Sunday the 21st, I tried a couple new foods. I got lunch at a restaurant called Da Hawaiian Poke Company, where I ordered the Crunchy Spicy Ahi Poke Bowl with a side of Crab Potato Salad. The potato salad was amazing, and so were the flavors of the poke, but I really just couldn’t get past the consistency of the ahi–it’s basically like sticking a piece of raw, slimy fish in your mouth. I’m happy I tried it, but I probably won’t be eating it again considering I could barely manage to finish it. The second place we ventured to was Leonard’s Bakery, famous for its malasadas. Malasadas are a lighter kind of donut. They were really good, but as someone who needs a lot of icing on her pastries, this was also probably a once-and-done kind of thing.
The following Thursday, we were walking through Waialae when we came across this cool mural.
On Saturday the 27th, we decided to tackle Koko Crater. This is known for being one of the hardest hikes on the island. It has over 1,000 stairs that you must basically crawl on at some parts, and was so steep that I had to take numerous breaks before reaching the top. We got to the hike around 6:30 am to avoid the heat. The view from the top was incredible, with Hanauma Bay in the distance. It was worth hiking up, but this hike left my legs aching for days afterwards, so I’m not sure if I would try attempt it again.
We were exhausted and hungry after the hike, so we decided to get brunch at a diner called Koko Head Cafe (which had an interesting mural outside). I thoroughly enjoyed my meal, which was called “Volcano Eggs”–basically baked eggs, spicy tomato sauce, and locally-grown vegetables.
Sunday, we were exciting to go to the beach and relax. We went to Kailua Beach, which is known for being one of the prettiest beaches on the island. It was pretty crowded, but we had a good time lounging in the sun.
We got pizza that was pretty sub-par at Bob’s Pizzeria, but the amazing shave ice I got at Island Snow completely made up for it. This time, I tried a snow cap on top (sweetened condensed milk), and I did not regret it. This combination of the snow cap and vanilla ice cream on the bottom seems to be my favorite.
The following Saturday, we went to Manoa Falls. This hike was much easier than the previous ones, and it was through lush forest. We were told to not swim in the falls–there was warning of deadly bacteria in the water, as well as the potential of falling rocks. The area was beautiful and it looked like we had traveled back to Prehistoric times. We got shave ice at a place called Waiola Shave Ice, and I have officially set out on a mission to find the best shave ice on the island.
