Just one day in Maui, 3/26/15

It was fun to just get up and go.  On Tuesday, we (coworkers) decided to enjoy Prince Kuhio Day on Thursday in Maui.  Lahaina, Maui is a better place to enjoy "whale watching" because the waters are surrounded by other islands making the waters calmer.  Lana`i is to the west and Kaho'olawe is to the south.

Near the harbor is this 60 foot Banyan tree - is one of the largest in the United States.  It was impossible to photograph the entire tree.

A bird's eye view of the size of that Banyan Tree

We chose Pacific Whale Foundation for our adventure.

The group is about to disembark. Yup we chose the raft.

Maui's nickname is The Valley Isle, makes sense.

My friend did this collage.

Mom' humpback flippers were slapping the water a lot and with such a large flippers it was powerful.  The guides were saying she is inviting males to join her.

This photo was cropped so you can see the mom and her calf. The other photos are not cropped.

We stopped at various spots. Our navigator used binoculars and lowered a device in the ocean to pick up the whale sounds to help find their location. It was amazing to hear their sounds/communication.

This part was the best...

Notice the turquoise, that is the color we see when its body is below the surface.

We were ecstatic as 3 whales were swimming near us.

After a wonderful 2 hours, we head back to the harbor.

Pi Artisan Pizzeria was perfect. It is on Front Street. Funny, I have a photo of our ice tea and tiramisu cheese cake - but none of our pizza and salad.

Pioneer Mill Co. created a 225 foot high smoke stack to generate electricity for the production of sugar. It was in operation from 1860 to 1999. This smoke stack is a wonderful landmark.

Don't laugh too hard. We needed to jump around as we were getting tired. Our flight to Maui was at 5:05 am.

Back to Front Street and the Harbor.  Needless to say, I was surprised to see this, however being Chinese, I was also happy to see this.

So long Maui, it is 7 pm and we need to head off to the airport.

Disclosure: I used my Canon G1X Mark 2 during the whale watching and most of my photos. I also used my iPhone 5 but definitely not during whale watching.  Since it was so much fun for us to experience it, I chose not to share my videos. I do however recommend doing a video. 

Transformed, 1/29-2/12/15

I took this photo on Sunday, Feb. 1 and posted it on Instagram and Facebook: I don't mind going to the laundromat in exchange for a disconnected washer and dryer because my place is getting renovated!!!

I now feel that "renovated" is not descriptive enough "transformed" is. I also decided not to show you before and after because "after" is awesome.

Shai Tal, contractor, chose to embellish my mirrors instead of removing them. I chose one color for the entire place. It is Marquee, Parisian Taupe from Home Depot. The flooring is also from there and it is Allure, Resilient Planks.

I like how Shai continued the flooring into the kitchen as he did for the bedroom and den.

 I love my bathroom...

Shai, also changed out my bifold in my bedroom to this one. He used the former one down the hall infront of the washer/dryer.

Viola! Shai Tal. I can't thank you enough Shai!!!

Jon and Casey's last day (Feb. 13 -17, 2015), they are the reason I needed to transform my place.
It has been a long journey since Oct. 4 and Oct. 16, 2014 when I encounter water problems. Hence, I needed to repair my place. My journey was filled with challenges but that is in the past, I enjoy the present.

It was a peace of mind that Shai's contractors are licensed. I also want to extend a huge mahalo "thank you" to Ruth Otake who interviewed Shai when searching via Home Resource and said he can do the job. Thank you again Shai, your contractors - job well done and Ruth.

Xeriscape, 2/21/15

Xeriscape? In Halawa there is a Xeriscape Garden - according to the dictionary: a landscaping method developed especially for arid and semiarid climates that utilizes water-conserving techniques.

I wish I had brought my tripod - it was a challenge without it since it was windy. Good friends made the day fun: Milton S., Derek and Dewey.

Lunch at Aiea Bowl was enjoyed by all as we had their famous oxtail soup. I will have to go back for their scrumptious desserts.

One Hundred Years - Remarkable

It was a joy to celebrate my friend's father's 100th birthday. I marvel his wittiness!!!

Honolulu City Lights, 12/28/14

Each year since 1985, our City Hall is adorned with Christmas decorations on its lawn as well as inside. Shun Wah and I saw the following two before meeting up with Erick. 

Notice the number 30 on the cake and the Christmas ornament that shows 1985. We look forward to what the City Hall has in store for us. As you can see, cake is one of the decorations. 

Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus, local style never changes but some of the decorations in the water does. 

The eternal flame is a reminder of September 11, 2001 - the plaque reads:

"Let this eternal flame unite our country in memory of those who lost their lives on September 11, 2001, and honor the brave men and women who put themselves in harm's way to save others.  The love and spirit of our grateful nation, and the hearts and prayers of our people will always be with them" 

Inside - I only got 3 photos - there were tons of people and the trees were awesome. Yes there was Elsa and adorable Olaf from "Frozen".

I give credit to Minori, I had seen some of her photos and I also wanted this view of the "tree".

This photo is different from Minori's, she was able to get the Christmas lights in the foreground in focus. She is an awesome photographer.

I hope if you have not seen this place that you get to - these photos are just a small example of what is there. I wanted to photograph the Christmas lights on the trees along the street but guess who was hungry.

We enjoyed actually overate at Assaggio. That was fun Shun Wah and Erick!!!

Wow, tomorrow is New Year's Eve. May I wish everyone a wonderful and healthy 2015!!!