ALOHA and MAHALO !!! (Day 5)

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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