Arigato Hawaii

Watch Out - March 10, 2011.

12 hours before Honolulu was issued a tsunami warning.    

Work brought me to Hawaii this week.  As usual it was all work and no play, but I did treat myself to a vacation day and was able to take a few photos and work on my tan.  During this trip I discovered the lovely combination of ice tea and pineapple juice. Amazingly refreshing but also potentially dangerous when adding vodka to the mix!

For you foodies out there: I discovered Red sea salt. This salt is gathered from the sea along the reefs in Hawaii and mixed with Alaea, a rich volcanic red clay, much more potent than regular sea salt and your average table salt.

Lastly, I discovered a cool new hotel called the EDITION.  Swanky & cool, this setting was amazing.  For a casual dinner and drink check out Morimoto Waikiki. 

Note Worthy: The trilogy book set of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was available for purchase at the hotel gift shop.  Need I say more!  

Perfect Palm Trees before the rain storm. March 2011

The War Memorial - March 10, 2010 - Waikiki, Hawaii

The War Memorial - Waikiki, Hawaii

Star Beach Boys - Yellow Umbrella

A girl and her dog - Waikiki, Hawaii

Pineapple After Dark

Somewhere over the Pacific Ocean, I got the brilliant idea I would climb Diamond Head.  Although this sounds like a fun adventure, when you're in Hawaii on business there is very little room for downtime.  Even though I packed my running shoes and swimsuit (optimistically), both items remained unused.  And even though my cab driver suggested I hike a mountain in Maui, "so the clouds can be underneath me" (the cab drivers words not mine),  I barely had time to grab lunch (although lunch was at Cheese Burger of Paradise!)

So the other night I decided not to feel sorry for myself, but act out my mantra of "life is what you make it," and I went for an amazing walk on Waikiki Beach and took a few pictures along the way.  Although this trip didn't involve any site seeing, I was able to eat at some of my favorite places. Most importantly I was able to go back to the spot where my husband proposed to me.

On the last day of the trip, I rescued my running shoes from the dungeon of my suitcase and strapped them on for a quick jog on the beach. 

I think I might just get use to these Hawaii trips after all.......

Driving back to the Maui Airport I stopped at this remote beach for a quick walk.

A single beach umbrella in front of the Moana-Surfrider Hotel.

Wakiki Beach with city skyline. 

My new red handbag at the beach.

Surfboards rest on the beach after dark.

Mele Kalikimaka

I forgot how cold the Bay Area gets in the winter.  Thank goodness I'm fleeing to Hawaii tomorrow.  No need to be jealous, it's work related.  Although there will be no leisure time during this trip, I'm certainly motivated to get up early so I can at least go for a nice jog!

Hopefully my early mornings will help me get some good pictures. 

More to come!