Blooming by the Bay – Page 151 – The Endless Stories of Dan & Misono & Their Beloved Mio

Honeymoon in Hawaii: Day 7

July 16, 2010 By Misono in Foodie Love, Wanderlust Tags: Aston Islander on the Beach, beach, catamaran, Eleele, Hawaii, Holo Holo Charters, honeymoon, Honopu Arch, Jo Jo's Shave Ice, Kapaa, Kauai, Keyhole, Na Pali Coast, Niihau, Niihau Island, shave ice, Shrimp Station, snorkeling, Waimea, Waimea Canyon

On Day 7, our first full day in Kaua’i, we woke up at dark o’clock to drive over to Eleele, where we boarded a catamaran for a seven-hour tour that would take us up the Na Pali Coast and to see Niihau Island. Neither of us is a morning person, but we fought our sleepiness and embarked on the boat, banking on the promise that we would see some of the most stunning views of the island of Kaua’i.

They were watching dolphins! — We came across a small raft, that happened to be dolphin watching!

spinner dolphin flipping about — Spinner dolphin flipping about.

swimming in pairs — Dolphins swimming right in front of our boat!

Super cute! — They were super cute! I don't think I've ever seen dolphins so up close!

cliffs along the Na Pali Coast — We sped up and soon approached the Na Pali Coast...

The Na Pali Coast — The beautiful Na Pali Coast

Looks like something from a movie. — Towering mountains over a lush valley.

You can only reach this area by boat — Steep mountains... this area of the Na Pali Coast is only accessible by boat or helicopter.

The Honopu Arch, where they filmed the movie Six Days Seven Nights

stunning... — More majestic views of the Na Pali Coast

Na Pali Coast against a blue sky — Na Pali Coast against a clear blue sky.

An amazing rock formation called The Keyhole.

a truly majestic view — Closeup of the natural bridge...

Dan and I at the Keyhole — The hubby and I by the Keyhole!

The catamaran parked itself near Niihau Island, where passengers got the opportunity to go snorkeling for an hour before lunch. Here are some nice underwater shots that Dan took while snorkeling!

snorkeling at Niihau — Fish in blue waters.

Here’s some video footage that Dan took with my camera while snorkeling…

catamaran drivers — The crew was super nice. Thank you Holo Holo Charters!

After snorkeling and lunch, it was time to head back to Kaua’i. The crew purposely gave us a very bumpy and exhilarating ride back! You can see more photos from the Na Pali Coast and Niihau Island in this photo album. If you are ever in Kaua’i and are considering a catamaran trip to see the Na Pali Coast, we really recommend Holo Holo Charters! They had top notch service and were really knowledgeable and skilled, and very personable, too! 🙂

When we got back to land, it was still the early afternoon, so we had plenty more things to do and places to see…

Jo Jo’s Shave Ice was strongly recommended as the best shaved ice in Kaua’i, so we stopped by while we were in Waimea.

strawberry+guava+melon — strawberry + guava + melon

Jo Jo’s Shave Ice was really good and was very refreshing, especially on a hot day! I personally still liked Waiola from Oahu better, but Jo Jo’s was definitely the best shaved ice we had in Kaua’i. (And we got shaved ice pretty much every day while we were on Kaua’i… haha* It was so hot there!)

A river running through the Kaua'i landscape.

After making our way through winding dirt roads for over half an hour, we finally reached our destination in Waimea: The Waimea Canyon!

arriving at Waimea Canyon Lookout — Arriving at Waimea Canyon Lookout

me taking in the view — On top of the world.

people at the lookout — People at the Waimea Canyon lookout

steep incline of the canyon — The pictures just don't do it justice!

clouds over the canyon — Clouds over the canyon.

Dan at the canyon — Hubby with the canyon in the background.

red dirt! — Dan was fascinated by the red dirt that could be found all over the island.

Dan got some fresh fruits. — We picked up some fresh fruits at this roadside vendor right before they closed up shop.

For dinner, we stopped at the Shrimp Station in Waimea. If you know how much I love shrimp, you can imagine how psyched I was to go here….

We got some coconut shrimp to go... — We wanted to try more, so we even got some coconut shrimp to go...

We then drove back to our hotel in Kapaa to kick back and relax for the rest of the evening.

Dan cut open this mystery fruit that he picked up at the roadside vendor. To this day, we’re still uncertain of what it’s called, but we were curious so we decided to try it out. To be honest, it was not very good…

Mystery fruit that was not so good... still don't know what it was. — Looks unappetizing... and did not taste very good, either.

Enjoying leftovers on our balcony. — Me enjoying some of our leftovers on our hotel balcony.

Dan eating on the balcony — The hubby eating... the coconut shrimp was delicious1

After waking up super early in the morning, we were totally pooped by the end of the day! We got to see so many amazing sights though, both along the Na Pali Coast and at Waimea Canyon — these are definite must-sees if you are ever in Kaua’i. 🙂

Honeymoon in Hawaii: Day 6

July 13, 2010 By Misono in Foodie Love, Wanderlust Tags: Aston Islander on the Beach, azuki croissant, beach, Hamura's Saimin Stand, Hawaii, honeymoon, Honolulu Airport, Kapaa, Kauai, Kauai Pasta, Lihue, North Shore, Oahu, Paalaa Kai Bakery, pool, saimin, Shaka Shave Ice, shaved ice, skewers, Turtle Bay Resort, Waialua

After spending our last full day in Oahu, we woke up early the next morning to get ready to drive down to Honolulu Airport to fly over to the neighboring island of Kaua’i. We were sad to leave Oahu, but were excited to see what was in store for us over at Kaua’i.

me at the Turtle Bay Resort — Our last morning at the Turtle Bay Resort.

the view from our hotel room — Saying goodbye to this beautiful view from our hotel room.

Dan with the parrot at Turtle Bay — Dan bidding the Turtle Bay parrot goodbye.

We stopped by the Paalaa Kai Bakery in Waialua (North Shore) to get some breakfast before we drove down to Honolulu Airport.

All the baked goodies — Lots of baked goodies at Paalaa Kai Bakery

azuki croissant for breakfast — Azuki croissant for breakfast... so yum!

waiting at Honolulu Airport — Waiting for our flight at Honolulu Airport.

The flight went very smoothly, and we arrived at Lihue Airport in Kaua’i in about an hour. 🙂

The skies clearing up — When we first arrived, there was a slight drizzle, but the skies quickly cleared up.

We stayed at the Aston Islander on the Beach in Kapaa while we were in Kaua’i. The hotel was close to the airport and right on the beach, which was really nice. 🙂

the balcony area — The balcony of our hotel room, overlooking the beach.

After checking in and getting all of our luggage settled in, we were hungry for lunch and made a beeline for Hamura’s Saimin Stand, which was recommended to us by a few of our friends. (Thank you Rumi, Bryan, and Dan’s coworker Jay!)

The famous Hamura's Saimin Stand. I'm ready to eat!!!

The wait was quite long... — The place was crowded and the wait quite long, but we stuck through it.

Saimin is a type of noodle soup that is unique to Hawaii, and is sort of a fusion of Japanese, Chinese, and Filipino traditional noodles. It’s made out of soft wheat egg noodles… I’d say that in Japanese noodles, it most closely resembles ramen, but the broth has a much more subtle and light flavor.

Dan got the special saimin — Dan got the Special Saimin.

I got the shrimp special — I got the Shrimp Special Saimin. It was very good!

We got a chicken skewer and beef skewer — We also ordered skewers of chicken and beef, which Hamura's is also known for.

A lot of people recommend the lilikoi chiffon pie, but we were too full at the time and decided against getting it. But if you ever get a chance to go there, apparently the pie is pretty darn good so give it a try! 😉

After driving around Lihue, we were starting to melt (it was a really hot day), so we stopped at Shaka Shave Ice (a random shaved ice place we found along the road) and got some shaved ice.

me melting — Me with my shaved ice. (lychee+watermelon+guava). It was definitely not as good as some of the places we went to in Oahu, but it was so hot that I was grateful for anything cold.

Oh, a funny side story: Some of our friends had strongly urged us to rent a convertible while we were in Kaua’i, insisting that the experience would be so much better if we were able to drive around the island with the top of the car down. Despite my persistent prodding to do so, Dan said it was too expensive and so we reserved an economy car instead when we booked our rentals a few months before the trip. But when we we got to the vehicle rental, the economy compact cars had been overbooked, so they upgraded us to a convertible with no extra charge! I got my convertible after all. 🙂

Dan with our "sweet ride." (JK... we quickly found that the Sebring was not as comfortable and convenient as we thought... It was still nice to drive around with the top down, though!)

For the rest of the afternoon, we returned to our hotel and spent a couple hours relaxing on the private beach at the hotel.

Waves crashing onto the shore — The private beach at Aston Islander on the Beach.

Dan wading — Dan walking into the water.

stepping into the water — There was no one else on the beach!

Dan back from snorkeling — Dan, who jumped at every chance to go snorkeling during the trip, busted out his snorkel gear and went exploring...

catching up on the gossip from the mainland — ...while I kicked back and caught up on the gossip from the mainland.

We eventually migrated over to the hotel pool, which was also pretty nice.

sitting by the pool — Relaxing after a dip in the pool.

After freshening up, we headed out to have dinner. We were pretty exhausted by this time, so we decided to go somewhere close and chose to eat in the local town of Kapaa. Being the carbnivore and pasta lover that I am, I selected Kauai Pasta as the dining place of our choice.

"What should I get?" — At Kauai Pasta: "What should I eat...?"

delicious antipasta platter! — Delicious antipasta platter: grilled portabella mushrooms, salami, fresh mozzarella, and tomatoes.

Greek pasta... also very good! — Greek Pasta: spaghetti tossed w/ Kalamata olives, feta cheese, capers, spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, fresh oregano & roasted garlic olive oil.

Dinner was very satisfying and was the perfect way to end the long day of traveling and familiarizing ourselves with Kaua’i. We only had three days left in Kaua’i, so we were determined to make the best of it! 😀

Honeymoon in Hawaii: Day 5

July 11, 2010 By Misono in Foodie Love, Wanderlust Tags: Fiji, Ha: Breath of Life, Haleiwa, Hawaii, honeymoon, luau, Maori, Matsumoto Grocery Store, Matsumoto's, Matsumoto's Shave Ice, New Zealand, Oahu, Polynesian Cultural Center, Samoa, Tahiti, Tonga, Waialua Bakery, Waimea Bay

On Day 5 of our Hawaii trip, we spent the whole day in the North Shore area and for once didn’t have to do very much driving. After sleeping in a little, we headed over to Haleiwa to Waialua Bakery to get some brunch!

Waialua Bakery for brunch! — Dan at Waialua Bakery in Haleiwa

The cookie was delicious! — Their oatmeal raisin cookies were delicious!

Dan got the acai bowl — Dan also got the acai bowl.

I ordered a delicious turkey pesto sandwich. — I ordered a delicious turkey pesto sandwich (in addition to the cookie).

After the scrumptious brunch, we stopped at Waimea Bay to spend the late morning lounging around the beach there.

Watching the waves. — There were a lot less people than some of the other beaches we'd gone to. Very peaceful and serene; perfect for a relaxing morning!

After the beach, we were hungry for a cold dessert and what better place to go to than Matsumoto’s Shave Ice in Haleiwa? The place is famous for supposedly being the first shaved ice place in Hawaii.

The first shaved ice in Hawaii! — Matsumoto's Shave Ice in Haleiwa.

Some celebrities: Adam Sandler, Rob Schneider... — Celebrities that have stopped by include Adam Sandler and Rob Schneider.

Daniel Dae Kim (of LOST fame) is the poster boy!

By the famous Matsumoto Shave Ice in Haleiwa — It was a little overwhelming, even for a dessert lover like me.

I got strawberry and watermelon... — I got strawberry and watermelon flavored shaved ice.

I personally thought that Waiola Shave Ice in Honolulu (which we went to on Day 1 and Day 4) was better than Matsumoto’s Shave Ice (the ice was finer at Waiola and the syrup was a little too sugary for my taste at Matsumoto’s), but it was still very good and refreshing.

We then went back to the hotel and freshened up to get ready to spend the latter half of the day at the Polynesian Cultural Center. It is a living museum which serves as a showcase of Polynesian peoples,Â featuring cultural displays from Fiji, Tonga, New Zealand, Tahiti, Samoa, the Marquesas, Easter Island, and Hawaii through simulated villages. It was uber-touristy, but we figured we should go check it out since it was our first time in Hawaii. 🙂

Arriving at the Polynesian Cultural Center in Laie.

Not sure what to expect... — At the entrance, uncertain of what to expect....

One of the first things we saw on the guided tour in the Polynesian Cultural Center was the “Rainbows of Paradise” show. The lagoon inside the center hosts a “parade” of canoes that showcases the signature dances of each of Polynesian culture.

Exuberant and energetic! — Samoa (Didn't get a photo of the last one, which was Fiji.)

My favorite show that I saw while walking around the different “villages” was the coconut husking show. The guy who was demonstrating the husking was hilarious!

This was one of my favorite shows. — Coconut husking show.

At the very top. — Man climbing a tree to get a coconut.

Drumming show with Japanese volunteer — Another show we watched featured drumming and had volunteers come up.

After enjoying a few shows, it was time for dinner! We went to our very first luau, right there at the Polynesian Cultural Center. (Not the most authentic experience, we know….)

"The Queen" and her attendants — The "Royal court" kicking off the luau dinner.

MC showing us the kalua pig that we'd be eating. — Kalua pig... yum yum in my tum tum.

Misono's full plate! — My plate... I ate it all, and went back for dessert!

After thoroughly stuffing ourselves at the luau, we wandered around the center, browsing gift shops and taking silly photos:

Dan imitating the carved statue. — My, what a striking resemblance?

Me imitating the female statue. — How is my impersonation?

The evening spectacular, “HA: Breath of Life” is a $3 million show that uses new technology, animation, music, dance and great storytelling to bring to life the diverse cultures of Polynesia to visitors. Apparently the local community of indigenous peoples on the North Shore contributed a great deal to the development of this show, which showcases the values of many Polynesian societies. To make it as authentic as possible, each universal theme is portrayed by the respective culture, illustrated with dance and music that harken back to the 1960’s before much of the island culture was diluted by tourism.

Here’s a video clip I took during the night show, in which performers dazzled the audience with amazing feats of fire.

An impressive show! — The end of the show... Bravo!

The “HA: Breath of Life” show was really impressive and was a great way to end the evening and our time in Oahu. We returned happy and full to our hotel, so we could get some restful sleep before heading to the airport the next morning to fly over to the neighboring island of Kaua’i.

Spain Wins World Cup 2010!

July 11, 2010 By Misono in Furry Friends, In the Headlines Tags: champion, chinchilla, Diesel, Dutch, Paul, prediction, psychic chinchilla, psychic octopus, South Africa, Spain, The Netherlands, World Cup, World Cup 2010

This past month has been intense with all the excitement of the World Cup — I know it’s been keeping me glued to ESPN and on the edge of my seat for many a game — but it all came to an end today with the World Cup Final, as Spain emerged as the victors over the Netherlands to become the World Cup 2010 Champions!

Congratulations to Spain! Holland did really well this World Cup too, but this time it just wasn’t in the cards…. Â (Although they did win for getting the most yellow cards in any game I’ve ever seen.) Congratulations to Paul the Octopus as well, the cephalopod who has gotten 8 out of 8 of his predictions this tournament right! He has become an international sensation of sorts. 🙂

Seeing this little octopus making “Breaking News” on CNN and causing such a stir this World Cup got me wondering if either of our very own pet chinchillas had any psychic abilities of his own. Here we are putting Diesel to the test this morning, shortly before the game:

Unfortunately, the only thing Diesel ended up proving was that he is not cut out to be a psychic chinchilla. 🙁 His quest for fame will have to be rewarded by some other means….

An Evening with Idina

July 9, 2010 By Misono in Arts and Culture, Music & Lyrics Tags: artist, Broadway, concert, Davies Symphony Hall, Defying Gravity, For Good, Funny Girl, I'm Not That Girl, Idina Menzel, Indigo, music, No Day But Today, Poker Face, RENT, San Francisco, San Francisco Symphony, singer, songs, theater, Wicked

Tonight, I had the pleasure of seeing the beautiful, funny, and most incredibly talented Idina Menzel perform with the San Francisco Symphony at Davies Symphony Hall!

I have been looking forward to this for a while now, since I have been a fan of Idina since her RENT days. She just has such a powerful stage presence and her voice is one of the most beautiful that I have ever heard. When I heard she was going to perform in San Francisco, I had to go. I dragged Dan along with me, and we were also joined by our lovely friends Sam, Uyen and Charissa! (Thanks for coming with us, ladies!) After a delicious dinner at Indigo, we headed over to Davies Symphony Hall for a truly memorable performance!

Idina sang a couple of her own songs that she has written and recorded, but also sang a number of her Broadway hits. She sang the RENT classic Â No Day But Today beautifully, and it was breathtaking to hear her sing some of the Wicked songs she made so famous — I’m Not That Girl, For Good, and of course (my favorite!) Defying Gravity. She even slipped in a couple songs from the episodes she guest-starred in for Glee recently (Funny Girl and Lady Gaga’sÂ Poker Face.) We were all in total awe of the Broadway powerhouse and uber-talented songstress that is Idina Menzel. It was one of the best live shows I have seen in a while, and I really hope that I can see her again sometime soon!

Some photos from the evening….

On the balcony of Davies Symphony Hall before the show.

We weren’t allowed to take any photos or footage during the actual concert, so this was my way of getting a photo with my Broadway idol….

I love you Idina! Please come back to San Francisco again soon!!!

::UPDATE:: I found a video on YouTube of one of the biggest highlights of the concert. She sang “For Good” from the musical Wicked unmiked and a cappella after thanking all of us for coming to see her. It really felt like she was singing to us; it took my breath away.

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