My aunt and grandma picked us up from the airport.  My cousin Art was working at the Liquor Collection at Ward Warehouse, so we went straight over there.

Aunt Alice and Uncle George at their store

After I shopped around Ward Warehouse and checked out Crazy Shirts, it was time to go to the Chinese Cultural Plaza.  It's kind of like Chinatown inside the plaza. You bargain for deals and pick up trinkets as souvenirs.  Business had dwindled over the years, but we check it out briefly since Legend restaurant is there.

We always go to Legend restaurant every time we go to Hawaii.  Across from Legend Seafood restaurant is the sister vegetarian restaurant.  I like the vegetarian place, but Legend is known for good dim sum.

We stayed at Ala Moana Hotel.  It's one of the nicest hotels I've been to.  Ritzy ritzy!

Outside Ala Moana Hotel

My grandma loves buffets.  I always gain 5 lbs. on my trips to Hawaii.  The most expensive buffet we attended was at the Sheraton Waikiki.

Uncle Ted, my dad, me, my grandma, Aunt Alice, and cousin Art at the Sheraton Waikiki Resort.

We stuffed ourselves.  Everything was great except the lobster was undercooked and salty.  We walked it off around Waikiki Beach.  It's nice and touristy.  My aunt told me the white sand is imported from Japan.  Waikiki Beach at night is so peaceful.  That's when I'd recommend going.

Went beach-hopping.  Ala Moana Beach is nice, too.  It's less crowded, which is always good.  And it's right next to the Ala Moana Center, a high-end shopping area. The shopping center is nice, but there's nothing special about it other than the fact that the sales tax is cheaper than in California.

Ala Moana Beach

Shopping along the Waikiki strip somewhere

My aunt took us to The Pyramids, an Egyptian restaurant.  It was the first time I tried Egyptian food.  It's pretty decent.  Very similar to Mediterranean food, which makes sense.  Egyptian coffee is just like mud.  Similar to Vietnamese coffee, but instead of condensed milk there's this strong cardamom flavor.

[Beware: The next couple of lines may sound cliched, but I'm just trying to describe how perfect it all was.]  The soft white sand was cool beneath my feet walking through Waikiki Beach at night.  Blue water came in gradients while the sun glittered the waves.  Lying in a canopied lounge chair, the sound of crashing waves was so peaceful while I was discussing the future with my cousin.  Just sitting there talking with him was one of the best moments of my trip.

My cousin Art took me to a club where his friend was DJ-ing.  It was mellow.  He mixed Hawaiian music with some old school stuff.  It was nice to see the non-touristy scene in Hawaii.  That was when I felt most blissful and relaxed.

The highlight of my trip was swimming with schools of colorful fish.  Snorkeling in Hanauma Bay was exhilarating.  It's fun to pay for an experience that's not just pure entertainment.  It didn't nourish my brain, but it did nourish my soul.  Just swimming there with the fish, it was like listening to a song I've never heard before but somehow knowing all the words.

My dad and I are taking a break from snorkeling at Hanauma Bay.

I even ran into someone from work at Hanauma Bay.  This place is way popular.  We worked up quite an appetite.  Since this was our last day, I wanted some authentic Hawaiian food.

At Ono Hawaiian Foods, the pork laulau is so fattening, but quite good.  Poi is an acquired taste, but it's not too bad.  I couldn't really deal with the lomi salmon, however.  The haupia was okay.  I wasn't even that into the Kalua pig.  I probably shouldn't have ordered the combo plate, but I wanted my Hawaiian food!

I seriously needed to walk off that pork laulau.  I had to buy gifts, anyway, so it was off to the International Marketplace.  It's fun to bargain there.  I bought a ukulele (not a toy one!) for my roommate and a lot of handmade soaps and jewelry for me.  We had some Hawaiian shaved ice (finely shaved) and malasadas (Hawaiian donuts) that were great.

Naturally we walked over to the DFS Galleria as well and caught some nighttime performers.  There were magic shows, there were silver people, there was much to see.  Before we knew it, we had to eat AGAIN. 

My grandpa took us to Bibas.  It's semi-exclusive since you have to have veterans clearance to on this strip.  He was one of those higher-up officials in the Navy.  The food's not bad.  It's a well-decorated place.

Art, Ted, Josephine, Paul, Catherine

Somewhere near Bibas

Hawaii is the only place I've visited where I didn't feel like I was going to get robbed :p  I'm glad I go there annually!