Snack List Five: Ling Hi Mui

Ling Hi Mui is dried, salted, sugared, sour plums.

I can do pickled plums, in moderation, mostly as an adjunct to a soup or porridge. And I love salt and vinegar chips.

But these I could not eat. I tried. Twice.  

  

I did pick up the powdered version, which is meant to sprinkle on fruit. I think that would probably taste pretty good to me, in massive moderation.

Snack List Five: Mochi

I've had Mochi before. I do aikido, and absorbing a bit of Japanese culture tends to be part of the art.

For those not in the know, Mochi is a sweet snack made from sticky rice, pounded until it is gummy and pasty, usually filled with some sweet filling.  The texture is not my favorite.

They have standard Mochi in Kauai, but they also have a variation which I like much more. They add baking powder, and other things like pumpkin or chocolate, and it comes out somewhere between banana bread and jello-laced brownie. 

We had it as a quick snack before our trip through the canyon. 

North/East side Photo Tour

Let me take this chance to point out that all the good pics were taken by The Mister. For whatever reason, the photo gene skipped me, but James has the interest and the equipment (thanks Dad!).

Part of the delay on blog posts has been getting the good stuff from the camera to the ipad. 

Anywho, one of our first scheduled things in Kauai was a half day photo tour. Our guide, Levi, was a hoot: a total geek and gamer who loves sharing stories and learning about pretty much anything. Reminded me of my grandpa Corey, which may seem wierd unless you ever met my Grandpa Corey.

Levi is a kick ass photographer, and gave all the touristas some helpful tips on composition, lighting, and filters.

Three top things I learned:

Get lower for a better shot. 

Use "stuff" as frame for interest.

Filters are your friend.

Quick before and after on that last tip.

Without filter.

With filter.

Here are some of James' best shots.

How'd that get in there??

Does this one look familiar? Features prominently in two Paramount flicks. Chocolate covered Mac nuts to the first person who comments, correctly, with both movies.

...and one from me.

Waimea or Sedona?

Box of chocolate Mac nuts to the first who comments with the correct answer. You must get all four right to win.

#1

#2

#3

#4

Waimea Canyon, or how I learned to stop worryin--just kidding!

I did it! 

See?

This is me very near the end point of a Waimea Canyon trail. I went to the end of the trail, but this picture is the highest elevation.  To give you some perspective, I am standing over there.

Over there. The big brown hill to the left of the waterfall.

THERE.

It's only a couple miles away, really. 

The end point was the tippy top of the waterfall. Totally worth it, but beware the faint of heights. 

No one here but us chickens

Think the end of Jurassic Park, but with roosters rather than raptors.

More info for the curious.

 

http://kauaiblog.wordpress.com/2013/03/12/kauais-wild-chickens-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/

Kauai at last: First impressions

Cool, clouds, breeze.

Not raining, but all is wet. My skin tingles, remembering what moisture is. My hair starts to frizz. 

I am so very relaxed, but excited, but hungry.

Ocean view, best for sunrises, not sunsets.

Tomorrow will be fun.

Aloha from Sedona, or Things to do in AZ when you're not in HI

So, not one, but TWO hurricanes threaten the Hawaiian islands this week. Though one is to hit north, and one is to hit south, they still canceled our flight from Phoenix.

Not to be deterred, we found a hotel, rented a car, and drove to Sedona.

I have never been anywhere like it. Even the drive through the mountains and the scrubby desert brush was beautiful.

We even saw a little bit of wildlife.

The red rocks of Sedona were spectacular.  I won't even try to describe them, but the pictures almost do it justice.

Everything man made in Sedona is designed so it doesn't detract from the natural beauty. Houses are tucked away behind curves and switchbacks.  All the roofs, shingles, and siding match the colors of the landscape.  And square intersections are right out.

That was the most unusual, and brilliant, feature of the town. All intersections were roundabouts, which is a brilliant way to prevent speeding. You simply can't go too fast going round a curve,  and you have to slow down at each intersection, too.

A little nauseating, but clever, effective, idea.

Looks like we will fly out and start the Hawaiian leg of our adventure this afternoon.

Mahalo for reading!

Snack List Five (aka foods I must try in Hawaii)

I'll be using this blog as a food and travel blog over the next few weeks, but I figured I'd start with the food.

If you know me, this is not news.

I love fancy food served on fine plates in low light if it tastes good. I also love fresh, flavorful food cooked in the back of a party store, if it tastes good. Or regonial stuff that seems strange but...you get the idea.

A co-worker, who used to live in Hawaii, just gave me a list of the local snacks she loved the most. I'm taking this "Food List Five" with me on my trip. I'll try them as I find them, and do a brief write up too.

But for now, I'm off to Google what these are.