Tuesday 22 July 2014

USA 2013 - Part 14 (Honolulu)

Iolani Palace


With full bellies, we stolled down to Iolani Palace, where we sat under giant trees, admired the outside of the palace and watched all the adorable little birds! It is also close to the King Kamehameha statue at Aliiolani Hale. Somehow, we then walked all the way down to Ala Moana Center, a giant outdoor mall. Somehow it didn't seem that long at the time, but having just this year caught a bus from Downbeat Diner to the mall, it seemed like a long way from the bus! There we bought a bunch more Tokidoki Unicornos (series 2) and Ashleigh got a whole lot of Cheetas and I got a whole bunch of different ones!

After our heavy lunch, we were after a lighter dinner, so we wandered up to Greens & Vines, a raw vegan place.

Teriyaki Almonds at Greens & Vines
Tangerine Tea at Greens & Vines
Kelp Noodles Pad Thai at Greens & Vines
Zucchini Fettuccine Mushroom Carbonara at Greens & Vines


They gave us some teriyaki almonds to start, and I ordered some Tangerine Iced Tea (yum!). I had the Raw Pad Thai, made with kelp noodles (which I love!). Unfortunately this was riddled with shredded capsicum (yuck), so I had to spend a lot of time picking it out, but then it was great. Ashleigh had the Zucchini Fettuccine Mushroom Carbonara, which was nice as well.

The next morning we got up early (again!) for another tour. I will just make a short PSA: I had bought a Heart Thrive Lemon Poppy Seed bar that I ate for breakfast and it was really gross. Do not buy these, ever.

Manoa Falls
Manoa Falls


We were back with Oahu Nature Tours, this time to take on Manoa Falls. This is a stunning walk. The person at the hotel just booked us in to it, and only later did we realise that this was a 'moderate hike' with mud and slippery slopes. But they gave us some walking sticks and, even though it was pretty squelchy and slippery at times, and the last third was mildly terrifying, it was gorgeous! You will have to hose the mud off your shoes before you get back on the mini-bus, so you may want to take a spare pair of shoes. Do it!

Peanut Butter and Blueberry milkshakes at Downbeat Diner


After some very long, hot showers, the only place we wanted to head to was Downbeat Diner. Ashleigh couldn't say no to the peanut butter milkshake again, and I tried the blueberry milkshake.

Breakfast Sandwich at Downbeat Diner
Teriyaki Burger with Curly Fries at Downbeat Diner


Ashleigh had an amazing Breakfast Sandwich with Litelife Bacon, which is definitely the best processed vegan bacon I have ever tried (I prefer tempeh bacon to processed bacon generally). I had the Teriyaki Burger with Curly Fries. Best ever!

After lunch I went to the Shiatsu Massage Center for an hour long lomilomi massage that was the most painful and intense massage experience of life. I may have almost been sick a few times. But it did get rid of my shoulder knot that I have had for the last million years! It is back again now, but it was all gone for a few months!

Waikiki Beach
Waikiki Beach


In the evening we went for a walk down to Waikiki Beach, which was quite crowded but quite lovely. In the evening, the sun goes behind the buildings and the beach is in shade, which means that even I could have gone swimming at the beach! Though I didn't. A truly lovely sunset walk, you can see all the way down to Diamond Head.

Vegan Chilli Dog at Ruffage
Tempeh Burgery with Avocado and a cup of Vegetable Soup at Ruffage


Dinner was back at Ruffage. Ashleigh had a chilli dog, and I had the tempeh and avocado sandwich with a cup of vegetable soup.

The next morning we were up early to go to the airport and catch our flight home to Brisbane. I came home with a suitcase full of Tings, Justin's Dark PB Cups and all sorts of treats and trinkets. A magnificent trip!

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