Entries about laulau

This morning, Catherine called to "battle" with the rental car company. They said at first that we would have to bring the car all the way back to Kahului to exchange it for another car. There was a sister company in Lahaina which had cars they could give us, but a variety of paperwork problems prevented it. So in the end, Catherine's parents drove all the way around the north-west side of the island to exchange cars. Thankfully, the new car appears to be bug-free.


While they journeyed around the island in search of a new car, we had a relaxing lunch of pizza from the poolside restaurant. We sat at a table overlooking the ocean.

After lunch, we went for a walk and sat by the beach. These pictures show the view of Lanai and Molokai. We also saw some land in the distance that might be a faint view of Oahu. It is a beautiful view.

After our walk, we had a ukulele lesson! The class was interesting, and we learned how to play several songs. We are interested in obtaining a ukulele so that we can continue to learn.

Afterwards, we went to Lahaina for the Old Lahaina Luau. These pictures are us at the beginning, before dinner or the show. It's in a beautiful setting near the ocean.

Catherine at the luau.

The table at the luau, including taro and sweet potato chips.

Views from our table.

Catherine has been very excited to try poi. She read Hawaii by James Michener and felt like poi sounded like an interesting and potentially good food. This picture shows her very first taste of poi. "It tastes like nothing!" was her immediate reaction. It ended up being rather good with the kalua pork.

Our plates of food. Everything was delicious. Daniel especially liked the laulau and the taro leaf stew, and Catherine loved the sweet potatoes and the kalua pork.

The desserts. Brownies with hot pepper, lavender cookies, passion fruit bars, and haupia (a coconut-milk based custard that was delicious.)

A toast.

The dancers who performed, as well as a view of the stage towards the end of the night. The chanting, singing, and dancing were spectacular.

Catherine and her dad with the waitress for our table. She was very helpful and gave us extra banana bread to take with us at the end! We had a great time at the luau. Afterwards, we went back to the room and re-taught Catherine's parents how to play 500. This was fun, except that some of us were having trouble staying awake.

Tomorrow we are visiting a pineapple plantation, where Maui Gold pineapples are grown. It is one of the last pineapple growers operating in Hawaii, and we are excited to learn more about it!