Hike, waterfall and flowers ~

trailhead

Sorry but I do not know any of the names of these flowers except for the wild orchid that pops up here and there.

daughter hiding behind a big tropical leaf

It was worth the uphill trail to cool off in the falls

O'hana

A very fun hike to a waterfall. Lots of locals. Fun to chat with them. Definitely bring water and snacks for the younger hikers and possibly your suit. There are actually two places to stop and cool off. There is a swimming hole to the left about half way to the falls. Somehow we missed that one. The reward is stepping under the falls too cool down because the hike is uphill most of the way and though there is lots of shade you do get sweaty hot.

Our plan was to go to Uncle Bobo's for an early dinner late lunch but we found out the hard way that they are closed on Mondays. No ono! So we have been wanting to try Mike's Huli Huli chicken truck right off the highway here in Kane'hoe. Always have a plan "B".

dinner ~ chicken

We purchased 3 chickens, 7 scoops of rice and 7 scoops of macaroni salad and asked for extra sauce. I made a salad of mixed greens, island cucumber, tomatoes and chopped up pineapple. It was yummy. Seems like a lot of food but we had company over ~ friends from San Diego that moved here and the little girl next door. It was a fine evening. We ate, play and chatted till a heavy rain storm blew in. A great evening to end our stay here in Oahu.

Hau'oli La Ha nau

We can't leave till we properly celebrate a darling daughters birthday complete with donuts, Harry Potter movie and a new stuffed bunny. Aloha sweet daughter!

We'll be back

Honolulu ~ 'not going anywhere fast'

We set out on our day with a list of work and fun. But it turned into a 'not going to get anywhere fast' sort of day. Honolulu is like a mini Los Angeles. With high rise buildings, traffic and construction all to slow you down. Our day might have one better if we would have looked at a map and planned accordingly. We went to Best Buy, CostCo, L&L Drive-inn (note the 2 n's) because it is not a Drive In, Helena's, Fabric Mart and The Calico Cat. This took us seven hours to complete. Indeed a 'not going anywhere fast' sort of day.

juicy ripe mangoes

rain storm out our window

flowers

Fabric Mart Honolulu

lot of color

L&L Drive-Inn

Helena's

indeed

Modern fabrics at The Calico Cat

Hanauma Bay picture by my husband

One our way back to Kane'hoe we went the long way around the island to avoid traffic and accidents on the freeway and stopped at Hanauma Bay. Gorgeous.

Then I had a hankering for a tasty treat. We called all sorts of bakeries to see if anyone had malasadas, sad face, they were either out or back in Honolulu. Drats.

We better plan our days better.

Today is a new day ~ for malasadas

Aloha

beach, food repeat... ~

 What can I say ~ it was one of those decadent, self-indulgent days

Papa'oles breakfast of banana macnut pancakes smothered in sauce, eggs, potatoes and portuguese sausage.
 Family style

Hau'ula Oahu

Malaekahana Beach

Sunset Beach

we stopped here and played in the water

then ~

shave ice at Matsumoto's in Hale'iwa

making friends ~ pig wants his sweet corn

Kahuku Farmers Market

Uncle Bobo's in Ka'a'awa, Oahu

waiting patiently for malasadas & brisket.

panoramic picture of Swanzy Beach, Ka'a'awa, Oahu

malasada's worth waiting  for

Sun, food, beautiful water, what more could you ask?

Aloha

a little work , a bigger beach ~

And a lot of green and blue! No matter how we take the pictures it never quite captures the beauty, color and magic of the islands. Here is our feeble attempt at photo documenting our second day on Oahu.

garden at the home

our little home away from home

Ko'olau Mountains

reds and greens

surf board fence ~ Kahalu'u

Kailua Beach

on the shore

walking further out ~ the colors kept changing

What is missing from these pictures is the gentle breeze, sounds of the birds singing, the warmth of the sun and the spirit of aloha. Each island is the same and very different. The all hold something special.

Aloha