Finding Love in Chinatown

Yes, we found love in Chinatown -- in Honolulu, that is... We went to Oahu to attend a wedding, but we were now also making up for our own "postponed" Hawaiian honeymoon.



In Hawaiian, the word "aloha" means love in all of it's different forms -- affection, peace, compassion. This adds an extra meaning to our hellos and goodbyes.

On the island of Oahu we stayed with our friends Pensri and Roy who graciously offered us a place to stay at their condo in Waikiki. It was wonderful to see them, and they took us to Honolulu's Chinatown.



Chinatown is located in an older section of Honolulu, and it's easy for us to feel comfortable here. It's a paradise for food with many wonderful family-operated markets, stores, and restaurants. Sort of like other Chinatowns, but with a Hawaiian flavor in colorful fresh fruits, vegetables, fish, herbs, and whatever else one can eat...



We bought some longans from the stand below. They were larger than the ones we're used to seeing, and we were told that they come from the "Big Island" of Hawaii.



This expert marketplace shopper is checking the vegetables for the proper qualities -- it does matter...



For whatever reason, the bananas seemed extra good here. And the bright colors of all the fruits themselves offered a visual feast.



And for lunch in Chinatown we had... Yes, you guessed correctly -- Filipino food... at a restaurant called the Mabuhay Cafe. Not being a good judge for Filipino food, I would consider it quite decent. But I feel our chicken "adobe" is still better than their chicken adobo. (Oops... sorry about dropping an inside joke.)



The menu cover (with a picture of the owners) says this restaurant has been in business since 1963. Boy, that's 44 years!



Finally, love can be found when you least expect it. And in the aloha spirit, we did find love in Chinatown. Can you say "cheese"?



This is a memorial to the Chinese revolutionary and the "father of modern China", Sun Yat-Sen -- who came to Honolulu at age 13. Here, he studied and learned English.


Our travel adventures will continue with our next blog posting... Aloha!