Day 5: Historic Honolulu

Who wouldn't love to wake up to this? Love this canal view!

Our first priority is checking out Kailua Beach now that it's light out. It's still early and the neighborhood is quiet as we walk among the luxurious homes.

Cute little lizard clinging on to a rock wall

We let ourself onto the gated beach and are blown away by what we find ... this is bliss! A nearly deserted picture perfect beach. We walk this way and that, practice some yoga, and splash in the crystal clear waters before finally heading back up to our apartment.

Today we are going down to Honolulu. I think we might have stopped by Costco to pick up a new waterproof camera (remember I smashed my old one in the shark cage?), but that could've been tomorrow.

I have a quick Nutella-To-Go snack on the way -- if you haven't seen this, give it a try; it's a tiny combo pack of nutella and bread sticks. Sinfully good and SO addictive!

Of course, that's not enough to keep us going all day so we head to the food court at Ala Moana on the edge of Waikiki. There's lots of places to choose from, but surprisingly we both gravitate towards Sobaya Japanese noodles.

I'm intrigued by their mysterious super combo. What is this stuff?!? Only one way to find out!

Yep, I couldn't resist temptation so I end up with the super combo with teriyaki chicken don, while Sandy gets an order of ebi tempura don. Wow ... what is all this stuff on my plate?

Yeah, no, still not really sure what I just ate, but it was very tasty! I'll try to ID what I can (clockwise from the top right): teriyaki chicken, rice covered with tempura shrimp and eggplant, macaroni salad, weird cold noodle, tsukemono = preserved vegetables.

Random weird poster at the mall

Of course, no Ala Moana mall visit would be complete without having mochi ice cream for desert! This adorable little balls are made with ice cream covered by pounded sticky rice & make an amazing chewy treat. Sadly they were out of mango, so I got vanilla and green tea.

To be honest, I don't remember why we went to Honolulu, but we just happened to come across Iolani Palace -- the only royal palace in the United States. Well, if we're here anyway ...

Ugh, traffic is a bit of a hassle here and it takes a while to find some (pricey) parking, but soon we're off to explore. I've heard rave reviews of the tours of Iolani Palace, but neither of us really feel the need to go inside so we are content to just walk the grounds.

Ornate entrance gate

Iolani Palace

 

It's impossible not to notice the gilded state of King Kamehameha in front of historic Aliiolani Hale across the street -- btw that's short for: Kalani Paiʻea Wohi o Kaleikini Kealiʻikui Kamehameha o ʻIolani i Kaiwikapu kauʻi Ka Liholiho Kūnuiākea. He founded the Kingdom of Hawaii in 1810.

 

Look at that bling! Iolani Palace in the background

 

 

Time for a stroll through historic Honolulu. Let's see what we find ...

 

Hawaii state motto: Ua Mau Ke Ea O Ka Aina I Ka Pono - The Life of the Land is Perpetuated in Righteousness

Lunalilo Mausoleum on the grounds of Kawaiahao Church

 

 

 Kawaiahao Church -- Hawaii's first church

One of the more interesting structures was the Mission Houses Museum. They have docent led tours, but you are also allowed to walk the grounds on your own. You can learn a lot about the buildings (and Hawaiian history in general) just from the educational placards.

Time to cross the street again when I spot Sky Gate by famed Japanese American artist Isamu Noguchi.



I love how it changes "shape" as you walk around it even though it's made of simple lines.

Looks like an angry ant eater to me from this angle

 

Ok, time to head back to the car before we have to take out a second mortgage just to get the car out of the garage. If only I didn't get side-tracked so easily ...

Ooh pretty flowers! Hibiscus :)

Statue of Queen Liliuokalani between Iolani Palace (in background) and Hawaii's State Capital

Iolani Palace gate -- I'm a sucker for fun-with-perspective pictures

In addition to my weird "visit all 50 states before my 50th birthday" quest and collecting official state transportation maps I also like to get a picture of the state capital building so here is one more to add to my collection:

Fascinating architecture

Picture doesn't do it justice ... it really is an interesting place to look at.

 

 

Love the blue panels flanking the open-air center.

We decide to take the Pali highway on our way back. Driving in Hawaii is often a treat as it is and the Pali highway is one of the more scenic drives on the island with several lookouts. At the last minute we decide to get off at the Nuʻuanu Pali State Wayside overlook. There's a $3 payment fee, but for some reason the machine won't take our payment and there are signs warning about frequent lot patroles. Uhoh.

Well, it would be a waste not to go over to the outlook now that we're here so, dodging roosters left and right we take off running across the parking lot. Boy, is it windy!!

Look at those people straining against the wind!

 

Don't tell me Oahu isn't beautiful!!

Guess who's pulling into the lot as we're walking back to the parking lot? Yep, parking enforcement! Haha, luckily we make it back to the car before they reach us.

Dinner is a basic affair, sitting outside at Bob's Pizzeria in Kailua. A good cheap option but nothing to write home about.