Travel Journal Oahu 2009 Day 2

We woke up at 3 am and all wide awake. Our body is still on East Coast time which is 6 hours ahead so technically our body is on 9 am mode and ready for a nice cup of coffee.


We had decided to head over to the Honolulu Fish Auction. The auction promptly starts at 5 am at Pier 38. There was nothing much to expect but a whole room of different kinds of iced fish of varying weight and size. The whole process moves on very fast with a dozen people including the auctioneer vying for the prized catch. It was an interesting process and worth the visit to watch how this multi million industry works on an island that consumes a truck load of sushi a day.



Fresh Papaya Crepe with sour cream. Perfection!


By 6:30 am, we are waiting to get a table on Eggs ‘N Things. This place is one of the affordable options in Waikiki that is visited by locals and tourists in the know. Last time we were here, the waitress recommended rice with eggs and corned beef hash which you can topped in a homemade salsa. It was the most memorable meal I had during the trip. I ordered the same meal the second time around but Joe ordered one of the specials, fresh papaya crepe with sour cream. And yes, it lived to its promise and expectations. We went there again in the morning on the day of our flight and were discouraged that we have an hour and a half waiting time. We might miss our flight if we pursued it.

Rice with eggs and corned beef hash.

Some time after lunch, we head over to the beach. We head our way over to the public access on the Waikiki Outrigger Hotel. In Hawaii, there is no such thing as a public beach; even the most exclusive hotel in Waikiki such as the Halekulani has a public access on its side building. You would be able to see how impressive its pool area on the beach side. You can watch the same sunset those affluent people are staring at without the expensive cocktail.

Spots were cleared out after a random wave.

Waikiki beach is so crowded. This is the first time I went to a beach and there is no space to lay down a towel. It didn’t help that the beach front is eroding and the sand space between the water and the pavement wall on the resort is getting closer. About an hour spreading our towels on the sand, a random wave soaked all our towels that we all scrambled to pick up our beach bags and our flip flops before it all spreads in the ocean.


One more disappointment was the waves are strong for toddlers. Madison is usually fearless along the shore but the waves were high and mighty enough for her to stay away. Other than those, it is still the most pristine beach with the best waves for surfing. It is touristy but locals still comes over to catch the waves.


We ended calling an early night and grabbed dinner at the food court at the International Food Market. Madison had call it a day and was sleeping soundly. We opened up the patio and enjoyed our meal al fresco. It is such a nice weather that we had the sliding doors and windows open. A day in the beach and a lazy dinner with some laughs with my sisters, it was a perfect day.

Comments

Kristine said…
Sigh...I miss Hawaii. Beach is much better west of the Hilton Hawaiian Village...a lot less people, a lot more sand (as of April 2007 anyway; it's probably eroded since then, too.)