Skip to main content

Oahu Redux

Ko Olina Lagoon

It's always a treat to getaway to Oahu. Much as I like to walk around Ala Moana Park as I did in the old days, I've traded this to walking at Ko Olina where the beaches are less crowded, especially on a weekday, and the scenery is enhanced by five peaceful lagoons.  It's also a good place to enjoy the sunset. 

Shaved Ice from Matsumoto

On my travel bucket list for Oahu is to try new restaurants. Honolulu Magazine annually weighs in on the Best Restaurants in Hawaii by category and I use their list as my guide. Last November we tried Assaggio Ristorante Italiano at the Ala Moana Shopping Center. I ordered their Fresh Eggplant Milanese over a bed of linguine and it was very good. The diced eggplant was soft to the bite. For local flavor, we went to Matsumoto in Haleiwa for their famous shaved ice. I chose the mango flavor and we sat on the bench outside the grocery store to enjoy this delicious flavored ice and were rewarded with a view of the picturesque Liliuokalani Protestant Church across the street.

Liliuokalani Protestant Church

Farther up the road from Matsumoto's is the world renowned Banzai Pipeline, the big draw for all earnest surfers. We watched as some of them were coming back to shore as it was getting late. But we also saw a handful of them who were paddling out to meet the waves.  

North Shore

Our souvenir shopping discovery was Don Quijote in Waikele where we found boxes of chocolate covered macadamia nuts and Kauai cookies at bargain prices. These goodies are always appreciated by friends and family on the mainland.

Aloha Oahu for the moment. Looking forward to more visits in 2014.

*  *  *

Images by TravelswithCharie



Labels:

Popular posts from this blog

The Art of Carlos Botong Francisco - Progress of Medicine in the Philippines

Pre-colonial period Pag-unlad ng Panggagamot sa Pilipinas (The Progress of Medicine in the Philippines) is a group of four large-scale paintings depicting healing practices in the Philippines from pre-colonial times to the modern period. Carlos Botong Francisco was commissioned in 1953 by  Dr. Agerico Sison who was then the director of Philippine General Hospital (PGH) together with   Dr. Eduardo Quisumbing of the National Museum, Dr. Florentino Herrera, Jr. and Dr. Constantino Manahan. These oil on canvas paintings measure 2.92 meters in height and 2.76 meters in width (9.71 ft x 8.92 ft) and were displayed at the main entrance hall of PGH for over five decades. Owing to its location, the artworks were in a state of "severe deterioration" at the beginning of the 21st century from exposure to heat, humidity, dirt, dust, smoke, insect stains, grime, termites and an oxidized synthetic resin used in an earlier restoration. These canvases were restored three times, the last was...
Read more

8 Heritage Houses of Iloilo

Lizares Mansion The province of Iloilo on the island of Panay has a rich trove of heritage houses, left over from the sugar industry boom in the 19th century. Iloilo also had the largest port in the Philippines at that time which facilitated the export of sugar to foreign shores and deposited money in the hands of the sugar barons. The barons dropped their earnings into the acquisition of properties in Negros and the construction of beautiful homes in Iloilo, many of which are located in the vicinity of the Jaro Cathedral. The Lizares Mansion was built in 1937 by Don Emiliano Lizares for his wife, Concepcion Gamboa and five children. The family fled to safety when World War II broke out and the house was occupied by the Japanese military. The family returned to the house after the war but left once again after the demise of Don Emiliano. It was sold to the Dominican order in the 1960s and was converted in 1978 to a private school, Angelicum School. The mansion now houses the ...
Read more

Timbulan ng Laya at Diwang Dakila

Timbulan ng Laya at Diwang Dakila, Carlos Botong Francisco, 1968, oil on canvas In 1963,  Mayor Antonio Villegas wrote a report, Building a Better Manila, where he indicated in detail his accomplishments on his first year as Mayor of Manila and his vision for the future of the city. Villegas aspired for a prosperous Manila by providing its residents access to health, family and housing services, opportunities for education and employment and improved infrastructure for water and road systems. *Notice the hands at the top of the painting. These hands symbolize the protective reach of God over the city of Manila. Central Panel On either side of the seal of Manila are the former mayors of the city. At the bottom are the city’s old seals. Seal of Manila adopted in 1965 under Mayor Antonio Villegas Timbulan ng Laya (Beacon of Freedom) at Diwang Dakila (Noble Spirit) are written on the seal. A sunburst with 15 rays cast light across the canvas. Below the sun, in red, is the Baybayin let...
Read more