Hawaii Adventure part 2

Day 2 Oahu Adventure

Our day started early because we wanted to make the most out of this trip. Our first destination, Hanauma Bay. One trivia: Hanauma Bay is made up of two Hawaiian words, “hana” which means bay and “uma” which means curved. It's a bay formed in a volcanic crater and is located along the southeast coast of Oahu. 

Hanauma Bay

We paid $7.50 per person to get in. We also paid $1.00 for parking. Before we went down to the beach, there was a compulsory film showing that everyone has to go through. It showed a little bit of history and how the government of Honolulu is preserving the bay. It also laid down the rules when you get to the beach. No loitering, no stepping on the corals, which I accidentally did several times. [sorry!]  There are lifeguards [not as hot as Baywatch lifeguards] stationed strategically throughout the entire beach park. 

We had a very relaxing time. The coral reefs were incredibly awesome. Tons of fishes in different sizes and colors were everywhere. Sun, sea and sand, what more can anyone ask for? 

2 quick travel tips for Hanauma Bay:

* Park is closed every Tuesday for environmental conservation.

* They turn people away once the parking lot is full. So be there early.

Our first activity left us starving so we immediately looked for a place to eat afterwards. We went to Seoul Garden for yakiniku. All of us haven't been in an authentic Korean restaurant before so we all agreed to give it a try.

Peter and moi in Seoul Garden. Yes I'm a dork.

I was surprised when our waitress brought us tons of little dishes because I don't remember ordering them. There were at least 11 little dishes that came with our meal. There was regular kim-chee, stewed potatoes in sugar, cabbage salad, seasoned baby fish [which I felt sorry for, so I didn't eat them] and a lot more things I wasn't able to figure out.  Anyway, the highlight of the meal was the kalbi beef. I don't usually enjoy cooking  but this was an entirely different story. I grilled the meat and onions dab it into a sesame dip and dumped it in my white rice. I literally saw tons of fats from the beef rapidly spreading through the entire rice bowl giving it a slightly yellowish color. Did I feel guilty at that time? Hell no. After months of starvation from Dukan Diet, I was so ready to be bad. I ate till I can hardly breathe. 

After an enjoyable lunch, we drove around the coastline of Oahu.

Oahu coastline

To say that the view is gorgeous is definitely an understatement. Our pictures downplayed the beauty of it.

It was starting to get dark but we still had no plans of going back to the hotel. We also checked out Koko Crater Botanical Garden. It is a 60 acre botanical garden which boasts a huge collection of Cacti, Plumeria, Dryland palms, Bougainvilleas and African plants.

Me in my pink tank top and jacket and pink bougainvilleas in the background. Redundant I know.

The pink bougainvilleas reminded me of my childhood so I insisted on having my picture taken with these. My grandma used to grow this in her backyard. I, on the other hand, liked playing he loves me, he loves me not using her plants.

Thank God for this plant. My ginormous legs seem irrelevant.

The tour was self guided so we lingered around at our own pace and took a lot goofy pictures. Admission is free which was awesome. One advise: Refrain from using the the portable toilet inside the garden if you haven't had dinner yet or if you don't want to lose your appetite. I won't go down to details. Use your imagination.

to be continued..