Khaled, Paul, and Deby's Visit to Hawaii

Aug 2, 2017
Deby, one of my closest high school friends, arrived on the 1st of August.  She was exhausted from traveling and I was drained from work, so we both fell asleep shortly after I came home.  We woke up bright and early the next morning to take a snorkeling tour on the west side of the island.  It was her first time in a boat, as well as her first time snorkeling.  Deby took to both quite naturally.

We swam with dolphins, which had been on Deby's bucket list since we were in high school. 
If you look closely, you can see ~12 dolphin fins between the land and snorkelers in the picture below, and ~15 dolphins in the underwater shot.

It was our first time seeing spotted eagle rays!  We also saw sea stars, sea urchins, sea turtles, a ton of tropical fish I can't name, and an octopus.

On the way home, we stopped by Makua Cave (a land cave) and Nanakuli Caves (sea caves).  That afternoon, I painted Deby's nails with holographic powder.

 

Khaled, another close high school friend, arrived in the evening with his husband Paul after celebrating their 3 year wedding anniversary on the Big Island.  Bill joined us after work, and we  went out to snow for dessert followed by Burmese food for dinner.

  

Aug 3, 2017
We headed out on another early morning venture to Hanauma Bay, which was Khaled's first time snorkeling.

Breakfast was at a coffee house that had a serene view of Kuapa Pond.  Then we visited Makapu'u Point, where Khaled and Paul joined me on a hike to one of my favorite ocean views on the island.

We stopped at Halona Blowhole, a formation created by molten lava tubes.  The tide was too low for the blowhole to show off for us, but we still took a moment to admire Halona Beach Cove which has been featured in the movies "From Here to Eternity" and "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides."

After a break at home and a quick stop for some fresh taro coconut smoothies, we headed to the North Shore.  Deby hung out at Waialua Library while Khaled, Paul, and I took a ziplining tour.  We zoomed down 8 side-by-side ziplines that were up to 2400 feet long, many of which had an ocean view.  It was Khaled's first ziplining experience, and Paul's and my first time ziplining upside down. 

Along the way, we rode an ATV, rappelled, walked over suspension bridges, and ate fresh fruit and macadamia nuts.  

A blind girl named Danielle impressed all of us with her courage throughout the tour, and moved all of us when she sang for the group.  She's in front of the group in the picture below.

Bill joined us again after work for dinner, this time at Opal Thai, our favorite restaurant on the island where the chef chooses what you eat.

Aug 4, 2017

The day started with a tour of Shangri La, American heiress Doris Duke's mansion in Hawaii that she had built in the 1930s and spent decades filling with an intricate and impressive collection of Islamic art.

We swung by a Japanese chain called Don Quijotes for lunch and shopping.  Paul and Deby spent the afternoon at the Honolulu Museum of Art and Ala Moana Mall.  Khaled and I met up with Bill and the dogs to hike through a rainforest to Manoa Falls.

 

 

The group joined back up at Ala Moana Mall and ate dinner at Shirokiya, a Japanese food court.  Deby also tried poke for the first time, which is one of my favorite dishes in Hawaii.

We walked to Ala Moana Beach to watch the Friday night fireworks over Waikiki.

Aug 5, 2017
The whole gang - Deby, Khaled, Paul, Bill, and myself - went to the Kaka'ako Farmer's Market for breakfast, where we enjoyed various snacks while listening to live Hawaiian music.

Deby relaxed at Ala Moana Beach Park while the rest of us were joined by my friend Linda for stand up paddleboard yoga - which is exactly what it sounds like.

 

 

 

 

Lunch was at Marukame Udon and dessert was at Wing's Ice Cream in Chinatown.  The ice cream flavors were uniquely delicious: cardamom yuzu, coconut pandan, roasted soy, and basil lemon strawberry.  Khaled was happy to find Sailor Moon decorations in Chinatown, especially since it was International Sailor Moon Day.

We stopped at another Don Quijote store for more shopping, and then Khaled treated us to homemade ruz u fasoolia for  dinner.  I went to a local theater with my friend Carol to see The Little Mermaid while Bill took my friends to a malasadas food truck for dessert.

Aug 6, 2017
For the third morning of the week, I woke up before 6am to get another early start on the day.  We dropped Deby off at Kailua Beach to watch the sunrise, while the rest of us (Khaled, Paul, Bill, the dogs, and myself) saw the sunrise from Lanikai Pillboxes Hike.

We joined Deby for a beautiful morning at Kailua Beach, one of my favorite beaches on the island.

 

We all went separate ways that afternoon: I visited my friend Joe, Bill worked at a same-day wedding edit, and my friends went to the Bishop Museum followed by more shopping at Ala Moana Mall.  I rejoined my friends for dinner at Thai Lao.  After Bill came home, we watched his wedding edits while wearing face masks that made us look like Smurfs.

The night ended with a viewing of Game of Thrones, the only show that all 5 of us watch.

Aug 7, 2017
Paul made everyone taro pancakes for breakfast, which we ate with honey and sesame seeds.  Then we spent the entire day at the Polynesian Cultural Center.

First we visited the New Zealand village, where we watched a show that demonstrated various dances: titi torea (throwing sticks), poi balls (balls on cords used for percussion/dance), and the haka (ancient Maori war dance).

After the show, we tried our hands at playing a game with sticks, danced with poi balls, and got to stand next to this hottie.

At the Fiji village,  we had a quick historical/cultural lesson in a chief's hut replica, and then got stamped with Polynesian temporary tattoos.  Khaled was very excited to choose the tattoo that represented Queen.

We saw a colorful canoe pageant, which represented the 6 villages with beautiful costumes and dances.

Our tour guide Olivia gave us a sample of mashed breadfruit.

We learned a hula dance at the Hawaii village and watched a show about a wedding ceremony in the Tahiti village.

At the Tonga village, we saw a show that combined dancing, drums, and comedy involving three men chosen from the audience.

The last village we visited was Samoa, where we wove little fish out of leaves.  Then we watched a show where performers made fire by rubbing two sticks together and climbed barefoot up a coconut tree.

 

 

Dinner was a buffet-stye luau with more dancing entertainment.

The evening concluded with Ha, a spectacular Polynesian dance show with the best firedancing act I've ever seen.  It was a great way to end our last day together in Hawaii.

Aug 8, 2017
We had a relaxing last brunch together at Koko Head Cafe.  Khaled and Paul got to personally thank chef Lee Ann Wong, who they recognized from the show Top Chef.  In the final hour of our trip together, Khaled introduced us to the show Samurai Gourmet and I introduced our friends to the show Midnight Diner, both of which are charming short shows that feature Japanese cooking.

Khaled and Paul headed to San Diego for the last leg of their vacation before returning home to New Jersey.  Deby and I ate rolled ice cream for lunch, and then she returned to the Bishop Museum for more Polynesian cultural exhibits.

  

Deby and I picked up dinner at one of my favorite poke restaurants, and then joined Bill in watching the movie Moana.  The next day, I headed back to work and Deby flew back to VA.  I'm thankful that Deby, Khaled, and Paul were able to visit me so I could share many of the things I love about this island with them.  I'll miss them, and the pets will miss them too.  Hopefully we'll have a Hawaii: Part 2 adventure together someday.  :)