stealing something. We were way too excited about this.

So since I decided to forgo surf lessons to instead get a massage (it was cloudy and actually chilly that day, so I have an excuse) on Saturday, I needed to do something more adventurous while I was there. Poppy was kind enough to agree to go horse-back riding with me on Sunday morning and it was so much fun. This is me waiting to picked up to go to the stables...

We ended up being the only people on this horse ride along with our guide, so it was really cool. I guess Turtle Bay is the only place on Oahu where you are allowed to ride horses right on the beach, and it was lovely.

We rode through a huge banyan tree that is apparently has been used for a filming location on Lost.

It was a really cool ride, despite the fact that I hadn't been on a horse since I was in Girl Scouts. I couldn't believe how one minute we were on the beach and the next it felt like we were in the rain forest. Then our guide led us back to the barn and we headed out.
The trip to Turtle Bay was a great mini-vacation. Maybe sometime I'll work up the nerve to go back and try surfing...

Hau’oli Makahiki Hou! (Happy New Year!)

I was awoken bright and early this morning to the peaceful sounds of cars honking and people yelling. It took me a few minutes to figure out that the Lanikai Community Association was holding their annual New Years Day "Woes Parade." I appreciated how festive everyone was feeling on the street below... but really? First thing in the morning? This affair lasted over an hour, so there was really no hope for me going back to bed. I decided that perhaps I should get started on one of my New Years Resolutions. Although I have about 15 resolutions this year, the major one is for me to do more exploring of Hawaii, including hiking, trying to surf (emphasis on the "trying" part), kayaking, etc. I also am going to force myself to be more adventurous with Hawaiian cuisine, and hope to take at least one bite of poke and maaaaybe even SPAM.

So since the Obamas are in Kailua right now and everytime I try to drive anywhere, the traffic is stopped dead, I decided to try a hike that I've seen listed in my guidebooks that is right in my neighborhood. Hiking might not sound like a big deal for most people, but I was seriously intimidated. I don't have much hiking experience... the only two hikes I can recall are 1) At Girl Scout Camp, which was awful. The troop leader yelled at us and I got attacked by mosquitoes. Then 2) "Hiking" in the Redwoods with Camilla and Luke last year. I don't this really counts as hiking, since it was a paved road, and I was wearing a dress and flip-flops. And the only reason I agreed to do it was because they promised me there was a chalet in the woods that served beer and had board games (It was heaven.) But still, it was uphill! So that counts, right?

Anyway, the guidebooks said this hike was "Short & Easy" so I figured it was a good enough place to start. Short and easy fell to the wayside as I got lost finding the start of the path. If you have any idea how small my neighborhood is, you would be impressed that it was possible for me to get lost here. But eventually I found a side-street with a huge country club and golf course and I had no idea existed. And is about half a mile from my house. I know, pathetic. When I got to the start, I noticed quite a few other people starting the hike as well as coming down the path, so I felt better that I would have people to follow. I also noticed a number of families with small children on the trail, so that made me feel pretty confident -- if they could do it, I could too.

Long story short, it was HARD. The beginning was really steep, basically climbing straight up with nothing to grab onto. But after a bit the slope became much more gradual, and there was a nice breeze off the ocean. And the views were aaaamazing. Plus I have to admit it, I really had fun climbing. So I think I've been converted to hiking...

View from the first look-out point. You can see the golf course at the country club that I never knew exisited.

At the peak of the hike are two "pillboxes." I had no idea what that meant, but apparently they are military bunkers that were installed on the mountaintop during World War II. Basically just small square concrete buildings. Here's a view from just above the first pillbox.

Right next to the first pillbox, view of Mokulua islands. The pillboxes were the only spot on the hike that had any shade, which was much appreciated.

Inside the pillbox, ladder to go in and out.

Inside again...

Those are stands for where the military would shoot their guns out. So cool.

These pillboxes basically just felt like the best forts ever from childhood. I loved seeing them, and the views were incredible.

View to the north toward Kaneohe and the Ko' olau mountains range.

This view is standing at the first pillbox, looking up toward the second.

View down over Lanikai and the Mokuluas. I tried taking a photo of my house but there's a big tree that covers it from above.

View toward Waimanalo.

View from the 2nd pillbox, looking down at the 1st, as well as Kailua and Kaneohe Bay.

Once I got near the top, I couldn't believe that people bring little kids up there. It's so steep and doesn't seem too safe. To be honest, although it was stunning, it kind of reminded me of some place that you'd see on Dateline or 48-Hours Mysteries where the husband pushes the wife off a cliff for life insurance. Good thing I'm single :)

All along the walk down I kept seeing butterflies fluttering around, it felt a bit like a Disney movie.

The Lanikai Pillbox hike was a fantastic way to start 2010. Best workout I've had in a long time, and I only slipped a couple of times coming down the mountain. Maybe my weak ankles, lack of balance, and zero stamina could improve after all :)

Lanikai

Right now I'm living in Lanikai, which is a small neighborhood in the town of Kailua. It's basically one long loop of homes along a lovely, quiet beach. This is the entrance to Lanikai, with the ocean in the back.



This is looking out at Kailua beach. The weather is really strange here, the rain comes and goes quickly and we have a lot of rainbows. So even though it was raining in this picture, people were still out enjoying the beach because the bad weather generally passes within a few minutes.



Entrance of Lanikai.



Along the main street in Lanikai there are a number of public walkways to get to the beach. This one is about a block from my house. I was trying to discreetly take a photo of this couple who had been taking their weddings pictures out at the beach... They probably just thought I was creepy :)



Lanikai beach looking out toward Kailua...



This is the view Lanikai beach is really known for. The two islets out in the distance are called Na Mokulua, which just means "The Two Islands" or "The Twin Islands." Apparently they are used as bird sanctuaries. You can kayak out to them, although I think you're only allowed to go onto one of them. I wouldn't know, because I only see these islands when I'm passed out on the beach being lazy.

The water is gorgeous and aqua and clear...

My House!

This is my apartment, which is a 1-bdrm that is connected to my landlord's house. It's built on the side of a small mountain (which is apparently why I can't get any cell phone reception.) It's a fantastic location, and has a little deck to the side.

This is the living room, which has nice big windows a lovely view...

The view out to one side is this huge orchid tree that has beautiful purple flowers and smells amazing. You can start smelling it as soon as you get to the top of the stairs and onto the lawn!

The view the other way, which is mostly trees and the bright blue ocean in the distance...

The kitchenette area....no oven :( But very nice otherwise.

Here's the view from the street... the green house on the first level is my landlord's office, and you can see the start of the stairs leading up from the driveway. That's my tiny new car out front, which has been quite an adjustment after driving a Jeep for years :) But it's useful because the parking spaces in Hawaii are tiny!

And of course, the infamous stairs...

More stairs...

Aaaaaand more stairs. My legs should be in great shape soon.

Shangri La

On our last morning in Honolulu, we toured the Hawaiian estate of tobacco-heiress Doris Duke, called Shangri La. Her home was completely unique on the island, as designed and built it to reflect an Islamic style, and filled it with Islamic art.

The bedroom wing, which is currently not on display. Apparently she had the entire master bathroom shipped from the Middle East, so hopefully they'll decide to open this part of the home sometime in the future.



The guest house.



The docent told us a story about how Doris Duke owned something like 18 dogs, and each dog was assigned a portion of the yard to guard, and was not allowed to leave its area. The dogs were only allowed in the house once a year or so, when Doris left the island to go back to her other estate in New Jersey. She would have each dog paraded into the courtyard of the home, where she would say goodbye, one at a time. Bizarre.

The garden area, where she would often greet her guests. We were also told a story about how Doris Duke would invite hundreds of people over for parties to watch fireworks, then lock the doors to her home when the guests starting arriving. Only a few guests were allowed in the house for dinner, while the rest were shown to this garden, where they had to remain outside for the duration of the party. I'm not going to lie, I would've been pissed...

View of Diamond Head from her lanai.

Unfortunately we weren't allowed to take any photos inside of the actual house, so the most impressive parts aren't shown here.

For more info: http://www.shangrilahawaii.org/

The docent made a point of saying that no AUTHORIZED biography of Duke has been published, but I'm hoping to watch one of the scandalized movies about her life sometime soon...