Hawaii 2010: Day 3

June 21, 2010: Polynesian Cultural Center.

We started the day at 10:00 AM, catching the bus to get to the Polynesian Cultural Center (PCC). Our tour guide: Cousin Walter, was the best! He was really funny and since he's a native from Tonga and a product of the cultural center, he was really knowledgeable about the culture and tradition.

At first look, the tour would seem to be really pricey, starting at $65 for the basic package. But what we should know when going to the PCC is aside from helping preserve the Polynesian arts and customs, you are helping fund the education of Polynesian students who work as guides and performers, etc. To learn more about this, click here.

After getting off the bus, which turned out to be a mini tour in itself, we headed off for a barbecue lunch, then a canoe tour around the center.

There are six villages in the cultural center, each showcasing the arts and customs from their respective nations, namely: Samoa, Aotearoa (New Zealand), Fiji, Hawaii, Tonga and Tahiti.

The villages are very interactive, some will teach you dances, crafts, and even let you try food like 'poi.'

A Hawaiian game similar to chinese checkers; men from our group being taught how to dance tahitian style

Poi

Ricci with a performer from Fiji and me with someone from Tahiti

They also have cultural shows in each village. One of the main attractions is the Rainbows of Paradise Canoe Pageant. (click to play)

The Luau-Dinner show is next. Where you get to sample different polynesian delicacies while watching a display of songs and dances.

The day concludes with the show: "Ha: Breath of Life," (picture left) a production showcasing the different customs and and dances of the the different nations.

It's really a cultural theme park. The nice thing about it is, they have what's called, 'Free-within-three' which means for every ticket you bought with general admission, you can go back within any or each of the next 3 days. Help out NOW :)

Philippine Food

One thing I LOVE about the Philippines aside from visiting my family of course, is the FOOD.

First off, FRUITS. Here are some fruits that are unique to tropical places like the Philippines.

Top left: Rambutan, Right: Mangosteen, and bottom left: Atis

Next stop: Kare-Kare with bagoong, sago't gulaman and crispy pata. Kare-kare is like a stew made with peanut sauce with different vegetables like string beans, japanese eggplant, and petchay, together with ox tail, beef and tripe (I only eat the beef). It is also served with 'bagoong' or shrimp paste. The sago't gulaman drink is made of sago=tapioca bubbles, gulaman=jello and simple syrup. (Barrio Fiesta Restaurant)

L-R: Kare-Kare with bagoong, sago't gulaman and crispy pata

Here's Dencio's Bar and Grill's: Crunchy Fish Sisig. It's made with bangus (milkfish) meat, vinegar, and onions, served on a sizzling plate. The green thing on top is calamansi, the Filipino version of key lime.

Dencio's Crunchy Fish Sisig

Here's my mom's Laing and Lechon Kawali (below). Laing is made from taro leaves and stem (gabi) cooked in coconut milk with lots of chili. While Lechon Kawali is pork belly that she boiled, dried and fried. It's really crunchy.

Laing and Lechon Kawali

MORE TO FOLLOW...

Hawaii 2010: Day 2

JUNE 20, 2010, We started our day early to catch the Circle Line Tour Bus. First stop, Hanauma Bay. It's one of Hawaii's most popular snorkeling spot. We figured, starting the trip with this circle tour, we will be able to see the whole island then we can just go back to the places we'd like to really explore like this place. After the trip we scheduled a shuttle to take us here so we can spend time snorkeling.

Next stop: Halona Blowhole (south shore). It got its name because it shoots up water up to 30 feet in the air. They said it's a great place to spot whales in the winter.

Third stop: Pali Lookout. It's at the Nuuanu Pali State Park. It had a beautiful view of the Windward (eastern) side of the island. It was REALLY windy there. Funny though, so many tourists were more intrigued with the little chicks at the parking lot.

Fourth stop: Byodo-In Temple. The temple can be found at the Valley of the Temples Memorial Park. It is a Buddhist temple. Outside is a giant bell that you can ring for longevity. They also have a koi pond where you can sit down and feed the fish. Inside, there is a big sitting buddha.

Next stop: Kualoa Ranch. We went on a mini tour of the ranch. Here you can see a beautiful view of the Chinaman's hat (an island shaped like its name). The ranch also offers other tours like horseback riding and ATV tours which will take you to famous sites used in movies like Jurassic Park and the TV show Lost.

Right outside the Kualoa Ranch is the Macadamia Nut Farm Outlet where you can sample free macnut flavored Kona coffee and a variety of flavored macadamia nuts (caramel, cinnamon, salted, etc.). Our tour guide/bus driver recommended trying the 'onion and garlic' flavor, which I was hesitant to try at first but it was surprisingly good.

Next stop: Sunset Beach, North Shore (picture below). It was the summer so the beach was pretty calm. We didn't get a chance to stop at the Banzai pipeline though :(. North short beaches have the biggest waves and site of most surfing competitions in winter.

Last stop: Dole Plantation. Of course we had to try the famous "Dole Whip" (picture below: pineapple flavored ice cream). Unfortunately we didn't have enough time to ride the 'pineapple express' which is a guided train tour around the plantation about its history.

It was a very LONG day but it was truly worth it! We started at 7:00 and ended at 6:30 pm. Tomorrow we go to the Polynesian Cultural Center and that's a whole day affair too :)

Hawaii 2010: Day 1

Last June 18-24, 2010, me and my friend Ricci went to Hawaii for the first time, we stayed in the island of O'ahu. It was beautiful! We decided to do all the 'touristy' things to experience the place. We arrived at O'ahu on June 18. We checked in and decided to walk around the hotel area. Our hotel could not have been more perfect. It was on a busy strip with lots of restaurants and shops. On one side you have the beach, on the other, such high end shops like Gucci and Prada. It was a very long flight so after a short walk and dinner, we headed back. (view from the hotel)

June 19, 2010: Our official first day. I woke up at 3:30 AM! I didn't realize I would be jet-lagged and would have to adjust to the time difference considering I was still in US territory! I've traveled back and forth to the Philippines and never have I been messed up by time difference. Anyway, good thing I was able to go back to sleep. For the next 3 days, I would wake up around the same time.

We started the day with an "Activity Orientation" while having breakfast by the hotel pool side. They talked about the different activities offered by "Outrigger" (they're with Expedia). We decided to book the Circle Island Tour and the Ali'i Package of the Polynesian Cultural Center. After the orientation, we headed off to the beach. We stayed a good 3 hours just reading, lounging around and doing nothing besides watching the surfers. In the afternoon, we headed off to check out the shops. We ended up in the International Marketplace where they have little kiosks where you can buy different Hawaiian souvenirs.