One day in Honolulu - Part 2: Lunch in Chinatown

After a morning full of exploration, we are back in downtown Honolulu right in time for lunch. Honolulu is composed of many different interesting districts, so we decided to spend some time in the Chinatown Historic District, one of the oldest Chinatowns in the United States. Compared to larger cities like San Francisco, this Chinatown may seem on the smaller size. However, the 15-block district is really alive with a mix of Asian cultures, and has long been a popular gathering place for local residents and visitors.

Our first objective was to find a good place to eat. After some search, we decided to go to the Little Village Noodle House. A long-standing Hawaii institution, the Little Village concept was conceived way back in 1974 when owners Kenneth and Jennifer Chan first stepped foot on American soil. Arriving in Honolulu from China with only a suitcase and $100 to their name, the young married couple worked in the restaurant business and saved for nearly ten years in order to open a restaurant of their own.

Their work paid off in 1984 when they opened their 30 seat “hole in the wall” in the University district. Through the years, the Chan's have started many successful ventures, the most famous being the Little Village which opened its doors in April 2001. An instant hit for Downtown business people and Chinatown visitors, this latest effort has earned the Chan’s exceptional reviews in almost every major local publication.

Entrance of the Little Village Noodle House in the heart of the Chinatown Historic District


Lettuce wrap as presented to the table: Stir-fried minced chicken, chives, mushrooms, bean sprouts, & chestnuts. ($ 8.95/8 pcs.)


Lettuce wrap served on fresh crispy lettuce leaves.


Steamed Won Ton: Northern style won ton filled with pork and vegetables served with hot peanut sauce. ($ 7.75/10 pcs.)


Mu-Shu Roll: A very popular item. Stir-fried shredded pork or chicken with vegetables and spices, wrapped in a thin crepe. Served with hoisin sauce. (Vegetarian roll also available). ($ 8.95/4 rolls)


Mu-Shu Roll served on a thin crepe.


Hot & Sour Soup: Simmered pork, tofu, bamboo shoots, and shitake mushrooms in perfect harmony with spicy pepper and vinegar. ($8.50)

Chinatown's history can be traced back in the late 18th century when the first Chinese arrived in Hawaii, and became a community of family stores. Starting in 1852, many Chinese arrived as contract laborers for the growing sugar industry. By 1882, the Chinese population in Honolulu had reached 5,000 and constituted 49% of the total plantation work force. Many became merchants after their contracts expired, and moved to this area. At that time Chinatown was made up of dry-goods and produce merchants, tailors and dressmakers, barbers and herbalists.

In January 1900, almost the entire neighborhood was burned to the ground to halt the spread of bubonic plague, schools were closed and 7000 residents of the area were put under quarantine. Many of the buildings present in Chinatown today date from 1901. One of the most famous, the Oahu Market built in 1904 at the corner of King and Kekaulike streets, still remains in use for selling fresh fish and produce, and has become one of the symbol of the Historic District.

After World War II the area fell into disrepair and became a red-light district. In an effort to preserve its heritage, about 36 acres (15 ha) of the district was added to the National Register of Historic Places listings in Oahu in January 1973. The area has been a target for a major revitalization plan since 2006*.
“We recognize and appreciate Chinatown's historic, cultural, and economic importance. Chinatown's assets - its architecture, businesses, ethnic diversity, restaurants, and arts and culture - are the core of its uniqueness and must be preserved.” - The Mayor of the City and County of Honolulu, Mufi Hannemann

Chinatown today remains a bustling, crowded and noisy place whose primarily purpose is on buying and selling. The meat, fish and produce stalls remain, within a mix of gift stores, lei stands, and dozens of restaurants. If you are lucky to be here during the celebration of the Chinese New Year between January 20 and February 20, you will enjoy many outdoor festivities such as lion dancers, and cheerful bright-red lanterns and decor are displayed all around town.

Typical building of the Chinatown Historic District that was built post the great fire of 1900.

Kekaulike Mall: Example of a new development within the historic district.


Kekaulike Mall: A gathering place for Chinatown residents buying fresh vegetables, exotic herbs and tropical fruits, pig’s heads, chicken feet, live eel and fish.


The historic Ohau Market, founded in 1904.

Immigrants of China, Thailand, Laos, Japan, Philippines, Vietnam, and Hawai’i all live and work in Chinatown in a harmonious blend of cultures, traditions and lifestyles. A common thread across all these cultures is definitely Buddhism. Many Buddhist temples and shrines can be found all around Chinatown as well as around the Islands, a lot of them being devoted to Kuan Yin.

According to the legend, Kuan Yin is the goddess of Mercy, the one that chose to remain on earth doing good even after having achieved enlightenment. Women are her primary worshippers, but this goddess also comforts the troubled, the sick, the lost, the senile and the unfortunate, as well as protects seafarers, farmers and travelers - just the deity needed for an immigrant people building a new life far from home. There are many representations of her all over the Islands: holding a lotus flower (symbolizing beauty in the form of the flower which grows from the mud of human fragility), pouring out a pitcher of oil (symbolizing mercy flowing), or as a sort of Madonna with a child.

A couple of blocks away from Chinatown and near the entrance of Foster Botanical Garden is The Kuan Yin Temple, a bright-red Buddhist temple with a green ceramic-tile roof. Devotees burn paper 'money' for prosperity and good luck, and offerings of fresh flowers and fruit are placed at the altar. The Buddhist temple which has been on this site since 1880, is the oldest in the Islands. It is still a house of worship, not an exhibit, and respectful visitors are welcome.

One of the many Kuan Yin representation found in Chinatown and around the Islands.


Flowers offered to the goddess Kuan Yin.


Spotted doves (Streptopelia chinensis) playing at the Kuan Yin Temple.

Finally, no trip to Chinatown is complete without buying Leis. Maunakea street is filled with leis shops where price range from $4 to $25, depending on the length and the complexity of the design. Although the lei custom is purely Polynesian, it is in Chinatown that will find the most extraordinary and affordable garlands. It is fascinating to see the artists, mostly women, armed with a huge needle and creating such amazing patterns.

There are very few "rules" when it comes to wearing a Hawaiian lei. Anyone can wear one, and there need not be an occasion. It is common for locals to have a nut, seed or shell lei on hand to wear on special occasions. There are, however, a couple of "unspoken rules" one should know when receiving a lei for the first time.

A lei should be a welcomed celebration of one person's affection to another. Therefore, always accept a lei, never refuse. The proper way to wear a lei is gently draped over the shoulders, hanging down both in front and in back. It is considered rude to remove a lei from your neck in the presence of the person who gave it to you, so if you must, be discreet...

A leis and flower shop on Maunakea street.


Tropical flowers are "outrageously" inexpensive on Maunakea street.

One of the loveliest aspects of Hawaiian culture is the most fragile. Always given with a kiss, the lei speaks eloquently where words might fail.

To read Part 3 of this article.

For more information

Little Village Noodle House

Open everyday
(Sunday to Thursday: 10:30 am - 10:30 pm, Friday & Saturday: 10:30 am - 12 am.)
The Little Village Noodle House is considered to be the best Chinese restaurant in Honolulu. The restaurant has received over the years many awards from well known magazines such as Gourmet, and Honolulu Magazine.
Our review: After a morning full of discovery, we were quite hungry so we decided on taking 5 appetizers. This allowed us to have a small overview of the restaurant's reputation. Every dishes were very tasty, and we could tell that the ingredients used were fresh (No MSG). We were there on a sunday at lunch time, so the place was not too crowded, and service was fast and friendly. According to other reviews from the Internet, the restaurant can become very busy on Friday and Saturday night, so be prepared to wait for some good chinese food. Our bill was quite affordable at $55 including taxes and gratuity. Our conclusion is that The Little Village Noodle House does really live up to its reputation.
1113 Smith Street
Honolulu, HI 96817
USA
Tel: (808) 545 3008
Website


Duc's Bistro

Open everyday
(Monday to Friday: Lunch (11:00 am 2:00 pm) and Dinner (5:00 pm - 10:00 pm), Saturday & Sunday: Dinner only)
Duc's Bistro is an upscale restaurant serving traditional Vietnamese and classic French cuisine. The service is elegant and refined, and the restaurant also offers a decent wine list and live music.
Our review:The restaurant has excellent reviews in many guides but is unfortunately closed on Sunday for lunch ... which was the day we chose to be in Chinatown. If you are looking for a fine dining experience in the heart of Chinatown, we are still confident this is a place to go.
1188 Maunakea Street
Honolulu, HI 96817
USA
Tel: (808) 531 6325
Website

Oahu Market
Open everyday from 6:00am - 6:00pm
Those interested in Asian cooking will find all the necessary ingredient here, including pigs' head, poultry, fresh octopi, pungent fish sauce, and 1,000-year-old eggs. This market has been at this spot since 1904. (Corner of King and Kekaulike streets).

Interactive map

Check out our interactive map of Hawaii to see where I took all the pictures featured in this article.

A heart of fresh roses for a romantic Valentine’s Day

Rose in the language of flower, is often associated with love. No wonder why this beautiful flower is largely sold on Valentine’s and Mother’s Day. If you feel a bit creative, there are many ways you can organize the traditional dozen of roses to create an arrangement with a dazzling effect.

The arrangement I am presenting today is easy to make thanks to the use of a heart shaped box that is more easily found in Art & Craft stores than heart floral foams. Moreover, the box will also have the purpose of retaining water, giving the arrangement a longer life. If the container you find is not in the appropriate color, you can always spray paint it. This design is also appropriate as a table centerpiece or a buffet decor for a wedding event.

For this arrangement, I used a dozen of gorgeous spectacular roses in lavender color, as well as a heart shaped container that has been spray painted in a creamy tint. The choice of color gives this design a vintage allure, however, feel free to be creative in your choice of colors to develop a composition that will reflect your personality. You may also be inspired in doing a heart shaped design using carnations, which will drastically decrease your costs.

An accent ribbon can complete the design

Heart of fresh Roses 

1 heart shaped box
Spray paint, color of your choice*
1 brick of floral foam
12 roses
Moss
3’ of golden ribbon*
1 small wooden heart*
* Optional, available at Art & Craft stores

Prepare your container by spray painting it if needed. Make sure you let it dry for a couple of hours before using it. You can also spray paint the small wooden heart in gold to have them match with the accent ribbon.

Soak your floral foam and shape it to fit the container. Bevel the foam so that it won’t get any higher than the edge of the box.

Place your roses straight, making sure the stem is deep enough (1 ½ inch) but still does not touch the bottom. If your roses are a bit tight, you can gently reflex the petals to make them look bigger.

Continue the design by concealing the foam with some moss. To finish the arrangement, secure the accent ribbon by picking it into the foam with a pen or a long stick and place the small wooden heart.

One day in Honolulu - Part 1: Morning of exploration

Follow L'esprit Sud Magazine as we venture in Honolulu for a day full of exploration and culinary experiences. We have a lot of beautiful places to share through our photography as well as useful tips that will help you make the most of your stay in Honolulu. This article, A morning of exploration, is the first one of a series of three. We hope you will enjoy your visit of this culturally rich and naturally amazing Hawaiian city. Aloha kakou! - Greetings to all of you!

Our day starts very early with the visit of the The USS Arizona Memorial, located at Pearl Harbor. This National Historic Landmark marks the resting place of 1,102 of the 1,177 sailors killed on the USS Arizona during the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 by Japanese imperial forces. The memorial, inaugurated in 1962, is visited by more than one million people annually, making it one the top attraction of the Island. Because of the limited spaces available every day to visit the memorial, it is advisable to be there at 7h30 am, when the Visitor Center opens to get your tickets. This will limit your waiting time to almost nothing, and allow you to plan other activities for the same day.

Before boarding the shuttle that will bring you to the USS Arizona Memorial, you will have to watch a 20 minutes film that gives a really good description of the events. If you have extra time, we also recommend the self audio tour through the museum that details the history of the attack on Pearl Harbor, and which should take about 45 minute to complete.

Accessible only by boat, the memorial is a floating bridge that crosses above the middle of the sunken hull of the battleship without touching it. On a clear day, you can really see well the ship resting under the water. As you look over the edge, you will see the rusting remains of the USS Arizona. It is quite a disturbing feeling to know that 1,102 sailors are buried just under our feet.

As you walk along the bridge, you can't help but notice the strong smell present in the air. Oil is still bubbling up from the sunken ship, almost 70 years after it went down. In a National Geographic Magazine feature published in 2001, concerns were expressed that the continued deterioration of the USS Arizona's bulkheads and oil tanks from saltwater corrosion could pose a significant environmental threat from a rupture, resulting in a significant release of oil*.
*The National Park Service states that it has an ongoing program closely monitoring the condition of the submerged vessel.

The two hours and a half we spent at the USS Arizona Memorial were really worth the early wake-up as they gave us a better insight of the event that precipitated the US into W.W.II, and also a cultural understanding of the Hawaiian Islands.

Only by visiting the USS Arizona memorial can we grasp the size of the tragedy that happened on December 7th, 1941.


Arrival to the USS Arizona Memorial, a floating bridge above the sunken ship that can accommodate up to 200 persons.


The contrast between the peaceful and timeless architecture of the memorial designed by Honolulu architect Alfred Preis, and the rusting remains of the sunken ship is striking, and induce contemplation.


The USS Missouri Battleship, here viewed from the USS Arizona Memorial, is also part of the Pacific National Monument and can be visited.


The Visitor Center where you will find 3 exhibits explaining the attack.


Many photographs taken before the tragic event are exhibited at the Visitor Center. They really have an interesting cultural meaning as they describe how life was in O'ahu during the 40s.


Life goes on in Pearl Harbor ... A couple of zebra doves and their young

After a first part of the morning dedicated to history and remembrance, you may want to change your mind and get closer to Mother Nature. Just 15 minutes away from Waikiki Beach, you can literally loose yourself in a lush tropical rainforest and see a pristine natural waterfall. Nestled deep in the rainforest, the Manoa Falls Trail has been a long time favorite among tourists and locals alike for its incredible biodiversity and refreshing appeal.

Through only a 0.8 mile long (1.3 km), the path passes though so many different ecosystems that you will feel being in an arboretum. On your journey to the waterfall, you will travel through a lush rainforest of giant ferns, wild gingers, guava trees, and a bamboo grove. Expect also some tall and unique tree formations as well as some plant and flower species only found here. Your camera is definitely required!

This hike is often muddy and slippery because the Manoa Valley gets a lot of rain. The hike to the falls is classified as "easy" but on some parts of the trail, you will be walking on boulders and tree roots, so wear shoes with firm soles and take care not to slip in those areas.

If you do not have a lot of time in Honolulu but still want to experiment the beautiful Hawaiian rainforest, the Manoa Falls Trail is the perfect solution. In less than 2 hours, you can access Oahu's tallest accessible waterfall, and be back to the city for lunch.

This moderate hike is great for adults and kids. It only takes 30 to 45 minutes to reach the idyllic Manoa Falls, and even less to come back.


The beginning of the trail crosses though a grove of Eucalyptus trees before gradually ascends though the lush rainforest.


As with anything in life, the hike is more about the journey than the destination.


If you have seen Steven Spielberg's movie "Lost World: Jurassic Park", you have actually seen the trail and its prehistoric landscape as it was featured in many scenes of the movie.


This forest of giant bamboos was a nice treat on our way to the waterfall.


When you take the time to look around, you will discover native flowers that can't be found anywhere else on the planet.


The waterfall, called waihi in Hawaiian, is approximately 150 feets (45 meters). The amount of water depends on the rainfall. There is always water in the falls, but during the summer month, the fall is thin.


The trail can become challenging in certain areas, especially during the rainy season. It rains more often here than in Waikiki and along the coastline, so a word of caution is advised for novice hikers.


When visiting Hawaii, you cannot but notice all the chicken roaming freely along the side of the roads. We saw this cute family on the parking lot of the Maona Fall Trail. What a sweet surprise!

To read Part 2 of this article.

For more information

Pear Harbor - Pacific National Monument

Visitor Center is open 7:00 am to 5:00 pm, seven days a week except Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and New Years Day

Price: The parking and tour program of the USS Arizona Memorial is free. You can rent an audio tour for $5 (English, Japanese, Spanish and French) which is highly recommended for those waiting for their tour to begin as waiting time can be up to 3 hours during high season. If you want to make it a day event, three other exhibits are also available: the USS Bowfin Submarine ($10), the USS Missouri Battleship ($16), and the Pacific Aviation Museum ($14). If you want to visit all four of Pearl Harbor's main attractions, the admission fees will total about $40.

Note: Scheduled tours vary due to visitation, but generally begin every 15 minutes from 8:00 am to 3:00 pm. Tickets are available on a first-come, first-served basis. During busy summer and winter holiday periods, it is highly recommended that you arrive at the Visitor Center as early as possible as, often times, all tickets are given away before 12 noon. Strict security measures prohibit purses, handbags, fanny packs, backpacks, camera bags, diaper bags, luggage and/or other items that offer concealment. Visitors may only bring a camera and cam-recorder. A storage facility is available in the immediate area of the entrance to the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center. There is a nominal storage fee of $3/bag. The storage facility is in operation daily 6:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Address:
No. 1 Arizona Memorial Place,
Honolulu, HI, 96818
USA
Tel: (808) 954 8777

For more information, consult their Website.


Manoa Falls Trail
Open everyday from sunrise to dawn

Price: The Trails and falls are on State land so access is free. For parking, hikers have two choices. 1) Parking in the Paradise Park lot for a fee of $5.00 or 2) Park in the lower neighborhood for free.

Note: Because of the tropical nature of this location, mosquitos do abound so we strongly recommend the use of insect repellents. If you don't have any on hand, the little shop Rainbow's End Snack Shop located at the Paradise Park lot sells insect repellent in travel size wipes, as well as bottled water. During the rainy season (January through March), the trail can become very muddy, so hiking boots would be more appropriate than sneakers. Finally, visitors to the falls should be aware of another potential danger: leptospirosis, a debilitating disease caused by bacteria present in many inland bodies of water on the island. Swimming or taking a dip in the pool is not recommended.

Direction: Located close to The University of Hawai’i Lyon Arboretum and Botanical Garden. Head out West Manoa Road which is just north of Honolulu and west of pacific cemetary. Drive to the end and you will find the starting and ending point.

For more information, consult the State of Hawaii Trail and Access Program's Website.

Interactive map

Check out our interactive map of Hawaii to see where I took all the pictures featured in this article.