so incredibly behind!
there are so many things i had going on before school started that i've just completely left behind. one is my cooking blog. i haven't even done any really inventive or new cooking at all recently. i'd be pretty hard pressed to remember what i've actually cooked in the last 2 months. i cook, sure, but i haven't really got in the kitchen and really cooked. second is my language learning. after updating my desktop computer, i installed rosetta stone and it's sadly been collecting dust since then. i was frustrated that i had to lose my already saved progress when i upgraded the OS. i'm sure there would've been a way to save that information, but i was so excited to get windows 7 up and running that i didn't really think twice. i kinda did the same with itunes, but i actually took the time to clean that up (honestly, i canNOT be without my music for long). thirdly, my livejournal. i think i've done some sporadic updating, but not nearly as much as i have been before. i think i'm getting distracted by facebook more often than not and the little updates i leave on FB satisfy any kind of writing need i might've had at the time. it's really sad, actually.
marshall and i returned from our long overdue honeymoon on sunday night. we were in oahu for 5 nights and then maui for 4 nights. it was a wonderful vacation together and we had a fantastic time exploring places neither of us had ever been. we used costco's travel resources to plan our trip and it ended up working out really well. they provided an easy way for us while in oahu to book or plan additional tours and trips. before we left, the only thing we pre-booked was a sunset catamaran dinner. we had an orientation (being served the saddest breakfast i have EVER seen) the first morning of our trip and at that time booked a pearl harbor and city tour and we booked our sunrise bike tour for maui. we knew before we left that we were NOT going to attend a luau. we went to one with my family 5 years ago and it really was not as exciting as many people think and the glossy tour photos make it seem. most of the orientation was lost on us, but it was helpful.
the rest of our time in oahu consisted of getting up early for tours, napping on the beach, finding good places to eat, lots of walking, and hiking up the side of a volcano crater. here are some highlights:
so those were the highlights from oahu. overall we had a great time, but we both agreed we would've loved to have seen more of the island. i wanted to see more of honolulu. we could've done that by renting scooters, which were widely available, but it didn't end up working out for us. travel agents and companies do not quickly offer rental cars in oahu because 1) 80% of the hawaiian population lives on oahu and everyone drives, and 2) the streets around the island are wonky. honolulu was riddled with one-way streets, which can be very confusing for non-native drivers. so, in a way i'm glad we didn't have to worry about a car, but i still would've loved to have seen the northshore of the island and explored the areas of the island outside of waikiki. i thought it was a great introduction to the island and i would love to visit again at a later date. :)
in the interest of space and time, i'll break this into two different posts.
to be continued!
marshall and i returned from our long overdue honeymoon on sunday night. we were in oahu for 5 nights and then maui for 4 nights. it was a wonderful vacation together and we had a fantastic time exploring places neither of us had ever been. we used costco's travel resources to plan our trip and it ended up working out really well. they provided an easy way for us while in oahu to book or plan additional tours and trips. before we left, the only thing we pre-booked was a sunset catamaran dinner. we had an orientation (being served the saddest breakfast i have EVER seen) the first morning of our trip and at that time booked a pearl harbor and city tour and we booked our sunrise bike tour for maui. we knew before we left that we were NOT going to attend a luau. we went to one with my family 5 years ago and it really was not as exciting as many people think and the glossy tour photos make it seem. most of the orientation was lost on us, but it was helpful.
the rest of our time in oahu consisted of getting up early for tours, napping on the beach, finding good places to eat, lots of walking, and hiking up the side of a volcano crater. here are some highlights:
- pearl harbor: this tour really stood out for me. while i'm not entirely close to him, my great-uncle was in the navy during WWII and i am sure he was affected by the bombing of the uss arizona and all the other ships in pearl harbor. additionally, my grandpa was living in hawaii and his mother sent him and his brother and sister back to california only 2 weeks before the bombing happened. his mother remained in hawaii and lived through the chaos that ensued after the bombing. i opted for the audio tour, which really helped explain the circumstances, the history, and the geography of the area and how it came into play. even though the narrator was ernest borgnine, it was a great choice. i cried a little while walking through the actual uss arizona memorial. it's really intense.
- great eating: our first night's meal at house without a key was almost entirely too perfect. the food was wonderful and the entertainment was just amazing. there was a nice hawaiian music trio and subtle, not to mention authentic, hula dancing by a former miss hawaii. it was a great introduction to our trip. our other notable places we ate at in oahu included a japanese bbq place recommended by our friends "hat": gyu kaku. although it IS a chain, it was a ton of fun. similar to korean bbq, but NOT a buffet, we got our plates of raw meat and grilled them ourselves on our personal grill. delicious food, fun ambiance - it was a great place to eat! we found a small ramen place, rai rai ramen, that was perfect for lunch.
- sunset activities: our first big sunset activity was the sunset catamaran dinner. i was expecting something small and intimate, sit-down dinner, and quiet. it basically was the exact opposite of all that. it was a huge group, lounge-lizard band, buffet dinner, and extremely hokey. it ended up being rather fun, all things considered, and in the end i'm glad we did it. you gotta do one truly hokey and touristy thing in hawaii, right? that was ours. our second sunset activity was our hiking trip up to the top of diamondhead crater. it ended up being a really neat experience. the hike itself wasn't very long, only 0.8 mi each way, but the work came from the climb, switch-backs, and all the stairs. the hike was on a well-worn trail and after a certain point, it turned to just stairs. the view from the top, though, was breathtaking.
- the beach: of course, there was the beach. waikiki is one long beach-front resort zone. the beaches, even in october, were very crowded. there were surfers and surf schools out in the water at the first sign of light in the morning and there were people on the beach only soon after. it wasn't until our last day, when we were taken on an impromptu tour by our friendly cab driver, we were shown some beaches which were just as good and a little further away from the crowds. i don't think we spent a day without going to the beach, so it's not like the crowds kept us from going. i enjoyed the warm water and the gentle surf. i could safely swim out far from the shore and still stand on the bottom.
so those were the highlights from oahu. overall we had a great time, but we both agreed we would've loved to have seen more of the island. i wanted to see more of honolulu. we could've done that by renting scooters, which were widely available, but it didn't end up working out for us. travel agents and companies do not quickly offer rental cars in oahu because 1) 80% of the hawaiian population lives on oahu and everyone drives, and 2) the streets around the island are wonky. honolulu was riddled with one-way streets, which can be very confusing for non-native drivers. so, in a way i'm glad we didn't have to worry about a car, but i still would've loved to have seen the northshore of the island and explored the areas of the island outside of waikiki. i thought it was a great introduction to the island and i would love to visit again at a later date. :)
in the interest of space and time, i'll break this into two different posts.
to be continued!