{balki Blog}
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

1. Plan your activities:  Unless you go there just to relax at the beach every single day, it pays to plan your activities ahead of time, especially those activities that have limited capacity (e.g. there are only so many seats available on the helicopter tours on a given day; and to make matters worse the weather god plays the trump card)
2. Don’t overextend:  If are traveling with kids (like we did), you can’t do much anyways.  My rule of thumb (in hindsight) is 1 activity per day plus several hours exploring the beaches and restaurants.
3. Some must-do activities (in Maui):
   1. Snorkeling (snuba, if you are feeling ambitious)
      1. I had a great experience with Maui Classic Charters (the operators of Four Winds II) even though they were a little pricey compared to others; they had great equipment, boat and staff.
   2. Helicopter tours
      1. Even though we tried AlexAir for our East Maui tour, I recommend Sunshine because they have newer crafts and they are recommended by Frommers.
      2. Look online for deals ahead of time instead of calling the companies directly or going through the hotel concierge
4. Sneak peek at the grand resorts in Wailea:
   1. Four Seasons
   2. Marriott
   3. Grand Wailea Resort
5. Explore all the beautiful beaches

We drove to USS Arizona Memorial on Pearl Harbor (I lost the way again, wasting more than an hour wandering in Honolulu); spent a couple hours exploring the museum and the memorial. I have to say it was a pretty solemn feeling when I heard that the bodies of some of the soliders were never recovered from the ship that sunk in 1941.

From the memorial we drove to Diamond Head and hiked up to the 760-ft summit of the crater wall. In spite of the arduous hike up to the summit, we were thrilled with the marvelous views of Waikiki beach (not to mention the much-needed exercise) from the top of the crater wall. We took lots of pictures, and each one of them came out better than the previous!

Then we made a quick stop at Hanauma Bay - the bay was very picturesque but it was closing time so we did not get into the water. We were quite impressed by the solid efforts by the Friends of Hanauma Bay in preserving the marine life in the bay.

We relaxed in the hotel for a while and then walked for several hours on the Waikiki beach looking at the people, shops, restaurants and resorts. We ate delicious dinner at the Waikiki Cheesecake Factory (all the people that recommended the Avocado Egg rolls were definitely right on!)

There were hundreds of shopping places all along the beach, ranging from tiny stands/carts to chic retail outlets selling 20000$ Rolex watches. I never saw so many stores in one location any where else: there were stores along the street, on the curb, inside the alleys, and inside the resort hotels!

Activities: Pearl Harbor, hike up to Diamond Head summit, Hanauma Bay

Drink of the day: Mojito

• 1.5 oz BACARDI Rum
• 12 fresh spearmint leaves
• 1/2 lime
• 7 oz club soda
• 2 tbsp. simple syrup (or 4 tsp. sugar)

For the smoothest mojitos, gently crush mint leaves and lightly squeeze lime in a cool tall glass. Pour sweet syrup on top to cover and fill glass with ice. Add Rum, club soda, and stir your emerging mojito well. Garnish with a lime wedge and a few sprigs of mint.

Word of the day: Lua pele (Volcano)

Tip(s) of the day:

1. Shop at the International Marketplace (right along the Waikiki beach); the products are good and prices are cheap. Don’t forget to start your bargaining at 20-25% of the asking price!!! (BTW, I did not buy any of the souvenir gifts here; I buy all my souvenir gifts at the chic high-end retail stores I mentioned in the post)
2. Definitely take the hike up to the Diamond Head crater summit. It will take you about 1.5 hours round-trip and it is totally worth it. You can get some outstanding sweeping views of the Waikiki Beach area.

Technorati : Diamond Head, Hanauma Bay, Waikiki International Market
Del.icio.us : Diamond Head, Hanauma Bay, Waikiki International Market

We took the early flight out to Oahu and reached Honolulu airport by 10am. Since we could not check-in to the hotel room at that time, we decided to drive straight to Dole Plantation. The plantation was thriving but it was way too commercialized. The retail store was selling Dole-branded t-shirts, key chains, and coffee mugs like crazy and it is going through a huge expansion! We hardly saw any “plantation” stuff. Either way, we took the 20-minute train ride around the plantation. Later, I finished the world’s longest maze puzzle in 19 minutes (current record: 7 minutes). We also did the Garden Tour (that’s 45-minutes of my life I am never getting back )

As we drove towards the Polynesian Cultural Center situated on the northeast corner of the island, we passed the legendary North Shore beaches which were truly an amazing sight! There were numerous beautiful sandy beaches filled with surfers. We saw some huge surf waves (but none of them reached the celebrated heights of 35-feet)

We reached the Polynesian Cultural Center around 3pm; I really liked the interesting way the non-profit organization is presenting & preserving the south pacific island culture there. In a nutshell the Center features the people & culture of 7 islands: Hawaii, Samoa, Maori New Zealand (Aotearoa), Fiji, Tahiti, the Marquesas and Tonga. I really loved the place (Maanasa was not that impressed) but we had to skip the grand finale show “Horizons: Where the Sea Meets the Sky” (that would have lasted until 9pm) because we wanted to get back to the hotel and rest for a while.

Activities: Dole Plantation, Polynesian Cultural Center, North Shore beaches

Drink of the day: None

Word of the day: Ali’i (king/royal)

Tips of the day:

1. Plan to spend the whole day the Polynesian Cultural Center (especially if you enjoy learning the various cultures of the 7 featured countries); I felt like we rushed through different islands and we missed the featured presentations for most of them.

2. Carry (or rent) a GPS if you want to drive in Oahu; the highways/roads are very confusing and the drivers are way too rash compared to Oregon! I’ve been so spoiled with my GPS for the last couple years that I wasted at least 3 hours looking for places today. (I carried my GPS but messed up the process of synching the maps, so my Garmin iQUE 3600 GPS ended up with just the US base map, which was worthless with my crappy driving skills)

Technorati : Dole Plantation, North Shore, Polynesian Cultural Center
Del.icio.us : Dole Plantation, North Shore, Polynesian Cultural Center

We started driving to Hilo (east side of the Big Island) so we could visit all the scenic points en route and also get to the Hilo airport in time for our grand helicopter tour. As we were warned, it started raining heavily as soon as we hit Hilo and the rain did not stop until we reached the west side of the island (around 9pm that night)

We briefly stopped at the Parker Ranch Center again and then we stopped at a couple of beautiful waterfalls (Akaka & Kahuna) before getting to downtown Hilo; the waterfalls themselves were not so great but the surrounding rainforests were pretty amazing. But, I think the mere 400-feet falls are no match to the mighty Multnomah Falls! When we reached Hilo, we still dared to walk around the downtown despite heavy rain and considerably colder weather. There is nothing worthwhile there though.

Unfortunately our helicopter tour was canceled so we spent an hour or so in the Lyman Museum; nothing exciting there either, the natural and cultural history of Hawai`i in its exhibit halls and its 1839 historic missionary home.

Maanasa was quite disappointed about the helicopter tour cancellation so we drove to the Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park and reached there around 5:30pm, right around the visitor center closing time - luckily the Chain of Craters (the road that leads to the lava spotting location) was open throughout the day so we drove the 18 miles to reach the end of the road around 6:30pm. The sight of lava flowing out of the volcano was simply amazing and the lava meeting the ocean was even more spectacular - definitely the most amazing sight in my life. The lava tubes formed due to the rapid flow of lava were also pretty fun.

Activities: Lava viewing, waterfalls

Drink of the day: None

Word of the day: Kahakai (beach)

Tip(s) of the day:

1. If planning to do an air-trip (helicopter or airplane; plenty of choices & providers in Big Island) make sure you reserve for the first available day - the cancellation rates are very high for these trips (35 to 40%) so there is a good chance your trip will be canceled.
2. 
3. Skip a trip to Hilo - there is nothing exciting on that side except for the rain, a few waterfalls and tropical rainforest setting. If you have to, just drive thru Hilo to get to the mountains; you can experience all that you need during that drive.
4. Definitely hike in the Volcano Park to get to the lava spotting area; we were able to see the lava coming out of the Volcano and meeting the ocean. If there is one thing that is worth all the hype we make about the various tourist spots in this country, I would say this trip would be it!
5. As tempting as it is to not carry a torchlight when you go to the above spot, please carry one with you (1 per person highly recommended); I have to say the hike was the most adventurous thing I did in a long time; the rain did not help at all. The young molten lava is very slippery and there are a lot of deep crater formations that could’ve easily swallowed me down. Thank goodness I made it out alive!

Technorati : active Volcano
Del.icio.us : Active Volcano

I mentioned in my Hawaii Trip Day 1: PDX -> Honolulu -> Big Island post about how I could not resist the trap called “Timeshare Presentation”. I have a feeling that I am addicted to timeshares (much to the chagrin of my beloved wife) just like how I am obsessed with coupons, rebates, discounts, offers, thanksgiving sales, “free stuff ” etc. For the folks who haven’t experienced timeshare presentations yet, I’ll explain quickly: Simply put, the condo sellers are buying 1.5 to 2.0 hours of your undivided attention so they can do their best job of selling a “shared condo”. The bribe/gift generally is a discount on one or more local attractions and sometimes cash upfront. Maanasa and I had a pretty awful experience when we agreed to one of these timeshare presentations in Las Vegas. We decided never to do them again in our lives. The deal in Hawaii seemed to be fairer (and more lucrative) so we signed up on the first day but they did not have any openings for a presentation until the 4th day of our stay. Anyways, we had a pretty nice experience at this one. I kept sending feelers to the sales guy that we were not the least bit interested and 30 minutes into the presentation I told that straight to his face! He gave up after 50 minutes. Can you believe it? We were out of a timeshare presentation under 60 minutes!!

We went straight to the activities center to see if they had any helicopter tours available for the day but unfortunately they were all booked out for the day. So, we decided to deliver on the promise we made to ourselves to spend a day at the Waikoloa Beach and what a great time we had! We spent the rest of the day at that beach strolling, relaxing and finally watching the inevitable glorious Hawaiian sunset.

Activities: Timeshare presentation, practice retirement (by doing nothing at the Waikoloa beach)

Word of the day: Mauna (mountain)

Drink of the day: none

Tip(s) of the day:
1. Definitely plan to spend a whole day at Waikoloa beach (especially if you want to get a head start on practicing retirement!)
2. Give timeshare presentations a shot (I am talking about Hawaii only here); it was definitely worth our while there. Probably because of some Hawaii law, they do not obligate and push their 20K products down your throat at all. We probably saved at least 300$ in various activities with their discount. Try Shell Vacation Club (ubiquitous on the Big Island) - they seem to provide great customer service. There is a good chance that they have a location near your hotel.

Technorati : Waikoloa, timeshare
Del.icio.us : Waikoloa, timeshare

Maanasa and I were both excited for the snorkeling cruise that we booked the previous day. We reached Kailua Pier way ahead of our scheduled departure. The people at Body Glove were really professional and they have a pretty impressive vessel. On our way to the Pawai Bay, the dolphins chased and teased us as usual (don’t they have anything better to do? Every time we go into the ocean, the dolphins / porpoises seem to chase the boats)

Anyways, when we jumped into the ocean with our snorkel gear, I totally embarrassed Maanasa in front of 100s strangers with my substandard swimming skills; I had a unique problem - no matter how hard I swam I did not move an inch! Finally, one of the deck hands had to rescue me out of the water when I was tired of the incessant swimming and going nowhere. However, it was a fun experience and I am always happy to embarrass my wife (karaoke, snake-dancing, hula, drunken revelry, cheesy/inappropriate jokes, and bad swimming are some of the techniques I use to embarrass her). I was not impressed by the corals and the fish, though. When I went snorkeling in Miami I distinctly remember the corals and the fishes to be much more colorful and plentiful.

After we rested for a while in the afternoon, we took a cab to the luau at the Royal Kona Resort. We got to experience the whole luau process first hand - free drinks all-night, Torch lighting Ceremony, Imu Ceremony, Luau Dinner Buffet (nothing edible for the vegetarians), and Drums of Polynesia show including the spell binding Samoan fire knife dance. By the end of the show, both of us were completely drunk, and I am pretty sure we made some silly jokes that were a hit with the elderly couples sitting around us. Maanasa was gracious (??) enough to take my picture with the Hula girls at the end of the show.

Activities: Snorkeling & Luau

Drink of the day: Margarita (although we consumed several barrels of Sour Rum, Sour Whiskey, Mai Tai and other alcoholic beverages as part of the free drinks binge)

• 1 1/2 oz. Tequila
• 3/4 oz. Triple Sec (or Cointreau)
• Splash of Sour mix
• Dash of Fresh lime juice

Shake with ice & serve in a salt rimmed glass on the rocks or strain to serve up Add more liquid and blend with ice for a frozen variation Garnish with a lime wedge.

Word(s) of the day: Kanaka (Men), Wahine (Women) [inspired by the numerous signs on the toilets]

Tip of the day:
Do go to a Luau when you are in Hawaii; it is a great experience (even if you don’t eat the food, you can make up for the entry fee with the free drinks!) The hula girls were awesome and they put on a pretty good show.

Del.icio.us : BodyGlove, Luau, Snorkeling

We woke up early to the soothing sounds of the ocean and the tide-pools. Got ready and headed toward the northern tip of the island (Hawi). On the way up, we stopped at this wonderful, secluded beach (although surrounded by several resorts and stores) called Waikoloa. We spent a few minutes there, promising ourselves to return before we left the Big Island.

We drove most of the day covering the northwest side of the island, including a great drive down Hwy 250 reaching Parker Ranch in Waimea in the late afternoon. We took some cool pictures of the valley and the ocean along the drive.

On the way to the hotel, we found a Subway restaurant and I could not resist eating my dinner there

As we reached the hotel, the sun was just about to set on the ocean, so we pulled out our camera and took some fantastic pictures. After that we spent most of the evening in the hotel lanai drinking and watching the weekend entertainment. Maanasa was so drunk that she let me go up to the stage and learn to Hula. A few of the first-timers had a quick lesson of Hula and I even managed to impress a couple of 100-year old girls (who were on their 6th drink) with my dance moves!!

Activities: None

Drink of the day: Tropical Itch

• 1oz. Vodka
• 1oz. Light Rum
• 1/2 oz. Orange Curacao or Grand Marnier
• 3 - 4 oz. Passion Fruit Juice

Combine in a shaker with a cup of ice. Pour, with ice into a double old fashion or Collins glass. Top with additional passion fruit juice if needed.

Word of the day: Mahalo (thank you)

Hawaii Tip of the day:
Definitely stay at Outrigger Keauhou Beach Resort when you visit the Big Island! The hotel is inexpensive, has a great location (away from the hubbub of downtown Kona but still close enough), good amenities (includes tennis courts, tide pools, swimming pool, oceanfront lanai lounge with a great drinks selection), nightly entertainment and daily buffet (extra charge), friendly customer service, great views of the ocean and out-of-the world sunsets.

Technorati : Parker Ranch, Waikoloa Beach
Del.icio.us : Parker Ranch, Waikoloa Beach

Day 1 of our Hawaii trip was mixed. We got the worst seats on the flight, thanks to our travel agent. However, when we reached the hotel in Big Island around 6pm, we were pretty impressed with our room, the surroundings and the fantastic ocean views.

We had enough time to take a quick walk around the town and get a couple drinks at the hotel lanai. We also watched the feral cats fishing in the tide-pools

We were already falling in love with Hawaii!

Activities: None; signed up for a timeshare presentation (I am incorrigible, I know) - should know by Tuesday if it was worth it.

Drink of the day: Mai Tai

• 1 ounce light rum
• 1/2 ounce triple sec
• 1/4 ounce Rose’s lime juice
• 1 1/2 ounces pineapple juice
• 1 1/2 ounces orange juice
• 1 dash of Grenadine
• 1/2 ounce dark rum

Word of the day: Aloha (Welcome / Goodbye)

Tip of the day:
Be sure what class of flight ticket you are buying. We bought our trip package through an agent, J.C. Travel and thought they would provide priority service. Turns out, we had the exact opposite experience. I generally look up the seating plan on SeatGuru and pick the best seats available on the flight. I am able to do that 90% of the time. However, this time the travel agent did not reserve a seat for us, the airlines refused to do it in advance and ultimately the gate agent assigned the last two seats on the flight!! Obviously, those were the worst seats (18A & 18B) with a closed window and seats that hardly reclined! I was really mad at the agent for not telling that she booked our tickets in the ‘N’ class (which happens to be the least flexible class for Hawaiian Airlines). Anyways, the tip of the day is to make sure you are at least able to choose your seats in advance on a long flight. I learned my lesson the hard-way.

Technorati : Big Island, Outrigger, Tide pool
Del.icio.us : Big Island, Outrigger, Tide pool