My December Holidays (Ying Han)
During the December holidays of 2014, I spent most of my time going for badminton trainings in school, doing homework and relaxing. However, the highlight of those days was definitely my trip to Hawaii with my parents and cousin. There, we visited two of the six islands of Hawaii - Maui and Oahu.
Before we flew to Hawaii, we had a stopover in Japan for a break and some food. As expected, the people there were extremely responsible, returning their trays after finishing their meal. The sales assistants there also never failed to greet customers entering or leaving their stores, unlike some store owners in Singapore who merely sit at the counter looking at their phones and not even looking up to make eye contact with their customers.
The above is a bowl of Soba and Unagi Rice from a restaurant in Japan's Narita International Airport.
The airport in Maui was an open concept one with no air conditioning in some terminals. This really brought out the tropical, natural and some what rustic feels of the island. As a matter of fact, the Honolulu International Airport, which is located in Oahu, had a similar concept.
The above is a picture of my mother, cousin and me at the Honolulu International Airport.
Upon reaching the "The Valley Isle"(the nickname of Maui), we headed for the apartment we would be staying at. The apartment was of an acceptable size for a family of four to put up at for a couple of nights. Looking out of the balcony of the apartment, the view is just marvelous. So marvelous that you would have to see it to believe it. There was blue and yellow on one side, which was the Pacific Ocean and sand, and green on the other, which was the mountains.
This is the breath-taking view as seen from the left side of the balcony.
The above is the amazing view from the right side of it.
The above are pictures of the apartment and again, my mother, cousin and I having breakfast.
One of our first destinations during the trip was the Lahaina Town, a town with small shops selling items ranging from food, mainly ice cream and snow cones, to souvenirs, accessories and art. There is even a elementary school located there. Since we went there during a non-peak season, the streets were extremely peaceful and relatively quiet, an element you would rarely experience in the busy city of Singapore. While we were there, we walked into a Ukelele shop owned by a Taiwanese lady. My parents had a nice chat with her about how peaceful the island of Hawaii was, however, she disagreed, saying that although it feels great at first, it gets boring after awhile. Oh well...the island is an amazing getaway for us though.
Above are pictures of Lahaina Town and the Ukelele shop we walked into.
Oh! How could I forget? There is also an awesome burger restaurant, named Cool Cat Cafe, located in an open concept building just in the heart of Lahaina Town. The service there was extremely orderly. The employes greeted you with smiles on their faces and entertained all your inquiries. In all, they were casual and friendly, not something you would normally find in Asian restaurants. Their burgers were delicious and did not just taste like regular burgers you would find in any state in the US as they all had a hint of Hawaiian flavor to them. I guarantee you that your mouth will water just by scrolling down and looking at those pictures.
The above are the burgers and onion rings we had at Cool Cat Cafe in Lahaina Town.
Since that was our lunch, we headed for dinner at another place after strolling around Lahaina Town for a couple more hours. This place served what I would consider 'authentic' Hawaiian cuisine. It is none other than Aloha Mixed Plate, a restaurant frequented by both locals and tourists. As many know, Hawaii is located in between Japan and the US, although considered to be in the continent of Oceania. Thus, the food served at this restaurant had a fusion of both Asian and Western cuisines. The food was scrumptious and just like at Cool Cat Cafe, the service was something to be proud of. Since we are at that topic, as those who have visited the US before know, it is mandatory to tip your server at a restaurant when paying your bill after a meal. I think that this system of tipping your server for a job well done is a great way to encourage them to serve customers better, something that restaurants in Asia should could consider adopting. Of course, back to the food. Although I did not take any pictures of them, I clearly remember that the meal was served with a piece of chicken, a piece of fish, some beef and two scoops of rice. In addition, we had a pineapple upside-down cake for desert.
My family and me at Aloha Mixed Plate in Maui.
Since we were in Hawaii, we definitely had to go enjoy a Luau which is a traditional Hawaiian party or feast that is usually accompanied by entertainment. The particular Luau that we went to happened to be at Hyatt hotel, just a few yards away from our apartment. Everything there was just breath-taking. After collecting our food from the buffet spread which consisted of food typically consumed at Luaus around the state, we settled down to enjoy the amazing entertainment by the locals. The acts included lots of singing and dancing, besides the highlight of buff men stunting with sticks of fire at both ends.
The above are pictures of our food and the entertainment that night.
Even though I did not share everything we did in Maui, I'm going to have to move on to our adventure in Oahu. Of course, not before some more pictures!
The above were taken at the Garden of Eden, along the Road to Hana.
These two pictures were taken at Wai'anapanapa State Park, along the Road to Hana as well.
This last picture was taken at Iao Valley State Park.
Oahu is a whole new world when compared to Maui. While Maui showcases the more natural side of Hawaii, Oahu gives visitors the more modern side of it. There are lots of shopping malls and more city-like attractions around, perfect for people who have a soft spot for spending money and love a more modernized place.
The most memorable attraction we visited in Oahu was definitely the renowned Pearl Harbor. There, we visited three different components of the park, the first being the USS Arizona Memorial, the second being the USS Bowfin, which for your information is a submarine, and the last being the USS Missouri. All these means of transportation and war equipment were used during World War Two, although no longer in service now. The visit to Pearl Harbor was definitely an insightful one as it let me learn more about the experiences of people and the tragedies that occurred during the second world war, inspiring me to read more about them. Other than that, it made me think a lot about how life for us would be like if the US did not join in the war and left the British to fight with Japan and its allies all by themselves. It also helped me better appreciate what the wartime heroes did for us during the war and their sacrifices.
The above are pictures taken at the Pearl Harbor Memorial.
So that rounds up the highlight of my holiday, my trip to Hawaii! Although not everything we did was posted, I hope that these little insights to how Hawaii is like will make you want to visit Hawaii one day, perhaps for your Honeymoon, maybe?
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