Hula Dancers And The Best Shave Ice On The Island

...Continued from yesterday:
     Wednesday afternoon, after our picnic lunch of poke bowls from the ABC Store (see yesterday's post), our group dispersed, some heading back to the Hale Koa to do some work or read in the lobby,

...others, after having spent the morning snorkeling at Hanauma Bay, to now  try out the snorkeling on the coral reefs off the beach behind the Hale Koa.

    Those who tried it found the snorkeling on our hotel beach to be wonderful, maybe better than the snorkeling at Hanauma Bay, as the reefs here were deeper, which gave better views of the fish swimming below the surface of the water.
     My daughter Claire saw this strange fish, called a flying gurnard, at the Hale Koa reef.

     While some relaxed and some snorkeled, a couple of us opted to walk to the main strip in downtown Waikiki, Kalakaua Avenue,

...for a shave ice.
   Shave ice, an iconic Hawaiian refreshment, is a mountain of pulverized ice over which fruit-flavored syrups are poured  and typically served in a flower pot-shaped cup.
    Shave ice is considered a must-eat while in Hawaii, as Tom and I discovered on a trip to Kauai in 2015. 

     We had learned that the best shave ice on the island could be found at a small stand on Kalakaua Avenue called Island Vintage Shave Ice.

     It turned out that Island Vintage Shave Ice offered not only the usual variety of syrups, such as strawberry, pineapple and mango, but more exotic flavors as well, such as lilikoi, lychee mint, acai, green tea, and mochi, which is a sweetened rice paste.
      But this place takes shave ice to a new level with its specialty items,

...such as the Tropical Island that I ordered,

...which consisted of a heavy snowfall of the powdery ice over a mound of soft ice cream and mochi then syruped with mango and pineapple flavorings, topped with a zigzag of icing, and a "snow cap" of fresh pineapple,

...and garnished with delicious little fruit juice-filled balls called popping boba,

...and some marshmallowy white things that I could not identify but which were also delicious.

    Next to the Island Vintage Shave Ice booth there is a popular public park called the Royal Grove or Royal Hawaiian Center, next to the Royal Hawaiian Hotel,

​...where we went to eat our shave ices,

​...joining all the others who were in the park eating their shave ices.

     Afterwards we walked back to the Hale Koa,

...but a few hours later we returned to the Royal Hawaiian Center for the free hula class being given in the Royal Grove.

       We opted to watch rather than participate,

...though next time I intend to learn to hula.
    To be continued...