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Beaching It….

Today was a beach clean up day for our middle school. Each of the six teams went on an excursion to a different beach around the island. The team that I was assigned to went to Kuli’ou’ou Beach Park in Hawai’i Kai. Our task was to remove invasive limu from the bay.

We walked over the flats at low tide around Paiko Lagoon and were greeted by families who live along the bay. There we met up with Mālama Maunaloa, a non-profit organization that is leading the restoration efforts. They set up stations to teach our students how to identify invasive species. They also gave a presentation on the history, causes, and successes.

Our students did a good job in removing over a thousand pounds of limu. We learned that the limu is used for composting. It is definitely a win-win solution.

We walked back during high tide. I held my iPhone up over my head and prayed for the best….

We ended the day by visiting an organic farm that uses the limu for compost. This farm is thriving!

I think our students had fun today as well. Imua….

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Saturday Morning Walks

 

What started out as exploring my neighborhood of Kaka’ako has turned into a Saturday morning ritual. This post is part 2 of my earlier entry on urban hiking. I could very well be turning into a “senior citizen,” because I really enjoy my walks through Chinatown.

I start down Kapiolani until it forks into King Street. I walk past Five-O Headquarters (haha, the State Courthouse.)

I turn up at Fort Street Mall, and then left on Hotel Street.

The Sun Yat-sen Memorial Park next to the Hawai’i Theatre marks the entrance into Chinatown.

I love Chinatown. Chinatown is Honolulu’s version of a marketplace. There is so much to see here. You will find the freshest meats, vegetables, and seafood. I usually come home with a slab of char siu or a bag of lychee or mountain apples.

Today I had pho from Phở Huong Lan in the Chinese Cultural Plaza.

For my route back home, I usually walk through the historical section of Honolulu. One of my favorite buildings is the Kumu Kahua Theatre on Merchant Street. I believe it used to be a post office back in the day.

You will find courtyards with cafés and really nice views along the way.

My favorite building of all is the old Royal Brewery on Queen Street. (Click on the photo to enlarge.)

Today, I continued home through Kaka’ako.

You never know who you might run into there.

Another great Saturday morning….

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Phở Wars

Phở is comfort food! And it’s been my quest this year to find the best phở on O’ahu. I’ve combined my love of walking with my passion for eating and sampled over 20 phở restaurants. Now you can’t try every single phở shop on the island. There are too many. I’ve had to screen them via word-of-mouth recommendations, as well as Yelp.

pho

I always order the “combination beef” phở. This is usually the house specialty. I also believe that fatty brisket & beef tendon is the only way to go….

When preparing my plate of dipping sauce, I add equal portions of Sriracha sauce, hoisin sauce, and chili oil. Then I stir it up. I use the lime, a few basil leaves, and all of the coriander. I don’t care for bean sprouts in my phở, but I digress….

And the winner is….

I mean my favorite is…. Phở My Lan on Maunakea Street in Chinatown. The broth is so good that it tingles in your mouth like a fine wine. You can’t mistake this place because of the large aquariums filled with arowana.

I also liked Phở Huong Lan (Chinese Cultural Plaza,) Saigon Vietnamese Cuisine, and Anh Hong (both on corner of King & River.)

Hope to continue updating this post. Having a phở-bulous time….

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Ukulele Festival

Attended the Ukulele Festival this morning at the Kapiolani Park Bandstand in Waikiki. Had a great time!

I actually took the city bus (with a few crazy people and a bunch of normal people.) This was my 2nd time catching the Bus in 25 years.

I got off near “Walls” at Waikiki Beach. The weather was spectacular.

There was a beach volleyball tournament going on.

The bandstand is a really nice venue. There’s a small pond off to the side. Entertainment was ongoing. There were local artists, as well as international artists. There were ukulele schools from all over. And fortunately, the sound system was really good.

There were thousands in attendance. It was crowded! Behind the seating area were tents with families picnicking and enjoying the day. The coolest part was seeing so many people in the audience with their own ukes. They also made a killing selling those blue festival t-shirts.

There were food tents, shaved ice, malasadas, and ukulele manufacturers. Here are a few beauties from the Kamaka factory. There was even a tent giving free ukulele lessons to tourists. Too cool….

This was especially a great event for the hundreds of ukulele students who got to perform before family and friends.

So…. my plan was to get in some exercise today, so I walked the 3-miles home. I walked along Kalakaua Avenue.

I passed by the world famous Waikiki Beach on the left and the International Marketplace on my right. I crossed over the Ala Wai Canal and turned up Kapiolani Boulevard by the Convention Center. From there, I passed by the Ala Moana Shopping Center to get home. Man, it was hot today.

Feel like practicing my uke now. Had a blast at !

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3 Years at 909

Time flies. Today marks my 3rd year of living here at 909 Kapiolani. I still enjoy every minute of it. My condo is small, but that makes it easy to clean. I have a view, and I have AC. (And I don’t have to clean yard….)

But what I like best is the location. My commute to work is only 20 minutes. I’m right across from the Blaisdell Center. I live near Ala Moana Beach and the Ward Entertainment Complex. I can also walk to restaurants, cafés, shops, and museums. With the revitalization of Kaka’ako, there are cool events to check out.

Here’s the YouTube video that I made a couple of years ago. Happy Anniversary 909….