Hawaii - June 2009

When it comes to travel, each of us has a list of places we want to go, places we would consider going, and places we will go if the price is right. Undeservedly, Hawaii was on the "price is right" list for us since most of the people we know who have been there do little much than sit on the beach. As we found out, our impression of Hawaii was completely wrong.

Fortunately, Continental Airlines offered a round trip airfare of $329 so we HAD to go.

The biggest problem for us was figuring out exactly where in Hawaii to go. Since we barely had five full days, it was challenging to build a trip with a good balance of adventure, education and relaxation that wouldn't run us ragged. Ultimately, we decided to revolve the trip around two "must do's" and let everything else fall into place. Our two "must do's" in Hawaii were the Kiluea Volcano and the The USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor.
After an overnight stop in Honolulu and a short flight, we arrived in Kona. Since we were all a little tired, it only made sense that we go to the Mountain Thunder coffee plantation first. There are many plantations that offer tours, but we chose this one for no other reason that it was the closest to the airport.

First we sampled some yummy coffee and watched a clip from the show Dirty Jobs which showed some "dirty work" that goes into producing organic coffee. After, we got a tour of the sorting, roasting and packing facilities before being led into the gift shop which had a variety of yummy coffee and treats. We were all a fan of the chocolate covered coffee beans which took every ounce of will power to resist.

Elliot, who is a big coffee fan, picked a few beans just for fun.

The coffee plantation was in a cloud forest but back near the coast (just a few miles a way) the weather was hot and sunny. Perfect time for some shave ice which is Hawaii's version of the snow cone. Elliot is holding a small size ice. The large size was bigger than his head.

Keith is a Costco fan and while it may not be a typical tourist destination, we had to visit. Lots of differences from the mainland clubs including this yummy tuna and salmon sashimi sold by the pound.
After a stroll through the town of Kona and some lunch we headed over to our hotel for some relaxation. We chose the Hilton Waikoloa Village because it had the most kid friendly activities of all the Kona hotels. Elliot enjoyed the water slides but he got tossed around too much by some of the larger ones. This one was the perfect size.

For the right price you can have a personal encounter with the dolphins, but we just enjoyed them from the dock.

A hotel Luau with a few hundred people is generally too touristy for us, but the promise of a yummy roasted pig and unlimited drinks made it sound appealing. Keith even got a Hawaiian shirt just for the occasion. We woke up early to see how they prepared the pig.

The chefs showed and explained every step. Here the pig and is placed on banana leaves, rubbed with Hawaiian coarse salt and wrapped in chicken wire.

Then it is placed on top of the smoldering logs & lava rock before being covered with more leaves, wet burlap and eventually buried in sand.

11 hours later the roasted pig is uncovered and ceremoniously carried away to be shredded and served at the luau.

The luau was great and the roast pork was delicious. We were a little suspicious that one pig can serve so many but after a little prodding our waiter admitted that they cook extra in the kitchens. Either way it was great and just to keep the fantasy alive we have assume that the roast pork that we ate actually came from the pig that we saw prepared in the morning.

After a couple of drinks Elliot got a tribal-tattoo.

The best way to experience any place around the world is to get recommendations from the locals. One of our waiters at breakfast mentioned the Akaka Falls in Hilo. He said it was one of his favorite places on the island and that we should stop there if we had time. We took him up on his suggestion since Akaka Falls was on the way to Hilo.
When we got there, it was a quick hike to get to the Falls and we saw some interesting birds and some strange insects that we had never seen before.

We had a 1:00pm reservation with Blue Hawaiian Helicopter for a volcano tour which gave us just enough time for a stop at the Farmers Market for some yummy treats. These Misubis are essentially giant pieces of sushi but made with other meat.
After a safety video we headed out to the tarmac. Those yellow pouches are not filled with Misubis from the farmers market, they're actually emergency life vests.

We got a very close up view of the Puʻu ʻŌʻō cinder cone at the Kiluea volcano but no bubbling towers of lava as you would expect from watching any Hawaii show on TV. Even though its tough to see in the picture, there is a significant amount of lava flow that is coming from this cinder cone.

Lava tubes carry the molten lava mostly underground so it is not that visable from the air. When it meets the water it causes a very violent reaction that causes the water/lava to explode.

Safely back on the ground, Captain Ray helps Elliot exit the helicopter. We all had a great time and it would definitely rate it as one of the top moments from all of our travels.

Our next stop was the Volcanoes National Park but first we had to check out a famous Hawaiian dish called the Loco Moco. It is now served throughout the state but its origins trace back to the the Cafe 100 in Hilo, which just happens to be a few miles from the airport. The dish consists of Japanese rice covered with two hamburger patties, brown gravy and a fried egg. It's a good creation but probably even better as a hangover remedy.

Weren't not sure if it was worth driving up to Volcanoes National Park after our helicopter tour but we are very glad that we did. The park is in a completely different part of Kiluea and the vistas were amazing. In the background is the Halema`uma`u crater.


Keith at the edge of the crater.

At another site in the park we walked through some extinct lava tubes. On the way back up the stairs Elliot fell and got scraped up and very muddy. Here he shows us his leg injury.



We headed back on a flight to Oahu at 8pm and rested up for our last 2 days in Hawaii.

We had a short visit to the Dole Plantation on the to way the North Shore of Oahu. We certainly had fun and it was interesting to learn about pineapple agriculture. Elliot really loved the maze. We even had some super fresh pineapple samples. Yum...

Afterwards, we drove up to the North Shore and had a great lunch at Romy's Kahuku Prawns and Shrimp. Everthing was amazingly fresh and we indulged in some pineapple with li-hing mui as we waited for our lunch. The shrimp are farm raised right beind the shop and probably alive until you order them.
Next up was Matsumoto Shave Ice in Haleiwa. Elliot had a hard time deciding on what flavor to get so, like any kid, he let his eyes do the ordering and chose "Blue, Orange and Green". The colors don't necessarily correspond to the obvious flavor so we were glad he ordered by color so he wouldn't be disappointed.

Just 100 feet away is another shave ice place called Aoki's which had a slightly shorter line so I sent Keith over so we could do a head-to-head comparison with Matsumoto. There is a friendly rivalry between the two and most locals have a specific favorite. They both make their own syrups but differences are insignificant. If you end up here choose the shop with the shortest line.

The Side Street Inn was featured on "No Reservations" so naturally we had to visit for dinner . We enjoyed a number of great dishes, but the kahlua pig "slidahs" were truly a standout.

As we mentioned above, on the must do list was a visit to The USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor. We had to wait 90 minutes for our 11:00am tour so we decided to visit the USS Missouri Battleship.

Clearly it was a lot of fun for all of us and Elliot didn't want to leave the ship.

The Arizona Memorial Museum is a powerful tribute to the men who gave their lives on December 7th during the attack on Pearl Harbor. We watched a short film before visiting the memorial which reminded us of the events that led up to the attack and those who served our country.

It was our last day, so we hit the beach in the afternoon before our flight.

Uh Oh, Here comes a big one on Waikiki Beach!

Brace for impact!
WIPE OUT!

We had a wonderful 5 days in Hawaii, and realize that there is so much more to do that we absolutely need to return!

Aloha,

Kolina, Kika & Elioka

Barcelona - April 2009

One of the biggest challenges when traveling with a child is that they are always changing. In our fifth year of Traveling with Elliot, we can say that every trip has been so different from the perspective of his development. When he was just three months old, traveling was easy. He stayed in his carrier and we just took him everywhere we went but we had to worry about baby formula and diapers. The 12-24 month period was the most difficult because of his new found mobility, but we could still do everything we wanted while he was content in his stroller (and took those long naps while we explored new cities and surroundings). At that age he didn't act any differently based on where we were. Now as five and a half years old, Elliot definitely has ideas of what he likes and dislikes and that can sometimes pose a new challenge in visiting places that may not sound appealing to a pre-schooler. Its all in the marketing :)

When we told Elliot we were off to Barcelona on our next adventure, he asked if we were going there to buy chairs (more on that later)....

There are many reasons to visit Barcelona but our mission was to embrace the culture, food, art, and architecture. The fact that the airfare was relatively low and the weather forecasts were perfect for this time of year was a bonus.

We chose a hotel on Las Ramblas, a pedestrian mall, which leads from Placa Catalunya to the water. Street performers, pet stores, cafes and flower shops line the walkwaysThis pirate got Elliot's attention by rolling a black marble to him as he was walking by. Upon returning the marble to the Pirate, he let Elliot hold his gun and machete for a photo op, but Elliot wanted nothing to do with him. After this day he wouldn't go anywhere near the pirate who was across from our hotel all dayLa Boqueria, a public market was our first stop. It was a coincidence that it was one block from our hotel which made it convenient for breakfast and a few lunches. La Boqueria dates back to 1217, and is filled with vendors and bar/restaurants for a yummy treat or a satisfying meal. Everything in La Boqueria is extremely fresh and artfully arranged. The stall above is selling a variety of cured meats with Jamón ibérico hanging from the ceiling. Jamon Iberico is a cured ham that is found only in Spain and is made from a special breed of pigs. What Kobe Beef is to cattle, Jamon Iberico is to pigs.The entry level jamon sells for about $50 per pound but the finest jamón ibérico comes from free-range pigs that freely roam oak forests and only eat acorns during the latter part of their lives. The hams are then cured for three years and sells for over $100 per pound.Roaming around the market Elliot saw the three little pigs, but in this version of the story he is big bad wolf and there are no brick houses.A little candy on vacation is a very big treat! If only Elliot could decide on which ones to pick!As fans of Mark Bittman, New York Times' columnist and cookbook author, we had to stop at Viena based on his recommendation for the flauta d’ibéric d.o. jabugo, which he called the best sandwich he had ever eaten — a simple, salty masterpiece of crispy bread and lightly cured ham. Mark - you are so right!Our Sunday afternoon outing at Barceloneta, which is a neighborhood bordered by the Mediterranean Sea. There is a sandy beach and boardwalk with many restaurants. After a quick visit to the Aquarium, we selected the most crowded restaurant and had a big feastWe tend to associate paella with Spain. It may not be the dish that Barcelona is known for, but you don't need to taste it to know its going to be good.A shot of apple liqueur is a great finish to any meal (non alcoholic of course).A sign outside Beligious Gelateria listed some of their unusual flavors like parmesan, spinach and black olive. We spent some time talking to the owner and he allowed us to try many of the special flavors that offer. Corinne enjoyed the black olive but I eventually settled on Dulce de Leche. Elliot liked the spinach and bacon flavor but chose the mango because of it's bright color. Plaza Catalunya was a great opportunity for Elliot to feed (and chase) the pigeons. Christopher Columbus pointing toward the "new world."Elliot also exploring and seeking out a new adventure.Güell Park is one of Gaudí's, and Barcelona's,most pleasant and visually stimulating places; it's light and alternately shady, green, floral, and sunny. Named for and commissioned by Gaudí's main patron, Count Eusebio Güell, the park was intended as a hillside garden suburb. We are sure that Gaudi's intent was not to create a rock climbing wall.All the kids wanted to see and touch the lizard. L'Arc de TriompfOur obligatory visit to the zoo which was excellent and located in the center of the city. Elliot got to run around the playground there and do his best Diego impression on the zip line.Bocadillos ready to eat at one of the many bar-restaurants in the marketElliot recently saw Monsters vs. Aliens, and it became a theme for the trip, especially when visiting art museums.For our visit to the Fundació Joan Miró we told Elliot that there would be a lot of monsters and aliens and that we would need his help to identify who was an alien and who was monster. This made him excited to explore the different rooms. Monster or Alien? Art critics won't even touch that discussion but Elliot will definitively tell you that the ball head is an alien because it has only one eye and the other figure is clearly a monster. Wherever we went, we saw preschool and kindergarten aged children on field trips. If we just had an extra blue and red track suit we could have slipped Elliot in undetected, although his Spanish is fairly limited.OK, so we needed to see the original Barcelona chair so we headed to the Mies van der Rohe Pavilion. It is billed as "less is more" study in interlocking planes of white marble, green onyx, and glass and that's all it is. 7 EUR later, we were left wondering what we had paid to see, since we can see them for free at DWR. It definately takes "less is more" to a new level. Elliot was happy that we found them, but was anxious to go get a snack.
Barcelona's most unforgettable landmark, Antoni Gaudí's Sagrada Família. This landmark is one of the most important architectural creations of the 19th to 21st centuries, though it's still under construction. Totally amazing and the pictures don't capture its magnificence.After seeing dozens of cathedrals in Europe and South America it is interesting to see one under construction. They said it will take at least another 20 years before it is complete.We took the elevator to the top of the tower, but took the spiraling stair case leading to the ground level. Elliot did surprisingly well with the descent, which is a good thing because there was no possibility of carrying him down. He noticed that the form of the staircase looked like a snail's shell, and then proclaimed that he wanted snails for dinner, and of course, we indulged him in that request.On our last day we visited Gaudí's Casa Milà, usually referred to as La Pedrera (The Stone Quarry), has a curving stone facade built in 1905. The rooftop chimney park, was so cool and we went on a tour of The Pis de la Pedrera, a restored apartment, which gives a glimpse into the life of its resident family in the early 20th century. We had an audio guide and Elliot listened to the kids version which was a story about a young boy going to visit his friend. The best part was actually the roof top which had sweeping views and beautiful mosaic turrets which encased the vents and stair cases.

We had a great time and really enjoyed our 5 days in Barcelona. The world is a big place, and we have many more places to explore as a family, but I am sure we will be back.

Hasta luego!
Corinne, Keith & Elliot

Bogotá - December 2008

When we told people we were going to Bogotá, Colombia for our winter vacation, the typical reaction was "isn't it a dangerous place" or "aren't you afraid of being kidnapped?" For as long as we can remember there have been warnings to avoid travel to Colombia, but current reports from travelers say differently. People who have actually been to Bogotá recently have painted a different picture. One of good food, a beautiful city and friendly people. We decided to risk it all and find out for ourselves. (In case you don't read all the way to the end, we made it back home safely).

We had a planned to fly from NJ to Panama, continuing our journey to Bogotá the following morning. We spent the night at the Hotel Riande Aeropuerto in Panama City. It served its purpose but the last renovation was probably.... never? Even with a good dose of mold on the bathroom ceiling we survived and made it to our early morning flight to Bogotá. Unfortunately this is the only airport hotel and given the alternative was a $33 cab ride (30 minutes) each way into the city, it was a good choice.

We arrived in Bogotá at lunchtime and Elliot was introduced to some new foods that he had never seen before. He was a little skeptical of the rainbow colored empanadas so he chose the ham and cheese arepa (a flat cornmeal patty) instead.
No matter how much planning we do, we tend to take the first day pretty easy. We planned to walk around the Candelaria neighborhood, but it started pouring rain 2 minutes after our taxi dropped us off. We tried to wait it out but after 15 minutes of patiently waiting under an awning, we flagged down a taxi and headed to the Museo del Oro to see some ancient treasures. Elliot is just shy of 5 years old and the idea of going to museums not high on his list. In the gold museum we referenced one of his Dora the Explorer books where Dora finds ancient treasure and has to get it to her mother who is an archaeologist . The idea of looking at ancient treasures kept him interested enough and we got through the entire museum. After the museum we strolled around our North Bogotá neighborhood and had some yummy ice cream at Crepes & Waffles. Elliot loved the police Hummer. The next morning, we got an early start and headed towards the Plaza de Bolivar which is the main square in Bogotá. The square, like many others in Latin America is surrounded by a cathedral and government buildings.

Wherever you go in Bogotá, there are police present, especially in parks and tourist areas. There was not a time during our stay, even outside of the tourist areas where we did not feel completely safe.

Vendors sell packets of corn to feed the pigeons around the square. Four tubes were about $.30
The pigeons are certainly not shy and a little aggressive. They will come to the corn if you don't throw it to them. Normally we have a list of restaurants to try but there is limited information on Bogotá dining on the Internet. Some friends had given us suggestions for lunch and dinner, but it was 8am and we were on our own. We followed our senses which led us to a small restaurant called La Puerta Falsa. We shared a tamal, some pastries and chocolate caliente which was one of our most memorable meals of the trip. The next stop was the Botero museum where we had to make it interesting for Elliot. It was a lovely collection of works by Botero and other paintings and sculptures by the likes of Dali, Renoir, Monet, Corot, Toulouse-Lautrec, Picasso, Miro, Chagall. Elliot gave each painting a new name. The one above is now called "Pile of Socks" and we can't really disagree.

The "giant high five"!

There are many food carts throughout Bogotá. Many of them sell fruit or fresh fruit juice.

Our next stop was to the top of Monserrate which is the mountain that dominates the eastern edge of the city. There are three ways to the top; hiking, an aerial tram and a funicular. We ruled out hiking for several reasons and chose the funicular to take us to the top.
The peak is over 10,000 feet and offers a spectacular panorama of the city. At the top there is a church and some restaurants.
We tried as many typical Colombian dishes as we could. Above is Sancocho which is a typical Colombian Stew which is made from chicken, corn, yucca, plantains and potatoes.
The primary public transportation system in Bogotá is the Transmillenio bus system. It is a system of buses that operates on it's own dedicated roads and has stations like a subway. The buses are very efficient and inexpensive. The highlight of our trip was the Salt Cathedral of Zipaquirá which is located inside a salt mine, about an hour north of Bogotá. Everything inside the mine is carved from salt. There are 14 small chapels that lead to huge caverns with an actual sanctuary. The chambers are amazing but they are difficult to photograph because they are dimly lit.

Elliot, being a normal skeptic had to repeatedly test the walls to see if they were really made of salt.
On the way back from the Salt Cathedral we stopped at Andres Carne de Res which is probably the most famous restaurant in Bogotá, even though it is really not in Bogotá. It is about 30 minutes outside of the city in Chia. We almost decided to skip it but we were very glad we didn't. Aside from yummy food there is a extremely eclectic atmosphere with roaming "performers." Elliot had a good time but he got scared when he thought this alien was trying to take me away. Definitely worth the trip. We had a wonderful time in Colombia and will definitely be back to explore other parts of the country. Do not be dissuaded by past violence in the country. Be low key and alert, as you should be in any city and enjoy. ...Off to Panama.