honolulu gtg september 20, 2008

We will attend, please count us as 2

We would like to eat and drink on Saturday night

what about ploy thai?

is bob doing the hula?

Aloha!

We have been hoping to make it. I'm afraid it's still up in the air for us.

kathie, we are mindful of the airline turmoil, and its impact on travel to not only the gtg in honolulu but travel in general.

we hope that all our mainland friends will be able to make it to the gtg. however, we understand the economics of travel during this difficult times, and just hope for the best. if you all can be here, thats great, if you can't, we understand, so don't worry about it. there is always next time.

we might have to crown his bobness the king of the aloha week parade before he does the hula. are you sure you are ready for this? lol.

so far,

hawaiian traveller 2(peter and linda)
kuranosuke 2(ken and jackie)

Brad and I do not yet have our reserations, but the plan is to be in HNL for one week in mid-Sept for the GTG!
Carol

Unfortunately, most likely won't be able to make it now due to all of the stuff that's been going on and is still going on. Will miss you guys greatly though. Happy Travels!

guenmai, sorry we'll miss you. But I DO understand obligations at home. My last couple of years have been pretty busy myself. You can be with us in spirit!

Carol

Thanks Carol...I'm still flying out of state on some weekends...out on Fridays...and home on Sunday evenings and then to work on Monday mornings.There's so much to do and take care of and one can't move an 87 year old, so I have to do the commuting by plane.
I'll see you in BKK in December unless something else comes up. I bought the ticket back in February before all of these happenings started up in March. Although I have an apartment reservation at my building in BKK for the end of August. I'm 99.9% sure that I won't make it. But I still haven't cancelled the apartment reservation yet...just can't bring myself to do it yet. Happy Travels!

guenmai, I do understand. IF you get to keep your August reservations, we just might meet up there. I'm looking at the last two weeks in August for a possible return! Still have not booked the Dec/Jan trip, but I've promised my travel agent I'll be in to see her in June. I want her to get me on the Thai flight out of LAX this time.

Kathie, I hope you and Cheryl can make it to HNL.

Ken, Peter... what about Friday night? Bob and Karen will be there. I'm sorry we are missing the hoolaulea on Kalakaua!!! It was really loads of fun. What should we expect from the parade you mention?

Carol

carol, the parade on sat. is the main event of the aloha week festivities. i haven't seen it in years, but i think its usually 2-3 hours long. its during the day, so it won't affect the gtg.

of course we can do something friday nite. ht was suggesting an italian dinner at a neighborhood restaurant.

guen, we will miss you, but understand your challenges and priorities. there is always, next time.

kathie, just saw ua fare, sea-hnl rt, 9/18-9/22 $521.50.

Wow, Ken I'll have to check it out. Last I check (2 days ago) it was more than double that price!

Alas! The times and routings won't work for me, as I need to be at my office (and alert!) on both the Thursday before the gtg and the Tues after. I'll keep checking. Thanks for the lead.

ai yah, the parade is on 9/13. count me in though!

p.s. we're still in Asia...
http://urbanmixplate.honadvblogs.com

Mels -- I am so enjoying your Asia travel blog!

my informants tell me that the aloha week parade is on 9/20.

http://www.co.honolulu.hi.us/dts/usage/08/sep08.htm

Kuranosuke, I will check on that for you. That may be a typo! I am planning my 3rd annual ukulele contest on the 14th, and we always plan it for the day after the parade.

we have our res.....i hope this is not a change in date??

greetings from bali by the way...

I am sorry to tell you that the floral parade is, indeed, on September 13. I checked with Aloha Festivals exec. dir. Charlian Wright. For up-to-date information, best to go to www.alohafestivals.com

mels,i went to that site, and only saw the hoolaulea on 9/13, nothing about the parade. but if what you say is true, then the parade and hoolaulea will be on the same date?

anyway, others have confirmed travel arrangements, so lets leave it at 9/20.

our arrival is on 9/13, so we would very much appreciate you keeping it at 9/20 for the GTG


bob and karen

Yes, she said it's on the same day!

HNL will be a great GTG whether there is a parade or not. Let's keep the date set at the 20th.
Carol

seeing bob doing the hula on the 20th beats any parade or hoolaulea I can think of....

I hope he is getting a tailor made grass skirt while in Bali or maybe Jack in Bangkok can make him one,lol

Aloha!

I can see it now... thanks for the chuckle ht. Makes my 8hour+ flight to HNL worth while!!

ttt

for the recent local returnees who may have missed this, or anyone else....

Brad and I are now booked for our week on Oahu, at the PK once again. I like that hotel!

Looking forward to whatever is planned for the GTG!

Carol

I like these GTGs--this is where I met lcuy, reconnected w/ MelissaHI, put faces to everybody else's Fodorite names. Count me in. If BradinBKK is coming, do we want someplace other than Ploi Thai?

k-san, do u want to buy my ringgit? I discovered 450 ringgit after I left Malaysia. What do u do w/ ur extra?

mari-chan, what the heck are you doing with 450 ringgit? i'll buy them from you since i'll probably be going back there before you do. how much did you pay for them? $100usd?

as far as what to do on sat. we are open to all venues. what do you suggest we do?

i hope others will offer ideas and suggestions, then we can all decide what we want to do.

so far:

ht and linda
mels
carol
brad
mari
k-san and jackie
bob and karen(although he hasn't posted here yet. i think he's holding out for more.)

suggested location:

ploi thai.

k-san,

Where u been? 450 ringgit is $200--best price, black market!

MelissaHI and I do a bit of local food writing. Are we looking upmarket or downmarket?

mari-chan, choke..cough cough, $200?? i think you paid too much. no, waaaay too much. lol. let me think about it again. last time i was there, it was 3.8r for ichi doru. surly the doru couldn't have sank so low.

as far as upmarket..lowmarket, it doesn't matter to me. its what the group wants. i would like to have inputs from the mainlanders. why don't you and mels throw a few names out there, and suggestions, then we can all comment, and reach a consensus.

i'm a very easy going guy, so i'm game for anything, err, except game.

Brad and I are certainly easy going. Whatever the group wants to do is fine.

Still trying to firm up Sept. trip dates but if we are in town, we will be there! Will post when plans are finalized.

I'm looking forward to it. Ken, how about that Tuesday night hangout?

"they" are waiting for your arrival. will you be there?

k-san, I was kidding! Rate was something close to 3 ringgit to the dollar, so abt $150.

3.27, so abt $130?

mari-chan, after i reread your post, i laughed. of course you were kidding. a smart world traveler like you would know the bad deals when you see it.

anyway, bring it to the gtg, and i'll give you the hundred bucks.

any ideas for the gtg? perhaps team m&m+lucy can come up with a few suggestions.

marksfour,

Looking forward to meeting you and Linda is anxious to see a former classmate again.....hope you can make it!

Count us in! Not leaving until the 24th Looking forward to meeting you too and having a reunion with Linda

With last year's 'only-in-Hawaii' criterion in mind, I'm throwing out some venues for input:

Nouveau Japanese pub-style izakaya w/ sushi: TOKKURI-TEI

Asian fusion: HIROSHI EURASIAN TAPAS
SANSEI SUSHI & SEAFOOD
UNCLE BO'S (Thai fusion, lots of twentysomethings and thirtysomethings)

Also thought of Helena's Hawaiian Foods, but they don't open Saturdays and otherwise close at 7:30.

Comments or other suggestions?

greetings from krabi, where we had a mini GTG the nite before last...

of course we are in for anything that the powers that be suggest...i hope my friend skip from HI will also join us...

all of the venues sound good to us...why don't we create our own parade...??

my skirt is ready....it took 1000 trees to make it...

I also enjoy Uncle Bo's! We should go early to make sure we beat the young uns, because we will DEFINITELY skew the demographic.

ttt for lucy, who just woke up. lol.

lcuy IS awake--and has come up w/ a great GTG venue suggestion: GREEN DOOR CAFE.

Malaysian food, temperamental proprietress but can be won over w/ praise. BYOB I think.

mari-chan, ok, so from your last post, i assume that lcuy will be attending the gtg. hai?

Is Green Door, nonya food?

I'm afraid to go....my running friends hate it and said they were humiliated!

Aloooha! Mels' do you really think anyone can humiliate us?

I'll be there, where ever we go!

Consuela said she went to Green Door a couple of times while we were in Asia. Apparently Betty has hired some servers with better attitudes, and was nowhere to be seen.

Unless Consuela just happened in on Betty's nights off???

Hmmmmm.

Yes, I forgot to say that there is now wait-help and Betty is behind the counter taking orders and money.

Her bf is usually in the kitchen and he is the ex-executive chef from Oahu CC.

Well my vote of the aforementioned places would be for Uncle Bo's.

We better make a decision soon so we can get a reservation.

What say all you Hawaiian Fodorites? I think we need a vote soon.

Aloha!

Just did a google search for Uncle Bo's. Looks good. Nice variety on the menu. I like choices since I have food allergies. But then, Brad and I will be going "where ever" the GTG might be!! Really looking forward to another week in HNL.
Carol

Just say where and we will be there!

ttt

we will follow the heard...

Ok so...what's the headcount again? And what time?

"Follow the heard"? This is too good. Does one use one's ears for tracking? If Bob speaks, does this mean he's walking in circles?

English is a very difficult language to learn late in life.

whos coming:

ht and linda
bob and karen
mels
carol
brad
mari
marksfour+1
lucy
me and jackie

did i miss anyone? all welcome.

i like uncle bos too. good location. its right on kapahulu ave. just about 5 min. from the zoo. they have a nice room in the back, large enough for our happy group. the food is very good.

all comments are welcome, and recos.

btw, i recall going to cowboy movies, and remember scenes where the indians put their ears to the ground, and herd the sounds of horses approaching. they could even tell the approx. number of horses. so, i think bob knew what he was talking about. important thing is that he and karen will be there at the roundup. get em up, scout.

ken, you nitice that i put up the bucks to come to the GTG and others just run their mouths...

topping for rk, since he's closer now.

HT
Last year, Brad and I took a day trip to the big island. We had a beautiful drive (thanks to your fantastic suggestions). This year we will probably go over to Kauai for a day trip/drive. Do you have any suggestions for us this time? Looks like there is no drive "around" the island. How does one see the Kanapali coastline?

Looking forward to being back in HNL in September!

Carol

If you want the Kaanapali coast you have to go to Maui

If you mean the Na Pali coast you would have to hike or get on a zodiac rides from Hanalei. It is a beautiful hike but you don't have time in a daytrip.

There are two things worth seeing on Kauai imho

1. The Waimea Canyon lookouts and the views from the Kalalau lookouts in Kokee State Park. This will take about 3 to 4 hours round trip if you take your time and you can see the smallest of the inhabited Hawaiian Islands, and the only private one, Niihau, on the way up and down the drive into Waimea Canyon.

2. Hanalei and the Na Pali coast.

Turn right onto I think Highway 56 and head for Hanalei. Go all the way to the end of the road at Haena State Park. Stop at Opaekaa Falls, Kapaa town, Kilauea lighthouse and Hanalei either on the way over or on the way back. This is a very scenic drive and probably one of my favorites in Hawaii. Lots of "OLD HAWAII" when you past Hanalei(you'll see what I mean).Go all the way to the end of the road!

You can probably eat lunch in Hanalei somewhere.....so many options. This should take about 5 to 6 hours if you take your time and look around. It can be done in 4 and change if you rush....

Either way you are in for a treat!

Aloha!

HT

Ooops... my mistake (re: beach name) ... those Hawaiian names with all those vowels are soooo confusing! lol

Thanks for the suggestions. I've printed off your reply and will put it with the HNL info I'm collecting.

Thanks! See you in a couple of months.

Carol

Carol,

"Do something dirty on Kauai".

If you want to do and see something a little different on Kauai, these are fun and you see places you could never see on your own. Brad would love it!

If you were to do this, you could also see the Waimea Canyon as it is closer to that side of the island. This is in Koloa near Poipu, I think thats where Kathy stayed

http://www.kauaiatv.com/

Aloha!

ht, that looks abit dangerous for brad. lol.

carol, don't forget to get a mai tai at the tahiti-nui bar in hanalei.

Ken
The maitai sounds good. Anything special about the tahiti nui bar? Is it a big tourist stop or something?

Peter
I looked at the kauaiatv site. Looks like fun, but maybe better for a time when I'm on the island for an overnight and can shower before getting back on a plane for HNL..lol.

Thanks for all the suggestions. Keep 'em coming!

Carol

We did stay at Poipu, don't tell Bob but it was at the Marriott Waiohai Villas. We spent one day driving to Waimea Canyon and environs and another day to Hanalei. Both are great ways to spend a day. The day we went to Waimea Canyon, we stopped an Hanapepe and stopped at a small costal town that said they has the best coconut shrimp. It was a little roadside eatery and the shrimp were very tasty. Hanalei is really lovely. And do stop at Kilauea Lighthouse and wildlife refuge on your way. We saw lots of different birds and watched whales as well.

Carol, unless you decide to stay overnight, you'll need to choose heading toward Waimea Canyon or heading toward Hanalei. You can't really do both in a day.

carol, the couple of times i've been to tahiti nui, it was mostly locals. a few tourist. you and brad will feel at home. kauai people are really nice, and its a nice place.

kathie, you sure get around...roadside diner in hanapepe. maybe it was the green garden restaurant? many good places to eat there.

I took a one-day fly/tour trip from HNL (small group, by mini-van) a few years ago and did both the canyon and Hanalei. It really was not too rushed, I didn't think. We had time to relax a bit. I'd retrace the routes we took if I could find that tour schedule somewhere, but have had no luck. Maybe it isn't available anymore.

Oh well... sounds like we will have plenty to fill our day on Kauai.

Carol

Well, Carol, maybe we're just slow!

Ken the place with the coconut shrimp wasn't in Hanapepe, but was farther on toward Waimea. I can't remember the name of it or of the town, but I expect we'll look for it again. It was full of locals, no other tourists at the picnic tables when we were there. We loved our time on Kauai. I hadn't been to Kauai for at least 20 years! My ex and I used to stay at the old Waiohai until it was destroyed by the hurricane. Cheryl and I enjoyed our time on Kauai so much that we booked a trip for Feb. 2009.

Thanks for the tip on Tahiti Nui - we'll look for it in February. We ate at a little place in Hanalei, where I met a woman who was a bit miffed that I didn't recognize her since she had known me in four past lives.

Carol,

"those Hawaiian names with all those vowels are soooo confusing! lol"

as a former teacher it might some interest to you that the Hawaiian language only has 12 letters in their alphabet

only 5 vowels a e i o u
and 7 consonants hwpnmk and l

Auwe,I guess that's why it is so repetative

Aloha!

HT On a one-week trip to HNL with another elementary teacher (1996) during spring break, she and I figured out all the letters of the Hawaiian alphabet on our own! It's the phonics background, I guess.

One of my favorite words is the humuhumunukunukuapopaa (sp) fish! When I returned to the classroom after that trip, I wore a shirt that had the tiny little fish on the back of it. I would say that word for the kids. They LOVED it. (doesn't take a whole lot to impress a 6-year old)

Kathie, the shrimp trucks on the north shore of Oahu have great coconut shrimp as well. You should try it some time.

Carol

True, Carol, the north shore of Oahu is really lovely. My sister and her family like to rent a home on the beach there. The one they rented last time belonged to a guy who was a famous surfer in his younger days - and is still damn good in his 70s.

There is so much to see and do in Hawaii! I've not been to the big island, so that's a place on our list. I enjoyed your report of your day trip there last year.

Do try to make it to the big island sometime. The volcano area is really awesome!
Carol

ken, you wouldn't happen to be visiting sin city this weekend (7/25) would you?

bill, you must be psychic! you almost got it right.

we will be there for 080808, same date the olympics open in beijing.

me, i don't believe in hocus pocus, lol, but i tag along for the fun. a good friend went last year for 070707, lost his okole. but, he's coming along with us this year.

got any good horse leads for me?

no, but I had an extra ticket to muay thai boxing on sat. nite for you

too bad.....for me. maybe next time.

good luck!

OK, we're booked at Uncle Bo's for 7pm on Saturday 9/20. I see we want 6pm--will change time.

I booked for 14 people. Was told the room holds something like 65, so we'll get a section.

Any more coming?

can you give us the address and directions from waikiki... thanks...

we are really looking forward to it..

bob and karen

Bob,

check out the website for address and menu info

http://unclebosrestaurant.com/

we might just "pupu out" as we say here in HI

Aloha!

oh directions......from your hotel(assuming the Marriot) get onto Kalakaua Avenue and turn left.

Turn left at Kapahulu Avenue and it is about 5 minutes down the road at 559 Kapahulu Avenue on the right hand side of the street. Free parking is across the street in a vacant lot or there is on street parking. Valet parking starts at 6:00pm

ok, 14 @ 6pm at uncles bo's. byob, $10 corkage fee.

bruddah moke, the money changer, will be there with his hundred bucks.

sounds fantastic...i already decided that i will have a hawaiian pizza well done.....













just kidding...

OK, Hawaiian pizza for rhk--any other requests? We can pre-order closer to the date. I WANT THE THAI CHICKEN WINGS.

ht, Uncle Bo's called today, asked if I knew you and wondered if we cd have booked for the same party? I canceled my 7pm res.

mari,

Just saw your msg, we made reservation a few weeks ago in anticipation, thanks. Linda and I just went there Friday and had Thai chicken wings....onolicious!

Aloha!

no drinks???

what is the total we are expecting??

still 14, i think.

ht, what else did u have? i've been there once, want to try the clams, liked the spinach strawberry salad...

13.

jackie had the miso butterfish risotto, and i had the ciroc, shaken hard, up, with olive. also had some type of sashimi maki. very good.

mari,

we have had on 3 different occasions now

ciroc, shaken hard, one olive several times now - excellent

cuervo 1800 gimlet,shaken hard,up several times - excellent

1 bottle of Spanish white wine(the name escapes me now) - very good

crispy pot stickers w/sweet chili sauce - very good

Steamed shrimp shiu mai - very good

Walnut shrimp wrap - excellent

Thai Street Style Grilled Chicken Wings - very good

Escargot - just ok

Fire seared prime rib cut up as a pupu dish while sitting on the bar - excellent

Warm fudge brownie ala mode - to die for!

Aloha!

i'll be over in 15 munutes, please keep it all hot

topping for anyone else who may be interested.....Degas??

in case i want to bring a savings bond or can of boston baked beans for each participant, what is the final count??

so far 13, but don't forget, we always welcome walk-ons, just like the pats looking for a qb. they will do well to trade for colt brennan from the skins.

btw, forget the bonds or beans, bring the lobsters. we will have it sashimi style,sans peter. lol.

i'm going fishing for the lobsters today....do you want 1 lb, 1 1/4 lb, 1 1/2 lb or over 2 lb????

I hope you caught a lot of 2lb+ today....I can use them to buy you dinner on Fri night,lol

all i could get were over 5lbs so i threw them back....i figured peter would have to bring a large hammer to break the shells and he might drop it on his toe by mistake so i thought it better to be safe....after all linda could not possibly dance with a one footed man...

funny....Linda always said I dance like a one footed man

when did she add the one foot?

I recall some pretty good dancers from last year's festival, down Kalakaua Ave.... one foot or two, didn't matter!

my memory is a little foggy....

There are plenty of photos to prove it........

an early pre-GTG HI was held in boston on thrusday nite with the gpandas, rhkkmk's and the robmac's attending...

karen served a delicious dinner and we had lots of fun.

a few pictures of the pre-GTG are found at this site:

share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8BauXDJw2aqNYQ

pictures of the regular GTG will be posted in the next two weeks...

fyi, no need for a jacket and tie at hnl gtg. you'll be lucky to see me in shoes.

he claimed he came from work....have you ever seen anyone chasing an ambulance with a tie on??

ttt... before it moves to page 2...

See everyone soon!

We are so sorry to miss this wonderful gtg. We'll be on a less tropical island helping my mother settle in to her new place.

We hope to make it to next year's gtg.

Aloha to all of our Hawaiian friends!

kathie, we will all miss you and cheryl. hope everything works out for you and your mom.

carol,

See you guys Tuesday evening!

kathie and cheryl,

We will really miss you both this year. Hope to see you next year, the renovations to your Waikiki home will be done by then. Aloha to mom!

Aloha Pumehana!

Have fun guys - hope to join you at a different Honolulu gtg some time in the future.

have a great time everyone....

we leave tomorrow AM ...see you at the italian place on friday nite...

have a safe trip. don't talk to strangers. ring me when you get a chance.

We'll be in Honolulu after the gtg, unfortunately, but I have a question for you all. Can you suggest a good car rental agency, (read cheap).

marksfour -- I won't be there but you can't miss this one!

Aloha from the PK on Kalakaua Ave. We are here! Looking forward to another fun fodors week in HNL.
Carol & Brad

Shanghainese! I will miss meeting you at the GTG...next time for sure

It's starting already!!!

A short mini martini pre gtg last night at Indigo Bar in downtown Honolulu with Carol, Brad, kuranosuke, Linda and HT. Great to see Carol, Brad and Ken again. We all wanted to call rhkkmk and knock on their hotel room door but decided to wait till Friday.....maybe not

Aloha!

Glad you're having fun...wish I'd been there!!

I'm getting better day to day, and WILL be at Sabrina's on Friday.

Welcome Carol, Brad, Bob, and Karen!!

Ginny is coming to the Sat GTG (I think Ginny is Sara?) but not sure abt Fri at Sabrina's.

Are we now at 14 for Sat then? k-suke?

hai, 14-desu. btw, how much ringgit do you have?

Ah the ringgit--what a memory! 450 exactly.

lcuy, will Mr. lcuy be able to make it?

Greg and I are hoping to see Mr. Lcuy there too

Aloha from the PK, on Thursday am.

The mini-GTG at Indigo was really lovely! Wish we could have stayed around long enough for dinner. But I really needed some sleep by that time. A sandwich from ABC was just right, and then sleep!! If you recall, Brad was wanting to go play pool in a tournament that evening, but alas, he was too late to sign in for it by the time we got there. So we both had a good long sleep instead.

Yesterday I tried calling both Bob and Karen's cell phone #'s. Both got no response. Brad and I decided to just walk on down to the Marriott. Guess who was AT THE POOL.... yep, you guessed it. So anyway, we had a great day, the four of us, driving around the island in our Mustang convertible.

We did lunch at the Noodle Shop in China Town. It was really fantastic!! That meant we were not hungry when we passed the shrimp trucks on the north shore... too bad! Oh well, another time...

Relaxing today, maybe a trip to the mall, maybe time to walk Kalakaua, who knows. No plans. I think the day trip to Kauai will be either Sunday or Monday. Any preferences for which day would be better for us to go there... weekend vs weekday???

So looking forward to seeing everyone at Sabrina's.

Carol and Brad

Can hardly wait to see you all!!

Thursday was yet another fun HNL day. We picked up Bob and Karen and went to the Ala Moana mall for a walk and look around (including lunch at Bubba Gumps).

We went back to Indigo for more of those delicious "Tony Soprano" martinis like we had on Tuesday. This is really a neat place for happy hour.

We drove to the Arizona Memorial, after hours, parked and walked down to the water's edge for a look from afar; and had to make a tricky move to get out of the parking lot (which was being locked as we headed to our car)... there IS A WAY to get out.... Then out to Ko Olina Marriott time share property for a look. Thought we might be on the west coast of Oahu to see a sunset, but missed it. Oh well....

Cheeseburger in Paradise was our dinner spot tonight; along Kalakaua Ave, busy with people walking up and down. Great people watching from our table by the window (open air... no window panes).

Tomorrow night we meet up with fodorites at Sabrina's. Looking forward to it!

Carol

Carol,

Sounds like you all had a full and fun filled day.

Mystery fodors guest at Sabrina's tonight especially for rhkkmk!!!!

Hint: Female James Bond, lol

Aloha!

HT... I will probably be talking to Bob and Karen today. They will get their own car today and have some things they want to do, so we probably will not be driving around together. Should I tell him there is a guest especially for him? He has not been reading anything on the internet since Tuesday.

The res is in your name, right?

I see it's BYOB... I emailed you about that, but I've been searching this place to see what I can find out about it, so you need not reply. Sounds great!! See you soon.

Carol

Carol, It's a small place, you'll see us as soon as you step in the door.
Yes, you can tell Bob

Start a new thread. Happy Travels!

HT are you parking across the street at City Mill?

(hi guenmai... aloha)

female jb? not spygirl???eeeeekkk!

btw, you all will drive past uncle bos as you drive on kapahulu ave. to sabrinas. it will be on the right side, about 1/2 mi. past the ala wai.

see you all later.

hmm, I see that there is an award seat available this afternoon on United LAX->HNL in economy at 2:16PM and also the 5::19PM flight. Returns available on multiple flights on Sunday and Monday. Can still get Cash + Points at Sheraton Waikiki for tonight and tomorrow night.

Is spygirl from HNL? She hasn't posted on fodors for quite a while, unless she has a new alias... Can't wait to see who this mystery guest is! I'll warn Bob if I talk to him.

Mrwnrfl.... Come on over!!! The weather's fine! You'd have a great time out here. Don't suppose you can make it to Sabrina's for tonight though... Hope you'll go for it.

Guenmai.... are you seeing this same posting? Come on over!

Aloha... til later.

Carol and Brad

Carol,

I hope to park in front

There is parking at City Mill across the street or at Midas also across the street

Guen, press the "jump to most recent post" at the top of the thread......we miss you!

mrw, Come on down.....we'll save a place for you at Uncle Bo's

Aloha!

Finally decided to go to Paris for the weekend instead. Much shorter flight!

Wish I could have made it. Had a great time at the GTG there, 2 years ago I think. A few days there is like a week elsewhere.

Have a wonderful time.

bill, paris shorter?

c'est la vie.

paris, las vegas

of course, i should know better. lol. good luck.

btw, good rates on ua for oct. travel hnl to las.

HT...I miss you guys a lot,too. And I am hitting the most recent post section, but then I have to figure out how far I have to scroll up and figure out what I last read. Smiles. Happy Travels!

Carol...I can't just come on over. This year is too intense at home. I just got a call today and my mom is coming home tomorrow morning and I have to pick her up at the airport (Saturday) and I need to buy a plane ticket and try to fly to my dad. It's like being in a revolving door. But, have fun and please make sure that Bob doesn't disgrace the Fodorite name! Happy Travels!

We're back from a really wonderful evening of laughter and sharing of travel stories, a few (?) bottles of wine, and all that goes along with a fantastic Italian dinner with a lively group of fodorites at the table.

We were 9 tonight... Peter, Linda, Ken, Jackie, Melissa, Bob, Karen, DS and myself. A nice size group for conversation!! I'll let others chime in with some of the topics of discussion...

First of all, thank you thank you thank you, lcuy, for sending Mr Lcuy with those gorgeous leis!!! Spectacular!!! I've never seen any so beautiful. We all missed you tonight, but, look forward to seeing you tomorrow night at dinner. Please take care of yourself and know that you are in our thoughts and prayers. I remembered Mr Lcuy the moment he walked in the door at Sabrina's tonight, but never dreaming that he would be bringing such lovely gifts from you!! We tried to get him to stay for at least a glass of wine, but he wanted to get home.

Peter and Linda chose the perfect venue for our Friday night GTG. Sabrina's Italian Restaurant was really fantastic. The food was very authentic Italian. We spent over four hours there, partaking of caprese salad, assorted bruschetta, anti pasto, and then main courses, plus desserts that melted in your mouth. The great food just kept coming to the table! How we managed to eat it all is beyond me. Peter, you get a great big "atta boy" for your choice of Sabrina's tonight. I had no idea you could get such terrific and authentic Italian food in Hawaii!!

Thank you thank you thank you Linda, for the gift bags you brought tonight. I always feel so welcome when coming to a GTG with the Hawaii fodors group. No one is more hospitable!! You went out of your way to select an assortment of Hawaiian goodies that I will take home and savor. Thanks again. It is all much appreciated, I assure you.

Tomorrow night, it's off to Uncle Bo's. Mrwnrful, you really should have headed in this direction instead of Vegas. You're missing out! You too, guenmai, but I understand family commitments.

Time to sleep! I'll report in tomorrow, as I'm sure others will, with more details of the evening.

Aloha...

Carol

We're moving v-e-r-r-r-r-y slowly this morning, as I'm sure some others are, after last night's great meal and fun time at Sabrina's. Bob and Karen, on the other hand, were up and off to the north shore for some shrimp for lunch.

I'm sure tonight will be just as much fun, or more. We'll have a few more chairs at the table; and a couple of new faces from fodorville for us to meet. Looking forward to it!

See you at Uncle Bo's.....

Carol/Brad

It's nearly 10:30pm in HNL and we're back from yet another fun evening with fodorites.

Tonight we were a group of 15. It was great seeing everyone once again, sharing our travel stories and such. Fodorites from the Asia boards are some of the friendliest people you would ever meet!

Uncle Bo's was a good choice for a meeting place for our group. The food was all very tasty. We had a variety of pupus to start, and then dinner entres, from steak to fish to salads to pasta...

We're already discussing next year's HNL GTG. It would be great if we could get some more of the mainlanders to attend! I can promise you, you will enjoy yourself.

Tomorrow I think will have to be a quiet day of relaxation and maybe the beach! I haven't even taken time to walk down Kalakaua Ave yet!

Things I've learned this week in HNL would have to include the idea that "all roads lead to military bases" (where you cannot enter unless you have appropriate ID). I lost track of how many times we got onto a road that went to a military installation, and we had to admit to being lost tourists, but we were allowed to make a u-turn! I think they get that quite a bit.

Tantalus is a really scenic drive, if you have a car on Oahu. It's a road that goes up a mountainside from Punchbowl Cemetary. It's a winding twisting (and sometimes narrow) road with fantastic views and so much lush green foliage, very much like a rainforest! Totally unexpected!! A delightful drive.

The Pali highway, which goes from Aloha Tower through the mountains to Kailua on the east shore is a lovely drive. There are two tunnels along the way, one right after the other. Once you come out of the second tunnel, you get a fabulous view of the eastern beaches! We did not do the Pali Lookout, but I heard from fodorites that it is a really neat place to stop along the Pali highway. We will save that for next time.

Monday is our day trip to Kauai!

More later...

Carol

Well! Tonight was quite a huge GTG. Same players as last night PLUS lcuy + Mr. Lcuy; Mari808; Marksfour + Susu; and Sarah.

Uncle Bo's, although having yummy, eclectic Vietnamese/Fusion food, is a little too noisy for such a large group that needs to talk . But it was great to see everyone!

Thank you, simpsonc510, for the lovely wine bags, and Mr & Mrs. rhkkmk for the Thai/New England goodie bags! And of course, thanks to Katie for the Fodors bags and new releases. What a treat!!

Looking forward to next year.......

It was wonderful meeting all of you fun people, and putting faces to screen names! Thank you to M/M rhkkmk, SimpsonC510, and HT, for all of our goodies

Great to see M/M Lcuy & Mrs. HT again!

Wish we were heading to Boston to experience the notorious Boston GTG. Have fun!

Melissa, you mentioned something that was certainly on my mind when leaving Uncle Bo's. That is, that the ability to sit and visit in that restaurant is very difficult. It does get noisy! Sabrina's, on Friday night, was much quieter and everyone could hear one another and join in on the conversation.

The runners/walkers are filling Kalakaua Ave this morning. Peter and Linda, are you doing the walk/run???? It required an early start today.

Maybe we will run into one another again, before heading back to the mainland on Tuesday. It has been a lovely week on Oahu. Looking forward to returning next year!

Carol

(glad you enjoyed my "kitch" wine bags......)

Is that what that was, Vietnamese fusion? ...that was so good. This vegetarian took off her glasses and ate whatever was passed in front of her.

Yum Kailua pig nachos....back to soy products today . I did not see a thing last night LOL

So fun to meet you all. Carol thanks for the pumpkin potpourri, really forgot it was fall. Have a great stay.

Lucy, Marksfour, my end of the table, a lot of laughs, thanks.

Everyone else visiting...and basically people at the other end of the table. Sorry we did not talk more, nice to meet you all.

jackie and i had a great time last nite. always fun and enjoyable to see "old" friends, and meet new ones.

mahalo to karen and carol for the goodies. they will be put to good use. mahalo to mari for picking all the delicious pupus, and to bob, my seatmate for keeping me on my toes all evening.lol.

and mahalo to peter for organizing the friday nite dinner. it was really great.

safe journey home to bob, karen, carol and brad.

btw peter, you were right. next time i decide to bet half a cow, i'll check with you.

I missed all of you - so glad you had a great gtg. We plan to attend next year! Let us know when you set the date! Can we do Aloha week again?

The floral parade is likely to be Sept 12, 2009; the Aloha Tower Ukulele Contest will be on September 13. A full day of FREE local entertainment!!

As mentioned, Bmttokyo wished us all a good time--forgot to mention she had an earthquake yesterday morning!

Hoping bmttokyo is OK after the earthquake!

We had another nice drive to the north shore (no shrimp truck though, and the shave ice place must have had 50 people in line).

We're heading back to Sabrina's for dinner with Bob and Karen; our last evening with them on Oahu, as they go to the big island tomorrow, and we go to Kauai for the day; home on Tuesday.

Thanks again, Hawaii fodorites, for showing us such a great time on your beautiful island! Mahalo!!

Kathie, hopefully you will come back next year. Maybe guenmai too??

Carol

(Sarah, the pumpkin was from Bob and Karen)

We had a wonderful time the past two nights with all of you! The time just flew by.....

Mahalo Carol and Brad for the cute wine bottle holders, a very appropriate gift and thanks for coming all the way over here to Hawaii again to make our little gtg very special.

Mahalo to Karen and Bob for the potpourri and the beautiful gift, you shouldn't have.....wel maybe Bob should have
Also thanks for making that long journey over here to our gtg to hear that little known story about how my father died when he was three years old......,lol

Ken and Jackie, we can't thank you enough for all you did and always do when organizing our Hawaii GTG's, we could never have one without your leadership, Mahalo nui loa!

Mahalo Mari and Melissa for picking our gtg venue and taking over the ordering for all of us, it did get a little confusing there for a while.

It's always so nice to meet new fodorites like marksfour and her DH, beautiful people.

Thanks lcuy,milt and sarah , wish we could have talked more, next time for sure.

Kathie, we missed you all, hope you can make it next year.

Aloha!

p.s. we were talking about mangos last night, and it was too noisy for us to really describe the awesome mangos available to us at the Makaha Mango Festival. here is just a quick peek:
http://urbanmixplate.honadvblogs.com

My ears and liver are still recovering...

BEST FOOD: deep-fried nachos! (That was kalua pig? There was so much on my plate I couldn't tell. Also it was so dark I couldn't see)

NEXT BEST: Warm spinach salad with strawberries

BEST SURPRISE: Goodies from rhkkmk, Carol and Katie from Fodors, and Brunello di Montalcino from Carol/Brad--thank you! I'll come better prepared w/ my own next year

BIGGER SURPRISE: rhk is even funnier in person--and kmk is pretty fun too (she can't help being in rhk's shadow)

Bo's is Thai fusion, tho only in the pupus--the entrees looked like standard American/Waikiki fare. My vote for next year's GTG: Malaysian/nonya food at Green Door.

Awaken by a "moderate" 4.8 earthquake to start my Bday yesterday. There was no fussing about the quake just a little blur on the web. All is well, have not heard of any serious injuries. Thanks for asking Carol.

Looking forward to joining you all on a HNL GTG one of these days. Funny how my Uncle from HNL who lives in the Ala Moana area arrived yesterday with a small carry on for his stuff & a bigger suitcase bearing Macadamia nuts in every shape & form - cookies, toffees, chocolates, etc etc, & treats for my kids - cereal & candy & a whole lot more.

Best to all !!!

thanks Carol. You passed it to me so I thought it was from you.

CAN YOU HEAR BE BOB AND CAROL? Thank you. Very cute!

Brad and I had a really nice time on Kauai yesterday. We flew over from HNL just for the day. We left about 8:45am, so we were in our rental car, on the way to Waimea canyon, by 9:45. The drive up to the canyon was winding and exciting. We went "up" on rt 552, which goes out of Kekaha. The views of the canyon are awesome!! We went all the way to the very last lookout along the road. It was really clouded in at the Kalalau Valley lookout so I'm afraid we didn't see much. We could hear helicopters taking people along the Napali Coast though, so we knew you could see something underneath that mist. We came back "down" on the rt 550 road, which is even more scenic IMO than 552. I'm glad we got to see both routes.

We then headed back to Lihui and on around the other way, to Hanalei Bay, and beyond, all the way to the end of that road. Wow!!! Neat drive!!! Many one-lane bridges, lots and lots of foliange (and also rain... we had to put the top up on our Mustang) and beaches that were almost empty. The area west of Hanalei looked to be a real paradise indeed.

Lunch was very late (4ish) and was in Hanalei at a restaurant on the second floor of the Hanalei Shopping Center. It was open air, and a nice place for people watching from our table by the balcony railing. We saw Tahiti Nui bar AFTER we left lunch!!! Wish we had spotted it earlier. We really looked for it!! Honestly...

We saw two waterfalls. One was the Wailua Falls, well marked on my map of the island. The other one was not mentioned on my map (Opaeka'a, or something like that) but there was a sign for it, along the main roadway so we went up. We kept on going on this road (which is on my map), which goes out of Wailua. The end of the road (unless you are driving a Jeep) comes at a "bridge" (sort of) that had water going over it. The "road" beyond that "bridge" was dirt. Anyway, this drive, as you get past the Opa falls goes into a lush green forest. BEAUTIFUL!!! Well worth the drive. My map said it was Keahua Arboretum.

We were back at Lihui about 45 minutes before our flight, to turn in our car and shuttle to the airport, where we had time for a beer before leaving. The flight back to HNL was only about 20 minutes, if that. Seemed shorter coming back than it did going over in the morning.

Kauai has lovely beaches, scenic drives, lush green rainforests, and one of the wettest places on earth is in the center of the island. I think Kauai is my favorite island, after Oahu of course.

This morning we had a DOUBLE rainbow right off our balcony here at the PK. You could see the whole thing!! The pot of gold would have to be in the Pacific, as the rainbow ended over the water. I got a picture before it disappeared.

We're packing and flying home today (sniff, sniff). We so enjoyed our visit, and will most certainly be back next year for the HNL GTG. What a great excuse to visit Oahu once a year!!!!!

Mahalo to everyone who had a hand in making this such a lovely week.

Carol and Brad

(PS I loved the comment about the suitcase filled with macadamia nuts, cookies, etc... I'm doing the same thing!!! lol)

finally i get a chance to add a bit...

we had a very long flight from newark to get here on continental, but once here it is all worth the effort, and that was before we met up with anyone...we used FF points for the marriott waikiki, plus a $20 per nite upgrade to an ocean view room, which we are glad we did.

it was such a surprise to hear carol's ...."there they are..." as she approached us at the pool just after our first dip....

the weather has been quite warm....guess we did not need the sweaters we brought for evening use...duh!!!

we had so much fun with carol and brad touring around and of course eating at interesting places....

we did get to a shrimp truck for the garlic shrimp---a unique and messy experience, but well worth the drive...we choose Giovani's, the original shrimp truck...there are many to choose from...

i have pictures which i will post on the upcoming weekend after my return home...

having had to miss the cocktails at indigo on tuesday nite, we were glad to be able to return there with carol and brad for happy hour on wednesday....its a great spot right there in the "renovated" chinatown district...


the friday nite pre-GTG dinner was way over the top....the place was perfect, the food unbelievable, the owners were so gracious, and the noise we created was over the top----feel sorry for other diners who were expecting a delicious QUIET meal....well they got the delicious... linda and peter were in rare form.....we were glad to meet up with everyone, to finally get to meet mr lcuy, jackie and melisa...

the leis were so unusual and beautiful...mine especially i love and have kept....its called a cigar lei----round the size of a cigar and tightly bunched flowers with nuts and leaves to ocassionally break up the lovely reddish color...i'm hoping it will dry and can be used on our spirit house at home for decoration...thank you lcuy and mr lcuy for making the special trip to bring them to us...

saturday nite was tons of fun also...the food was good and the company over the top....we got to meet a few more fodorites and they were all just as charming as the regulars....thanks ken for arranging it!!

dave, an attorney, was especially nice as i am used to attorneys being in the 'mold' of gpanda---the 'ambulance chasing' type....

karen loves the big grass box she was given filled with tons of hawaiian stuff...

carol came through for us bring cheese knives in the shape of a mouse from bkk so that we could include them in our little bag as our offering....i still owe her for them....

we are currently on the big island for 3 days to recover from our busy days in honolulu....we are staying in hilo at a very nice B&B overlooking the harbor (a huge cruise ship is in the harbor today)...at nite the bugs and the waves vie for who can create the most noise....the B&B name is The Bay House....has three rooms and is very nice...

last nite we ate at the cafe pesto which was delicious....would like to return there....


so this ends my mini-report and i will notify you when the pics are available later this week

B&K

gpandas do not have mold.

Finally posting to give a big THANKS to Ken for his work making this happen.

I was really glad to be able to make it to Uncle Bo's. Great crowd that night..so much fun to see Marksfour and Mr Marksfour, HT and Linda, Kuranosuke and Jackie, Sarah, Mari, Mels, and our special guests Bob & Karen and Carol & Brad.

The food was wonderful, the convrsations wildly diverse and loud, and it was fun to see how young and hip the crowd had become as we exited the place!

Small world, isn't it? My first GTG was years ago, arranged by MelissaHI. I thought I'd be meeting a bunch of strangers; in fact I already knew 3 out of the 6 attendees. Just didn't know their screen names! Now I've traveled to Asia with some of those 'strangers" and here were people from all over the US meeting again.

I was sorry to miss the Sabrina's dinner and the other mimi GTGs over the week, but am not complaining. At least I was able to make the best night!

And, I've got tickets to Boston for the GTG on 10/11.

Thanks again to all of you.

Mahala to all who helped make this week a memorable one...and memorable it will be. Great stories,esp Peter's father being dead for 3 days, great food at Sabrina's and Uncle Bo's, great lei's, thank you Lucy, great gift boxes,thank you Peter and Linda, and great conversations with all our " new friends". It will be hard leaving this lovely weather behind, but we are looking forward to seeing some of you in Boston. karen

peter and lucy, mahalo for those kind words. it was fun organizing the gtgs, but now time to move on.

btw, someone mentioned having the next gtg at the green door restaurant. my reco for the next organizer is to check to see if the restaurant is still in business before suggesting it as a gtg spot. just a hunch.

can't wait till i see the 8lb lobster that bob told me about. we can have half as sashimi, and half in a lobster roll. yum.

faneuil hall,here i come.

ken---so sorry 8 lb lobsters are no longer available.....you will have to have a 10 lb one!!

thank you for the fodors books which katie sent....we have been using the big island book which we received at the GTG....thanks katie

we leave the big island tomorrow afternoon with a ongoing flight to newark and then boston arriving friday afternoon in time for dinner....its been a lovely break to be here in HI for 10 days...

gpanda please meet us at the airport with dinner reservations in hand....no excuses accepted...

i have just posted my pics as a new thread

bob

B & K -- We ate at Cafe Pesto and stayed at The Bay House last year too, it was so nice, big super clean comfy rooms, could feel the ocean spray from the lanai, and delicious breakfasts. We love the owners, caring and gracious, made us feel like family.

shang---it was a perfect place to stay we felt....i have made a special post about it on the US board so that others might utilize it....

we ate at pesto twice and loved it....they also have one in kona area...

they have a creamed onion soup which i thought was the best thing i have ever tasted...

next years' organizer:.....any chance to push the GTG back into october for next year.....if so we might be able to return again at the beginning of an asia trip....we are just one of many however, so timing is up to the whole group of course....

Bob
hope you didn't also put in a good word for Sabrina's. THAT place needs to remain a secret!!! lol I want to be able to get a table without booking weeks ahead...