Tag: travel

New Ukulele Day

, , , , Slice of Life, Traveling1 Comment on New Ukulele Day
Photo info: Apple iPhone 12 mini, 4.2mm, f/1.6, 1/120 sec, ISO50
 “Two Ukuleles” Wailuku, 2022

Today was new uke day for me! This morning, Mariko’s friend picked her up for brunch out in Wailea, so I went ukulele shopping. First I stopped by Bounty Music in Lahaina. They had a large selection of ukuleles, and I got to try out a Kamaka and and KoAloha. The prices were good, but I wasn’t so happy with the service. All the salespeople were helping the tourists who (I think) came off of the cruise ship, and I was pretty much ignored. When I did find someone who could help me, he didn’t know much about ukuleles, but acted like he did. It was embarrassing, but I can’t blame the store for trying to make some money and the cruise ship tourists are probably a good source of income.

My next stop was Mele Ukulele, which is a local shop that has been around for about 30 years. I think the quality is comparable the Ks (Kamaka, KoAloha, and Kanile’a), but the combination of materials, price, and the fact that they are Maui-based is important to me. Plus the service I have received from everyone I talked to there was great and friendly. Today Annie helped me browse the model line and helped me decide on the one I wanted. However, I wanted to check out the other Mele Ukulele branch in Wailea and see if they had any other ukuleles that “spoke to me”. :)

So, that afternoon after Mariko returned from Wailea, I asked her if she wanted to go back to Wailea with me and look at ukuleles. She said okay, so it was off to the Shops at Wailea! The service at the Mele Ukulele here was excellent as well, and Austin helped me pick out the perfect all-koa wood concert ukulele. We sampled four of them, and I finally chose one that sounded best to me (there were two that sounded equal), but also felt best and had a unique look. I am in love with my new Mele Ukulele!

Photo info: Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max, 5.7mm, f/1.5, 1/60 sec, ISO500
 “New Ukulele Day” Wailea, 2022

After my purchase, we stopped by the Waikiki Brewing Company (another brewery?!) and had a couple of beers and split a sandwich, Then on the way home, we had a craving for some Thai food so we stopped by the Thai Mee Up food truck by Costco and got some curry to go.

Photo info: Apple iPhone 12 mini, 1.55mm, f/2.4, 1/30 sec, ISO1000
 “Food Trucks” Kahului, 2022

Curry, beer, poké, and mac salad: another nice meal. :)

Oyasumi!

Road Trip to Hana

, , , Slice of Life, Traveling1 Comment on Road Trip to Hana
Photo info: Apple iPhone 12 mini, 1.55mm, f/2.4, 1/6000 sec, ISO32
 “Hana Bay” Hana, 2022

Day 3 on Maui started with a run around the neighborhood. On our last visit to Maui, I went on the same run, but I was injured so I couldn’t run very far, but this time I feel much stronger so I ran the whole way, and even ran up some killer hills. And by killer, I mean that they really killed my legs and lungs. It was probably the toughest workout I’ve had in many years. But it felt good. I love running hills.

We had some coffee and dragon fruit for a light breakfast and then headed out on a big trip today: The Road to Hana. We’ve been to Hana a few times but it’s a fun drive (if you like tight turns) and there are some interesting stops along the way. We even got to see a rainbow tree, which was pretty neat.

Photo info: Apple iPhone 12 mini, 1.55mm, f/2.4, 1/100 sec, ISO50
 “Road to Hana” Maui, 2022

Eventually we made it to Hana, but we were unable to see the black sand beach. We didn’t know we had to make reservations, so we missed out. But I did swim a bit in Hana Bay which was fun. We took Bay and Koa here when they were little and they enjoyed playing in the waves. So this visit brought back some nice memories.

We also got some ice cream at Tony’s Place, visited Hasegawa General Store, and bought some chocolate at Hana Gold. I never used to really enjoy doing these activities when I was younger, but now I really like them! It’s fun to check out stuff and chat with the shopkeepers and locals.

Photo info: Apple iPhone 12 mini, 4.2mm, f/1.6, 1/1400 sec, ISO32
 “Hasegawa General Store” Hana, 2022

The drive back was fun as well, but I guess I was getting a bit tired towards the end. Just too much turning and turning. And turning. :) It was exhausting.

So when we pulled into Mama’s Fish House in Paia and got two seats at the bar, that cocktail tasted extra yummy! We just had a couple of appetizers and drinks to relax after the road, but what was really nice was just hanging out at the beach by Mama’s Fish House. We saw some sea turtles lounging on the rocks, and watched the clouds change color as the afternoon turned into evening. It was really magical!

Photo info: FUJIFILM X-E4, 25.4mm, f/5, 1/100 sec, ISO5000
 “Mama’s” Paia, 2022
Photo info: FUJIFILM X-E4, 18mm, f/6.4, 1/100 sec, ISO400
 “Honu” Paia, 2022
Photo info: FUJIFILM X-E4, 18mm, f/4, 1/100 sec, ISO1000
 “Honu Sign” Paia, 2022

What wasn’t so magical was the blackout that happened in the neighborhood when we arrived home. The power stayed out until 1 am, but before that, we found some candles and enjoyed the alternate reality of no electricity. :)

またね～

Photo info: Apple iPhone 12 mini, 4.2mm, f/1.6, 1/4 sec, ISO250
 “Blackout” Wailuku, 2022

Day Two on Maui

, , , Slice of Life, Traveling1 Comment on Day Two on Maui
Photo info: Apple iPhone 12 mini, 4.2mm, f/1.6, 1/690 sec, ISO32
 “Loco Moco” Wailuku, 2022

Hello! Day two on Maui started out with breakfast in Wailuku at SixtyTwo MarcKet. I was joking with Mariko and my nephew that Loco Moco always sounds better than it tastes, but that doesn’t stop me from trying it again and again at different places.

Well, I tried another Loco Moco at MarcKet, and I have to say it was one of the best I’ve had. The burger was excellent, with some nice char from the griddle, but I guess it’s the gravy that makes or breaks Loco Moco, and MarcKet has some great gravy. It was more like a Japanese-style hamburg steak sauce, but unique in its own way. Also, there were two sunny-side up eggs on top.. and that runny yolk! Mmmm

Mariko ordered the Brioche french toast which was also great. The combination of the sweet French toast and savory Loco Moco was perfect. Definitely recommend!

Photo info: FUJIFILM X-E4, 18mm, f/6.4, 1/750 sec, ISO320
 “Pumpkin Patch” Kula, 2022

After breakfast, we dropped off our nephew and his girlfriend at the airport for their trip to Los Angeles, and then headed up-country to visit Kula Farms and the pumpkin patch. We bought some papaya, dragon fruit, and other goodies and enjoyed the beautiful views. Really awesome.

Photo info: FUJIFILM X-E4, 21.4mm, f/6.4, 1/2000 sec, ISO320
 “View from Kula Farms” Kula, 2022

Next on our agenda was a visit to Maui Brewing Company in Kihei. Did I mention that we love visiting breweries? The flights we ordered were great, and the huli-huli chicken was yummy. I liked the open space of Maui Brewing Company and would love to come back next time we visit Maui. Plus they had some cute chickens roaming around. Fun!

Photo info: Apple iPhone 12 mini, 4.2mm, f/1.6, 1/1000 sec, ISO32
 “Flight Time” Kihei, 2022
Photo info: FUJIFILM X-E4, 18mm, f/6.4, 1/2700 sec, ISO320
 “Beach Time” Kihei, 2022

After a short trip to the beach at Kamaole Beach Park II, we drove back to Wailuku and stopped by Iao Valley.

Photo info: Apple iPhone 12 mini, 4.2mm, f/1.6, 1/150 sec, ISO32
 “Cloudy Mountains” Wailuku, 2022

The valley is actually closed at the gate until January while they do renovations to the park, but we hung about at Kepaniwai Park by the Nature Center and took in the views for a bit before going back to town to visit Takamiya Market, Tamura’s (market), and Foodland. We are on the search for Li Hing Mui powder, which was served on fresh pineapple to us on our Oahu circle-tour. But we were unsuccessful in our search today. We did, however, pick up some poké and mac salad for dinner. :)

I hope you had a great day!

Photo info: FUJIFILM X-E4, 31.5mm, f/6.4, 1/300 sec, ISO320
 “Rainbow” Wailuku, 2022
Photo info: FUJIFILM X-E4, 18mm, f/6.4, 1/45 sec, ISO6400
 “Evening Light” Wailuku, 2022

Oahu to Maui

, , , , , Slice of Life, TravelingLeave a Comment on Oahu to Maui
Photo info: FUJIFILM X-E4, 18mm, f/22, 1/100 sec, ISO1000
 “Sunrise” Honolulu, 2022

It was travel day today! After watching our last amazing sunrise over Diamond Head, we checked out of the Park Shore Hotel and caught the bus to the airport. Again, the fare is only $3 per person, compared to $35 for a Lyft of Uber. What a deal!

Photo info: Apple iPhone 12 mini, 4.2mm, f/1.6, 1/2000 sec, ISO32
 “At the Airport” Honolulu, 2022
Photo info: Apple iPhone 12 mini, 4.2mm, f/1.6, 1/14900 sec, ISO32
 “Bye Oahu” Hawaii, 2022

It was a short island-hop over to Maui where my nephew picked us up and brought us back to the house in Wailuku. Our house was designed and built by my grandpa in 1956, and has been in the family ever since. It holds so many memories for us, and I’m looking for more memories to be made there! :)

Mariko and I settled in and then went out for some food at Tin Roof. I haven’t eaten there before, but everyone has good things to say about their chicken sandwich, so I had to get one! We also ordered some saimin, then took the food to the beach and ate at the picnic table behind the canoe club building. The sandwich was really tasty, but the chicken was a little dry (which seemed to be an anomaly). We did enjoy the crunch and flavor, though, and it’s really high on my chicken sandwich list, for sure. The saimin was also yummy and made for a perfect first meal on Maui.

After that we did a little grocery shopping at Foodland, then went back to the house to relax with a couple beers with my nephew and watch the baseball game. Welcome to Maui! :)

またね～

Photo info: Apple iPhone 12 mini, 4.2mm, f/1.6, 1/120 sec, ISO64
 “Supplies” Kahului, 2022

Oahu Tour and Meeting the Family

, , , Slice of Life, TravelingLeave a Comment on Oahu Tour and Meeting the Family
Photo info: FUJIFILM X-E4, 18mm, f/11, 1/150 sec, ISO320
 “Diamond Head Road” Oahu, 2022

Today we went on a “circle tour” around the island of Oahu. The mini-bus picked us up at about 7:30 am and took us east to see the sights before heading north and continuing counter-clockwise around the island. Mariko and I had both driven around the island before, so we’ve seen most of the sights before, but it was nice to hear the tour guide talk about Oahu and some of the local history. We also stopped by Fumi’s shrimp restaurant and had a delicious plate of spicy garlic shrimp. Yum!

Photo info: FUJIFILM X-E4, 18mm, f/11, 1/150 sec, ISO320
 “Eternity Beach” Oahu, 2022

The only bummer about the tour was that there was a traffic jam in North Shore because of construction, so we were stopped for a hour or so and the air conditioning wasn’t the strongest… it was pretty uncomfortable! All-in-all though, I enjoyed the tour. It was $79 per person, and since it lasted about 8 hours, I think it was a good deal.

Photo info: FUJIFILM X-E4, 24.3mm, f/5, 1/200 sec, ISO320
 “The Boss” Oahu, 2022
Photo info: Apple iPhone 12 mini, 1.55mm, f/2.4, 1/8000 sec, ISO25
 “Chinaman’s Hat” Oahu, 2022

We exited the tour bus in the heart of Waikiki so we could stroll back to the hotel, do some souvenir shopping, and get some fresh air after spending so much time in the mini-bus. I really enjoy being in “tourist mode”!

In the evening, my cousins took us out for dinner at La Ciccia for some delicious Italian food. It was actually sort of Japanese/Italian, with dishes like mentaiko pasta, kumamoto oysters, and other delicacies. Really yummy, and it was fun to catch up with my cousins, a couple of whom I haven’t seen in 15 years or so!

After dinner, it was back to the hotel and some much-needed sleep.

またね～

Photo info: Apple iPhone 12 mini, 4.2mm, f/1.6, 1/4800 sec, ISO32
 “Sunset” Honolulu, 2022