A Day In The Lalz: Hawaii Chronicles

This morning I took Bestie to the Swamp Meet & Marketplace at Aloha Stadium in order for her to get her shop on. We were only there for an hour and a half because we had to head to Shagri La for our 10:30am tour. Despite being short on time Bestie was able to do lots of shopping! She found some awesome souvenirs, soaps, local Hawaiian made jams and jewelry. We both got matching Plumeria rings - it's a little tradition we started to remember the trips we go on together [we just need to get Doc a ring].

We picked up Doc - we may have been a little late [oops] - and headed to the Honolulu Museum of Art for our Shangri La Tour. Shangri La is the Honolulu home of American philanthropist Doris Duke. It was built in 1937 and houses an impressive collection of Islamic art. Unfortunately they did not allow pictures to be taken inside the house - that didn't stop me from sneaking a few snapshots - however you can virtually tour the home here. This house is absolutely stunning!! There are tiles from Morocco, Persian Rugs, plates from China, vases from Spain and so much more! Doris took an extensive trip to Iran and with her she brought back many artifacts as well as inspiration for her home. In her backyard she replicated Chehel Sotoun [40 pillars] from Esfahan, Iran. She also used Alighapoo in Esfahan, Iran as inspiration for the courtyard in her home [I was able to sneak a picture of it]. It was really interesting to me as an Iranian Muslim to see someone of a different religion and culture appreciate Islamic art at this level. Every inch of this home was covered in some type of Islamic art representing great significance. Doris spent 60 years of her life building, redecorating, and changing this home. I wish there were more people like her in the world who can appreciate the beauty in Islamic art.

A little side note - since it was 12-12-12 Doc, Bestie, & I wanted to document our exact location and activity at 12:12pm on 12-12-12. The pictures below is our snapshot and memory of us celebrating this last once in a lifetime date this century.

After Shangri La we headed to the beach - which was an epic fail. We went to Waialae Beach Park and it was super windy! Super windy = sand flying everywhere. Doc passed out on the beach [she worked an overnight shift and was basically sleep walking through Shangri La therefore she was in dire need of a nap]. Bestie & I frolicked on the beach, took a billion pictures, wrote stuff in the sand, and took embarrassing pictures of Doc.

For dinner we went to Roy's in Waikiki. Bestie ordered Macadamia Nut Monchong Fish and Doc & I shared the fish trio platter. Dinner was excellent! The trio platter was great because we were able to sample all the fish. However my favorite was the macadamia nut monchong!!

After dinner we speed our way to the other side of the island to the Polynesian Cultural Center for the evening show of HA Breath of Life. The show is described as a Pacific isle saga of birth and death, love and family, triumph and tragedy. The dances were very colorful! I really enjoyed the fire dance/stunt portion of the show. There was a no picture/videography rule that was strictly enforced - because they want the audience to purchase the DVD and soundtrack of the show - however bestie & I snuck in a few pictures and videos! Clearly we don't believe in following rules!