My daughters and I have been planning an overseas holiday for about a year. Originally we were going to Florida in the middle of December as part of a gymnastics event. Unfortunately that fell through. As an alternative we agreed on Hong Kong. There are a lot of good reasons for Hong Kong. Food. Hong Kong Disney. Food. Ocean Park. Food. No jet lag because it’s in AWST. Food. It’s only an eight hour flight from Brisbane as opposed to more than double that to Florida. Food. Shopping at markets. Food. Photography. Food. Mostly importantly, I’d have much more time with my daughters than if we all went as part of a large gymnastic team event. Did I mention food?
So my part of this adventure started when I flew to Brisbane (BNE) from Canberra (CBR) on Christmas day to enjoy a day with my parents and brothers. I didn’t eat dinner! When I woke up on Boxing day (Saturday 26 December) I still felt full.
QF950 CBR to BNE flight snacks
I greeted my daughters at my parents’ place early in the morning and we all hugged in a huge amount of excitement. I may have squealed.
The flight from Brisbane (BNE) to Hong Kong (HKG) was pretty uneventful. We flew Qantas (QF97). We managed to get the A and B seats in rows 23 and 24. Sweet! Unfortunately my entertainment console didn’t work but I wasn’t upset. I had lots of books and podcasts on my iPad to keep me going as well as yam biscuits and Mum’s almond shortbread biscuits.
Yam biscuits and almond shortbread for QF97 BNE to HKGSoon after takeoff from BNEBeef cheeks on QF97Chocolate mousse on QF97Chocolate mousse on QF97Weis’ ice creamSlider and hot dog on QF97Slider and hot dog on QF97Slider on QF97Cloud porn over the South China Sea
On arriving our passage through the border agencies was trouble-free. The only hitch was the ground transport to the Cosmopolitan Hotel. We had booked a shuttle bus with Buffalo Tours and our arrival gate wasn’t where the tour operator was. There was a moment of “what do we do?” but then I just called the operator and sorted it out. I’m grateful for my Vodafone international roaming feature. An extra $5 a day and I keep all the features I use back home.
We got to our hotel feeling quite tired. Miss14, Ms18 and Ms20 all collapsed into bed after they showered and were down and out for the count.
On Sunday morning we woke up refreshed and ready to go. We had planned to visit Stanley Market and Ladies Markets.
As part of our accommodation package, we had breakfast included. The hotel dining room was utilitarian.
I went for deep fried potato (not quite a potato gem [tater tot] but it was deep fried so it was good anyway), scrambled eggs, a variety of dim sum, waffles and condensed milk. There was also plain congee, cereal, pastries and fruit.
Breakfast deep fried potatoes, scrambled eggs, dim sum and waffles with condensed milkBreakfast deep fried potatoes, bao and dim sum
After breakfast, we walked to Causeway Station and had a few goes at finding it. From there we caught the MTR (mass transit railway) to Central Station. We found the Hong Kong Station and caught the number 6 bus to Stanley Market. The double decker bus was fun. The twists and turns created a little nausea but it was pretty much a roller coaster ride. Watching how close we got to walls and other vehicles was hair raising.
Stanley Markets was fun. We bought little handbags. I bought a black one for a lens. Ms20 and Ms18 bought robes. Ms18 laughed at me but the little zip up bag at only AUD5 was perfect.
BB Gun. If I was a kid I’d beg for this.
We went for a walk to Blake Pier and shot some photographs.
Stanley Market ocean viewStanley Market boats in the bayBlake Pier new Stanley Market
We had lunch at Toby Inn. It was a local cheap and cheerful Chinese restaurant. Everything was sticky and nothing looked clean. One of the staff tossed crockery onto the table with a deft hand. All the plates and bowls seemed to magically find its spot without anything breaking.
Miss14 chose deep fried crispy skin chicken, Ms18 chose salty chilli squid, Ms20 chose beef with rice noodles and I chose deep fried pork with sweet and sour sauce. It was a pretty good meal with generous serving sizes. We shared everything and enjoyed the meal.
Miss14 chose deep fried crispy skin chicken, Ms18 chose salty chilli squid, Ms20 chose beef with rice noodles and I chose deep fried pork with sweet and sour sauce.
After lunch we caught the number 6 bus back to Central Station and caught a train to Mong Kok station and walked to Ladies Market. These markets were really busy. We bought T-shirts, USB sticks and earphones plus a tooth brush cap.
We made our way to Langham Place to rest our feet after about three rounds of the Ladies Market. We then had an early dinner at The Dining Room. I think it’s a chain. Miss14, Ms18 and Ms20 all had the noodles with prawn and pork wonton soup. I had the chilli noodles with chicken fillet. We were all pretty satisfied with our dinner, especially after we received spoons to load up with our chopsticks. After dinner we had ice cream for dessert. We walked to Mong Kok station and when to Admiralty Station to catch another train to Causeway Bay station. From there we walked back to the hotel.
My last breakfast in Hawaii was a Blueberry whipped cream Queensland nut waffle at Eggs ‘n Things in Waikiki.
Blueberry whipped cream and Queensland nut waffle
This was a very good waffle. The cream while it looked bulky was basically full of air and very light and fluffy. I’m assuming no calories. I also poured maple syrup and coconut syrup all over the waffle.
There are so many tourists and very few locals here.
The Royal Hawaiian from the Aqua Waikiki Wave
After breakfast the bags got packed and Honolulu International Airport (HNL) was reached.
The flight back to Australia was QF4 HNL to SYD. I was treated really well on the flight. The attendants ensured I had the menu selections I wanted and it was about the best international flight I’ve ever flown.
Prior to departing I bought a copy of Muriel Miura’s Spam cookbook. Not only does it contain amazing recipes but also some great facts about spam.
Lunch was a grilled salmon salad. Delicious 😀
Chocolate mousse. Yummy 🙂
This melon flavoured ice bar was really good.
Dinner was dolphin fish (not the sea mammal). My first time. It was wonderful.
Panna cotta was good.
Breakfast before the bus ride back to Canberra was yoghurt and muesli.
Today is the last day in the North Shore. We drove through the middle of Oahu and onto Diamond Head before arriving in Honolulu.
We had to clean out the refrigerator so that meant I had to eat the rest of the spam while Bron made Cinnabon.
I took advantage of the extraordinary sweetness and cinnamon happiness in Cinnabon and combined it with the jalapeño spam, the last of the asparagus and a couple of eggs.
While I was preparing breakfast I processed a nice photograph from the Pali Lookout.
After breakfast we sadly had to pack our stuff to leave the North Shore so we can spend a night in Honolulu before our flight back to Sydney and then a bus ride to cold frigid dry painful Canberra.
On departing the North Shore I ate at two more food trucks before noon. The first was Giovanni’s which has legend status but according to reviews has gone downhill a bit of late. I’d already had garlic prawns and hot and spicy prawns so I thought I would try their lemon and butter prawns. For $USD13 I was given 12 small prawns which were a little overcooked and tough. The sauce was mostly lemon juice and a little butter. I was pretty disappointed.
Given the disappointment we headed off in the direction of Romy’s food truck in the hope of better quality prawns.
We weren’t disappointed and as a treat I had some sweet and spicy pineapple. The meal was very expensive though, it cost me $USD21. The prawns though were well cooked, the shells were tender and the garlic was strong.
As we drove through the ‘centre’ of Oahu we contemplated a Dole whip from the Dole Plantation but drove past thinking of the Diamond Head crater trail walk ahead of us.
As we approached Diamond Head I was thinking of lunch but thought it may be best to wait until after the climb given it’s a gentle trail but a steep climb at the end. It was a hot day and I think it was best to wait until after the walk.
The view of Waikiki from Diamond Head
Check out the walk I posted on RunKeeper. What it doesn’t show that well is the elevation.
After the walk we went to Leonard’s Bakery to try their legendary malasadas. My blogging friend Spencer Lum recommended them as a MUST DO in Oahu.
And try them I did. I bought four and ate them all. I had a cinnamon malasada, a chocolate malasada puff, a custard malasada puff and a coconut malasada puff.
They were all very good.
I wonder if I can get malasadas in Canberra.
On arriving in Honolulu we checked in again to the Aqua Waikiki Wave for the last night in Hawaii
After a walk around Waikiki we found a Mexican restaurant to have our last meal in Hawaii. We sat down at La Cucaracha Mexican Bar and Grill in Waikiki. I asked for some jalapeño poppers because I’ve fallen in love with them plus a couple of fish tacos. Sorry about the quality of the photographs. The lighting was dim and very red. The food was okay, it didn’t make my mouth sing but it was not too bad.
So ends our stay in Hawaii. Tomorrow we’ll have breakfast and then head to HNL for the flight to SYD.
I’ll catch you in a few days. I hope you’ve enjoyed the story of the #Hawaii #holiday
Please let me know what you have thought.
Have you walked up Diamond Head? Did you enjoy the view?
Pali Lookout was quite good but we were over run with busloads of tourists.
The views are really very nice.
After Pali lookout we drove down to Kailua Beach. We couldn’t find that many places to eat and ended up at the L&L Hawaiian Barbecue shop. It was like visiting a mortuary. I thought I was in the land of the undead. We decided to take our food to the nearby park and eat there.
I chose a saimin burger and a plain spam musubi. Both were good. I’m going to have to try to make these when I get home.
The beach there was beautiful. The water was so blue and clear.
After the beach we stopped at Island Snow and I had a pineapple, coconut and lime snow cone topped with condensed milk. The condensed milk topping really adds a different dimension to the cordial flavoured shaved ice. It’s not just the sweetness and creaminess, it’s the caramel.
For dinner we went to Opal Thai Food (66-197 C Kamehameha Highway Haleiwa, HI 96712). The chef and owner makes a point of greeting each patron and asking what they know about Thai cuisine and then he chooses dishes for them. This meal was spectacular. We started with a radish apetiser and then two mains. One was a duck dish and the other a prawn noodle dish. I could eat them forever.
This was a crisp crunchy radish dish.
Garlic prawn noodles
Roast duck with fried basil leaves and lots of garlic.
Sorry those images of the Thai food are blurry. I was trying to shoot the photographs quickly.
Tonight was our last night on the north shore. It’s been fantastic.
So it’s Monday and we have tickets to the Polynesian Cultural Center in Laie on the North Shore of Oahu. Our tickets include the Island buffet plus the show known as Hã Breath of life.
But first things first. Bron offered to make pancakes for breakfast.
We then go for a snorkel at Kuilima Cove
After the snorkelling we got ready for the Polynesian Cultural Center by stopping at Tita’s Grill on 56–485 Kamehameha Highway, Hauula, HI 96717.
I went with the garlic prawns and garlic chips. The prawns come with rice and macaroni cheese. The chips are covered in crushed garlic. I felt like a clove of garlic all afternoon and evening.
The prawns were really good and as is my want to avoid mess and give me a calcium boost I just pop an entire prawn in my mouth and chew the whole thing down. The chips came with a dipping sauce which I think was a mayonnaise. I’d happily recommend Tita’s Grill’s garlic prawns to anyone. You may want to go for the combo which I think has its own small serve of chips rather than the standard serve of chips that I had in addition.
When we got to the PCC we watched the canal presentation with the various Polynesian islands represented. We also watched presentations on Samoa, Aotearoa (New Zealand) and Tonga.
The Samoan presentation was all about the coconut and its many uses. I learnt so much about the coconut tree and how it can be used.
The Aotearoa presentation was interesting. It was nicely ended by a tribute of respect to all warfighters. Veterans in the audience were asked to stand and be acknowledged. I hope this Saturday on ANZAC day they do something special given it’s the centenary of ANZAC.
The Tongans were all about drumming and making the audience laugh. I haven’t laughed like that in years.
Before the show we ate in the Island buffet. There are three dining selections depending on how much the tickets cost. I went with the cheapest option so we ate at the Island buffet. It was an all you can eat affair featuring pulled pork, fried chicken, poached fish, rice, mashed potatoes and gravy plus desserts consisting of jelly, mochi, haupia pudding, pineapple slice, cakes and bread pudding.
The show at the end was really good and almost like a Disney production in terms of quality. It was the life story of Mana and Lani and worked through the various Polynesian peoples. I was particularly taken by the Fijian effort given my father was born in Fiji.
All in all the PCC was really very interesting. The price of tickets is quite steep but the owners claim it’s a not for profit affair.
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