As I described in my Kauai post, saimin is a potpourri noodle soup dish incorporating elements from multitudinous Asiatic cultures, constituting a dish unique to Hawaii. If saimin were to be anthropomorphised, Shiro’s would be their widowmaker.ĭisturbing analogies aside, the saimon at Shiro’s was delicious. Haven means sanctuary or refuge, but Shiro’s is no haven to saimin: no bowl is safe – they perish by the thousands down the gullets of hungry customers’ stomachs, day by day, week by week. Shiro’s Saimin Haven isn’t particularly well-named, depending on your viewpoint. This guy is a world champion fire spinner. The drinks were definitely weak and overpriced, but I’m genuinely surprised at how that’s the only criticism. While I personally can’t validate its authenticity, it certainly felt like a proper inculcation of Hawaiian culture. This was followed by a Imu ceremony, involving the unearthing of a full kalua pig cooked in the earth, nicely segueing into a Hawaiian luau buffet from which I ate until I could eat no more. Finally, the rest of the night was filled with song and highly skilled dancing in the Polynesian Islands Show, a representation of numerous pacific islander cultures. The luau featured traditional & interactive Hawaiian activities such as spear throwing, headband weaving, hula and fire starting. So what if I said Chief’s Luau was one of the most enjoyable activities on the entire trip? Oddly enough, the fact that it’s held at the Oahu Sea Life Park of all places was not exactly confidence-boosting. They are one and the same.īut when a tourist hands over a hundred dollars to a company that specialises in luaus, it’s hard not to be suspicious: is this going to be legit? Are the drinks going to be overpriced and diluted? Am I going to leave hungry? Chief’s Luau is one of the highest-rated activities on TripAdvisor, but it didn’t exactly instil confidence, given its tourist-focused audience. It’s ingrained to such an extent in Hawaiian culture that Hawaiians themselves don’t really distinguish ‘party’ and ‘luau’. But let’s step back a little.Ī luau is a Hawaiian tradition dating back hundreds of years, as a party inclusive of dancing, entertainment, and a meal of banquet proportions. ‘Are we really going to do this? I don’t want to spend over $110 on cheap, diluted drinks, mediocre food and entertainment with questionable “entertainment” value!’īoy, my friends must think I’m so jaded. If you need me I won’t be here :’) Chief’s Luau The worst bit? Not having a GoPro to document it. The best bit? Getting to see the ocean’s most misunderstood species with my own two eyes – without having to donate a limb. North Shore Shark Adventures keeps people breathing and insurance premiums low via shark cage diving, a novel experience. Speaking of squeezing, I’m sure I gave the bars of the shark cage a good workout in my terror.īeing in the vicinity of carnivorous sharks is generally regarded as one of those activities life insurers frown upon. Activities / Sights North Shore Shark Adventures My time was certainly short on Oahu compared to Kauai and Big Island, but when life gives you only a few lemons, you squeeze you squeeze very, very hard. One benefit I do concede getting back to civilisation is the quality of food – not that Kauai and Big Island were lacking – famous chef Alan Wong operates one of Hawaii’s most famous restaurants in Honolulu, single-handedly demonstrating that Hawaiian food exists beyond the plate lunch and poke bowl – not that I ever doubted. While Honolulu is justifiably famous (Waikiki Beach and the setting of Hawaii Five O are just the beginning), we rolled our dice a different way. But I still don’t ‘like’ them – not when it’s a place where tourists form the majority demographic. Yes, I’m one of them, and I guess that makes me a the discriminatory hypocrite. My friends and I personally incurred all expenses and planned our own itinerary for this trip no component of this post was sponsored Table of Contents Trip Map Activities / Sights See my first post on Kauai, and second on Big Island! This is part 3 of a 3-part series on my trip to Hawaii. This post focuses on Oahu. But the traveller in me wasn’t quite ready to get back to the city life just yet – Oahu is so much more than just its capital city! To most tourists, Honolulu is bread and butter – a whole trip can start and end here, with everything in between. Humans don’t deal with change very well for better, or for worse – the change is difficult in and of itself. After soaking up 10 days of Hawaii’s tranquillity and unspoilt beauty (our legs perhaps holding a second opinion) on the islands of Kauai and Big Island, landing in Honolulu’s hustle and bustle was an unkind lassoing back to a cacophony of lights, sounds, and people in a concrete jungle.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |