SFO >> OGG

Posted for Sunday September 18

Upgraded to First Class. What an awesome way to start to my vacation! First stop, the Buena Vista Café. It has basically become a ritual for me at SFO. Get here early and get some Irish Coffee. After several glasses and a nice little conversation with a patron, I headed to my gate. Already fueled with the Irish Coffees, as soon as I took my seat in the plane I ordered a Mimosa. Why the heck not right?! Free drinks in 1st class! Half way through the flight and several more drinks later, it dawned on me that I’ll need to drive my rental in a few hours. I took one more drink and tried to sober up with 2 cups of regular coffee.

I arrived at the OGG airport and headed directly to my rental. With alcohol coming out of my pores, I was surprised they handed me the keys to my rental. Just before leaving the lot, they smiled at me and said, take a couple shot for us. I smiled and took off. The drive to Lahaina from the OGG airport is about 45 minutes. I was here in Maui 2 years ago for my Sisters wedding so I’m familiar with the area and I know what the drive is like into Lahaina. There’s a scenic stretch on a 2 lane highway that hugs the coastal cliff. An awesome view that becomes hazardous from drivers ogling at the oceanic Hawaiian Seas.

I got to my hotel, checked in, and met up with the bride and groom, along with their family, for some food at Da Kitchen. It was located right in front of my hotel. I had a meal on the flight, which I totally forgot till now, and was still hungry from all the drinking. I ordered a Loco Moco and a Hurricane to wash it down with. Mixed with Bacardi 151, the waiter cautioned me how the strong the drink is. My friends laughed as I said, don’t worry, my veins flow with 151. We waited a bit before our food arrived due in part that the Watier, Bartender, and Host was all the same person. Short staffed to say the least. I felt sorry for her and even asked her if I could help. She smiled at me and said that she’s ok. So I downed my drink and ordered another one.

After the meal and drink, I headed back to my hotel for a nap. An hour later I met up with some other friends and hung out at their hotel located 2 blocks away from mine. After an hour of hanging out, I headed back to my room, picked up a 6 pack of beer and Hawaiian nuts, and slept for the rest of the day. Dunzo at 4PM.

Hawaii 2011

Last week, I spent an entire week in Hawaii. If you ask me what I did, that’s easy: I drank, ate, and slept a lot. Aside from that I attended a 10 Year renewal wedding in Maui that was celebrated at The Maui Plantation. I stayed at the Pioneer Inn in Lahaina. The Pioneer Inn is located in their downtown area but unfortunately, being in Maui, everything settles down at about 10pm. Late night partying in Lahaina does not exist. After spending 6 days in Maui, I headed over to Oahu to visit a friend.

More to follow….

Let the Planning Begin!

I'm so happy and excited to say that I got my days off request from work approved. That means, I'm headed to Australia! How did this come about... easy. I've putting off Australia for the past couple years. I'll be attending a wedding in Hawaii, so I figured, the trip back home would be quicker. The tentative plan is as follows: SFO to Melbourne. Train or car rental from Melbourne to Sydney. Sydney to Honolulu. Planning to leave June 24 and return from Hawaii on the 11th.

Last Night & 2 Pints

Posted for September 8, 2009
I went to eat at Mama’s Fish House in the city of Paia. It’s about an hour drive from Kaanapali/Lahaina. I ordered their special dish of the day: Moi Moi with mangoes, lychee, and vegetables in a black bean sauce. It was fantastic! After enjoying my meal I headed to Guri Guri in the Maui Mall. Guri Guri is a little shop that sells snacks and 2 flavors of their homemade frozen treat. With only 2 choices, I ordered a scoop of each – strawberry and pineapple. I killed both scoops of the Ice Cream/Shave Ice mixture and purchased 2 pints right after to bring back at the hotel to share with my family. I hung out pool side at the hotel. When in Maui, one must get this! Cost for the two scoops - $1.10.


With my last night in Maui, my family and I wanted to take it easy. We stayed at the hotel and had dinner at their restaurant - Ono - similar to what we did on the first night. The restaurant is situated in a large open outdoor area that faces the pool and ocean

Looking in from the other side

Posted for September 7, 2009
For an early lunch, I went off on my own and took the free shuttle to Front Street in Lahaina. Recommended by a friend of mine, Cheeseburger in Paradise is located seaside. I was seated faced in front of the ocean and ordered their original cheeseburger with bacon, a side of seasoned fries, and a tall beer with a souvenir glass. It was delish! After Cheeseburger in Paradise, I went to the gelato shop next door and ordered a scoop of the Big Island Mac Nut Crunch. I enjoyed it on a sidewalk bench facing the ocean. Feeling the food comatose after the Gelato, I headed back to the hotel and took a nap.

After my two hour nap, I meet up with my family at the pool. We were trying to decide what to eat for dinner prior. My brother in-law suggested BBQ. We agreed. We had dinner at 7 pm at Smokehouse BBQ Bar & Grill located kitty corner to Front Street. The food was great. We asked the server why people liked Mixed Plate and threw in that their food was so much better than Mixed Plate. He explained that the view and quantity is what tourists like – for the price. The exact reasoning I had conjured up earlier. When in Maui, I recommend going to this joint rather than to Mixed Plate. He then went off on talking about Maui, The Tourists, and the Locals.
In summary:

1. Tourist don’t know how to drive
a) They tend to cause most of the traffic accidents from looking at the sites rather then driving.
b) They drive to fast not thinking they’re streets are freeways
2. Economy hits them late
3. Filipinos run Hawaii (the service industry is mostly employed by Filipinos)
4. 90% of Filipinos in Hawaii are Ilocano
5. People will ask if you Ilocano rather than if are you Filipino
6. Hawaiians thought Ilocano was the country rather than the Philippines
7. Filipinos are more hard working that the Haoles
8. Japan won the war with complete ownership of all the resort prior to selling them off

More Fish Needed & Drippage

Posted for September 6, 2009
I got up at 5:30am to go SNUBA Diving. The dock for the boat is located about 20 miles away from the hotel at Maalaea Harbor. Check in at the port was scheduled for 7am. After checking in, the boat left port and we headed for the coast of Molokini. Including my self and the instructor, there were a total of 13 people SNUBA diving. Of the 13, only my sister and I were from my younger sister’s wedding party whom opted to SNUBA as the rest settled for the standard snorkeling along the coast. SNUBA is basically like scuba diving with the exception of having the Oxygen Tank attached on a small raft. The tube from the tank to the regulator (breathing apparatus) extends to about 25 feet and the raft floats along as you venture off underwater.

As soon as the boat anchored on the coast of Molokini, the SNUBA group was divided in two groups of 6. I joined the first group. I strategically joined the first group so I can eat and drink immediately after. The SNUBA/Snorkel package included an all you can eat and drink meal (beer included). As I got into the water I had troubles with my mask and weight belt. Water kept leaking in my mask and my belt wasn’t heavy enough. I signaled the instructor with hand gestures of my issues while under water and we both went up. He made the adjustments and I was good to go. I immediately swam into a school of fish and moseyed around under water. There were tons of sea urchins in which the thought of eating Uni had crossed my mind. I saw a sea cucumber and ogled at the coral. After the 30 min session ended we were immediately instructed to head back to the boat. As I got out of the water I took my regulator off. In the process, I spat out a large amount of flem/loogie that had collected in the regulator and in my mouth. When I got on the boat, my legs were a little wobbly, but I immediately adjusted when I got my beer and burger. The dive was cool but would have like to see more fish. Aside from the one school of fish, the water was bare; although we did see some turtles on the way back to the harbor.

When we got back to the hotel, I headed for the pool. I swam a bit and basked in the sun till dinner. I had dinner at Sensei with my family. Sensei is located in the Kapalua Golf Course 5 min north of the hotel. The food was fantastic. We had several different sushi and sashimi plates. On the side, I had Blue Fin Toro to my self. After dinner we went to the Ritz Carlton and had a drink.

With my cousins spending the last night in Maui, I decided to introduce them to Kalimotxo (cal – e – mo – cho). We meet up at my sister’s Suite after they got their hennas done. We finished 3 bottles of wine for the Kalimotxo mixture. They asked where I had learned it (Spain) and said they’d make it for their friends. They enjoyed their drinks. One of my cousins only enjoyed one glass due to his gastronomical issues caused from not being accustomed to a drinking marathon. He had sharted earlier in the evening and was feeling leakage on his tail end. (I’m laughing as I type this!)

Crispy

Posted for September 5, 2009
I had long day of swimming and basking in the sun. My face is burned, my arms and back sore from Surfing, Splashketball, and good old fashion swimming.

Getting up early to hang out poolside has become my morning ritual. I hung out in the pool all morning with a short 30 min swimming session in the ocean. My sisters, brother in-laws, and others all showed up at the pool. We had a great time on the waterslide and a session of Splashketball.

After hanging out by the pool and the beach, my family and I went to Lahaina for a surf session. On the way, we stopped by Safeway to pick up some snacks. I got some Fresh Ahi Poke, Pomegranate Juice, and Chips. The Fresh Ahi Poke was off the hook!

With my family taking lessons, I rented a board and booties from the shop they were taking lessons from and surfed on my own. I had a terrible surfing session due to the board I was using. I needed a longer board. I originally asked for a 7’8” board. The guys said I should use a longer board, so I pointed at the 8 footer. They looked at me as if I should go even longer. I should have listened.

After surfing I headed to Front Street to walk around a bit. Front Street is the main street in Lahaina that’s filled with shops and restaurants. I met up with my family afterwards and headed to Mixed Plate for dinner.

Dinner at Mixed Plate was ok. Aside from the ocean view, large servings, and the price, the food was just ok. The coconut batter shrimp was the highlight of the meal. The BBQ meat was just ok.

Shorter Layover

Posted for September 2, 2009
I got to the airport at 7:30 am for my flight to Honolulu with a connecting flight to Maui to follow. It turns out my flight was delayed till 11am which mean my layover will be significantly shorter. Flash back:

A couple weeks ago I received an email notice stating my reservation on my plane tix had changed. I called the airlines and they had told me that my connecting flight from Honolulu to Maui had been cancelled and was rescheduled to 5pm; so they went ahead and changed my itinerary to:

Leave SFO to Denver at 7am
Denver to Honolulu
Leave Honolulu at 5 for Maui

My original flight was:
SFO to Honolulu at 9am
Honolulu to Maui at 2:10

I told them that I’d like to keep my 9am flight. Why the heck would I want to go to Denver then to Honolulu? That didn’t make sense to me at all. They responded with, “You would have a shorter layover in Honolulu.” I then told them I don’t mind waiting at the airport. I’d rather be at the airport then taking a longer flight path.”

More at the Westin

Night life in Maui does not exist, in Kaanapali that is. The bars in and around the resort close down at about 11. In addition, the drinks are way over priced. But, I guess you’re paying for the atmosphere: a beach side resort with Tiki Torches strategically placed, a large man made pond with Flamingoes, Cocktail birds, Coy Fish , and man made waterfalls, located on an island with mild weathered ocean sea breezes, swaying palm trees, and clean ocean blue waters, with Hawaiian music softly playing in the PA system.

I went to bed early last night after having a long drinking day. I got up this morning at 6:30 and headed for the pool. I relaxed all morning drowning my self in my headphones poolside while reading up on my next trip scheduled for Thursday Sept 10: Argentina. I then met up with a couple folks and went to the beach for a quick swim. After swimming we headed to the Whaler's Mall Food Court next to the hotel we're staying and picked up a Hawaiian Panini.

I headed for the room at about 1:30 and got ready for my sisters wedding. After getting ready I took pictures with my family in my sister’s Room Suite. Located on the 10th floor (1 below the Penthouse), it’s got an awesome view of the resort and beach. One side of the suite overlooks the ocean in which it looks like the water is entering the room. After a few pictures I headed to the church for the ceremony located in Lahaina.

The ceremony started at 3 and ended at 4. After a several photos I headed back to the hotel for the Reception. Looking for the room where the Reception was to take place was a challenge. After asking around and meandering through the hotel, the exact rooms for the Cocktails and Ball Room was identified. I spoke to the host and she said there was a sign in the front lobby. I took a look at it, and it was a tiny sign that can be easily overlooked.

I met up with the DJ before joining my family in the Cocktail Area to set up my netbook for the Slideshow/montage. I forgot his name, but he’s originally from the bay and was going back to SF for a gig at MILK on Haight St., scheduled for Tuesday night. I completed my set up and met up with my family. I had a blast in the wedding. It ended at 11:30 pm.

Westin

The Westin in Maui is freaking nice. It’s located on the beach of Kaanapali. They’ve got an awesome waterslide and 4 different pools. I got up at 6am this morning and had breakfast with my family. After, breakfast, I headed to the beach and swam in the warm, clean, blue ocean then hung out at the pool. While at the pool, I raced a friend of mine for the fastest time down the waterslide and won. My Prize - a free cocktail! Drinks started at 10 am. Pic above is my Godson – Nico.

On the way back to my room I saw a gentleman in the lobby conducting a free Basic Ukulele Class. He also provided the Ukes for the lesson. I joined in and strummed along as he instructed a few keys. With the few keys he instructed, we played a few songs. I told the instructor I have a Student Ukulele at home in which he then asked if I wanted to take a look at the one he was using. I eagerly said yes. His Ukulele is double stringed and had a real deep tone to it. I asked how much his Uke is and he said $1500.