Oahu, Hawaii, Jan.24 – 28, 2019
Kailua Beach, Manoa Falls trail and Poke Bowl
I’ve never seen beautiful beach like this before. White beach, clear water, palm trees swaying in the winds. It is never an exaggeration to say ” heaven in this world”. The beach was ever ranked the most beautiful beach in the U.S. There are no shops near the beach. Only parking lots and wash rooms. People are enjoying themselves in a quiet setting. The beach is located on North East across the island from Waikiki. I takes about an hour to come here taking a city bus by way of Ala Moana Center from Waikiki beach. I needed to change at Ala Moana to take another bus. I walked about 20 minutes from the bus stop to the beach. But it is worth visiting all the way. I thought I should come with a book and lunch and spend a day next time.
I also went to Manoa Falls next day. I took a bus from Ala moana bus terminal again. It headed to North into a quiet residential area in the Manoa Valley in about 30 minutes. The Manoa Falls’ entrance is just a couple of minutes walk from the bus stop at the end of the route. There is the Hawaiian Natives Garden by University of Hawaii near the entrance. It preserves indigenes and endemic plants of Oahu island. I visited the garden first and then started walking the trail to the fall. Densely forested, the trail is blocked from direct sunshine, it was cool and comfortable. The slope was not so steep. I enjoyed the trail walk very much.
When I returned to the bus stop, I found bus which comes every one hour left just a few minutes ago. Which means I need to wait for another hour. I decided to walk to kill time and ride at another bus stop on the route. I walked about 30 minutes looking at high-rise buildings far ahead and rode a bus at a bus stop near the school.
There was a Poke shop by name of Maguro Brothers near my hotel. It is owned by a Japanese and later I learned they have a shop in the small food court in Chinatown. They open this Waikiki shop in the evening. The price is not cheap. There are a lot of selection. The quality of the fish is not bad. I ordered a combo of spicy Maguro and soy sauce Maguro and a side dish of Salmon sashimi. I wanted to visit Chinatown and buy a grilled belly pork if I had a chance. This time I was not able to visit. But this Poke and sashimi could compensate much.
The White Sands hotel I stayed this time was affordable for me. The hotel was under renovation. However, the room was clean, the rate was affordable and staff was very friendly. I had a good time.
