Rainforest Cafe

The Rainforest Café is a jungle-themed family restaurant in a mall in South Seattle. It’s a fun place for kids. We were invited there to celebrate one of Tiggy’s friend’s sixth birthday.

The place is covered with faux tropical flora and fauna. There’s even a waterfall and a thunderstorm that goes off every 15 minutes or so. And giant aquariums. With real fish. The restaurant must employ staff just to maintain the tanks and feed all those fish.

The food is far less adventurous than the decor, but it’s more palatable than the meals we’ve eaten at a lot of other chain and themed restaurants.

Noel 2010

Dans quelques heures, deballage…

Malaekahana Beach – Robinson Crusoe for an afternoon

We failed to spot the entrance to Malaekahana Beach Park and almost missed out on discovering one of the most breathtaking beaches on Oahu. The gates are very easy to miss—probably a way to keep the number of visitors down. We were thrilled to have the place to almost to ourselves.  Glad we made that U-turn! To get to the beach, you have to walk through the ironwood groves that provide a comfortable shade for camping and napping on the beach—the perfect setting for a day at the beach. The water is clear, the waves aren’t too big and there’s a little island not too far from shore. You almost feel like you could swim there when the water is calm. 

Our friends Mark and Ayuko camped out in the groves for five nights. I envy them.

Waikiki

Waikiki seemed like a cheesy tourist destination at first. My guidebooks showed pictures of overcrowded beaches and a backdrop of high-rise hotels that overpowered the landscape. The pictures of nightclubs and trinket booths at the international marketplace were off putting. Nevertheless, we chose Waikiki as our hub in Hawaii because of the kid-friendly beaches and natural attractions.

And it didn’t disappoint. The area did not seem dingy and run down, and the cheesiness didn’t seem to matter once we were there. We got in some good beach time in Waikiki’s calm waters and found the views agreeable, even though it was crowded and some of the resorts are way too close to the water. The beach walk is also pleasant, with lots of vegetation and plenty of space to push a stroller. There’s an ABC convenience store on every corner, selling everything from souvenirs to groceries ($6 for a half a gallon of milk).

The boys loved taking the Waikiki trolley—we had free access to the Pink Line with our room cards—which took us along tree-lined streets with attractions and boutiques like Louis Vuitton. The only shopping we did this trip was for bread and pastries.

We had a rental car, which allowed us to explore beyond Waikiki, but I think we chose the right place to base ourselves for our first trip.

  

Day at the Beach

It’s a challenge. You go to the beach with your partner and want to keep your valuables safe while you’re in the water together. One solution is to cover your bag with a towel. No one will ever suspect that you’re trying to hide something under the giant mound.