Dropping him off, I head back to the apartment to pack up my gear and get everything squared away. I also look up some directions so I can find my way to the two spots that are left over on this trip---The Lyon Arboretum and the Waikiki Aquarium.
Grabbing my camera gear, I head out the door and start my journey toward the Arboretum. The directions are simple, but the drive is long. It takes me far, far up the hilly residential area of Honolulu. If you ever go to Honolulu, you'll notice that people have houses way high in the mountainside. As you get higher, the housing begins to get sparse. That's basically where I was headed.
I hit a bit of confusion. The directions tell me to take Manoa Road all the way, but it splits off into E Manoa Rd. and just Manoa Rd. I'll stick to Manoa.
If there's anything I remember about the drive heading up to wherever the Arboretum must be, it's that after the split with Manoa, it feels like some kind of adventure. Yes, there are houses to my left and right, which means it's not really anywhere too far out there, but the way the canopy of trees covers the sky and surrounds your ride up is pretty.
Further up, the road turns into basically 1.5 lanes of rough paved road. I get all the way to the top and it looks like I've hit some kind of dead end. There's a trail to the left of me to go to Manoa Falls, and a parking lot with a building that doesn't exactly look like an arboretum. In my mind, an arboretum is some kind of giant greenhouse.
I get out of the car and see a lot of ... chickens!
Cluck
It's funny how the rooster is the biggest chicken and stays far far away from me, whereas the little guys are curious and get much closer.
Cluck
See it large!
Bac-aaaaawwwwkk!
More chickens in the set.
It turns out the building is a restaurant. I ask the guy how to get up there. He syas it's around this area. Hmm. Maybe the Arboretum is on E. Manoa. I head back down and back up E. Manoa, running into a bunch of residential streets that lead... nowhere. Thankfully, one of the locals is walking her baby around and I stop to ask her. She mentions that it's on Manoa, not E. Manoa, and that you pass the restaurant going further up the hill. Odd, I didn't see a way out, but I'll check it out again.
Back to my original area... Ah I see, the way out is hidden behind a bunch of trees, further past the lot and around the trail to Manoa falls. The trail turns into a one lane paved road which is barely wide enough for one car. I hope there isn't anybody leaving at this time...
Arriving at the Arboretum, which turns out to be a small visitor room and 90 acres of protected rainforest (whoops, not exactly a greenhouse) I chat with the lady in the visitor house to learn a bit about the place and grab a map to point me which direction to go. Heading out, I start on the trail going up, passing a few things on the way.
Duck
Duck
Goose
More flowers in the set.
After a while, I notice that I'm very popular with a lot of flying bugs. And by bugs, I mean mosquitos. Big ones with zebra like patterns on their abdomens and huge long mouths. Repellant. That's what I forgot! I guess I should be glad I wore pants. Every time I stop to take a photo of a plant, my entourage of mosquitos enjoys a buffet of mainland blood.
The trail turns from concrete stones, to small rocks, to huge bumpy rocks (which are slippery from the rain and humidity... good one, guys), to a climb with roots and branches littering the ground. I make it to the top and find... a tiny, pitiful man-made waterfall. Sigh.
At least I was a hit with the mosquitoes.
I head all the way back down, passing some kind of weird contraption on a pole, and get back to my car. I'm starving at this point, and I notice that my directions take me to a familiar spot before heading to the aquarium.
Gina's BBQ! Fish Jun this time. Yummmmy.
Back on track, I arrive at the bottom of the island where the aquarium is and park. The meters are 25 cents for 1 hour. Haha, I put in like fifty cents and head in.
Dragon like.
You know, everything in an aquarium is horrendously difficult to photograph right. The lighting is all weird, everything is dark, and things move. Often.
Take these guys, for example.
It's like an angel.
A stingy, deadly angel of the sea.
Larger.
Lots of different kinds of fish, sharks, and a lot of coral. You get this tiny cellphone-like device which you can dial in the numbers of the exhibit to hear information about it. Pretty neat.
This guy is, obviously, a hermit crab. You might not be able to tell by the photo, but that shell is about a foot long. It's a huge hermit crab.
Overall, since the aquarium is pretty small, I go through it in about an hour (even while stopping to take photos) and I'm heading back to the condo in no time. Man, it's pretty dang hot right now. I remembered that on the way back, I'm taken past... Waiola Shave Ice! Oh, I've just GOTTA stop by.
A cone of shaved ice, carved from a giant block of ice, is $1.68. With a scoop of ice cream, it's like $1.92. Total is $2 for a yummy chilled treat which is very much appreciated at this frying time of day.
Back home, I copy some photos and get all my stuff packed and ready to go. Jason calls and I head out to pick him up, getting a bit lost on the way and missing the exit, getting even further lost heading back to the freeway. I eventually get it right and I'm finally into the base.
Picking up Jason, we head out, discussing our food options. Before we head out, Jason asks if I wanted to take some photos of the planes parked on the grounds. I think, not really, but I think again, well I'm not going to be back for a while, if ever, so I decide, why not!
Butch
Camo
See this large!
We decide on Pho 1. turns out it's a place I was taken to on my last trip. The thing I remember about last time was that they give you the raw meat on a separate plate, and like idiots, Jason and I put all the veggies in the soup. Well, that cools down your soup. Which means the meat doesn't cook. Raw meat pho, yummm....
We do it right this time, and the pho is good stuff. Better than some of the places I've tried in Long Beach, but not quite Pho 54 (which got too dirty and shut down).
Let me tell you kids, the secret to good Asian food is a boiled insect or two in your food. Trust me. And, the lower the grade on the front (only applies to mainlanders and Los Angeles) the better. It sounds gross, but your taste buds will be thanking you. Your subconscious and your gut, once you find that insect, probably won't.
And with that, we rush to the airport and I'm on my way back home.
At home, I count 37. 37 mosquito bites. 37 itch like a bitch bites.
And that, my friends, is where the title comes from.
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This concludes the trip journal. No more Hawaii! Home now.
To keep going, you can see the schedule, or you can see some photos.
