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Tuesday, July 23, 2019

just winging it on o'ahu

we decided to get up early again to hit the gym the next morning...although this time, the bean opted out.  heh.


but i was extra glad i'd gotten that workout in, because when the hub got up he was in the mood for a really good breakfast...at liliha bakery.


it was pretty crowded in there, and we ended up waiting a bit to be seated.  it would have been an even longer wait had we not been willing to sit at the counter...but we didn't care where we sat as long as we got to eat.


the best part of breakfast here?  their toasted, buttered split housemade rolls served with their special jelly.  we still don't really know what kind of jelly it actually is, but it's delicious.  it's like red kool-aid. hahaha.


and i never pass up an opportunity to enjoy some spam and eggs, especially while in hawaii.


after we'd gotten our fill of hawaiian breakfast we hopped into the car and drove past iolani palace and the statue of king kamehameha.


it's not a trip to oahu without a stop at ala moana center.  shopping is always a good idea.  i found a bunch of "friends" merchandise at box lunch that i thought was super amusing.



the bean managed to talk her daddy into scooping up some more BTS merchandise at hot topic (the OFFICIAL stuff this time...not the bootleg crap she found at that store the day before, thankyouverymuch).  and then when we passed the louis vuitton store the hub splurged on what he called a "beach bag" for the old lady. 


the bean and i had been talking about a return visit to ahi assassins since the last time we were here.  the fish is fresh every day and they're only open as long as it takes to sell out of what they've caught.  it's the best poke we've ever had, and we were super excited to indulge in it again.



back at the condo, the hub and the bean got themselves ready for an afternoon at the beach while he sent the three of us over to the aulani for some spa time and a fabulous massage.  there was a wedding at the chapel that day, and the bridal couple was down on the beach taking photos



we made our way through the crowds at the aulani and found our way to the spa, where we were greeted with friendly smiles and disney magic mixed with aloha.




the first thing we did was choose a wishing stone with a word on it to focus on.  mine was "dream," the old lady's was "listen" and her special friend chose "strength."  one side had the word in english, the other in hawaiian.  then we were to make a wish and toss it into the shallow pool in the "room of heavenly reflection."  so fancy.


the old lady and i were shown into the ladies' changing room where we were assigned a locker and given robes and slippers for our time at the spa.  it had all of the usual amenities - showers, toiletries, wet and dry saunas, you get it.




when we were done looking around we headed outside to join the special friend in the hydrotherapy garden and relax in the soaking pools.  we started off trying the six different rain-style showers before enjoying the jets and heated water in the jacuzzi.



i thought it was kind of funny though that the folks staying in the rooms above us had a birds eye view of this area.


this walkway had smooth stones embedded in it that massaged your feet as you made your way down it.  it hurt and felt good all at the same time.


after the kids took a dip into the cold plunge pool we decided to try out the lukewarm pool.  it was kind of like sitting in the bathtub after the water had cooled off.  weird, but still relaxing in its own way.


by then it was almost time for our massages, so we got out and dried off and headed back into our respective locker rooms to peel off our swimsuits and get ready for our treatments.  we were given some bath salts to either take home or use in the shower as an exfoliating scrub.


the massage was wonderful, as you can imagine.  fastest 50 minutes of my life.  and when we met up for the walk back to the condo we stopped to take pictures with stitch, because of course we did.



i don't even remember how we ended up at plantation tavern for dinner, but it's probably because it was somewhat late and we weren't in the mood to drive the half hour out to the waikiki area again.  plus it had good reviews on yelp and so that's where we went.


these were the kalua pig "nachos" - fried wontons topped with smoked kalua pork, tomato and avocado with a sriracha aioli.


lumpia shanghai, shrimp and pork eggrolls served with a sweet and spicy sauce.


spam fries.  exactly what it says it is.



lechon kawali - pork belly served with chopped tomato and onion.


the bean chose the ribeye steak, not knowing it was smothered with mushrooms and onions.  she said it was still delicious, after she shoved the offending veggies to the side.


kimchee fried rice was the old lady's best friend during this trip.  she ordered this in several restaurants.


all in all, it was a decent if not memorable meal.  there was live music and a full bar, and the place was pretty crowded by the time we left.  since we were all still operating on california time, we were pretty tired and headed back to the condo to relax and get to bed.

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