Sometimes you need a getaway. Okay, I know I'm be very obnoxious in saying that, but even the constant traveler needs some downtime. Typically when I go on vacation, I'm all about the sights, the food, the experiences and the moment. I want to pack as many new activities into the trip as possible. The major downside to this travel philosophy, besides the price tag, is you get burnt out. Going to bed at 1 am and waking up bright and early to get the new day started is rough. Sometimes you just need to take a deep breath, forgo the adventure and go back to your roots. Sometimes you just need to go home.
Going home is always full of possibilities, but sometimes going for a walk in my old neighborhood and reading a book in the backyard is all I need to get myself centered again. To realize what truly matters and to appreciate little things like the sound of the wind in the trees and the warmth from the sun after a long Winter.
Here are some snapshots from when we went back to da kine.
Maui bound
We flew from Champaign to DFW to make our way to Hawaii. Unfortunately, we could not get onto the direct flight to HNL. What can we do? It was still in the Spring Break time zone, so we did what we could and hopped on a flight to Kahului, Maui for a short layover before heading home to Honolulu. But first, lunch. Thanks to an awesome recommendation from one of the airport worker, we headed over to Da Kitchen for some local kine grindz.
Da kitchen's fried spam musubi
Mahi mahi cakes
Kalua pork wontons
Feels weird flying on Hawaiian Airlines instead of American
Takeoff
Heading toward the sunset
My favorite part of the flight. Oh nostalgia!
Smoothie time before the beach from Lanikai Juice
Windy beach day in Haleiwa
Nothing says home like spam
Next stop Zippys, Zipmin
Playing with my brother's puppy
When I'm at home, I'm starving for friends. Luckily one of my good friends still lives on the rock and he planned a wonderful night of food and fun for us to enjoy. What a way to spend a Saturday night.
Dinner at Izakaya Torae Torae
Curried potato salad
Cucumber wrapped roll
Hamachi kama
Red dragon roll
My delicious lychee soju. Amazing!
Chicken karaage
Seafood shooter, my favorite of the night
Tuna tataki
Poke
Spicy tuna roll
Dessert
Full and ready for some fun
Buddy and I at Nocturna Lounge
Sometimes you just need to recover
Puppy love
Shopping of course
Family time at the Cheesecake Factory
Sushi time at our favorite spot
Soft shell crab roll
Giant shave ice with ice cream and azuki bean
Not-so-red-moon
One of our last days on the island, we decided to go stand-up paddle boarding. Last time we were home, we saw some people paddling on the North Shore and it looked amazing. We were very fortunate that my uncle has a couple of boards and let us borrow them fr the day. So we spent the afternoon at Alamoana beach park, paddling our little hearts out.
Breakfast of champions
Homemade mahi mahi tacos
nom nom
Haven't had Jamba Juice in a looooong time
On my last day at home, it was just the family and I. Bryan had already gone home to work and I had another day before making my way to San Francisco. For our last meal together, my family and I decided to try a new Thai restaurant in my hometown. It had great reviews and a lot of good local chatter, so we had lunch at Ranjee Thai.
Sweet and sour fish
Spicy eggplant
Traditional pad thai
Coconut fried ice cream with raspberry sauce
The girls grabbing lunch
I love my family and lately it seems that they are all I have back home. Most of my friends have moved to the mainland, like I have, which makes trips home a little bittersweet. Hawaii is my home and where most of my memories come from. To see that many of the people from these memories do not reside in my home state is not only heartbreaking but symbolic of how so much has changed since I last resided in the Aloha state. But Hawaii will always be home and it's always wonderful to come back to it.
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