Usagi Yojimbo DojoBoard

Since Wily Pueo came back on the board, here a question for him an Stan :

Hawaii : what to do, what to see, what to eat, when to come ?

Have you gone to, what do you think of Byodo-In, Moa'ula Falls, Thurston Lava Tube?

Fanfan wrote: Have you gone to, what do you think of Byodo-In, Moa'ula Falls, Thurston Lava Tube?

Making traveling plans already, Fanfan?

Moa'ula falls is beautiful but misquitoes love me there. My favorite place to visit in Oahu is the Pali (http://oahu.aloha-hawaii.com/tours/pali+lookout/) It's such a great view and the we all love the wind.

If you don't mind driving, North shore is pretty amazing to see. Huge waves and crazy surfers who risk their lives to do what they love. I think there is a shrimp truck out there that serves the HOTEST/SPICIEST shrimp I've ever tasted. If you find it, make sure you get the Garlic Shrimp. I still don't think my taste buds have recovered.

Hanauma Bay is great for snorkling, but you have to get there early as they sell out of parking quick. I guess you can take the bus there and walk down. There also is a blow hole (you jump in and when the tide come in the water rushes in and blows you out) to the left (a bit of a hike) that we used to jump into when were were kids. I haven't been there to the blow hole in 10 years so I don't know if it's still there. Crowded but a beautiful experience.

I really like the Ice Gardens for shaved ice but others have their favorites: http://www.yelp.com/biz/ice-gardens-aiea

Get a plate lunch and have a picnic on the beach.

I'm actually be in Hawaii next Monday. We aren't the high class food types so the first place we will eat is at Zippy's (A Hawaiian Denny's) before we even check into our hotel.

Peace, maka

If you go to Maui, try Maui taco for really good mexican food, i'm not sure why there is such great Mexican food in Maui, but there is. Also, anywhere that sells fresh fish. Honestly if they caught it that morning, it cant be bad, its simply impossible. As for something to see, i enjoyed snorkling. You dont really get a sense of the ocean life from the shore, but a few yards from the beach you can see turtles, fish and all sorts of cool stuff. I've been told scuba is better, however i havnt tried it, and snorkling is cheaper.

I am almost embarrassed to say that despite being born and raised in Hawaii, I have not actually been inside either the Thurston lava tube or Byodo-In or hiked to Moa'ula Falls.

However, the one place I always recommend folks coming to Hawaii to visit is the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island. I first visited the park when I was 16 or 17 (er many many years ago) and it blew me away. Though I didn't go to the Thurston lava tube, I did do the Halema'uma'u hike, which is very worthwhile. You will want to be in decent shape for most of the crater trails, and I wouldn't recommend visiting the park at all if you have any respiratory or heart conditions.

As far as Oahu, be prepared for traffic--lots and lots of traffic. Honestly, much of the island is becoming more and more a big sprawling suburb, resembling a chunk of the same thing you can see in California. But perhaps I have been here too long to give an objective point of view, and Stan et al might be able to give a better perspective on this. If you want to do any hiking, I would try to avoid the winter months, when it rains quite regularly in the mountains, making for quite muddy and often dangerous conditions. However, as long as the weather is agreeable, there are many hikes throughout the island that may be of interest to you, from easy to difficult. Most don't require permits, but if there is one you find you really want to do that requires special permission (i.e. Moa'ula Falls), I would make arrangements long in advance and then hope the weather cooperates. I would definitely make the short trip out to the North Shore if you are coming to Oahu whatever the time of year, but if you are here duing the winter season when a big North Shore swell comes in, expect tons of people, but it will be worth braving the throngs for the possibility of seeing some really amazing surf and surfing.


As far as food . . . what do you like to eat? I can recommend various places on Oahu from the frugal to the, uh, not so frugal. A favorite pleasure of mine is indulging in dim sum once or twice a month in Chinatown (and there are a number of good places for dim sum). Finding a decent place to eat is the one thing you should have no troubles with. Maka mentioned Zippy's. It is sort of a local diner chain. It's the kind of place where locals go when they cannot decide on where else to go, haha, or when it is too late to go anywhere else (open 24 hours).

Maka wrote:

Fanfan wrote: Have you gone to, what do you think of Byodo-In, Moa'ula Falls, Thurston Lava Tube?

Making traveling plans already, Fanfan?

Not at all, or not for the moment, i am to weak to travel, and not ready in my mind to have long term plan right now. But you know i like to travel, and those last times i heard often about Hawaii (i hope people don't go there because of Lost...), so one day when i'll go better...

Jetlag must be something, we are GMT +1 in france , Hawaii is GMT -10...

I really like the Ice Gardens for shaved ice but others have their favorites: http://www.yelp.com/biz/ice-gardens-aiea

Get a plate lunch and have a picnic on the beach.

I'm actually be in Hawaii next Monday.

Ice Gardens, looks great, have to try.

Ho lucky guy, are you going here for holidays ?

ethanextravaganza wrote:If you go to Maui, try Maui taco for really good mexican food, i'm not sure why there is such great Mexican food in Maui, but there is. Also, anywhere that sells fresh fish.

Going to Hawaii to eat Mexican food
hmm... my question was more about typical food in fact.

Wily Pueo wrote:I am almost embarrassed to say that despite being born and raised in Hawaii, I have not actually been inside either the Thurston lava tube or Byodo-In or hiked to Moa'ula Falls


However, the one place I always recommend folks coming to Hawaii to visit is the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island.

That is something that i often took note, that people that arte living in a place don't have seen as much things like as a traveller.

Volacanoes National Park look great.

As far as Oahu, be prepared for traffic-

Is there any ground transportation to travel inside an island ?
Do use somekind of taxi boat to go from one island to another ?

, but if there is one you find you really want to do that requires special permission (i.e. Moa'ula Falls)

Good to know, why do we need permissions to go in such place ? to avoid that too many people go there ?

I won't have imagine that we have to take care of the rains for hiking in Hawaii.

A favorite pleasure of mine is indulging in dim sum once or twice a month in Chinatown

And it is probably better than in China (sorry i just did not have a good souvenir of food in China, but in fact chinese restaurant make food of Guangzhou that is not typically chinese), chinese restaurants are something to do when you travel because it is different everywhere

thank you all for all those informations, it brings some foretaste of Hawaii

Some hikes go through private property or through government (nonpublic) land, sometimes both. Not sure about how difficult it is to get permission into Moa'ula Falls as I have never tried to obtain such--it's on Molokai and I have had only a couple occasions ever ventured on that island at all. It might be very easy, but I know of some hikes on Oahu that can be pretty tricky and time consuming getting the requisite permits. However, there are many fine hikes that do not require any permits. Generally, the mountain areas of Oahu can expect to get at least a little rain most days, but winter months often bring enough showers to make most hikes too miserable/dangerous to bother with.

There is a public bus system, but I would highly recommend just renting a car. You will be able to make the most of your time this way. Most interisland travel is done by airplane and flights are generally 30-60 minutes. There is an interisland ferry that just started service recently, and that might be worth looking into as well.

It sounds like you are recovering nicely if you are already thinking of another trip.

Yes, Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island is very interesting, even though the Devastation Trail no longer looks devastated. It's actually a bit overgrown. I went through the Lava Tubes. It is like walking through a black, jagged-walled tunnel for a kilometer. If you are up for it, I think there is an eruption but you will have to walk about three miles to see the lava as it hits the sea. The Lava Tree Park is also pretty neat, as are the hot springs. When we went to the hot springs we talked to Zulu from the old Hawaii 5-0 series.

We always go to the Pali on Oahu. A drive around the island is pretty neat as well. I prefer Matsumoto for shave ice. The bus is a good way to get around on Oahu. There is no metro system there.

I like Gina's in Kapahulu for plate lunch. They give a lot, and it's real ono (delicious). Broke da mouth (do they still say that?).

Stan Sakai wrote: Broke da mouth (do they still say that?).

Ho, brah, sometimes I stay fo'get you grew up ova hea lidat. But get some braddahs still say "broke da mouth" and all kine pidgin lidat, but not like befo yeah?

Stan Sakai wrote:It sounds like you are recovering nicely if you are already thinking of another trip.

LOL

no plan for me. I cancelled all my trips this year. But to talk about such a destination is good. In fact if Wily Pueo didn't post on the forum i would not have think about Hawai. But one day i will probably go there (as several destinations i would like to go)
It is just, it is good to think to another things...

I ll know exactly the treatment i ll have for 2 years and the side effects tomorrow.

Stan Sakai wrote:
Broke da mouth (do they still say that?).


Ho, brah, sometimes I stay fo'get you grew up ova hea lidat. But get some braddahs still say "broke da mouth" and all kine pidgin lidat, but not like befo yeah?

So here begins the private conversation


anyway, thanks for all the informations, very instructive

We just ate at Ono Hawaiian Food. Highly recommended if you want a nice selection of tasty Hawaiian food. For breakfast I also like the like like drive inn. I had the fried rice with one egg. Peace, maka