We traveled to the Aloha Stadium Swap Meet, or as I like to call it, the happiest place on earth. This is the stadium as seen from the highway as we were driving. Doesn't my camera take awesome pictures from a moving car?
The sign marking the happiest place on earth:
The first thing we did when we got there was go to the bathroom. Apparently they must have a problem with people climbing on the toilet, because the stall I used was emblazoned with this sign:
Next, we started wandering the vendors. This is Mary at one of the places selling sunglasses. Crappy sunglasses, as I would learn two days later, when my new Coach knockoff sunglasses broke while we were sitting on Turtle Bay. I had to pay 20 bucks at their resort shop to get a replacement. I was not pleased.
Tricia and Katy bought new suitcases to cart around all of the crap we brought.
And Mary made friends with this very pushy (albeit effective) saleslady, who was showing her how to use the new haircomb she bought.
There were also places to buy food. I got really good dried pineapple at this place. And I'm rather intrigued about what grows when you plant the item sold in this picture:
Next, we drove to lunch, passing the Kolekole Pass along the way. The Japanese flew through there on their way to attack Pearl Harbor.
From there, we went to Haleiwa, home of pretty shops, surfer people, and giant waves in the winter.
And more importantly, home of one of Giovanni's shrimp trucks! This was the second trip we took (although the first trip to this particular truck), and it was just as good as the first. Mmm, shrimp scampi. 
From there, we walked around Haleiwa, visiting shops. Because that's what we needed to do after being at the swap meet all morning - more shopping. The best thing we bought, though, was not a souvenir, but more shave ice (this time with ice cream in the bottom). Pictured is a rainbow one, but mine was honeydew melon flavored. 
Next, we went in search of Mokoleia Beach, which is the site where they filmed the plane crash in the Lost pilot. No plane parts, but still good picture-taking places. 
Next, we went further north, in a hunt for turtles. Based on the advice of someone at a gas station, we stopped at Sunset Beach. While gorgeous, there were no turtles, at least not that we saw. 
This is me in the ocean, before I got nailed by a wave that soaked the bottom 6 inches of my dress.
As I said, there were no turtles there. There was, however, something better. A loose seal! Contrary to popular belief, he was not dead. Hopefully this picture shows that better than the one that I sent via cell phone to many people. 
Apparently seals biting is not just an Arrested Development-created plot device. We took many pictures of the seal, but didn't get close, for fear that he'd bite off our hands. Although he wasn't wearing a yellow bow tie, so we were probably safe. 
After we returned to Waikiki (all intact - no seal attacks!), we headed to dinner at a fantastic restaurant called Roy's, which featured Hawaiian fusion cuisine.
Tricia told the waiter that it was Mary's birthday. She got that pretty hat to wear, in addition to a free dessert. 
After dinner, we wandered around Honolulu for awhile shopping a bit more (I got a Hawaii Starbucks mug, which I will be taking to work to use in an effort to make my coworkers more jealous), and then retired to the hotel for more Olympic-watching.
3 comments:
I was so hoping you'd make an Arrested Development reference in the blog and not just the title. Yay Buster.
Don't forget about the beans that Mary ate with her shave ice - yuck!
Ew, yes. They had the option of having red beans sweetened with some type of sugary syrup at the bottom of your shave ice instead of ice cream, and Mary tried it. It was not good. At least, so she said. Poi I will try, but there is no reason to do that to a poor innocent dessert.
Post a Comment