Tuesday 12th May '09

Lunch
KFC Popcorn Chicken Snack Box


I haven't had time to go grocery shopping since I've been home, so it's going to be a week of leftovers and whatever I can scrummage up in the pantry.

I did pop by IGA last night and picked up some yoghurt that was reduced for quick sale.

Afternoon Snack
Bulla Natural Greek Yoghurt with Berries


After work I went out to dinner with Benoit, Ivy, Long and Kong. We decided to head into Northbridge for some Chinese food.


JOY CAFE CHINESE RESTAURANT


We ordered a banquet set for $85, which gave us several dishes and I think Ivy ordered an extra dish for a small additional charge.

kai lan
salted chicken
sizzling tofu
fish claypot
steamed Tooth fish


We actually ordered the pork claypot but they gave us fish. It was good though.

Monday 11th May '09

For lunch, I used a wholemeal wrap and spread some Leggos pizza base onto it, then added some finely diced onion, whole basil leaves, thinly sliced chorizo and sprinkled grated tasty cheese over it.

Lunch
Chorizo Pizza


After work, I sat and watched my fish for a while. Pinchy has gotten so big!

Benoit also gave me a shrimp to look after because he's getting rid of his freshwater tank.

Benoit's shrimp


Pinchy!


me and Simba


I went outside to water my plants by moonlight (or rather, torchlight) and picked some fresh herbs to make soup.

Supper
Chicken & Vegetable Soup with Risoni


Aah it was good to have some comforting homemade soup after being away on holidays.

Sunday 10th May '09

Yes, today I slept in again. I'm using the jet lag excuse (even though Hawaii is only six hours ahead of Perth time).

I went to Ling and Shallen's place to pick up all my plants in the afternoon.

With my herbs back in the garden, I got busy in the kitchen - Aah it's great to be back.

Dinner
Penne with Chorizo & Capers


Later in the evening, I went to Benoit and Ivy's place. We went for coffee in Mount Lawley (I forget the name of the cafe). Still in my mood for sweets, we ordered a few slices of cake to share.



Afterwards, I picked up Pinchy and my newborn guppy fry and headed home.

I spent some time setting up the tank with Pinchy in it. He's grown so big since I last saw him! As I was about to turn the lights out and head to bed, I spotted a baby guppy in the tank with the other fish. Oh my god! One of the mummies has gone into labour!

I immediately inspected my pregnant female guppies to see if I could identify which one it was and it obvious. She was so plump and she'd taken on a squarish form. I scooped her up and put her into the divider container and made a cup of tea to watch the miracle happen.

An hour later...nothing.

0200hrs - still nothing. She's looking uncomfortable and is thrashing around a bit but all that's coming out is poo.

0230hrs - Hurrah! Mummy started popping those fry out.

Saturday 9th May '09

After going to bed at 2am, I slept soundly all the way through until 5pm this afternoon. That's right, I caught up on my sleep at last!

As I had skipped breakfast and lunch time, I made a large bowl of noodles for dinner.


Dinner
Chicken Bee Hoon Soup


After dinner, I began to unpack. Yes - UNPACK.

Usually after a big trip, I am too lazy to put things away so my suitcase sits on the floor in my room for a few months at least. Or until I need to repack for another trip or excursion. This time, I put on the CD of music that trumbone Brad from the cruise had burnt for me and spent the rest of the day unpacking and tidying my room.

Now, you're probably wondering where all the holiday photos are. I haven't had time to sort through all the photos yet - but don't worry - I have left 'space' to update entries as soon as I get a chance. They'll all be in date order so you will have to scroll down or just click on the 'I Gots the Travel Bug' link.

Friday 8th May '09

We lost this day crossing back over the International Date Line when we flew from Honolulu to Sydney!

Thursday 7th May '09

DAY TWENTY – FLYING HOME


After an hour’s nap, I got up and finished packing. I boiled some water and made breakfast to eat before heading to the airport. Now I’m not a fan of instant noodles and when I do eat them, I only eat the ‘mee goreng’ type. However, I thought I’d try this one that I found at one of the stores last night.

Hot & Spicy Instant Noodles


I actually quite liked them! The flavour was awesome! It’s a pity I was in such a rush and only got to eat half of it before I headed out the door.

at the airport waiting for check-in to open


’one of these things is not like the others...’


We flew Jetstar from Honolulu to Sydney. On the plane – yep you guessed it – I ordered the hot meal!

pumpkin ravioli in a creamy sauce & fruit salad


Being a ten hour flight, I got hungry soon after.

cup of noodles


Then I got hungry again.


another cup of noodles and a banana


When we landed in Sydney, we waited over an hour to disembark the plane while quarantine officers came onboard to question those passengers who had said they had symptoms of the flu - there has been an outbreak of Swine Flu and Australia is taking precautions to prevent the spread of this new strain. When we were finally allowed to get off, we had to grab our luggage and transfer to another terminal to fly to Perth on Virgin. I found a food court and ordered dinner. I know! I was amazed with myself at how much I ate too!

beef noodle soup with bee hoon & vegetables


We didn’t have to wait too long to board the plane for the last leg of our journey.



pumpkin soup


Yes, I know you’re all laughing but not surprised =P

But wait...there’s more!

Once I got home, I showered and got into comfy pyjamas and headed for the kitchen.

chicken & vegetable soup with risoni



I can’t believe our holiday has come to an end! I had a really fantastic time and we all got along so well! I can’t thank Noel and Fleurette enough for thinking of me to invite me along and share in this adventure. We’ve made some wonderful memories that we’ll forever cherish and I like to think that friendships grow stronger after travelling together and spending time together day in and day out. I love you guys =)

Wednesday 6th May '09

DAY NINETEEN – OAHU


We got up early today and went across the road to have breakfast at Macdonalds.

Grant’s Taro Pie


my Sausage & Egg Burrito Breakfast Meal
1 x burrito, coffee and some fresh pineapple


I also asked for an extra burrito because I thought they would be small. However, they were a pretty decent size and so eggy! Yummy! I couldn’t finish the second one at all.




PEARL HARBOUR


We took the bus to Pearl Harbour, where we firstly had to go and leave our bags with the onsite lockers. Ever since the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Centre in New York, there has been tighter security here at Pearl Harbour and we are not allowed to bring any bags or items of concealment to the memorial sites.

First, we went to the USS Arizona Memorial Visitor Centre where we purchased the audio tour for the museum there and got tickets for the free tour of the memorial. At our allocated time, we were guided into a small theatre where we watched a short film about the attack on Pearl Harbour before we were taken to a ferry to go to the actual memorial.

It’s eerily sad to think we are going to see the last resting place of so many people who lost their lives in the attack. The ship sank and took those onboard with her. They never removed the bodies, but instead turned the wreck into a memorial site where visitors can come and pay their respects and reflect.

the names of those onboard the USS Arizona that lay in the waters below


oil still leaks from the wreck below



USS BOWFIN SUBMARINE MUSEUM


My camera battery died on the way here, and so did Noel’s. I did have a second camera but it was in my backpack in the locker. So...all our photos are on Grant’s camera and I have yet to get a copy of them. I may post some up here if given the chance.

I absolutely love touring submarines! I just can’t believe how so many men could fit in the little spaces, let alone when the submarine is deep underwater and they have to deal with all the pressure. Amazing!

Before boarding the submarine, we had our photo taken. On our way out, we saw why they wanted our photo – they pasted it into a sort of souvenir for us if we wanted to purchase it. They told us that this is a reprint of the front page of the newspaper on that fateful day the attack on Pearl Harbour occurred, but I have my doubts. I still thought it was a rather cool souvenir and I liked it so I bought one.

Extra! Extra! Read all about it!


We had a hotdog for lunch – it was so delicious! I had mine with lots of sauerkraut, mustard and ketchup (just to sound American!). After a little rest, we made our way back to the visitor centre to collect our bags and caught the next bus back to Waikiki.

As the bus was driving along, I kept nodding off and almost impaled myself on the handle of someone’s motor wheelchair. By chance, I spotted what looked like Chinatown and immediately told the guys I was hopping off to explore and would meet them back at the hotel later.

I love walking through the local areas of places I travel to. The locals are often amused when they see me taking photos of the strangest things. Take this for example...I saw some people unloading a box of slaughtered pigs from the back of a ute and I ran up to take some photos.

mmm...pork


live crabs


the usual fruit & vegetables


I had no idea where I was since I only had the one map with me, but I continued walking in the direction that the bus had been going. Every now and then I saw a bus stop so I had to be going in the right direction to be getting closer to Waikiki. I was on Kapiolani Boulevard which, according to my map, would eventually intersect with Kalakaua Avenue, which is the street I want to be on.

It turns out that getting off the bus was a fantastic decision – I got to see some of the tourist attractions that I otherwise would have missed.

Iolani Palace


the statue of King Kamehameha


We had been laughing about there being a muumuu factory in the ‘Lonely Planet’ guide, so I had a bit of a chuckle when I actually walked past it.

After walking for about an hour, I started wondering if I would ever find Kalakaua Avenue. The intersection of where it joins Kapiolani Boulevard is at the top left corner of my A4 map, so I could be walking for hours before reaching there for all I knew. I stopped one of the few people I saw to ask if I was at least heading in the right direction. I was.

After another half hour of brisk walking, I finally found Kalakaua Avenue and found a new surge of energy.

the Ala Wai Canal


The walk was making me hungry. Extremely hungry. I felt like a big bowl of noodles with soup, so I looked for a Japanese or Korean eatery. I soon came across one and eagerly sat down inside.

miso ramen


With my energy levels replenished, I set off again down Kalakaua Avenue. Judging from the map, it was going to be a really long walk back to the hotel. I was tempted to hop on a bus or try to pull over a taxi but then dismissed these ideas. The weather was beautiful and when am I going to have the chance to walk around Honolulu again anytime soon?

I eventually got back to the hotel, had a brief rest and then realised that the sun was setting so rushed to get down to Waikiki Beach for a final splash and to watch the sunset. It just so happened that Noel and Fleurette popped down for a swim too.

our hotel


picture perfect


isn’t that just gorgeous!?
oh...and the sunset is too



After the sun was well and truly set, we headed back to the hotel. I showered and then set out for dinner, giving the honeymooners and anniversary couple some alone time on our last night of this wonderful holiday.


BEACHHOUSE at the Moana


I read somewhere that there was a seafood restaurant here at the Moana Surfrider resort, and I was very pleased when I walked in and saw that there was indeed a fine dining setup. I had to wait for a table, but I made use of this time at the bar ordering a bottle of wine. I had hoped that Noel and Fleurette would join me later and help me drink it, but they never got my message at the hotel telling them where I was.

I had a table by the balcony’s edge, overlooking a garden and the outdoor bar in the distance by the beach. I could hear the ocean and there was a musician on a guitar singing for those at the bar. He was too far for me to hear clearly, but his voice blurred into the background noise with the ocean and the murmurs of people around me talking and eating. It was a lovely intimate outdoor setting.

Appetiser: warm fresh bread with butter


The butter had been sprinkled with some sort of sugar.


Entree: foie gras
chef's fresh daily preparation


Main: 2lb Maine lobster
grilled with chilli-lime butter


Oh my god! This lobster was a monster! I didn’t even realise it had claws until I picked up my fork to attack it. I was wondering why my waiter had brought me a nut cracker utensil when he was setting my table for the main course. He must have seen my surprise because he came over to ask if I wanted him to remove the meat from the claws for me. I wholeheartedly nodded!

Dessert: dark rum crème brulee
vanilla custard infused with spiced darm rum
& torched caramel crust


After my indulgent dinner, I went down to the outdoor bar and sat and enjoyed the guitar player’s last song. When he finished, I asked if he knew where I could enjoy some local live music and he recommended somewhere a few streets away. I got there and ordered a drink - blueberry vodka & soda - but the bartender told me that the band had only just finished their last set for the night about ten minutes ago. Bummer!

Heading back to the hotel for the night, I stopped to get some snacks. I didn’t intend on sleeping at all tonight since we had to be up early for our flight. I hadn’t even started to pack yet! It’s very unlike me...usually I am very neat and pack early so that I can go out and enjoy myself.

The hotel we’re staying at has a three-storey aquarium! We noticed this when we arrived to check-in and I have been waiting for a moment to take photos when there aren’t many people around. Being so late at night, it was quite dim so I wasn’t able to get the lighting right on my camera but it still shows how impressive the sight is!

By about 0300hrs I was almost done packing but had nodded off on the bed. I decided to get an hour’s shut-eye before getting up and getting the packing done.