I used to love having a snow cone on a hot summer day when I was a kid. Served in a cone-shaped paper cup, this crunchy ice treat was topped with basic flavored syrups like cherry, blueberry, lemon-lime, orange and grape. Once you made your way through the snow cone itself, there was the promise of slurping up all the juice that had drained into the bottom of the cup. It was cold, messy, and above all, very sweet. My friends and I would smile, open our mouths wide and say “Ahhh!” to show each other how the rainbow colors had stained our teeth, tongues and lips. In other words, snow cones were our kind of treat!

But before visiting Oahu, I hadn’t heard of the Hawaiian alternative to my not-so-secret childhood pleasure.

Shave (without the “d”) ice is a different animal altogether. Gone is the crunch of the snow cone’s coarse ice, replaced by a soft, fluffy confection that more closely resembles the texture of powdery snow. The server pats the ice into a rounded ball, pokes a few straw holes around the cone, and tops it off with yummy island syrup flavors like coconut, pina colada, guava, mango and passion fruit. But wait – there’s more . . . In the center of the rounded ball, underneath the razor-thin packed ice, lies a surprise: ice cream! Of course, you can have the shave ice without the ice cream if you so choose. Either way, the entire concoction is served in a colorful plastic cup and served with a spoon and a straw. Mmm . . .

What was your favorite childhood sweet, Wanderboomers? Have you tried shave ice?

Whenever two or more seasoned travelers are gathered, you’re bound to hear the one question on everyone’s mind: “Where are you going next?” or “What’s your next trip?” Wanderlusters love to share their travel tales, for better or worse, and inspire each other to keep on moving.

We also love to talk about our recommended guidebooks.

For my recent trip to O’ahu, I browsed through the selection at my favorite travel bookstore in Seattle, Wide World Books & Maps, before settling on two: DK Eyewitness Travel Hawaii (in the hopes that I’ll be visiting the other Hawaiian Islands in the not-too-distant future) and DK Eyewitness Travel Top 10 Honolulu & O’ahu, which also comes with a nifty fold-out map in the back pocket.

The store employee suggested I might also want to consider O’ahu Revealed: The Ultimate Guide to Honolulu, Waikiki & Beyond. I took a quick peek but stuck with my first choices. I love the compact size of the DK Eyewitness series and their photos are second to none. Plus, I wasn’t thrilled at the idea of packing yet another guidebook in my carry-on bag.

A few days later a friend offered to loan me her travel guide for O’ahu. The title? You guessed it. O’ahu Revealed. Okay, fine. I decided to take another look. Boy, am I glad I did.

This became my guidebook of choice for the entire weeklong stay on Hawaii’s most famous island. Here’s why:

1. The author, Andrew Doughty, provides a candid, personal assessment of attractions, restaurants, hotels and activities. You know you’re in good hands when the guidebook writer “lives” his book as he tell us in the introduction.


2. I appreciated (and needed) the highly detailed maps with suggestions of best routes to local destinations, despite what the road signs say.


3. The author’s vivid descriptions of specific locations on the island tell it like it is. Here’s one example any of us could relate to describing the difficulty of capturing an aerial photo of Turtle Bay Beach & Resort on the Northshore due to wind turbulence:

“Trying to hold the camera steady and flying the pitching aircraft while screaming and crying for mama is a bit awkward . . . “

What’s your favorite guidebook to the Hawaiian Islands, Wanderboomers?

.  .  . your day starts out like this.

There’s a reason the word “Hawaiian” is most often followed by the word “paradise.” I took this early morning shot from our ninth floor room of the Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa. After a flight delay that got us into Honolulu close to midnight, we woke to the sounds of waves breaking on the shore below and birds tweeting “Aloha” from our balcony.

Time to rise and greet the day!

Can’t get enough rainbows? Be sure and check out my other two posts, Chasing Rainbows and March 17th: A Day for Rainbows.

What memorable morning wake-ups have you had in your travels, Wanderboomers?