Happy in Hawaii –- Aulani & Oahu with a Toddler ~ Updated 7/20: Final Update and link to new TR!

Bye-Bye, Food!

Dug did a good job of checking out the Pearl Harbor museums, but not lingering forever (as has a tendency to do at museums). :thumbsup2 We were finishing up at about 11:45am, which wasn’t too bad at all. We did a quick walk around outside so he could see a few things he’d missed:



The anchor from the USS Arizona:





The Bowfin submarine:



Teenage boy paradise :rotfl::



On our way out, I noticed a thirsty bird :eek::



Um, yikes! :scared: Think about that next time you need to use an outdoor drinking fountain! ::yes::

It was a beautiful day:



The next item on our agenda was to grant Dug’s request for “conveyor belt sushi.” This was something he really wanted to do in Hawaii, so despite the fact that I am not a sushi person, I researched the best place to go that wouldn’t be out of our way. I checked out all the Yelp reviews and maps and ended up picking Kuru Kuru Sushi. It had pretty good reviews and wasn’t too far off the beaten path between Pearl Harbor and our next destination.

The parking turned out to be a nightmare, though. :sad2: It was in a strip mall and very, very full. After driving around the bigger part of the lot, I drove down the aisle along the front and there were no spots – and it was one-way and exited onto the street. I ended up having to go out, drive several blocks, turn back around, then come back in to the lot. :headache: Eventually, we did manage to snag a parking spot that was freshly vacated. Though, if I remember right, it was really tight and I could barely manage to get Izzy out of her carseat. I guess we didn’t take a picture of the outside, but I’ve borrowed this image from the internet for you:



Yeah, nothing too fancy-looking. We put our name on the list and had to wait awhile to be seated. It gets pretty crowded in there. :crowded: Luckily, we had a bench near the door to sit on. Selfie time:





Here is the restaurant:



Those three people seated at the corner nearest us would be vacating their spots soon, as that is where we were seated. Before that happened, though, I took Izzy to the bathroom for a diaper change. This turned out to be one of those places with no changing table, though. :sad2: Luckily, I had the diaper kit with the built-in changing pad, so had to use that on the floor. Not the most fun, but it worked. :thumbsup2

Soon, we were seated and mesmerized by the food rotating around and around :upsidedow:





Izzy got a kick out of this and would often wave at the departing dishes, saying, “Bye-bye, food!” :wave2:

Overall, this lunch was a good experience for us. Dug enjoyed trying out a conveyor belt sushi place, Izzy was entertained, and I found a little bit to eat that didn’t upset my tummy.

I have no idea what all Dug sampled, but here’s a picture of some sushi:



I saw a bowl of mandarin oranges coming down the belt, so we grabbed those for Izzy:



She was pleased with that selection.

For my upset tummy, Dug found some fairly plain potato cake things, which is what he’s handing to me here:



I enjoyed watching the variety of food pass by while I munched on my potato cakes:





They had a few veggies in them too.

Here’s some things Dug enjoyed:





I also snagged a bowl of grapes that Izzy and I shared:



At the end of the meal, she was throwing the remaining grapes on the floor “for doggy and meow-meow.” Guess she didn’t understand they weren’t hovering at our feet. :rotfl2:

Dug sampled a variety of items, it appears:





The employee who came to refill our water really liked Izzy. She also had never seen a baby-food pouch before and was just fascinated by the one that Izzy had (we’d brought along).

The most impressive part of the meal, to me, was that Izzy decided she wanted to eat with chopsticks. I can barely manage to eat with chopsticks myself, but Dug can do it, so I guess she had 50/50 odds of having the talent for it. :confused3 Well, sure enough, she picked up a mandarin orange with the chopsticks and ate it:



You can see how impressed I was by my applause in the background. :cheer2:

I think we’re almost done here:



We headed out just before 2pm. We had to hit the road and tour a bunch more sites on the island.

Up next: The Pali Lookout
 
Conveyor belt sushi?! Oh my gosh, that sounds AWESOME!!! :worship:

Bravo, Izzy, on your mastery of the chopsticks! I love the picture with you applauding in the background! :D
 
How cute is that the Izzy can handle chopsticks? I'm not big on sushi, but this does sound interesting.
 


Oh wow, I really want to go eat at that sushi place now. And I just had sushi on Friday! That is cute about Izzy and the chopsticks. Rory was trying to use chopsticks the other night while he was eating his sushi, but didn't really get the hang of it, so he'd just shove the sushi in his mouth with his hands.

And that bird on the water fountain...ewwwww...
 
Conveyor belt sushi...I'll have to see if there are any of those places nearby. That sounds interesting. Loved Izzy eating mandarin oranges with chopstix.
 
That place looks so fun!! Neither of us are into sushi though, but your potato things look good and they seemed to have a good variety coming around! Perfect that they had fruit bowls as well. Sounds like a fun family lunch, for all ages. I wonder if there is anything like that around here...
 


Um, yikes! :scared: Think about that next time you need to use an outdoor drinking fountain! ::yes::

100% freaked out! I'm not a bird person anyway so now we will be avoiding outdoor water fountains!

This turned out to be one of those places with no changing table, though. :sad2: Luckily, I had the diaper kit with the built-in changing pad, so had to use that on the floor. Not the most fun, but it worked. :thumbsup2

Oh, I dread those places!

Izzy got a kick out of this and would often wave at the departing dishes, saying, “Bye-bye, food!” :wave2:

:rotfl: Lunch and a show!

At the end of the meal, she was throwing the remaining grapes on the floor “for doggy and meow-meow.” Guess she didn’t understand they weren’t hovering at our feet. :rotfl2:

This cracks me up! At least she was sharing!


That place sounds very interesting! Sushi is not my favorite but I love the idea of the whole conveyor belt thing.
 
I had no idea that trying conveyor belt sushi was something people put on their wish list, lol! We live in Phoenix (so not exactly Asian Food central) and there are several of them around town. I just assumed they were everywhere!
 
Teenage boy paradise :rotfl::

:rotfl::lmao:

Um, yikes! :scared: Think about that next time you need to use an outdoor drinking fountain! ::yes::

I refuse to drink out of water fountains. We went to a Mariners/Giants game while in Seattle and I had packed a bottled water in DS's diaper bag and the guy searching our bags said they weren't allowed in, but he would empty it for me and give me the bottle back to refill from the fountains inside :scared: I didn't want to be like, "EWW no!" so I politely took them and recycled them right after. I've seen some gnarly things at water fountains, no thanks i'll pass!

I drove down the aisle along the front and there were no spots – and it was one-way and exited onto the street. I ended up having to go out, drive several blocks, turn back around, then come back in to the lot. :headache:

Hate when this happens!

This turned out to be one of those places with no changing table, though. :sad2: Luckily, I had the diaper kit with the built-in changing pad, so had to use that on the floor. Not the most fun, but it worked. :thumbsup2

Aren't you so glad that this stage of life is over! I actually never really disliked changing diapers, but at restaurants, it sucked.

Izzy got a kick out of this and would often wave at the departing dishes, saying, “Bye-bye, food!” :wave2:

:laughing:

IMG_1006_zps6d811334.jpg

Gosh, she's just too darn cute :cutie:

“for doggy and meow-meow.” Guess she didn’t understand they weren’t hovering at our feet. :rotfl2:

:lmao: So so cute! DS will frequently share his food with Percy as well. ::yes::

Well, sure enough, she picked up a mandarin orange with the chopsticks and ate it:


Yay for Izzy!!! :banana:
 
that sushi place looks pretty cool - and good way to get to try a lot of different things. How does the pricing work? Is it pay one price or pay per item you take like dim sum?

It's funny how used to having pet garbage sweeps becomes part of your normal life (though I hope Izzy doesn't normally throw grapes to them as not good for dogs)

Glad, other than the parking lot situation, it worked out well for you all and you are making good time :thumbsup2
 
Now that we have been, I love looking at everyone else's pictures!!!! It really is an awesome place!
 
Conveyor belt sushi?! Oh my gosh, that sounds AWESOME!!! :worship:
It was a fun experience! And I think Dug enjoyed his food quite a bit too.

Bravo, Izzy, on your mastery of the chopsticks! I love the picture with you applauding in the background! :D
I can't believe she managed that! I was so impressed!

How cute is that the Izzy can handle chopsticks? I'm not big on sushi, but this does sound interesting.
I'm not a sushi person at all (even when I'm not sick), but I thought it was fun and there were some non-sushi options coming around. And Izzy sure impressed me by eating that orange with her chopsticks!

What a fun place! How do you pay- like a buffet?
Good question. I asked Dug and he said that the plates were color coded, so they just add up the prices of the different colors of plates you have. :teacher:

Oh wow, I really want to go eat at that sushi place now. And I just had sushi on Friday! That is cute about Izzy and the chopsticks. Rory was trying to use chopsticks the other night while he was eating his sushi, but didn't really get the hang of it, so he'd just shove the sushi in his mouth with his hands.
Haha, sorry, probably not helping any pregnancy cravings you are having. I was so surprised that Izzy was able to successfully use the chopsticks - I have a tough time and am not opposed to Rory's method of switching to hands. :rotfl:

And that bird on the water fountain...ewwwww...
I know! :eek:

Conveyor belt sushi...I'll have to see if there are any of those places nearby. That sounds interesting.
It was a fun lunch. Something to try out sometime, if you have one.

Loved Izzy eating mandarin oranges with chopstix.
Thanks, I am so impressed that she did that!

That place looks so fun!! Neither of us are into sushi though, but your potato things look good and they seemed to have a good variety coming around! Perfect that they had fruit bowls as well. Sounds like a fun family lunch, for all ages. I wonder if there is anything like that around here...
Yeah, the potato cakes were good and they had some fruit and other options (can't remember what) spinning around. It was a fun lunch and I liked that it kept Izzy entertained too. You might have something around, we have one here too (well, downtown Minneapolis).
 
100% freaked out! I'm not a bird person anyway so now we will be avoiding outdoor water fountains!
Yeah, it was really an eye-opener for me. I'd never really imagined the critters that might be enjoying a drink out of the fountains. :eek:

Oh, I dread those places!
I know - makes it so much less fun to do a diaper change. :sad2:

:rotfl: Lunch and a show!
Indeed! :thumbsup2

This cracks me up! At least she was sharing!
That's how you can tell she's getting full - decides the animals need a bite. :laughing:

That place sounds very interesting! Sushi is not my favorite but I love the idea of the whole conveyor belt thing.
I'm not a sushi person at all, but it was fun to try. Of course, I'd prefer a conveyor belt full of desserts...:scratchin

I had no idea that trying conveyor belt sushi was something people put on their wish list, lol! We live in Phoenix (so not exactly Asian Food central) and there are several of them around town. I just assumed they were everywhere!
Oh, funny! I suppose they are more common in some areas than others. I think Dug had heard there were a lot of them in Hawaii, so the idea got planted in his head. We do have one in downtown Minneapolis, but haven't been there (yet). That's the only one I know of here (and it's about 30 minutes from us).

By the way, I am loving your Aulani TR on your blog! I checked that out this weekend and can't wait for more. I also went back and read your whole story of how your daughter came into your lives and it was an amazing read - so, thanks for sharing your journey! :goodvibes

Oh my goodness-look at her with those chopsticks! That is awesome!
I am still amazed that she did that. I guess it's easier to learn new skills at a young age. :confused3

:rotfl: But so true.

I refuse to drink out of water fountains. We went to a Mariners/Giants game while in Seattle and I had packed a bottled water in DS's diaper bag and the guy searching our bags said they weren't allowed in, but he would empty it for me and give me the bottle back to refill from the fountains inside :scared: I didn't want to be like, "EWW no!" so I politely took them and recycled them right after. I've seen some gnarly things at water fountains, no thanks i'll pass!
I've never been too squeamish of them, but I will definitely think twice now (though Izzy became fascinated with them at WDW last month and she may have tried out more than a few...)

Hate when this happens!
So annoying! :headache:

Aren't you so glad that this stage of life is over! I actually never really disliked changing diapers, but at restaurants, it sucked.
Same here, I agree. It's nice to just bring her into a restroom and not need anything special. :thumbsup2

Good entertainment for her!

Gosh, she's just too darn cute :cutie:
Thanks! :goodvibes

:lmao: So so cute! DS will frequently share his food with Percy as well. ::yes::
We have such considerate and thoughtful children. ::yes::

Yay for Izzy!!! :banana:
:cheer2:

that sushi place looks pretty cool - and good way to get to try a lot of different things. How does the pricing work? Is it pay one price or pay per item you take like dim sum?
I asked Dug and he said that the plates are color coded to reflect the pricing. So, at the end, they just add up your stack of empty plates and calculate your total. Pretty clever!

It's funny how used to having pet garbage sweeps becomes part of your normal life (though I hope Izzy doesn't normally throw grapes to them as not good for dogs)
Nope, I make sure she doesn't get any grapes to the dog. But, yeah, it's weird when we go out or to someone else's house and there's no dog to clean the floor under Izzy's chair. :rotfl:

Glad, other than the parking lot situation, it worked out well for you all and you are making good time :thumbsup2
Thanks, it was a good stop.

Now that we have been, I love looking at everyone else's pictures!!!! It really is an awesome place!
It is such an awesome place. I'm glad you enjoyed it too! We are so excited to return for a few days next January! :hyper: Certainly one of our favorite places now! :cloud9:
 
I asked Dug and he said that the plates are color coded to reflect the pricing. So, at the end, they just add up your stack of empty plates and calculate your total. Pretty clever!

Ah, that makes sense .... guess they have to watch that people don't put the empty plates back on the conveyer belt ;)

Nope, I make sure she doesn't get any grapes to the dog. But, yeah, it's weird when we go out or to someone else's house and there's no dog to clean the floor under Izzy's chair. :rotfl:

We've found a number of our friends didn't realize that about grapes so figured it didn't hurt to double check. We have the same thing with Emma as she doesn't get the fact not everyone has dogs that clean up her mess. She really gets thrown if it is at someone's house who has a dog, but that dog doesn't clean up the food
 
I had no clue we had a conveyor belt sushi place in Minneapolis! Not that I care for sushi, but I'd like the experience. :laughing:. What's it called?
 
I'm not a sushi person AT All, but I would love to try one of the conveyer belt restaurants looks like lots of fun!

Neither Bob or myself can use chopsticks but, Charlotte can. She loves going to hibachi restaurants and has always used chopsticks there. She is really good at them now. It's amazing what their young brains are capable of!
 
Ah, that makes sense .... guess they have to watch that people don't put the empty plates back on the conveyer belt ;)
I suppose so! By the way, I was just checking something else on our old credit card statement (for the next update) and happened to notice this meal on there - it was only $30 total, including tip. Not too bad for all those plates. Granted, Izzy and I didn't have a ton, but seems pretty reasonable overall, especially for Hawaii.

We've found a number of our friends didn't realize that about grapes so figured it didn't hurt to double check. We have the same thing with Emma as she doesn't get the fact not everyone has dogs that clean up her mess. She really gets thrown if it is at someone's house who has a dog, but that dog doesn't clean up the food
In general, Bailey doesn't get human food/table scraps. However, having a young toddler learning to self-feed made some of that inevitable. It doesn't happen as much anymore, but for awhile there, Bailey was getting healthy servings of Cheerios with the occasional piece of chicken. I always made sure to keep her away if there was anything potentially harmful (I do remember looking up a list, actually, since Izzy was dropping so much food at that time). Haha, that's funny about Emma - she's probably wondering what's wrong with those dogs. It is handy to have a fluffy, little automatic vacuum cleaner at meals, though. :rotfl:

I had no clue we had a conveyor belt sushi place in Minneapolis! Not that I care for sushi, but I'd like the experience. :laughing:. What's it called?
Ichiban in downtown Minneapolis. We haven't done the conveyor belt, but we did go there a few years ago for the hibachi experience (much like Teppan Edo). It was really good! I'd go back!

I'm not a sushi person AT All, but I would love to try one of the conveyer belt restaurants looks like lots of fun!
It was a fun concept. I'd just recommend going when you're not super hungry if you aren't a sushi person (like me). You can probably find some things to eat, but maybe not enough to fill you up. Probably depends on the place - might want to check in advance if they send around non-sushi things, I'm not sure what's normal. I liked that this place had the fruit and potato things, though. :thumbsup2

Neither Bob or myself can use chopsticks but, Charlotte can. She loves going to hibachi restaurants and has always used chopsticks there. She is really good at them now. It's amazing what their young brains are capable of!
That's awesome! It's amazing how quickly they can pick up new skills at a young age! Maybe that's my problem, I never tried chopsticks until I was older. Dug can use them, but I struggle. I like my forks. ::yes::
 
Beware of Bees During High Wind

We took the Pali Highway to our next destination. I swear that I had read about this being a somewhat “scary” road, but I didn’t see anything like that:



Maybe a different stretch has more drop-offs or something? :confused3 It was pretty tame. At any rate, our destination was the Pali Lookout, known for being a very scenic viewpoint (and also a very windy one :cold:).

When we arrived at the parking lot, there was a tow truck blocking the one-way entrance to the parking spots. :headache: We weren’t sure what to do, as we didn’t think parking was allowed on the road and we couldn’t get into the parking lot without going the wrong way through the exit. We saw one car parking in the very large and empty bus parking area, though, so we followed suit – as did the next half dozen cars. The bus area had parking spaces, just really LONG ones, so we each just parked in one. :thumbsup2

I think that I sent Dug and Izzy up to the viewpoint while I went to go check out the self-pay station for the parking lot, then I’d catch up. The pay station required the license plate number of your vehicle, so I had to go back and get that. When I returned to the pay station, a park employee was there and told me that I couldn’t park in the bus area. :sad1: I told him that the parking lot was blocked by a tow truck when we came in, but it had just left. He told me that I could
have parked in the street, so I guess that was allowed. Just didn't look like it. Since the tow truck was now gone, I went and moved the car to a normal spot, but all the other cars were still in the bus spots (not sure if they paid?) When I paid, the machine didn’t print out a receipt, so I wasn’t sure it actually charged me, but the employee said to go ahead. I don’t think I ever did get charged the $3, by the way.

While I was taking care of that, Dug was taking some pictures as he approached the lookout:









And I was taking pictures with chickens:





This is the full name of the park:



Dug saw this sign and it freaked us both out just to think of it happening :scared1::



Well, the bad news is that it was indeed really windy. :eek: The good news, however, is that there were no bees. :cool1: Whew! But can you imagine?! :faint:

That looks like Dug up there taking pictures:



Maybe that’s the sign he’s taking a photo of? :scratchin

Moving on:



I didn’t know what this was, but took a picture nonetheless:



I caught up and we all checked out the view:



It was really cold because of the wind, but it took awhile before we could convince Izzy to wear her jacket. Poor thing was freezing and unhappy, but didn’t quite understand how a jacket would help with that. :rotfl:

Ahhhh :cloud9::



Once she got her jacket on, she was much happier and very playful:



Enjoying the view:



I still love this jacket:



And Izzy enjoyed the view too:





The signage:



And more of the views:





This trip was the first time that either of us really saw selfie sticks in action. They were very common throughout our trip. We thought they were kind-of silly. :rotfl2: I mean, we would have happily taken a picture for this family:



But, as ridiculous as they seem, Dug just won a free one at a conference the other day, so I guess we can do things like this now too (but not in the Disney parks – I know they just got banned).

We went the old-fashioned arms-length selfie route:



This was a really nice stop on our afternoon tour of the island.

Up next: From the chilly viewpoint to a gorgeous, tropical beach.
 

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