Hawaii Chronicles - Day 6

The morning started off with breakfast at Cinnamon's Restaurant in Kailua. They are famous for their Guava Chiffon Duet Topping. I ordered the Portuguese sweet bread french toast with guava chiffon duet topping, Doc had the guava chiffon pancakes, and bestie had the guava chiffon pancakes ala mode. The food was great - a bit heavy - I was only able to finish half of my french toast. When compared to the breakfast we had on Sunday at Boots & Kimo's - I would definitely rank Boots higher than Cinnamon's. The food was good but it wasn't amazing enough that I would want to go back. 

After breakfast we headed to Diamond Head to hike. Diamond Head is a crater that was formed nearly 300,000 years ago during a volcanic eruption. The hike is only 0.8 miles - however it involves a hike, 74 steps, a tunnel, a second set of 99 stairs, and then a spiral staircase consisting of 52 stairs. Once you get through all of this you get to the top of the crater and are blown away by the breathtaking view. The elevation of the crater summit and theuppermost level is761 feet. It was extremely windy up top but that didn't stop us from taking a bunch of pictures!

Afterward we attempted to go to Pearl Harbor but unfortunately the USS Arizona was closed due to high tides. At that point it was lunchtime and we decided to go to Waikiki to go to Duke's for lunch. Once we arrived we were surprise to find it closed - boo. The hostess recommended we eat at Hula Grill Waikiki which was right above Duke's. Since I was hungry and needed food in my system immediately we decided to dine there for lunch. I ordered a Focaccia Tofu Sandwich, Doc got the Crunchy Beet, Feta & Asian Pear salad, and bestie got a Caesar Salad with swordfish. The food was excellent!   

On the drive back to the apartment we made a pit stop at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific - aka "Punchbowl." The National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific contains a memorial pathway that is lined with a variety of memorials that honor America’s veterans from various organizations. One would think visiting a cemetery it would be a somber experience - however this cemetery was different. It was a very serene atmosphere. It was touching to see all the flowers laid out for the deceased - especially the mini Christmas tree. Walking around and taking in the surrounding views of the ocean and mountains gave me a sense of peace and calmness. 

We got stuck in major rush hour traffic on the way home - not fun driving at five miles an hour. Bestie cooked an incredible dinner for us tonight and we enjoyed a late supper with Doc before she headed to work the night shift.