Daddy is away from home again and I am trying to list out the things that can still make the next 2 weeks joyful even in his absence.

• When Daddy is not around, we do not need to stay up late to wait for him to come back from work. That will mean earlier night and more rest for us.
• When Daddy is not around, I am Mal’s only playmate at home so he is entitled to my undivided attention as I can’t rely on Daddy to play with him when he comes back from work. This will leave me almost no time to do my own things unless he is asleep. In a way, that is better for me as not having to juggle a few things at a time naturally makes me less stress up.
• When Daddy is not around, since I am Mal’s only playmate, it can get boring playing with him alone at home everyday. So we will arrange to meet up with his little friends more often so that they can all play together. This will not just keep the kids happy but also give the mummies a break from playing with the kids.
• When Daddy is not around, there will be less cooking. If we eat at home, meals are kept very simple as I only need to prepare for the 2 of us. I do not need to cook extra food for Daddy to bring to work. (Daddy packs lunch or dinner to work everyday) It means that we can also easily opt to go out for our meals and not worry about whether there is food for Daddy the next day when he goes work. Less cooking naturally means less work thus mean more time for us.

The above reasons sound so logical.

However, for a woman and a child, the chance for the above reasons to crumple to non existence is almost 100% whenever there is a clash between rationale and emotion. Just this morning, Mal suddenly broke into tears while he was having his breakfast, and it is only the 2nd day…

‘I feel so sad….’
‘Daddy fly far far away…’
‘Can ask Daddy to fly back now ?…’

and later on, as he was entertaining himself with a foldable chair, he asked me to record this down and send it to Daddy.

Mal’s parachute toy was stucked in the tree the other day. Our bright idea of throwing a sandal to unstuck the parachute resulted in the sandal to be stucked in the rooftop as well. Luckily ’spiderman’ came in time to help unstuck everything !

This is by far the bestest muffins I have ever made! Thanks to Auntie Jessica’s super duper Taste of Home Cupcakes & Muffins magazine. I realised that they have a website too so do check it out. Have been trying to find good muffin recipes for a while now. The one I usually made were most of the time too dry and were far from those sold at cafeteria which were soft, moist and could almost melt in the mouth.

Mal is a muffin lover and I had promised him for quite a while now that I will make some for him. With the blueberries in season, now will be the best time.

I searched through the magazine, the more I flipped through it, the more my stomach rumbled. I did know that I had blueberries in my fridge but that’s about all I had, no butter, no sour cream which were required by most of the recipes. I was however too desperate, I could almost smell and taste the muffins as I imagined my teeth sinking into them! I have to make some by hook or by crook. After scrutinizing all the recipes, I finally found something that seem doable.

So here it is, the nicest muffins I have ever made and I seriously think they are healthy too because of the oat and grapefruit juice in it.

p/s : enjoying my afternoon tea with freshly baked muffins and coffee as I blog this…how sinful! especially when I missed the workout at the gym this morning!

For those who wants to sin with me, here’s the improvised recipe

Orange Grapefruit Blueberry Muffins

1 cup quick-cooking oats
1 cup orange grapefruit juice
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup vegetable oil extra virgin olive
3 4 small eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries
1 1/2 teaspoon grated orange grapefruit peel

Topping
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/3 cup sugar enough sugar to sprinkle on top
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Extra
Icing sugar to decorate

In a small bowl, combine the oats and orange juice.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda.
Combine the oil, eggs and oat mixture; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened.
Fold in blueberries and orange grapefruit peel.
Fill paper lined muffin cups two third full.
Combine the topping ingredients; sprinkle over batter.
Bake at 400 F for 15 - 20 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks.
Sprinkle cooled muffins with icing sugar

Make 24 small muffins

Mal is loving his Lego set. I thought nothing could interest him more than his cooking toys. He still enjoys playing cooking, pretending to cook all sorts of dish. We actually set aside one of the lower cabinet in the kitchen for his cooking toys. It was Daddy’s idea, so that we can both cook at the same time! Now at 3 years old, Mal is in love with his Lego toys. He loves building planes, sometimes weird looking ones. Sometimes he would build vacuum cleaner, remote controller, bridge, slide, house, cake, iron, bulldozer. Half the time I can’t figure out what he was building. He would then instruct me to ask him questions he wished to answer
‘Mummy, ask me where is the door!’
‘Ask me how to open the door!’
‘Ask me where is the screw!’
‘Ask me where are the switches!’
‘Ask me where are the engines!’
‘Ask me where the pilot sits!’
…
There are also times when he would just dump all his Lego into his cooking pot and serve a pot of Lego soup! What better way to play his favourite toys all at the same time!

Went for a farewell dinner last night at a German restaurant. In my 34 years of life, this is my first time eating in a German restaurant (Mal is luckier, he had his first at 3 years old). The restaurant, Haus Murphys is located in the heart of Glendale’s antique district. The hometown of American Idol, Jordin Sparks! It just occurred to me that we are staying SO CLOSE to the American-Idol-to-be!!! Was shopping at the mall the other day when some kids exclaimed right into my face ‘WE KNOW HER!!!’ and upon closer look I realised I was standing right next to Jordin’s very own Hollywood star. I digressed.

At the restaurant, we were welcomed by lively folk music played from an accordion. The musicians were 2 men old enough to be my grandfather. We were glad to be seated right in front of the band as Mal was so fascinated with the music. His attention and eyes were glued and fixated at the band for a long while. Deciding what to eat was a challenge, as we were swamped by German which we had problem pronouncing. I ordered Beef Rouladen, their traditional beef filled with pickle, bacon and onions serve with red cabbage and spaetzle. The descriptions in English did help a bit but we still had no idea how the food will turn out. Luckily the food turned out nicer than it looks. Mal wasn’t very interested in the main dish and was already happy and contented after his bowl of soup and my glass of raspberry ice tea.

It was a lovely evening with friends, music, authentic food and beer, ya GERMAN beer!!!

P/s: btw I don’t consider Paulaner Brauhaus a German restaurant, cos I only go there for beer and music, and that was like 10 years ago!!!

the 2 musicians entertaining us with lively folk music

the beer garden where we have dinner

waiting for our foodthink our group of 40 plus people max out the kitchen as the food took forever to come even though we had pre-ordered few days ago
mama mia…
while looking for the restroom….
the interior of the restaurant was even more interesting…

goto snap some pics here!

even it means holding up the people from going down this aisle!

finally the old and charming restroom….thanks to my camera manthe speech…presenting the half gun barrel
the star for the night
Mal and Nina
entertaining themselves with some ribbonsmal and the ribbon
ghee, my ribbon
lovely smileMal, Nina and Chloe
the kids…say cheeez!

Last week was a rather busy week for us. Mal’s sore eyes cum sore throat and fever kept us busy for close to a week and for the last 2 days, he was coughing a bit. Brought him to the doc and Mal had antibiotic for the FIRST time. It was some cream for the eyes and we need to apply it for the next 5 days. Thankfully, he is much better now and we finally had the chance to take a dip in the pool. It was so refreshing and rejuvenating.

Mal has been falling sick quite a bit recently and it can be very tiring whenever he falls sick as that will mean less sleep for me and we will be cooped up at home most of the time. We used to joke about how Mal was tougher and stronger than me cos he seldom fall sick and we thought was probably due to all the antibodies he got from breast milk. That was one of the main reasons that kept me going till he was 2. and now I guess he is on his own to fight the viruses. Hopefully, all these will mean a stronger immune system for him.

Amidst of all these, we are glad to squeeze some time to celebrate this special week.

birthday dinner at McGrath’s Fish House
the appetizer…this is enough to make me come back for more. The oyster is GOOD! I ate most of them cos Daddy already has enough oyster during his last detachment at Florida, so now is MY TURN!
mummy’s order…can’t remember the name but it comes with rice, lobster meat, prawn and crab meat. A bit too salty for my liking.
Daddy’s order, New Orleans Catfish tastes really good!
Mal with his New England Clam Chowder soup
Mal with his teary and puffy eyes
closer look of his eyes
cheezzze…this is the best I could do!mummy and malcolm aka monkey, so difficult to get him to look into the camera!

Mummy, a kiss for u!

farewell to the beautiiful island…we will be back again!

Last day on the island, we checked out from the hotel at around 9 am before heading for breakfast. After breakfast, we loaded our luggage in the car and the rest of the morning was spent strolling and relaxing on the beach. We stayed along Waikiki beach, but ironically, we spent the least time on this beach. For the past few days, we have been traveling around the island exploring different beaches and were so intimidated by the strong waves and big surf we saw in almost all the beaches we visited. It was only now that we realised that Waikiki beach has the most gentle wave and surf compared to the other coastal beaches and we could have tried surfing here instead!
Unfortunately time was running late as we need to be at the airport at around1 pm to catch the 3 pm flight, so all we did for the next hour or so was to sit at the jetty, glued to the surfers in the water, drooling and wishing that we could join in. Soon it was time to leave and I am quite sure we will be back to this beautiful place again. A week at the beach learning how to surf and hiking up the active volcano to catch some lava flow are reasons good enough. Maybe then, we should just leave Mal with the care of someone back home while we fly here, just the 2 of us! It will probably be our 1st holiday, since Mal was born, traveling without him! Will we really do that??? I guess no harm dreaming, it’s free.

we saw this lady offering her parrots to passerby for photo shoots…

they were sooooo cute! so we requested to take some pics with her parrots too, thinking that she was doing out of good will….

we were wrong, she rejected our 5 bucks and charged us 10 bucks for all pics! NO FREE LUCNH in this world…esp not in Hawaii

Mal at the jettybody surfers in action, this guy is probably a local, he cycled to the jetty in an old bike, parked his bike, walked to the edge and jumped right into the water, when the warning sign ‘No Jumping’ was right next to it! All he used to help him surf, was something that looks like a web feet that he wore on one of his hands and a pair of fins and Voila!

surf camp for Mal ??

and finally a video to wrap up the whole trip…it’s a simple video but took me hours and hours to get it works, cos both my computer and laptop were dying on me. My ‘never say die’ attitude finally paid off this evening while I was cooking and trying to compile the video at the same time. I was elated, exultant, exhilarated, euphoric! It’s unbelievable how much joy and frustration this video has brought me! I seriously need a new desktop, new laptop, bigger RAM, bigger disk space, before I lose my mind! Meanwhile, enjoy….PHEW!

We are coming close to the end of our trip and the everyday driving and hiking are beginning to tire us out and we are waking up later each day. We are however very happy with what we had covered so far as as we have visited most of the places we planned to cover. For today we are left with Manoa Fall, also known as the Hidden Waterfall, in Manoa Valley.

We headed for the fall immediately after breakfast. The carpark right outside the trail charges us USD 5 for the parking and we get unlimited use of his insect repellent, though we did not bother as we already brought our own which is kids friendly. There were already people who had completed the trail and were leaving the place when we arrived. By the look of their attire, slippers and shorts, I guess the trail shouldn’t be too difficult. Still, I changed into my running shoe instead of wearing my slippers, which I wore for he last few hikes. We read that the trail might be slippery due to the rain for the last few days.

The trail brought us into a stunning tropical rainforest. It seems greener and offer a wider variety of floral and fauna than the rainforests we have back in Singapore. We used to hike at Bukit Timah Hill and Seletar Reservoir on weekends when Mal was much younger. Some of the trees have trunks that were a few times my size. I guess the rainforest here is more mature and have soil that is more fertile.

There was a big group of filipinos hiking at the same time. We started ahead of them but were soon over taken as we let Malcolm hike on his own this time. He was whinning a little, complaining that his legs were tired, but we told him that he could do it and reminded him that he used to walk up Bukit Timah Hill barefooted when he was much younger! Not sure whether he felt encouraged, but we stick to having him walk up the trail himself. Mummy led the way while Daddy accompanied him behind. Along the way, we crossed a few bridges, walked up some steps and paved our ways through muddy grounds. Running water could be heard coming from the steam along the trail but the fall was no where in sight.

Finally after about 40 minutes of walking, we reached the fall. It was a spectacular fall towering at a height of about 150 to 200 feet. The water flow was however not strong, unlike the one we saw at Yosemite National Park. It was blocked up with ropes and was surrounded by Keep Out and Danger signs warning people about landslide which last occurred in January 2002 where 30 tons of material fell from 600 feet above. Would love to have a dip in the water but we decided to heed the warnings and instead took some pictures at the ’safe zone’. It was during this time that it started to drizzle and soon the rain got heavier. We began to hike back to our car with Daddy slinging Mal behind his back and a towel over Mal’s head. The rain was cool and refreshing and we didn’t mind getting wet at all, if not for Mal. It had been a long time since we walked in the rain like this.

It didn’t rain for long but the rainfall was enough to make the path all muddy and slippery, making the way back a bit trickier. It was during this time that Daddy accidentally slipped and fell but luckily Mal was unhurt while Daddy had some minor bruises on his leg.

By the time we made it to our car, it was time for lunch. We headed for Kaka’ako Kitchen which was highly recommended by our Frommer’s Guidebook. We drove around the vicinity for a long while before finally locating the restaurant. The place was very new and there were alot of Japanese. We started off with 1 order of BBQ chicken and steak with salad green and rice. Half way through the food, we decided to order another one exactly the same as it was really very good!

After the heavy lunch, we headed back to Waikiki which was about 5 minutes drive away and took a walk along the shopping district. It was one of those areas where Japanese tourists would hang out and obviously the things were expensive. One thing about Oahu is that everything is expensive if you are a tourist. Supermarkets charge different prices for the island residents and tourists. The difference in prices can be as much as 3 times. The only shop that we frequent was the ABC stores as they were about the only places where things were reasonably priced even for souvenirs. Along Waikiki beach, you can find a ABC store almost every stone throw away.

I decided to save Mal and Daddy from the torment and stopped the window shopping. Instead we decided to take a dip in our hotel pool which was the best thing to cheer the 2 of them up. Soon after that we went back to our room for a quick shower and guess what, after so many days on the island, we finally managed to catch the sunset, right from our room! Our room actually has quite a good view of the sunset, but we had been so busy traveling around the island that we never make it back to our room in time for sunset! We were glad we caught it this time, our last evening on the island.

After a quick shower, it was time for good food. Not sure where but we thought we should be able to find something nice along the stretch of road outside our hotel. Hopefully great food with great view. We did not need to wander far as we soon found an Italian restaurant in front of our hotel. They serve pasta, which we knew for sure, Mal would eat and I think the 3 of us were more attracted by the ambience of the outdoor dining area, with outdoor fire torches that lit up the place and cool breeze from the sea. Food was ok and a bit pricey but it was our last dinner on the island! We consoled ourselves.

This brought an end to our trip and we celebrated the night with more beer!

healthy breakfast to start the day

all his favourite!!!

entrance to Manoa Fall trail

Mal found a stick to entertain him during the hiketall and huge trees
Mal walking along with Daddy
nice colors
Father and Son trekking
shoo mosquitoes shoo…Daddy was carrying the towels in the sling…in case u wondering
water collected in this huge trunk
more huge trees
look at those bamboos and is this banyan tree??
up the stairs
finally we spot the waterfallthe group of filipinos
We made it!
too bad we can’t dip in the waterthis is about the closest we could getMal with his sticks that accompanied him all the way
muddy shoes but I made it to the fall!
more pic of the fall
making our back in the rain
Daddy was all drenched, luckily we had the sling and towel to keep Mal drymuddy rocks and stones
natural disorder
my 2 darlingsafter driving round for a while, we finally found Kaka’ako Kitchen which was relocated at the Ward Center
indeed the BBQ plate lunch was really good!so we ordered a 2nd plate
Interntaional Market Place…not worth visiting as almost every stores sell the same things
so happy to be in the pool!
Daddy and Mal having fun in the pool , while I laze under the evening sun
the pool was actually quite small
the 90 year old hawaiian singer entertaining a group of elderly listeners at the cafe next to the poolsunset from our room
the restaurant with the fire torches
queuing at the restaurant…Mal was starving as it was almost 8 pm

finally the food is here! seafood pasta…
zucchini and crab meat pasta

Wednesday, and we are waking up later. Still, we never stinge on our breakfast, it normally took us 2 or 3 rounds to be satisfied! Malcolm, however, is eating lesser. Maybe, he is sick of the waffles and omelete. The first thing he does when we reach the breakfast area is to run to the table where all the milk is and pick out his favourite packet of chocolate milk. He will insist on pouring it himself, very fast he will finish the entire pack even before he starts eating other things. Maybe that is why he is eating lesser as during our first 2 days we did not notice the chocolate milk. He is definitely drinking more than what he normally drinks at home, then again, chocolate milk definitely beats plain white milk for him!

Anyway, today is Hanauma Bay day. Finally, a clear sunny day greeted us as we made the 20 minute drive to the underwater marine preserve. We (except Malcolm who was proclaiming that it was too hot) were excited to see the bay which was supposed to be one of the best protected cove for those who are new to scuba diving or snorkeling with a diverse population of marine life and a large, rich coral reef. Advanced snorkelers and divers can also enjoy the beauty of this bay as the reef extends throughout the cove into deeper water. The bay floor is actually the crater of an ancient volcano that flooded when the exterior wall collapsed and the ocean rushed in.grinning from ear to ear as we admired the beautiful sight from the top of the bay.

The entrance fee to the bay was US$5 per adult, and it included a 10 minute, “What not to do in Hanauma Bay Park” video. Of course, it covered the standard how the bay was formed etc etc. While we were watching the video, we mused at the large crowd that represented just about every nation in the Pacific. There were even some people watching the video in wet suits, with their oxygen tanks at their side! As this was not some solemn documentary like the one in Pearl Harbor, we let Malcolm ask all the questions he had, like, why cannot touch the fish, where the sea turtle come from etc etc

After the short video we started the 5 minute walk down to the bay area. Although it was hot, the cool sea breeze was refreshing, and even Malcolm did not complain about the weather. He did however whine a little about the sand getting into his shoes. sigh…thought he would be a little hardier than that. First thing we did was to proceed to the snorkel store along the beach, and we rented a beginner’s snorkel set (mask, fins and snorkel) for US$9 for the whole day. The the beginner’s set cost $3 more than the regular set, and had an extra valve to prevent water from getting into the snorkel so that you won’t choke. We figured that since Mummy was not very good at snorkeling, we better have the best equipment ready!

After settling down on a shady spot on the beach, I proceeded straight into the water to snorkel. Haven’t snorkelled in a while (couple of years???), I took it easy for a while. However, the dry snorkel was really a breeze to use, and soon I was out in the middle of the bay swimming with the fishes. The best part was that I spotted a sea turtle ! Not once, but twice! Two bad, no underwater camera to capture the moment. I realized the trick to find them was to be patient and look inside the gaps between the corals in the slightly deeper areas. That was where they would be feeding on corals, or the stuff that grow on the corals. Once in a while, they would also surface for air. Amazing thing is that they do it really quick. They go to the surface, open their mouths for a quick quarter second and then down into the water again for a long long time. They must have very efficient lungs.

Anyway, Malcolm entertained himself with some snacks Yan Yan and Want Want ,and of course the customary dip into the sea! He still didn’t like the taste of the “sweet water” when actually what he meant was the salty sea water, even when I told him that I could bring him out to see fishes!

By the time we done at about 2 pm, we were all charred except for Malcolm, whom we judiciously applied plenty of sunblock on. It was time to leave, and being the lazy vacationer, I elected to ride the tram up the hill that we walked down for. In the spirit of Hawaiian enterprise, they charge 50 cents for the ride down, and $1 for the ride up. Smart?!

Knowing that Malcom was pretty tired, we put on his diaper
(without bathing him! HAHA!!!) and sat him in his car seat. Before we even left the car park, he dozed off. That presented us with a few options and a dilemna. Should we go to Manoa Falls or drive further down the beautiful windward coast of Oahu. We decided on the latter, mindful that we had not had lunch yet and needed to find some real food besides prawn crackers. It turned out to be an excellent choice for we managed to see how the beautiful WindWard Coast of Oahu was pounded relentlessly by the Pacific ocean.

As we drove along the coastal highway admiring the ocean, we started to linger on the thought of food. Now, the guidebook did not really cover much on this area, so we were kind of driving along and hoping for the best. My GPS was pointing me 10 miles in the opposite direction for the nearest civilization, and I was starting to get worried that we would not be able to find any food. Finally, we came to the small coastal town of Waimanalo and we could see why the guidebooks never really mentioned this town. It almost felt like we were driving along the coast of some small town in Malaysia, where there were rows and rows of dilapidated houses and buildings. It is a rather rural and laid back town. We were surprised that most of the houses here in Hawaii were made from wood and some even on stilts! like those kampong in southeast asia. We were expecting nice big house with trimmed garden and full glass panel that give a complete ocean view. Another thing we learnt from this trip too. After driving about half a mile into the town, the first drive-by restaurant finally appeared. Without any other choices, we stopped and ordered some food from a filipino lady that manned the counter.

Boy, were we lucky! Although run down, this restaurant - Keneke’s Plate Lunch and BBQ. served really good food! It actually has a website and there are more than 1 of this restaurant in the island! We found a gem! Only now, do we realize that this place is actually quite popular and there have been reviews written about it. Thinking that the larger mixed plate was enough, we ordered only one set that included mahi mahi, bbq chicken and shrimps. But the two of us greedily finished everything. To wash down all the food, we slurped down a shave ice aka ice kachang (that came with condensed milk for 50 cents more) that tasted so much better than the one we had in Haleiwa. As for Malcolm was still sleeping in the car, he missed all the shave ice again! However, we did pack another set of plate lunch for him.

After depravedly filling our stomachs, we back tracked towards Makapuu Point . As we parked the car, Malcolm woke up, a little dazed from his nap. We told him that we were going to go hiking and ask
ed if he wanted to go. It was pretty hot outside, plus he was hungry (yan yan and want want don’t really fill the stomach that well) and he started to whine a little. But we convinced him that that he could be my talking backpack, and soon we were walking the 2 mile trail up. The trail was paved and pretty well maintained and soon I started to wonder why I didn’t just put him in the pram. I guess we needed the exercise anyway. The hike up was not as tiring as the one going up to Diamond Head Crater (refer to Day 2 of our trip) though. As the trail curved around the hill towards the ocean, a strong (and I mean strong) breeze picked up. The view was wonderous. It made me wonder why we didn’t go hiking more often in Phoenix. Sedona will be a good start since Malcolm doesn’t mind being a talking backpack now.

After a good 45 minutes or so with some photo shooting breaks in between, we were finally at the top. Our plan was to feed Malcolm at the top, but with the 30 miles per hour wind, it didn’t look quite plausible. So after making our photo rounds, and enjoying the view for a little bit, we started down the hill. We found a ledge where the wind was partly obscured and that was where Malcolm had his dinner. He liked the bbq chicken so much that he even asked if he could eat it again the next day! Even Mal thinks the food is good!

So, that marks the end of Day 4. Of course, we drove back to the hotel with Mummy ogling at the shopping areas at Waikiki, and we wrapped up the day with….a Heineken!

~ contributed by Daddy

p/s: in case you are wondering why Daddy sounds so happy when Mal doesn’t take his bath….it’s becos normally I will nag and insist how Mal should take his bath after playing outdoor. But for this trip… I broke the rules and gave the green light to ‘No Bath’ after playing outdoor especially after playing on the beach and soaking in sea water. back

as usual, the day started with a good breakfast

view of the bay from top of the hill where the parking area is
it was already crowded with people when we reached

each day, we will pack some towels from the hotel pool before we set off
picture with Daddy at the hill
Mummy at the hill
making our way from the hill to the bay
many of us choose to walk down the hill instead of taking the 50 cents transport
queuing up for the snorkel set
Mal at the beach playing with sand
amd snacking…
while Daddy and Mummy took turn to snorkel
‘I don’t like the wind to blow sand into my eyes!!!’
just outside the Hanuama Bay Park, another chance to take picture while Mal doze off in the car
first glance of WindWard Coast
the highway we came by
pounding wave of pacific ocean
enjoying the view
daddy, the wind, the cliff and the pacific ocean
another view of pacific ocean
Mummy at windward coast
mummy and daddy at windward coast
another pose while Mal was fast asleep in the car, the wind was super strongthe lifeguard with his surfboard at Waimanalo Beach Park the local kids playing soccer at the parknotice the houses in stilts ???
the rather run down Keneke’s Plate Lunch and BBQ
it was still quite empty when we arrived
a queue began to form later on
view while waiting for our food. Aloha was a commonly found petrol kiosk on the island and they have 7 eleven! plenty of them, some can be found at ground level of condos along Waikiki, really make them looks like Spore HDB flats!
finally…
yummy!!!
our 2nd shave ice, this time with lychee, red beans and lots of condensed milk!!!AAAHHHH!!!!
our next hike…
this is where the trail will lead us…the Makapuu Lighthouse
all set to go???
NO…it’s too hot! Daddy I need shade!!!
at midway, this lookout area suppose to let u catch some hump back whales….but there ain’t any now…
the young, sexy, garang mummy. accompanied by an older kid, a toddler and a baby in her tummy…was hiking up the lighthouse as well!!!
the peeping backpack
finally…
we were wondering why they never build the lighthouse at the highest point instead
mummy and the lighthouse
we were shaded from the sun during part of the hike as the trail wound round the hill, and the backpack was happier
taking a break
and finally my lunch!!!
while they were eating…
a much happier backpack now…

say ALOHA !!! I am in HAWAII!!!

It is a Tuesday, and we woke up slightly later at about 7. Think we are adjusting to Hawaii time already. Today, after our customary breakfast at the lounge, we departed for the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbour Memorial Museum and Visitor Center

As the memorial was rated as one of the must see things in Honolulu, it was not surprising that we got a one and a half hour queue to visit the memorial. To burn time, we decided to take some pictures and of course eat some ice cream!

Finally, the wait was over. Before we took the free ferry to the memorial, we sat through a ten minute documentary on the destruction that the Japanese wreaked in Pearl Harbor. The date was December 7, 1941. Pearl Harbor was asleep and the Americans were literally caught with their pants down. More than 300 Japanese war planes launched a suprise raid on Pearl Harbor and surrounding military installations. In a few hours, the US Pacific fleet was decimated. 2388 people died. On the USS Arizona itself, 1177 navy sailors died. This marked the entry of the US into World War II.

Luckily, Malcolm is a little bit older now and could understand when we really needed him to be quiet. Like his natural curious self, he asked a lot of questions during the documentary, like, “why is there fire on the ship?”, “who put the fire on the ship?”, “why they want to bomb the ship?” etc etc. You get the idea. An elderly couple next to us politely asked us to be quiet, and I had to tell Malcolm that I would explain to him later.

Navy sailors in smart white uniforms operated the ferry that brought visitors to and from the memorial. Perhaps it was pride and symbolism that prevented the US Navy from outsourcing such a simple job to a private enterprise. As we approached the memorial in the ferry, you could see parts of the USS Arizona sticking out of the sea bed. Actually, it just looked like rusty metal. If no one told us that it was the tomb of more than a thousand people, we might have just thought why did anyone not clean up this rusting oil bucket? Like most memorials you find in the US, this memorial was beautifully crafted, and it evoked a sense of respect for the those that passed that fateful day. The names of every sailor that died on the ship was etched in stone on a wall in a room. In this room, everybody naturally fell silent, and the only sounds you could hear were that of the wind and the waves.

After the visit to the memorial, we decided to walk over to see a submarine that was berthed a few hundred meters away. We did not miss the opportunity to take pictures of torpedoes and cruise missiles etc etc. When we got there, we were aghast that they were charging like US$27 to look at a frigging decomissioned World War II submarine! Naturally, we walked off.

Time to look for something to eat. The ice cream did not quite fill our stomach, and Malcolm was hungry. So we stopped at one of the local fast food joints - L&L Drive Inn. Decided to try one of their local dishes Lau Lau (pork wrapped in leaves and steamed), Kalua pig (shredded pork). Turns out that the Lau Lau was actually like our mei cai kou rou, except not as nice.

After our lunch, we changed out Malcolm’s diaper in the car, which was loaded with smelly “stuff”, and drove to Haleiwa , the surf capital of Hawaii. After reassuring him that we were going to the beach so that he can make sand castles, Malcolm fell asleep on the half hour drive. Unfortunately, it also meant that he missed the ice kachang, or shaved ice, at Haleiwa.

After the kachang break, we continued the drive to Waimea Beach park. Waimea is situated along the famous North Shore of Oahu. In December, the sea would have 20-30 foot swells. In these conditions, only the sucidal or the very best surfers would head out. According to the guide book, the very best surfers meant the best surfers in the world would be here. A lot of tourists and locals would also camp out at the beach to watch the surfers do their stuff. Unfortunately, the sea was also not quite tame that day. Swells about 6-7 feet high routinely pounded the beach, and the lifeguard constantly warned that people not equipped with boards and flippers to stay out of the waters. However, we did manage to catch the antics of some beach bums as well as some brave surfers surfing next to the rocks!

It was coming to dinner time, and we headed along the coastal Kamehameha Highway to the town of Kahuku, where the famed Shrimp trucks were supposed to hang out. Not long after we started driving into the agricultural lands did we find a few shrimp trucks parked together. We decided to stop at Fumi’s Kahuku Shrimp Truck . Like many things in Hawaii, the Japanese name is misleading. The owner is actually a Taiwanese lady. The good thing is that the shrimps were fresh (apparently harvested daily from the shrimp ponds they own) and delicious. Malcolm ate something like 6 or 7 shrimps by himself!

It was time to go back to the hotel. We decided, based on the recommendation of the Shrimp truck owner, to drive back the way we came from and try to catch the sunset at Sunset Beach. Unfortunately, clouds occluded the sunset somewhat. We did however manage to get a few good shots.

When we finally got back to the hotel, it was 8pm. After showering for the first time that day (yes, including after dipping in the waters at Waimea Beach), we sat down to have a delicious chilli shrimp dinner, washed down with Heineken! What a great way to end the day!

it’s breakfast time again!

healthy breakfast…these baby papayas are sweet! can’t remember when was the last time I had papaya, so I loaded my plate with these before attacking the rest of the buffet spread

Mal has waffles for breakfast almost everyday when he is at home. We were glad that they have waffles at the buffet spread

another Mal’s favourite…fresh omelette with lots and lots of mushrooms!

this is Daddy’s favourite…sunny side up! I will prefer half boiled with some soya sauce and pepper like those serve in coffee shop back home
at Pearl Harbor Memorial Museum & Visitor Centernotice our t-shirts? Mummy no longer needs to wear lovers’ t-shirt with Daddy!
tablets marking the names of those killed in the Pearl Harbor attack

waiting for our turn to watch the documentary on Pearl Harbour attack

Mal finds ways to entertain himself

an ice cream to reward Mal for the long wait

he can finish one by himself! we end up getting another one for ourselves

Mal 1st ferry ride…enjoying the view

the tomb for more than a thousand people
on board the ferry
Battleship Missouri Memorial
the USS Arizona Memorial
the entrance to the Memorial
the USS Arizona that is beneath us
the stone etched with all the names
you can see the side of USS Arizona in the water right down the hole behind me
the wind was especially strong and chilly here…I thought it was kind of eerie…
the big rusty piece of metal is the gun turret of the battleship
very unique looking memorial with openings overhead to see the clear blue sky
while queuing up to board the ferry back to shore
here comes the ferry….on the ferry ride back to shore…guess what he was looking
the very smart sailor with his super huge ’steering wheel’! We were seated right at the 1st row but Mal was too shy to step forward to have his picture taken with this smart sailor
we decided to walk over to the USS Bowfin Submarine Museum. This huge missile was at the entrance
Mal thought that it was a rocket, which didn’t surprise me…cos I thought so too
Regulus I Missile…this missile can actually send letters….read more
green torpedo….clueless what it is called
super long black torpedo
upon reaching the entrance, we realised that we were too cheapo to pay for the expensive admission fee…so instead we took some pictures with the submarine from afar.
Mal, Daddy and the USS Bowfin Submarine
Hawaiian local food Lau Lau at L&L Drive Inn, our mei cai kou rou taste much better!

Haleiwa , the surf capital of Hawaiione of the things that the guidebook recommends is this old shop, Aoki’s Shave Ice at Haleiwa. there is actually a queue at the store, but further down the road, there was another shave ice store with even longer queue
this is the menu, they have syrups of different flavour and when they asked me whether I want adzuki beans in my shave ice, I looked at them blankly. Only after I was showed the sample that I realised that Adzuki beans = Red beans = Ang Dao !
this is our 1st shave ice = ice kachang, will taste even better with condensed milk added! I found out later at another store that we can actually ask them to add that with additional 50 cents
enjoying the USD $2 shave ice while Mal was sleeping in the car
when he saw this picture, he was asking…’what was that?’ ‘ how come I never eat??!!!’
at Waimea beach park at North shore of Oahu
changing at the carpark
safer to just sit here and watch the experts and hunky surfer boys do their stuffhome of the largest, most dangerous and spectacular surf in the world
body surfing in actionmore actions..
wish we could join in toothe dare devils
surfing towards the rocks
where the water is calmer…a surfer rowing out in his surf board

the shrimp truck at Kahuku
there were a few trucks …
but we chose this
they have a shrimp farm right next to the truck
something different
cooking in a truck! this cook is from China
it was super windy that day…we were told by the Taiwanese lady boss that it was rather unusual. We thought the wind might just blow down the make shift eating area
Mal was the guinea pig to try out the shrimps as we were both still quite full. He ate almost all the shrimps! We decided to order another set to bring back hotel, this time, spicy shrimps!
locals selling fruits along the road side…just like those you see in Malaysia!
at Sunset Beach
we were told by the shrimp truck lady boss that this is a perfect place to catch the sunset
sure enough, there were already people waiting at the beach with their portable
chairs
too bad it was abit cloudy
so this is it for Day 3 !