Last week, we decided to take our son-in-law, Ed for a trip around the island. He checked on-line to find the best place for Kahuku shrimp trucks that Tif told him were absolutely amazing when she tried them with her brother.
The first place we went to was the Nuuanu Pali Look Out, site of one of the bloodiest battles in Hawaiian history. This is where Kamehameha I conquered Oahu and brought it under his rule in his effort to unite the islands.
Of course, what tourists come here for are the views and the ferocious winds.
Tiffany wanted Ed to see the famous Kailua Beach Park. I'm afraid I'm not a big beach person so I just thought it was a pretty beach. Tif and her brother, Jon love beaches.
We reached Kahuku and found Giovanni's Shrimp truck. So did everybody else. You can see KC with her favorite person outside of her parents since she was born. I'm serious. We knew this from the time she was two weeks old.
We tried the shrimp scampi and the spicy shrimp. Ed is of Korean descent and loves spicy food. He felt the spicy shrimp was only spicy and not very good. He would advise them to add some sweetness to it to make it more palatable. The shrimp scampi, however, was heavenly.
We saw this fun tide pool area at Shark's Cove and knew KC would love it. She did. She saw "tons of fishes", shells and snails.
After a bit more driving we ended up at Matsumoto's for shave ice. It really is over-hyped and not as good as the shave ice at Mountain Magic at Waikele. It is cheaper at Matsumoto's though. (Tiffany is famous for being the family blinker. I forgot to take a second photo like I usually do if she's in it.)
By the time we got home, we were all exhausted, especially Art who did all the driving.
It was such a fabulous day!
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| KC and Ed at Nuuanu Pali Look-Out |
The first place we went to was the Nuuanu Pali Look Out, site of one of the bloodiest battles in Hawaiian history. This is where Kamehameha I conquered Oahu and brought it under his rule in his effort to unite the islands.
Of course, what tourists come here for are the views and the ferocious winds.
 |
| Tif, KC and Ed at Kailua Beach Park |
Tiffany wanted Ed to see the famous Kailua Beach Park. I'm afraid I'm not a big beach person so I just thought it was a pretty beach. Tif and her brother, Jon love beaches.
 | |
| KC and Art at Giovanni's Shrimp Truck |
We reached Kahuku and found Giovanni's Shrimp truck. So did everybody else. You can see KC with her favorite person outside of her parents since she was born. I'm serious. We knew this from the time she was two weeks old.
We tried the shrimp scampi and the spicy shrimp. Ed is of Korean descent and loves spicy food. He felt the spicy shrimp was only spicy and not very good. He would advise them to add some sweetness to it to make it more palatable. The shrimp scampi, however, was heavenly.
We saw this fun tide pool area at Shark's Cove and knew KC would love it. She did. She saw "tons of fishes", shells and snails.
 |
| Tiffany and Art at Matsumoto's |
After a bit more driving we ended up at Matsumoto's for shave ice. It really is over-hyped and not as good as the shave ice at Mountain Magic at Waikele. It is cheaper at Matsumoto's though. (Tiffany is famous for being the family blinker. I forgot to take a second photo like I usually do if she's in it.)
By the time we got home, we were all exhausted, especially Art who did all the driving.
It was such a fabulous day!
It's like a dream, having such an island to go around.
ReplyDeleteoh I'd love to try that shrimp truck! Ed sounds like a food gourmet, he really knows what good food should taste like!
ReplyDeleteEd is definitely a foodie!
DeleteWe ate at Giovanni's when we were there on vacation a couple of years ago, and it was so yummy! The line ups were long, but worth it :)
ReplyDeleteI had never heard of a shrimp truck before. I also like spicy food and rarely find anything too hot. I always enjoy your posts, Kay. Today is no exception.
ReplyDeleteAha... you're going to have to make a trip out here, DJan.
Deletewhat fun and views and tasty food,,,
ReplyDeleteHi Kay. I have heard about the shave ice at Waikele but never tried it yet. If you are in the Honolulu/Liliha area you MUST try Shimazu shave ice. Parking is hard to find but must people park at Foodland and walk over to Simazu's. Our fave is the "green tea milk" shave ice. You will not be disappointed. IMHO better than the other well known shave ice places. http://www.yelp.com/biz/shimazu-store-honolulu
ReplyDeleteOh thank you, thank you kawika! I'd love to try Shimazu. Tif and Ed also found a place at the Waikiki shopping mall and said he was the best tasting place they'd ever tried. Tif loves green tea. We'll definitely want to try Shimazu and tell her about it.
DeleteForgot to mention their small is about the size of most places large size shave ice. Plus the prices are great, but mostly I like it for their great taste.
ReplyDeletesuch a great day, my favorite photo is the one with her grand father, thats a memory keeper for sure.I would love to see the tide pools,
ReplyDeleteWhat fun! You know, as a resident of Hawaii, I still have not seen all the tourist traps. Never been to that shrimp truck, for instance, nor to Sharks Cove! I don't even know how to get there. Lol.
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun day, though. I enjoyed the photos, felt as if I were there. I love the one of Tif with Art. I also adored my maternal grandfather, so maybe it's a girl thing.
ReplyDeleteLaughed when you said Art did all the driving because I pictured him driving with one hand, and holding Tif's hand with the other!
K
What a great day you all had!!!!!
ReplyDeleteI love good shrimp. I think a problem though is that the Thai shrimp, which is what we get mostly, are pretty flavorless, not nearly as good as the wonderful sweet Mexican shrimp, which I can't find any more. Were they maybe from the Gulf and decimated by the oil spills? I don't know.
ReplyDeleteWonderful that you are having such a fun visit. It does get windy up there. It is quite the spot.
The fabled TRIP AROUND THE ISLAND is a Chapin tradition for visitors. There are also the sea turtles that come ashore just a mile or so Kailua-side of Haleiwa. This is very rare and doesn't happen in most parts of the world, as I was informed when I went on a Sea Turtle scientific expedition to Yucatan sponsored by EarthWatch. Mostly, everywhere else in the world, the only time Sea Turtles come ashore is when the mother lays her eggs. My job was to catch the eggs as they were dropped, so they could be moved to a safe place behind a fence.
ReplyDeleteI think Giovanni's Shrimp Truck is great. The garlic scampi is the best, compared to the other offerings. The special bond between Art and your grandaughter is a wonderful sight to behold.
Garlic? Oh shoot! Next time, we'll try the garlic. Thanks for the tip, Hank. Wait... we did have the scampi. Is that the same thing? We considered stopping for the sea turtles, but ran out of time.
DeleteGoing around the island is fun and glad Ed could experience it, at least once. What I miss the most are the overnight stays at Turtle Bay when it was highly affordable for kamaainas (local residents) back in the 70s. You could do the trip in two days lol. I wonder how a bus ride around the island would fare.
ReplyDeleteL. from W.
You know... I've only been to Turtle Bay once when we were invited there for dinner. I've never stayed at a hotel on Oahu, just because we always prefer being at home.
DeleteDavid read this post and said that Giovanni's is a customer of his company. Small world.
ReplyDeleteIsn't it so true of Hawaii that everybody eventually knows everybody? How cool!
DeleteAfter lunch, David drove to Waikele to sample the shave ice you raved about. He came home very disappointed, because he could not locate the shave ice stand. He walked everywhere with no luck.
ReplyDeleteOh dear... Sorry about that. The Mountain Magic stand is between Sports Authority and Old Navy. It's really a small stand. I'd better tell you that the ice is so fine that it's like snow. It's not gritty like Matsumotos. Because it's so fine, the syrup doesn't penetrate very far into the ice. You have to be patient and sort of chop into it a bit. Jenny, who owns the stand will give you more syrup if you need it.
DeleteHe later said he bought shave ice from a different stand called North Shore shave ice (?). It's at Waikele. Have you sampled theirs?
DeleteWow! That's a new one for us. We've never been there. Did he like it? I didn't even know there was another shave ice place at Waikele.
DeleteI always love being a tourist in my own land. And it's especially fun when you have family to share it with, as you did.
ReplyDeleteWell... there are so many amazing places to see in your area, Linda. I'd love to go back there some day.
Delete