Heaven on Earth

Hawaii has always been one of my favorite places to visit. This summer we took Matthew's side of the family to Oahu.

At the Disney Au'lani Resort..a dream come true to stay at... one day!

We stayed at our friend's vacation home on the west side of the island.

Not staying at a hotel resort, changes the experience a little. The downside is that there is no pool and we have to drive to the beach and lug all our beach accessories: towels, chairs, umbrella, water, snacks etc.. But the upside side is we have a spacious 4 bedroom home for 9, full kitchen to cook our meals and a washer and dryer (to wash all our towels) to use at anytime.

These lovebirds would just fly onto your finger, shoulder, head to eat the birdseed filled sticks.

Now you know that wherever I go, I have to plan activities for us to experience. Even though we've been to Oahu before, I always try to find something new to explore or experience.  This time we ventured to SeaLife Park, a small sea animal park that incorporates hands-on and interactive activities for the guests. We got to feed birds and freshwater fish by hand! It was so awesome!

These fish eat lettuce!

We got to feed lovebirds and freshwater fish by hand!

We also went on a Waikiki catamaran ride around the island. Even though it was very bumpy and windy, it was probably the most relaxing part of the trip for me!

For snorkeling, you can't get to see more fish than at Hanauma Bay. Of course the last time we were here was 15 years ago. And boy has it changed! It's more crowded (parking lot was full at 7:45am!); more expensive, but it's still has a lot of fish!

Of course one of the biggest reasons we go to Hawaii is for the food! And we ate very very well!

Elim Korean BBQ - so delicious we came here ... TWICE!

Spam fries at Shirokiya Japan Village Walk  @ Ala Moana Mall! What a great and yummy concept!

Marukame Udon - cheapest and freshest bowl of udon I ever had!

Matsumoto used to be a shack/hole in the wall establishment. Now it's part of a new shopping mall!