It was a Wednesday, and our first full day in Kauai. We planned a hike around the Waimea Canyon, and then have a peek at the Kalalau cliffs, one of the most beautiful and remote areas on the island. We knew we couldn't attempt to hike the latter trail, because it spans 11 miles and usually requires overnight camping; but we wanted to have a glimpse of it anyway.
The red, cream, and green layers of the Waimea Canyon
We had gone around the Kลke'e trails of Waimea, having gone as far as the Waipoo Falls, and were back on the road by 2:30 in the afternoon. By the time we got to the Kalalau Lookout though, the day had turned foggy and the entire range was covered by a sheet of white. For a tourist spot, there were hardly any people, possibly discouraged by the obscured view. Luckily, we met David, a quirky man sitting on a mat in the middle of the lookout, selling his own photographs of Hawaii and making bracelets, earrings, and necklaces from local seeds and stones. Aside from making good conversation (and entertaining us by sounding like Crush from Finding Nemo,) he tipped us off on an unofficial trail that may take us below the clouds, where we could hopefully see the Kalalau landscape. He vaguely pointed at a hedge to the side, and told us to try to be back before sundown.
David with his favorite whale photo
Did this mean it was forbidden?
The Kalepa Ridge Trail started beyond a padlocked chain-link fence, torn from its post, leaving a gaping hole just big enough for me to crouch through. It had very narrow paths, some did not appear well-trodden and led to drops. For most of the hike, we were walking along the edges of the cliff, keeping our weight toward the mountain to avoid falling off. Like many of the trails in Hawai'i, the vegetation was lush and varied, from fern, to wheat, and other shrubs I couldn't identify (and David said he knew of other 'happy weeds' that grew there, if you catch my drift.)
I could just about fit, and some of the barren branches kept snagging on my pants
The only trail where I saw wheat (?) growing in the mountains
On some parts of the trail, that excess brown earth was absent, so we were literally walking on the edge
My favorite part was when we suddenly found ourselves in an enclave of trees. The sun was just peeking through the canopy of foliage, bending outward and forming the most glorious halo. Coupled with the thick, white fog, it reminded me of those enchanted forests I used to read about in fairytales. We took a breather, as we had probably been walking for half an hour at that point, and only continued on after trying to capture the scenery many times on our phones' cameras. We went for a couple more kilometers, until we decided to turn back because it didn't appear that the clouds would thin; and since the trail was somewhat perilous, we didn't want to risk running out of sunlight.
Ethereal
When we were back at the lookout, I realized I had misplaced the sunglasses I borrowed from my friend, and I quickly recalled removing them to take a jump shot somewhere at the far end of the trail.
On principle, I volunteered to go back and get them on my own. I ran. I was doing good time, and had reached the beautiful clearing in less than 10 minutes, when two women emerged from the other end of the path. I don't normally make small talk, and I'm very awkward with strangers; so I surprised myself when I spurted, "This is my second time on this trail today, because I left my friend's sunglasses somewhere up ahead." They both smiled at me, then glanced somewhat incredulously at each other, and one of them said, "That's so funny..." while she reached back and pulled the very sunglasses from her pack. She said they picked it up thinking one of their friends had left it, as they frequent the place. We made our introductions, while gushing at the small twist of fate that saved me from searching pointlessly for the shades that were already in their possession. Considering how fast I was running along the trail, I could've easily zipped past them without making any contact; but I stopped and uncharacteristically initiated a chat and got the best ending I never would have expected. After thanking them profusely, I ran back to my friends, excited to tell them what just happened. I found them on the lawn, practicing some acroyoga, and they were surprised that I was back so quickly. I told them about the small miracle that just happened, and it made for a great story. Some time later, the two women stepped out of the fence, allowing me to introduce them to my friends. Turns out, they practiced acroyoga themselves, and we got to play with them before we parted ways.
Snow and Jen
Downward Dog Stack
It may seem like a small thing to some, but it was so significant to me because there was undeniably providence at work in those moments. Maybe we don't need to wait for miracles to happen to us, maybe we can make everyday miracles happen when we follow our instincts, do things out of our comfort zone, are thoughtful of others, and make new connections. Those were the things that turned a seemingly innocent, chance meeting into an extraordinary event. May you fill your week with miracles! One of the angels I met that day was Snow, and she is the founder of this great wellness movement called Wild Women's Way.
It's been two weeks since my last post, and I've been at a loss for words over the amount of life I've been living. This month, I visited an art fair, celebrated Sandwich Day, attended a brunch party, tried new dishes and/or restaurants, styled another product shoot for the holidays, became a godmother for the fifth time, took a tap dance refresher and learned a new routine, hoarded Mario Kart toys, memorised lines for a corporate musical, and spent time at my best friend's going-away garage sale.
In my previous blog, I used post "storybooks," especially when photos could tell the stories better than words in a short amount of time. Mostly, I made them to recap a trip, to show photos of food, scenery, people, years before the age of Facebook and Instagram. Now, I'll start a storybook series: pic-heavy and as word-sparse as I can manage. Catch up with me :) November 3 - Sandwich Day at Mr. Graham's Sandwich Shop #SandwichDay #MrGrahamsSandwichDay On top of offering some of their sandwiches at Buy 1, Take 1, they had live performances by local singer-songwriters, and a sandwich eating contest. That last one must've been the highlight for me; we were all blown away when a professional competitive eater inhaled the 14" Cebuano (Lechon) Manwich in 1 minute and 13 seconds! 0_0 (Click the link to see his Facebook fan page, but I'm warning you, they videos are not for the queasy!)
November 4 - A Birthday Brunch We surprised our Coffee Crew buddy on his 25th birthday, with a beautiful brunch spread by his wife: bagels, bacon, bananas, butter!
This raspberry-rosemary iced tea was a balm on that hot day
Crispy, light, perfectly seasoned Shiitake make these the healthiest chicharon you'll ever have
I couldn't decide if I liked the Peanut-Plum or the Basil, Cilantro, and Mint dressing more -- so I just enjoyed both with this CK Chicken Salad
My favorite dish from lunch was this Spicy Arrabbiata & Ricotta Cottage Cream Rigatoni. The tomato sauce was velvety smooth, the basil gave a fresh bite, and the ricotta balanced the heat
This hot tapa sandwich came with an Au Jus and Dijonaise, and the most flavourful caramelised onion "French Dip"
Something moist and salty sweet for dessert? Try the artisanal salted caramel cake
Chewy and filled with dulce de leche, these Donut Holes with a warm chocolate dip was perfect with my afternoon coffee
They offer Illy and Yardstick coffee, but I opted for the stronger Americano
November 9 - Artists' Buffet Spread at M Cafe #LoveMCafe #RaintreeRestaurants We had a gig for the company that I used to work for, and our holding area was at the Museum Cafe across from the venue. We love gigs that feed well!
Not sure if this semi-naked vegetable lumpia was from the M Cafe menu or Kabila's, but I loved its flavour and ingenuity
Not bacon bits, but bacon slabs on this creamy carbonara!
Steamed juicy Hainanese chicken...
... best paired with this fragrant Hainanese rice, and mixed in with ginger and chili condiments
With the iconic M of M Cafe
Post-show night cap with my favourite M Cafe cocktail, the Sunset Session: berries, lemongrass sake, chambord, dalandan
November 10 - Hors d'oeuvres after our show in Solaire #Solaire #MomentsAtSolaire I loved the selection they had from the smoked salmon bites, mini patรฉ bruschetta, to the surf and turf skewers, and super cheesy spinach lasagna.
Grissini wrapped in parma ham, with grana shavings
They didn't scrimp on the imported scallops!
November 11 - Ooma Japanese Rice Bar at the Fashion Hall, Megamall #OomaJapaneseRiceBar #Ooma I was shopping for a shoot, which brought me to Megamall after scouring two other places. Decided it was time to try this out, since we loved Sensei in the South so much. Sadly, the Gyudon and Ebi Tempura Maki were underwhelming; the former was served room temperature instead of warm (which I expected from a freshly steamed rice dish) and the latter didn't have much flavour. While we did like the Corn and Oyster Kakiage and its dipping sauce, it was not photogenic.
Torched Scallop and Tuna Aburi Maki was the only thing we really liked
November 14 - Trying the New Caffรจ Pascucci, Robinson's Galleria #Coffee #Caffe #Pascucci
Good coffee at Pascucci, Robinson's Galleria before a gig
Macho Nachos (?) with sous vide egg from Taco Vengo was just alright. Anna has been raving about their fish taco, but it was unavailable that night. Ended up getting the shrimp which was also just alright. Now I'm really curious about that fish taco, so it warrants a revisit.
Milky Strawberry 3-layer pancake stack from Ally's All Day Breakfast on Malingap St. reminded me that they have the best pancakes in the country: fluffy, soft, and melts in your mouth, absorbing everything you put on it. I still prefer their Tiramisu and Chocolate, though.We also tried the 3-cheese waffle, but it had nothing on Pancake House's.
November 19 - Podium Grub Chicken and Pumpkin Waffle from Borough #BoroughPodium
It doesn't look great, but this sweet tea infused fried chicken from Borough just made it to my top 5 fried chickens in Manila. The pumpkin waffle was a little bland, but was a good complement to the chicken; it would've been nice if the butter were more flavourful.
Deliciously different: Green Mango Sorbet with Nam Prik (Thai Chili sugar.) I prefer this over the bagoong variant from the ever inventive Sebastian's Ice Cream
What have you been eating lately? Leave me a comment or Tweet me on the sidebar and show me pictures!
