Hana Bay

Hana Bay --- my melancholic, peaceful place. I love it here. Having this mental image when I get stressed out calms me down. It's a happy place for me.

Driving for two hours in a winding road is crazy and scary. The road to Hana is an experience of a lifetime. The forest is beautiful. It was just scary to think that we were the only ones on the road at that time (we left the hotel at around 6 am) and I just kept on praying that our rental car wouldn't act up on us. The sunset is amazing (see above). Some turns were only for one car and the trees were enormous. The view is very inspiring.

When we saw the bay, the first thing I did was to pee. It was almost empty (there were 2 people on the shed chatting) and it felt like we own the bay. Maui mornings start late and I'm glad I had a "quiet time" in Hana Bay.

Enjoy the pictures below and I hope it calms you down as it does to me. :)

First Fridays at Abbot Kinney (September 3)

September 3 is the first Friday of the month. Work is really, really crazy nowadays and I was having a stressful day at work. I was so glad when I got off work (OT on a holiday weekend is not really ideal).

We got there kinda late and Abbot Kinney was really packed. It was crazy (happy crazy not stressful crazy). Abbot Kinney had tons of trucks on the streets and I was so happy to see them all.

Below are my rewards for working so hard (I can't wait for next month):

Greasy Weiner dog from the greasy weiner --- I finally took a photo of my favorite food truck weiner. It's snaps when you bite it and it's meaty. mmm... Adding bacon to it isn't bad either. For $4, this weiner is a must try if you to First Fridays.

Tapsilog from the Tapa Boy truck --- Finally, there's a Filipino food truck that I can love. I love tapsilog. Beef, egg, atchara (pickled papaya and carrots?). My friend got it and said that it tasted good and authentic. I'll ask my cousin to get it for me next week during the Fil-Am fest in San Pedro. I love Filipino food and I love beef. What could be better??? It's one of my favorite comfort food.

Churro tots and Cilantro Chicken taco from the Border grill truck --- Susan Fenniger -I'm a fan! I love her on Master's Top Chef. This taco tasted good but my favorite are the churro tots!!! I love them. It's one of the things that I will crave for. It's crispy on the outside and creamy, buttery on the inside...mmm...I want some right now and I'm not sharing it. The churro tots are my favorite find for the night. I'll get it again next time (and next, next time, and next, next, next time...).

Carne asada Quesadilla from the Border Grill truck --- What can I say??? I love beef and cheese. It's very good (but the CREAM quesadilla from Kogi is still number 1, this for me is number 2). It's only $5 (I think) and it's better than any $10 restaurant quesadillas I've tasted.

Croquetas from the Papas Tapas truck --- It tasted really good. It was kinda crunchy on the outside and soft and bready on the inside. I also liked their sauces.

Papas Tapas garlic shrimp taco and chicken taco --- garlic shirmp tasted good but the flavors of the chicken doesn't really amaze me.

Chicken Shawarma from an unknown truck (I just can'tremember the name of the truck). It's my friend's food and I have a bite of it. It tasted ok to me. The sauce tasted like how it should and the chicken is ok. The pita is kind of cold though. Based on Jelic's taste buds, the shawarma at the farmer's market at the grove is better than this.

Bacon coffee frosted cupcake from Ahn Joo Truck ---It's all right. It's sweet and savory. It's not my favorite cupcake though (I LOVE the dark chocolate marshmallow cupcake from Sprinkles).

Here's the rear end of my favorite weiner truck:
my friends and I at the tapa boy truck: