Some stats: Over the past year, we’ve had 5,938 visits. Our most popular blog post by far in terms of hits was the Celebrity Doppelganger post (What the random?), while the most commented post was the one about our S’mores Cupcakes. Maybe we should blog more often about celebrity lookalikes and baked goodies….
One thing we noticed is that the number of visitors is super disproportionate to the number of comments we receive. I will often hear, “Oh, I read your blog about this and that” from friends but am always surprised to hear it because we receive so few comments and I feel like nobody is reading this darn thing. If you stop by, let us know by leaving us some love!
Regardless, thank you to everyone who keeps up with our blog! We would not be as happy as we are without family and friends like you.
On Day Four of our Hawaii trip, we started the morning off with breakfast from Ted’s Bakery, a popular bakery in Haleiwa.
Ted's Bakery in Haleiwa. They are famous for their chocolate haupia cream pie!
We actually didn't try their famous pie, but we grabbed some yummy donuts to go.
We then drove down to Honolulu (yes, again) to go hiking at Manoa Falls. Since we couldn’t hike Diamond Head the previous day, we were evermore determined to make sure we went on this hike!
Starting our hike at Manoa Falls.
The whole trail was a rainforest with lush, towering trees.
This was my first time in a rainforest!
Me making my way up the trail with my umbrella - that's how wet and misty it was!
Dan under an archway of branches. Almost there!
Manoa Falls in all its glory.
I made it! It actually was not too bad of a hike at all. Easy even for me! haha*
Dan and I at Manoa Falls.
Dan illegally went past the barrier to go right by the falls... tsk tsk. Such a rebel.
After the hike, we were definitely hungry for some lunch, so we drove into the more commercial area of Honolulu to get some food.
Driving through Honolulu.
We went to Goma Tei Ramen Restaurant in Ala Moana Mall.
I had shoyu char siu ramen. YUM!!!
The hubby got spicy miso ramen. Also very good! The ramen definitely hit the spot.
After lunch, we headed over to Waikiki to Ty Gurney Surf School. Located in the heart of Waikiki, right by the beach, the surf school is one of the clients at our web design company. We recently launched their site at the end of the last year, and they were so generous as to offer Dan and I complimentary surf lessons when I told them that I was going to be in town on vacation. The owner, Ty Gurney, has given lessons to the likes of Cameron Diaz, Adam Sandler, and Ray Liotta. Pretty awesome!
Arriving at Ty Gurney Surf School and Board Shop.
Some of the apparel we recently designed for the surf school.
More of our designs on display.
With Hollie, the manager of the surf school. Thanks for the surf lessons!
We unfortunately didn’t get to get any photos of ourselves surfing, but it was an exhilarating experience! Dan and I had both never surfed before, but it was really fun! (I was able to stand up on my board and actually surf!) I got exhausted pretty quickly, though, and called it quits after about forty minutes. Dan was a trooper and stayed out on the waves in Waikiki Beach for a good hour and a half. The surf lessons were definitely one of the highlights of our time in Oahu. 🙂
After the surf lessons, we headed over to Waiola Shave Ice again for a refreshing afternoon snack. We’d already gone once on Day One, but it was so good that we just couldn’t stay away.
Dan at Waiola Shave Ice (again).
He got shaved ice with azuki beans and mochi pieces.
This time, I ordered strawberry and lychee flavored shave ice. Soooo good!
We then drove up to check out the Pali Lookout, where you can take in a breathtaking view of the sweeping landscapes, that seem to stretch up the whole Windward side of the island. You can get a view of the lush vegetation and tropical rainforests of Windward Oahu.
Dan at the Pali Lookout.
The left side of our view.
Central line of sight from the lookout.
The right side of our view.
For the late afternoon, we drove to Lanikai Beach in Kailua to just spread out our beach towels and relax by the beach.
Making our way to Lanikai Beach.
Dan walking along the beach.
A man fishing at Lanikai Beach.
We were pretty pooped after the surf lessons!
Dan attempting to snorkel at Lanikai Beach.
...while I was passed out.
Dan taking photos of me while I was napping.
I eventually woke up to dip my feet in the water.
Lanikai Beach was so beautiful! It made me giddy... haha*
An afternoon in paradise.
After a couple hours at the beach, Dan and I drove back to Honolulu to get some dinner. We took our friend Bryan’s recommendation and ate at Ono Hawaiian Food. (Not to be confused with the California chain Ono Hawaiian BBQ… this is the real deal, canoe-style Hawaiian food!) It was a hole-in-the-wall type of place, but had a line and there was a significant wait before we could get a table.
Storefront of Ono Hawaiian Food
We got the the laulau plate with kalua pig. Everything was good! The only dish I was not a particularly huge fan of was the poi. haha*
Big thanks to Bryan for the recommendation! I’m so glad we consulted people who were from Hawaii before going — we were able to eat some really good food while we were there! 🙂
If you know me, you know there’s always room in my tummy for dessert, so we drove over to Bubbies, an ice cream place known for their mochi ice cream.
Arriving at Bubbies in Honolulu.
Look at all those flavors!
We tried (clockwise, from top) the green tea, chocolate peanut butter, guava, passionfruit, lychee, and sakura flavors.
Dan's favorite was the guava mochi ice cream. Thanks Tarrin for the recommendation!
All of the flavors we tried were awesome — my favorites were the lychee and green tea! After we finished our dessert, we drove back up to the Turtle Bay. Our last full day in Honolulu was pretty tiring but definitely memorable and a lot of fun. 😀
We went on a three-day, two-night camping trip with the in-laws at Yosemite this past weekend. Saw some gorgeous sights and it was nice immersing ourselves in nature.
Probably would not pick the same weekend ever again to go camping though — some moments were a bit stressful with all the people and cars in the park.
Hope everyone had a relaxing and enjoyable Independence Day!
Continuing from where we left off, we woke up early on Sunday morning of Day Three to drive down to Honolulu to have breakfast at the famous Leonard’s Bakery.
Starting the day off with Leonard's!
When we were asking around for recommendations on places to eat in Oahu, everyone and their mother recommended this place. They are famous for their malasadas, a Portuguese confection… it was basically an unfilled donut covered in sugar. Crispy on the outside, but very light on the inside. Simple but delicious!
My first time trying a malasada.
We also tried the li hing flavor and cinnamon flavor malasadas, but the original was the best!
We then headed over to our appointment at Masako Formals. Dan and I had never taken Japanese-style wedding photos, but our parents and relatives in Japan had been encouraging us to get some taken for a while. We always wanted to get some taken, but there’s no studio that can do them in the San Francisco Bay Area (at least, non that we know of). So when my friend Yumi told me that the place she bought her wedding dress specialized in Japanese wedding photos, we decided to take the opportunity to get them done there.
Arriving at Masako Formals in Honolulu.
Me waiting to change...
This was actually my first time wearing any sort of kimono. The wedding kimono takes especially long to put on.
Dan getting dressed.
The finishing touches. Looking good, hubby!
Masako Formals took very good care of us and the photos came out pretty good, but we’ll save those for another time. I want to get some photo books made for our parents and grandparents so that they can see them first before we post them online. Stay tuned! 🙂 (Huge thanks to Yumi for telling us about Masako Formals!)
Me very relieved to be out of the heavy kimono and wig.
The photoshoot and all the preparations beforehand took over four hours, so by the time we got out, we were hungry again! We headed over to Shokudo, a Japanese restaurant that our friend Megumi recommended! When she told me to try the mochi cheese gratin, I was skeptical, but decided to give it a shot… and it was actually really good!!!
Mochi cheese gratin!
Who knew mochi and cheese went so well together?
Dan got the yakisoba.
...which was also very yummy.
Apparently the Honey Toast there is also a must-eat, and we saw that every table was ordering it, so we ordered it for dessert. It was pretty amazing….
Shokudo's Honey Toast
Can you tell I am excited? There's always room for dessert!
Thank you Gumi for the recommendation!!!
After lunch, we drove up to Hanauma Bay. Dan had been really excited (and I mean really excited) about going snorkeling in Hawaii, so he finally got his chance!
Arriving at Hanauma Bay.
Palm trees in Hanauma Bay... very pretty!
I passed out on the beach while Dan went snorkeling.
Here are a couple photos Dan captured while snorkeling. To see more, check out the photoset.
A rainbow-colored fish.
Lots of fishies.
Dan with a statue of the state fish: humuhumukununukuapua'a
After spending the afternoon in Hanauma Bay, we drove over to Diamond Head Crater Park, in hopes to hike it in time to see the sunrise at the top. Much to our dismay, when we arrived at the hiking location at 6 o’clock, the park had just closed! 🙁 How are people supposed to see the sunset if it closes so early? We were hella disappointed.
Arriving at Diamond Head, only to find it closed.
The hubby is sad, too.
There wasn’t much we could do about the situation, so we just took a photos of the view from where we were. Alas, we couldn’t fit the Diamond Head hike anywhere into the rest of the trip, so it’ll have to be something we try the next time we’re in Oahu…. :'(
Dan and I at Diamond Head.
Since our hiking plans were foiled, we drove over to Sandy Beach instead to relax and take a nap on the beach while waiting for the sunset….
Our matching beach towels.
Look at those clouds!
We weren't exactly in the prime location to watch a sunset since Sandy Beach is Windward, on the eastern side of the island, but we still got some pretty views of the sky.
For dindin, we drove back down to Honolulu for some more Japanese food at Akasaka, which my coworker and friend Estella recommended! (Estella supplied me with a lot of the fabulous foodie recommendations this trip, so I am very indebted to her.)
Arriving at Akasaka. It happens to be in a location surrounded by porn shops and strip clubs, but don't be turned off by the sketchy area.
Scallop Butteryaki! Delish.
Estella was right, these were some of the best spicy tuna rolls I've ever had!
More sushi from Akasaka. Fish was very fresh!
Dan enjoying a drink with his sushi.
A satisfying dinner to end an eventful day!
That’s it for Day Three of our Hawaii trip! Stay tuned for Day Four, in which we climb treacherous trails to see waterfalls and brave the waters of Waikiki Beach….
It was a sad day for the Samurai Blue and the motherland today, as they lost to Paraguay after the score remained a sterile stalemate at 0-0 throughout the match and through the extra time, leading to a penalty kick shootout to determine who would advance to the Final 8.
The world stood still as they watched this World Cup’s first shootout. Japan lost in the PKs, as they missed a goal while Paraguay nailed all five of theirs.
It was definitely a difficult loss to swallow, both for the Japanese national teams and all of their fans, since it is such a frustrating way to get taken out of the World Cup.
Ultimately, though, I think that Japan performed much better than what the world had expected of them, and they were able to show other countries that they are a force to be reckoned with. They seem to have won a lot of  non-Japanese fans over in the course of the past couple weeks as well! 🙂
Four years is a long wait, but I can’t wait to see the Samurai Blue take on the field on the world stage once again in 2014 in Brazil.
In the meantime, it’ll be fun to sit back and watch which team will rise up to become the champions this year.
photo courtesy of Sofya E
