Hitting the Road

Tuesday, Nov. 6th - Today we’re heading up to Makaowo. We travelled up through the middle and hung a right at the Spreckels Sugar Factory and headed north. As we drove along the North Shore, we saw a sugar cane field burn.

We parked and strolled up and down Baldwin Ave. browsing through the shops. I was glad to see some of my favorite places were still there, including my favorite place: Kamoda’s Bakery. Not only is Kamoda’s my favorite place because of its donuts on a stick, but it had the only carton of Haupia I’ve yet to find.



I realized I could not get it home without it turning into a puddle of Haupia deliciousness. The only way to enjoy it was to buy a spoon, sit on the sidewalk in front of the store, and dig in. No. I did not do it.

I did consider highway robbery when I saw this rolling down the street. I’m serious.

We got back in the car and stopped by Ho’okipa Beach to watch the surfers. There weren’t any wind or kite surfers when we arrived and only a few were in the water by the time we left.






We enjoyed, really, really enjoyed, lunch at Mama’s Fish House. I’ve been here several times before but today might have made it to the top of my Favorite Restaurant list.

Very soon after ordering we were served a fresh petite loaf of their honey-wheat with poppy seed bread followed by an amuse-bouche: Asparagus Taro soup. 

Jane was absent when it arrived. She missed the waiter reciting the ingredients list so we made her guess. She was just about spot on.

We shared wasabi crusted calamari. As a rule I don’t care for calamari but I tried this. I was surprised how yummy it was. Then there was that hint of wasabi. Yes, it was oh, so yummy.






Then came the entrees. We all had different types of fish. I had Grilled Ono with fried bananas, papaya salsa, and coconut rice. I almost had to cry. It was one of the best things I ever ate.

I couldn’t have dessert after that meal. I wanted my tastebuds to remember it forever. Jane ordered, and we all shared, the Black Pearl chocolate dessert. The pearl is as big as your fist. No joke.

We headed home. There was no need for dinner. We sat up watching election results.

Here comes the wind . . . Trade Winds

Monday, Nov. 5th - Ray heard the call of the cinnamon rolls early this morning. He and Jane stood in line at Cinnamon Roll Fair for a good twenty minutes for freshly baked rolls. I have to warn the readers of this blog that one can inhale their tempting aroma throughout the parking lot and, sometimes, down a block or two in every direction of So. Kihei Road.


“The Herd,” the people from upstairs, is off at the crack of 9am to march their way up and down the coastline of Wailea. It’s no light-hearted undertaking and I am ashamed to say I did not join them. I’d really have to get into shape to join them. Someday . . . maybe.

Jane and Ray head back out to the shore. This time it’s Turtle Town near Makena Landing Beach Park.  Alas they only saw two turtles. They returned to Ulua Beach since the first trip had been so successful, but the water was choppy and vis was poor.

Since the water was choppy . . . that meant the Trade Winds had returned. I cannot wait until tomorrow to see the clear sky and the many blues of the ocean.






Dinner tonight: Humuhumukunukuapua’a located at the Grand Wailea Resort. 

I have been wanting to dine here for the last few years. Making reservations using Open Table makes life for us much easier. They do not participate, which is why it has taken us so long to get there.

Humuhumu was a very cool place. The restaurant was under thatched huts and surrounded by water filled with ocean fish. Inside there was a lagoon where diners could choose their own Hawaiian spiny lobster companion for dinner.


We chose selections off the Prix Fixe menu. Yes, yes . . . I would dine here again.

The Island . . .

Sunday, Nov. 4th - Something weird is happening on the island . . . sounds like an episode of LOST, huh? It’s hazy and all the blue is washed out of the water and sky. The sugar cane lacks the green color that washes across the valley to the base of the dormant 
volcano. It’s muggy and a bit warmer than normal. I thought it was because I had just come from the gentle frost of California.

I heard that the trade winds aren’t around to blow the volcano ash from the sky. Volcano ash? I thought our volcano was dormant . . . and there was a second or two when I felt a bit panicked. Then I was reminded about Kilauea on the Big Island. Oh . . . THAT volcano. The haze is supposed to last until Tuesday. I hope it doesn’t take any longer than that.

Apparently we missed several bits of excitement. It’s okay that I missed it. I like my life nice and calm. Two weeks ago there was a tsunami warning and the sirens around the island went off in the middle of the afternoon. People who were having their lunches or shopping in the marketplaces had to evacuate to higher ground. They were kept there for hours until the danger, the possibility of danger, had passed. This was caused from the Vancouver's 7.7 earthquake Oct. 28th.

Jane and Ray are gung-ho adventurers. They headed out to Snorkle Bob’s for snorkeling gear and swam around Ulua Beach. There were lots of fish. So many that Jane could not point out which ones on a Hawaiian Fish identification card. She also had a close encounter with a sea turtle that made a lasting impression.

Ray saw some BIG fish in the murky distance . . . an Ulua perhaps?

Hubby and I mailed a letter at the post office and went on the hunt for Rosalani’s Haupia ice cream. Not at Times Market, not at Long’s, not at Safeway . . . The hunt continues. If I don’t find some soon I’m going to start a riot!

On a happier note . . .  Restaurant Week in Wailea has begun, lasting from Nov. 4 to Nov 10. Located in the Four Seasons Resort, Spago is our first dining pleasure. Hubby ordered the Poke cones to start and seared Sashimi for an entree. The rest of us stuck to the Prix Fixe menu.

I love, love, love, love that place.

We Arrive

Saturday, November 3rd

This was our first direct flight to Maui. The trip seemed very fast. We met up with our first week’s guests Jane and Ray then headed off to one of my favorite places:  Hula Grill.

Rosemary your Chi Chi quota has been filled.

Jane and I did some grocery shopping . . .

There are a LOT of people on this island right now.











There was NO Haupia ice cream . . . I will be going out tomorrow to find some. Yes, I will!

And to top things off I’m having problems with my little web book. I’m not sure how/if/when I can post to this blog. Hubby wants to take a hammer to ole Zippy and put him out of our misery. I’m not sure I want to stop him anymore.

It was a full day. I just want to say that I made it past 7:30 pm but not by much. I'm glad to be back.

Heading Home

Mahalo . . . until next year.

Packing Up . . . E-I, E-I, O

Wednesday, November 16th:

Yes, we're still grazing . . .

there are leftover Maui chips . . .

Leftover Haupia ice cream . . .

All the other leftovers . . .

I just finished off the Honeynut Cherrios!

"Someone" was busy doing something else. For hours and hours and hours . . . okay, it was nearly all day.

The other three of us spent time reading and relaxing during our last day.

Then we decided to pack the suitcases . . .

and the condo box with all our precious items . . .

We headed over to the Five Palms for our last dinner and opted for drinks and puu puus instead.

My last thoughts: If there’s one piece of advice I can give a person traveling to the Hawaiian Islands it’s to MAKE A RESERVATION if you plan to eat out! Unless, of course, you’re comfortable with sitting down at a table at 8:30 pm. The restaurants have been packed.

Here’s a special drink for Rosemary. I think you might have had two.

Aloha.

All Sorts of Island Treats

Tuesday, November 15th

We were all awake and ready to go at 8am, heading to Spice’s for breakfast. Coffee, omelets, and pancakes were the favorites.

Everyone at our table was a member of the clean plate club.

As we were leaving, Dirtboy said, “Did you see that French toast? I bed that would taste good with coconut syrup.”

Dirtboy doesn’t quite believe me when I tell him every breakfast place in Hawaii has it on their table: from the Grand Wailea dining room to The 5 Palms terrace, from Denny’s to McDonald’s.

The power of the coconut syrup got Dirtboy through his hours of work related conference calls.

Now if he could only finish the extra bag of Maui Style, Maui Onion flavored chips he bought at the store. It’s not the lunch sized, snack bag, it’s the large 14 ½ oz sized bag.

After the first set of conference calls we headed down to La Perouse Bay at the southern end of Maui. Named after French explorer Jean-Francois de Galaup, comte de La Perouse, who led an expedition to the Pacific in 1786, rounding Cape Horn and checking out Chile and Easter Island before arriving at The Sandwich Islands (the Hawaiian Islands).

La Perouse stopped at Maui only long enough to survey and map the bay then headed north to Alaska and Japan before returning to the South Pacific in 1787. He was expected home in France by June 1789 but neither he nor his men were seen again.

Completing the trek around the area Hubby drove us into Kihei-town for a shave ice… Mrs. Dirtboy’s newly discovered favorite. This time she was brave enough to try it with adzuke, Japanese sweet red beans.

I had trouble deciding which flavors I should choose: coconut, banana, POG? Or should I try something different like: blue vanilla, melona, or shark’s blood! I went with POG and melona.

Mrs. Dirtboy was afraid this might be her last shave ice. I told her that there were many places she could find them in Honolulu. The closer to the beach the better chance she had to score one. The Dirt-Couple are heading over to Oahu for a few more days before heading home.

The afternoon conference calls kept Dirtboy busy. The rest of us napped and read until it was time for dinner.

We returned to Ko at the Kea Lani Resort. They’re renovating their old site and are due to reopen February 2012. I can’t wait to see their new digs.

The rice cake with crushed edameme arrived soon after we were shown to a table.

We ordered off their Sunset Menu: Oishi Sushi for me and “Lumpia” Filipino Spring Rolls for the other three.

I poked out all the sashimi (raw fish) and piled it on the sushi with the heaviest drizzle of aioli sauce and dropped it onto his plate along with my wasabi dish.

Entrée: Hubby and I ordered Pancit Noodles and Ko Fried Rice.

Dirtboy and the Mrs ordered “Paniolo” steak and the Macadamia nut crusted Makai Catch.

Dessert: I had the Plantation Pineapple Cake, the Boys ordered Wailua Estate Chocolate Baked Custard and Mrs. Dirtboy was adventurous with her German Chocolate Cake selection, which had little cake and some sort of coconut filling topped with chocolate covered Macadamia nuts.

Believe it or not . . .

WE'RE NOT READY TO GO HOME YET!