Oahu November 2015 Trip Report

Old Nov 24th, 2015, 10:57 AM
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I want to see you two at the END of this trip to compare the 'before' and 'after'. I want to see you both looking rested. (OK, OK, so I'm a Grandma.)
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Old Nov 24th, 2015, 11:44 AM
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Thanks Patty! Koko Head was yummy. I'd definitely like to reutrn. There were a lot of things I'd like to try on the menu.

ChiSue - haha don't you know by now that we are always on the move? I can take a few hours on the beach but anything more and we get antsy. A successful Hawaiian vacation for us is when we've been able to see and eat everything under the sun.
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Old Nov 24th, 2015, 01:33 PM
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Day 3 Part 2:

After our pretty active morning, we headed out to grab some lunch. We went to Hawaii’s Favorite Kitchens, which is a takeout spot right next to Rainbow Drive-In (it is operated by the same people). It is a combination of Honolulu’s most beloved old-school diner favorites all under one roof. Inside, there is one counter that sells popular items: KC Drive-In’s waffle hotdog, Poke Stop’s tasty poke bowls, and of course, Rainbow Drive-In’s plate lunch (called Rainbowls). In addition they have an outpost of Shimazu Shave Ice. This was really nice because I didn’t have to go to different places to get my poke and shave ice fix and it is very close to Waikiki. They also have a parking lot which it shares with Rainbow Drive In.

The space is new and bright and seating is indoors, unlike Rainbow next door. We wanted a large poke bowl and we did a half and half of the spicy garlic ahi with edamame, and the creamy spicy poke. It was delicious! I really loved the spicy garlic with edamame. It was a really tasty combination. After the poke bowl I got a Shimazu Shave ice. It’s great that you can get one right there without having to drive to Kalihi, although the original one I think is a little better; still I was happy to get my shave ice fix!

A few doors down, we got yet another poke bowl (this time, to-go) at Ono Seafoods, which was our personal favorite for a long time. However, I keep thinking about that spicy garlic ahi poke from Poke Stop so that may be my new favorite going forward.

The afternoon breeze picked up after lunch. We wanted to check out the 6th floor pool at the Waikiki Banyan but it was a little too windy to lay out. We did get to use the hot tub though, which was nice. After resting up in the condo we headed out that evening for dinner at Hale Ohuna, Chef Lee Anne Wong’s new noodle bar in Kaimuki.

Hale Ohuna is located on the main drag of Kaimuki and is close by to Koko Head Café where we had breakfast the day before. The new place is a modern two story restaurant with a large bar area. We sat in the upstairs seating area. To start, we ordered the kawa dumplings, a fried lotus root appetizer special, and I ordered a cocktail with beet juice in it. There is a pretty extensive cocktail/liquor menu and the cocktails all feature hand crafted ingredients and fresh juices - thought that was pretty cool.

The appetizers were tasty – kawa dumplings uses chicken skin as the dumpling wrapper of the meat filling and the whole thing is deep fried, sort of like fried chicken meets potsticker. The lotus roots were good, but not as exciting compared to the dumplings.

As entrees, we split two noodle dishes, a ramen called “‘Elima pua’a ramen: Shinsato pork bone broth, miso braised belly, kalua pig, chicharron, black garlic kotteri, onsen egg, tokyo negi, benishoga, wakame, heart of palm, sapporo style noodles” and a dry-style braised lamb neck curry udon which was a special of the day. The ramen was really delicious and flavorful. It sounds like a lot of ingredients in a dish but they all really worked well together. The lamb neck curry was very nice but could have used a bit more sauce as it got a bit too dry when we mixed everything up.

For dessert we got a tofu panna cotta with fresh passionfruit. It was really good! Oh and we met chef Lee Anne! I follow her Instagram and I thought she was traveling at that time but fortunately she was there that evening. I told her I was a big fan and we came all the way from New York to eat her food (she’s from New York). She’s very sweet and I really liked how she checked on each and every table dining there – sometimes chefs stay behind the scenes but I like it when I get to meet them. I definitely enjoyed Hale Ohuna and would love to return on our next visit. Reservations are available (unlike at Koko Head) and I would suggest making them.

Tomorrow (Day 4), we work off all the food we’ve been eating by climbing up KoKo Head Crater!
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Old Nov 24th, 2015, 07:10 PM
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Day 2 Part 2 is now on the blog! You have to see the picture of the huge beef bone that was part of our appetizer at The Pig & The Lady:

http://sulynnchen.com/travelblog/?p=1606
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Old Dec 1st, 2015, 07:18 AM
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Day 4:

Today it was Saturday and on every Oahu vacation we always go to the KCC Farmer’s market first thing Saturday morning. We enjoy the vendors and stalls there and going around sampling all the foods. I remembered to bring my mason jar from Waimanalo Country Farms so I could get a refill of lemonade for 4 bucks.

It’s best to go early (like at 7am when they open) so you can get a decent parking spot close to the market. The morning had some sun showers and it was off and on rain. We didn’t mind though. We started out by getting 2 orders of the grilled Big Island Abalone (4 minis to an order) – I added some soy sauce, lemon juice and butter. The abalone is very tender which is pretty rare to find since it is a naturally tough sea creature. It made for a very tasty start to our morning!

We went around and sampled some locally made products…breads, cookies, jams, honey, dressings and dips. I got my refill of li hing lemonade and happily sipped it throughout the morning. We got an order of these huge grilled shrimp (more like a prawn). They were head-on and shell on so they were pretty hard to eat, especially standing up, but they were really good. Then we sat down to share a bowl of noodles at our favorite, The Pig & The Lady (third time on the trip we're eating at a Pig & The Lady establishment!) We shared an order of the chicken pho. As we were sitting, we had a lovely chat with some locals who were talking about their recent trip to NYC and we were sharing stories about Hawaii. Someone told me about a takeout spot called Your Kitchen which I had heard of before. She said it was her favorite bento/lunch place. Sadly we never made it there on our trip but we will next time!

After our satisfying breakfast at the KCC, we drove towards Hawaii Kai and headed to Koko Head Crater. We were going to attempt this hike again. It’s more than 1000 steps to the top on an old railroad track. We first did it in 2013 – and it was hard, really hard. It’s like climbing flights and flights of stairs in the heat. It was probably a tad better this time but still pretty hard. I wore trail shoes which I think helped get some traction as I remember the first time I wore regular sneakers and slipped a few times. Definitely bring lots of water! The views as you get higher and higher are amazing. Definitely worth the hike. Lot's of people were doing this hike, both local and visitors. Luckily for us it was still overcast as we went up so we didn’t have the sun blazing down our backs. The sun came back up as we headed back down though so by the time we got back to the parking lot we were sweating buckets. I guess we needed this after all that we’ve been eating!

We decided to get a treat nearby at Uncle Clay’s House of Pure Aloha, which is a shave ice/ice cream spot specializing in natural ingredients. We came here after the first time we climbed Koko Head so I guess now it is tradition. We got the green tea shave ice with azuki bean, ice cream, and mochi. It was really yummy and refreshing - the perfect treat after a strenuous hike.

Later that afternoon we had lunch nearby the condo at the Marriott Waikiki – Arancino. Delicious Japanese-inspired Italian food. I had the pasta with uni (sea urchin) with a garlic, butter, white wine sauce. It was really good but you have to like uni to appreciate this dish (I do). DH got a pasta with calamari and tobiko which is just a flying fish roe. I really like Arancino and would one day like to try their fancier restaurant at the Kahala Resort.

We spent the afternoon walking around Waikiki beach. It was raining on and off and the sun would peep through every so often. It was definitely prime rainbow weather though!

Dinner was at a new and popular place downtown: MW Restaurant. It’s sort of a more casual fine dining concept. The chefs trained at French Laundry, Alan Wong’s and Per Se. There is an open kitchen and the space is bright and modern. There was valet parking but I can’t remember if it was free. We may have had to pay 5 bucks. But it was a welcome relief to not have to look for parking in the area.

DH got the tasting menu which included about 5 courses but I wanted to try specific things so I got a la carte. I got a local Greek salad to start, which was actually really large. The greens were really fresh and the dressing was great. It got it’s local flavor by the addition of some shiso leaves which are a type of Japanese spice, similar to basil. DH got a multitude of appetizers on a plate. I spied some Korean fried chicken, mini kobe slider, and pork belly bao. I also got Ahi tuna tartare with uni and ikura – the presentation was beautiful and everything was really fresh and bright. I really do love uni.

DH’s next course was a seared foie gras, which was delicious. His next three courses were fish, lobster, and short rib. He enjoyed everything he got. I got the mochiko-crusted opakapaka, a pink snapper crusted with sweet rice flour and deep fried, served with 3 types of picked vegetables and a dipping sauce. It was very good. I love opakapaka and I order it whenever I see it on a menu and MW’s version didn’t disappoint. I still do have a soft spot for Alan Wong’s pork hash-crusted opakapaka though.

Our dinner was really fantastic but dessert blew me away. I wanted to try the Kula Strawberry shave ice and it was just as good as it sounded. Frozen kula strawberries were “shaved” onto a coconut tapioca base with fresh mochi. I loved this dessert! I don’t know which one I liked better – The Pig and The Lady’s Flava Fatality or this. I must admit I have lost some of my sweet tooth over the years but these desserts have really brought it out again. DH also got a passion fruit panna cotta, a chocolate bar, and mini malasadas as part of his meal. All were very good but the shave ice was the favorite.

I would highly recommend MW restaurant. The prices are in line with Alan Wong’s but I thought the food was more modern and innovative whereas AW was more classic pacific rim. I think this could be our new favorite “fine dining” in Hawaii!

Coming up the next day, we head windward!
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Old Dec 2nd, 2015, 07:50 AM
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Still reading... little time to comment though.
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Old Dec 3rd, 2015, 07:22 AM
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Thanks ChiSue! The holidays are always a busy time. I have to keep on top of this TR though just so I can write everything down while it's still fresh.

Here's my blog post on the Oahu Sunrise Photography Tour with pictures!
http://sulynnchen.com/travelblog/?p=1614
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Old Dec 3rd, 2015, 09:58 AM
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GORGEOUS pix!
I would do that tour in a heartbeat. But I might have to take my breakfast with me and eat after the sun had risen!
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Old Dec 4th, 2015, 04:18 AM
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Thank you Songdoc!
It was a really fun tour. There were also full day and sunset tours but I was really tired after the sunrise so I can't imagine how exhausting the full day tour would be. You'd probably get some incredible shots though.
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Old Dec 4th, 2015, 11:02 PM
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Great trip report! Thanks!

One comment though! Old Pali highway (hike from Pali Lookout) is not closed to hikers! It is only closed to vehicles! I've done this hike many times!
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Old Dec 5th, 2015, 10:33 AM
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dusty56438 - Thank you!

Oh I didn't know it was only closed to vehicles. There was just a big sign saying road closed...I didn't realize that it didn't apply to people. Our guide said, don't worry, they know that we are here when we all pointed to the sign. LOL.
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Old Dec 7th, 2015, 03:19 AM
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Thank you for such an in-depth trip report with lots of helpful tips. With this TR and Suze's helpful tips from many trips, we've got some great info for a future visit to Oahu. (Our goal is to rent a condo at the Landmark for a month and then explore leisurely without a car through buses, guided tours, etc). This one from the site you used looks perfect: http://evrhi.com/honua
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Old Dec 7th, 2015, 05:20 AM
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WeisserTee - thank you for reading! Wow a month on Oahu! You're gonna have a great time! I'm jealous. The landmark looks awesome and the condo looks beautiful, I especially love the pool area, such a rarity in Waikiki to have a large pool.
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Old Dec 7th, 2015, 07:26 AM
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Yes, that's why we picked it. Lots of room to swim and no jellyfish ;-) The Landmark requires a 30-day minimum rental period; apparently some people don't stay the whole time, but if we're splashing out that much for a vacation rental, we're going to make sure we spend every night there.

It will also be nice to stay in a building that appears in soooo many Hawaii 5-0 overhead location shots...
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Old Dec 7th, 2015, 11:01 AM
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Of course, if I spend money on a condo I'd want to stay and enjoy the entire time!

That's really cool. You can say that you stayed there while pointing to the TV. I've always wanted to say at the Ilikai for that reason.
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Old Dec 8th, 2015, 10:17 AM
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Hooray! Thanks so much for posting such a detailed report about your trip. Really enjoyable reading and excellent information.

aloha, suze
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Old Dec 8th, 2015, 11:41 AM
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Thanks suze! Appreciate it!

Day 5:

This morning we had breakfast at Bogart’s Café near Diamond Head. I had heard good things about the acai bowl here so wanted to check it out. You order at the counter and then find a seat. The place is small and fills up fast but we managed to get a table for two. We ordered the acai bowl and the crab and avocado omelet. We’ve had the omelet before and it was just as good as we remembered it. The acai bowl on the other hand was pretty standard. It was rather boring. It was just acai with some basic fruit and granola that tasted store-bought. I think because I have had such great acai bowls with many unique toppings on previous trips to Hawaii that I just expected more. Many people like the acai here though, maybe because of its simplicity.

After breakfast we headed east! We were off to Lanikai beach, one of the most beautiful beaches in all of Hawaii IMO. We found parking on the side of a road. Note, Lanikai does not have a dedicated parking area nor facilities but neighboring Kailua beach does. We walked through the access path to the beach in between stately beach homes. It’s such a pretty sight to see the blue water and white sand as you get closer. Finally we see the beach and the Mokuloa islands in the distance. Then we realized it was probably the windiest day of the trip today, and we were on the windward coast. Holy wind tunnel batman! Boy, was it gusty on the beach! Hair and towels flying everywhere. We had to weight down each end of our towels with something because it was crazy windy. It was still very beautiful though, but I felt bad for the kayakers who were doing everything possible to stay on their boats. Despite the breezy morning we managed to have a lot of fun. At least it was sunny!

After battling the wind we left the beach and stopped by the Kailua Farmer’s Market. It was winding down when we got there but I recognize many of the vendors from the Saturday KCC farmer’s market and Wednesday’s Honolulu market. We headed back to Waikiki but we drove down the scenic route and stopped at the Halona Blowhole and Halona Beach Cove. Very beautiful views (still windy though) and Halona cove you will recognize as the beach from the movie “From Here to Eternity”. You can climb down some rocks to access it too. A very nice picture spot!

Back in Waikiki we had lunch at the Waikiki Shoreline Hotel – at a newish café called Heavenly. We walked there from the Banyan and took us about 20 minutes. I had not heard too much about this place but everything I saw on it has been favorable. The restaurant has a chic beach-y ambiance and the food is organic and sourced locally where possible. The menu looked great, lots of interesting, healthy options with an ethnic twist. DH got the shrimp pho noodle soup, and I got the Hainanese chicken rice, which is something I grew up eating (I’m from Singapore). I also got a green smoothie which was really good. The shrimp pho was very surprising. It was hearty and quite complex. It exceeded my expectations because I have not had good pho outside of a dedicated Vietnamese restaurant. My chicken rice was slightly different than what I was used to but it was quite tasty! Brined and poached chicken breast is served chilled with rice cooked in chicken broth, and some condiments on the side. It also came with a bowl of broth. I thought the flavors were well balanced. I would definitely return to Heavenly, maybe to try breakfast one day.

After lunch we wanted to walk around that end of Waikiki a bit but then it started to pour! We ducked into a dept store and waited it out for about half an hour, then it got sunny again. We walked around then went back to the Banyan. We were heading to the North shore the next day and needed to get some gas so we drove over to Costco to fill up.

Gas filled, but not hungry enough for dinner, we spent our evening at the movies at Ward Center (Spectre, which had just opened). I like theatres in Hawaii because you can get local snacks like fruit with li hing, and popcorn with mochi crunch.

We had a late night dinner at one of our favorites, 678 Hawaii, a Korean BBQ joint. Really yummy Korean barbeque they cook in front of you. Service is always on point here too.

Coming up, our escape to the North Shore!
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Old Dec 9th, 2015, 04:51 AM
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Day 3 Part 2: Hawaii's Favorite Kitchens and dinner at Hale Ohuna is on the blog!

http://sulynnchen.com/travelblog/?p=1625
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Old Dec 16th, 2015, 05:28 AM
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Day 6 Part 1:

Today was Monday and we thought it was a good time to go on our North Shore adventure! We figured we’d avoid some of the weekend traffic by heading north on a weekday. We usually do the North Shore at least once on each trip. We enjoy it a lot and we always have a meal at a shrimp truck and end with a Matsumoto’s Shave ice (and maybe a pie from Ted’s Bakery, oh and Dole whip too).

This morning we had breakfast at Cream Pot, it’s a cute little place in the Hawaiian Monarch hotel. It had quite a vintage vibe…think antique lace and vintage dinnerware. However, the restaurant was nice and bright in the morning light! I ordered one of their specialties…soufflé pancakes with strawberries, and DH got a special of that day, scrambled eggs with brie and smoked salmon. The food was very tasty. The soufflé pancakes were very light and airy and the eggs were scrambled very well. I would say the portion size is on the small side though. I would return here as I think the place is cute and there were some other things I’d try on the menu.

Before our trip I had booked us a little farm tour of Kahuku Farms. It was called the Smoothie Tour and it is a tractor ride through their farm followed by a serving of their fresh fruit smoothies. The whole tour only takes 30 minutes so I thought it would be a nice stop that didn’t require a huge time commitment (there are longer farm tours as well). The smoothie tour was at 1pm so we had plenty of time to explore on the drive up!

We drove up north stopping at a place I’ve want to go to for a long time, the Byodo-In Temple. I had never been here before but I’ve always recognized it from movies and TV shows such as LOST and Hawaii 5-0 (I actually think it was in the last episode of H50!). The drive into the temple grounds was so peaceful and serene. You pay a small fee to enter. The temple itself is quite small but it’s beautiful and majestic, especially in the early daylight with the mist in the background. There are some black and white swans roaming the property as well, and a huge koi pond. You can visit the inside of the temple but you have to take off your shoes to see the Buddha. There is a small gift shop on the grounds as well.

Continuing up north on the Kamehameha Highway, we stopped at Kualoa National Park for a view of Chinaman’s Hat…the little island called Mokoli’I Island. It was still windy today…in fact I think most of November was windy on the islands. We couldn’t escape the wind!

Continuing up north, we visited one of our favorite chocolate stores, Fine Ass Chocolates. If you check in on yelp and like them on Facebook they give you a discount! It’s a great place to get really nice gifts as their chocolate covered mac nut balls are made with premium chocolate (and they have funny names like Fire Balls, Salty Balls, Flaky Balls, etc.). They make great gifts!

Further up we stopped at North Shore Taco Co because DH wanted a quick snack. The fish tacos were not bad…but I would not go out of my way for this. Then we came upon Hukilau Beach and decided to spend some time there. Yes it was windy but it was beautiful! Such a pretty beach and barely a handful of people were there. There are no facilities on this beach though but I’d definitely come back again.

It was time for our smoothie tour at Kahuku Farms! It’s a family-owned farm, and they actually have many acres of commercially-grown produce, but the farm itself that is available for public viewing in Kahuku is their organic and sustainable farm. The produce is mainly used in their on-site café (including in those smoothies!). Our tractor tour was done by the owner himself (his wife mans the café and his mom creates all the recipes). It was a short tour, but it was fun since my husband has been growing vegetables and fruit in our own organic garden in New Jersey so he’s been really interested in anything that sparks his green thumb.

After the ride, we went to the café and each received our smoothies which was perfect since it was really hot at this point in the day. The included smoothie is the papaya smoothie, and it was really good, possibly one of the best smoothies I’ve had! It was thick yet refreshing with the flavors of papaya and coconut. I was contemplating ordering another one but something else caught my eye. I saw other people order the grilled veggie pesto pizza and it looked really good so we had to get one to share. I don’t normally go for grilled veggies and pesto but let me tell, you their version is awesome! The fresh veggies and pesto made from farm-grown basil with cheese on a thick yet crisp crust…delicious. It’s served with a side salad with homemade dressing. They also have other salads and sandwiches on their menu, all produce sourced from the farm, of course. They even have a pretty neat hydroponic section where they grow lettuces. In addition they sell homemade skincare products made from honey. I definitely think Kahuku Farms is worth a stop, especially for a bite to eat in their café!

Not quite satiated yet, we wanted to hit up a shrimp truck because no visit to the north shore would be complete without one. Our usual go-to is Romy’s but we had heard great things about Fumi’s so that’s where we went on this trip. It wasn’t that crowded which is great as once we had to wait 45 minutes for food at Romy’s. I got the spicy garlic shrimp and DH got the lemon pepper. It’s served with 2 scoops of rice, side salad and slice of pineapple. I liked my spicy shrimp more than the lemon pepper, which tasted like store-bought seasoning. But the shrimp were good and tender, and the addition of salad and pineapple were nice. I’d probably go back to Romy’s next time but I’d recommend either place.

Coming up…more North Shore beach going, we find a new spot for turtle viewing, and we end the day with a shave ice!
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Old Dec 29th, 2015, 05:10 AM
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Updated the blog with Day 4 Part 1: KCC Farmers Market, Koko Head and Uncle Clay's.
http://sulynnchen.com/travelblog/?p=1632


and Day 4 Part 2: Arancino and MW Restaurant
http://sulynnchen.com/travelblog/?p=1638

Had too many pictures so I broke Day 4 up into two parts. Enjoy and Happy New Year to all!
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