Tuesday 8/3 - The ABC's of the Island

Have you ever been awake at 2 AM?  I mean, really awake?  2 AM is the kind of time when it's almost 100% guaranteed that you should be somewhere else.  Out at the bar at 2 AM?  Should be heading home and going to bed.  Awake at 2 AM watching TV?  Should be in bed snoozing.  Wide awake at 2 AM because your body thinks it's 8 AM and is raring to go?  Again, should be in bed snoozing, despite what your body says.

So after we couldn't sleep any longer, Tuesday started with a trip across the street to the ABC Store.  I had never heard of an ABC Store before this trip, but we got well acquainted with them in Hawai'i.  My first reaction at finding this ABC Store across the street from the Outrigger: "Awesome!  What a great location!"  

That euphoria lasted until I realized there was another one one block away.... then another one... then TWO ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE SAME CORNER about four blocks down Kalakaua Ave. 

Turns out there are thirty-seven ABC Stores in a one square-mile radius of Waikiki Beach.  Go figure.  These stores are outrageous: it's like a Super Wal-Mart condensed into a convenience-store size (the difference is I have no philosophical problems with shopping at an ABC store, unlike Wal-Mart).  The first night there we spent almost $100 on "the bare necessities."  Over the course of the trip, I think we contributed to a good portion of the college fund for the sons and daughters of ABC Stores upper management.

So we're up and out of bed at 6 AM, walking around Waikiki, taking photos, exploring the neighborhood.  

One of my personal favorite parts of traveling someplace new is getting maps and walking/driving directions (me loving maps, shocking I know) and orienting yourself to the area.  You never know what you're going to find-- around the next corner could be anything, especially in a place like Waikiki which reminds me so much of the Las Vegas strip (without hundreds of shady characters offering you escort service ads, but with all the infinite possibilities of interesting stuff).  We turned one corner and found this awesome building to the left - the Bank of Hawaii.

"Ryansama, party of 2?"

 Turned another corner and found this breakfast place that our friends (who had just had their honeymoon in Hawaii two weeks before) told us about (right):

Eggs n Things... great breakfast.  Sure it was almost an hour wait, but worth the time.  3 egg omelet with 3 pancakes, with this yummy Hawaiian guava syrup (who needs maple syrup?) 

Another thing we noticed about Eggs n Things: tons of Japanese tourists.  In fact, there were tons of Japanese tourists all over O'ahu.  Jen was enjoying this, as she got to briefly chat in Japanese with some people ("Can you take our picture?" as "Shashin o totte itadakemasu ka?")

Also she found a bunch of Japanese restaurants, Ramen noodle shops and the like, and a popular Japanese snack called onigiri.   

Almost every menu in Waikiki is in both English and Japanese, and the host at Eggs n Things even comes out and announces the list of who is to be seated next in both languages.

This multicultural diversity was part of the reason why we both loved O'ahu; tourists seemed to be from everywhere, from Japan, China, Australia, the Netherlands, the UK, Guatemala, Denmark.  

Walking around after breakfast, I was struck by the difference between Hawaii and the Atlantic tropical places we've visited, specifically St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands.  In St. John, the days were oppressively hot and humid; although it never really went above 90, it was brutal all day long.  The midday sun in Hawaii was hot, but I never thought it was as ridiculously oppressive as St. John, and humidity was never really above 50% with low dew points.  I can hear you saying "Alright, Pete Bouchard, enough weather talk, let's move on."

Back at the hotel, we got to appreciate a little more of the hotel and beach for a bit before lunch.

I'm really not that strong, it's just the salt water.

Some chick took this picture from her perspective, I can't really remember who it was.

Lunch was down the beach at a hotel called Hale Koa (meaning "House of the Warriors") which is a military-only hotel.  How did we get into a military-only hotel, you ask?  Did I whip out my fake military ID which says I'm Captain Art Vandelay, USN?  Did Jen put on her "Hot Lips" Houlihan mask?

Unfortunately, no, though that would have been a great story.  Strangely, civilians are welcome at Hale Koa, but only if you enter from the beach (which is public property).  It's a little known loophole that I read about in our guidebook, Oahu Revealed, which I would highly recommend for anyone going to visit Hawaii.

After sampling the pool, we went out for a nice dinner downstairs at Duke's Canoe Club (thanks Uncle Bill and Aunt Betsy!)  Fantastically delicious fish on the menu, cooked any way you want them, and more importantly spectacular beachfront atmosphere (with Tiki torches everywhere, which prompted me to say that my mother would think Waikiki was the greatest place ever based on quantity of Tiki torches alone).

Tomorrow: Pearl Harbor, Ryan gets comically destroyed by a North Shore wave while five-year-olds stand strong, and we go through a time and space warp and end up on THE ISLAND from LOST.
 

This wasn't dinner at Duke's... this is actually before 11 AM I think.  It's a little more hopping than that.

Stuffed like a Thanksgiving turkey after a hearty Duke's dinner

 Waikiki hotels from beach side, Diamond Head in back, guy in green shirt checking out my white legs on right.

Hotel exterior from street (Kalakaua Ave) - white-haired guy is local Mafia boss

Hot Irish guy in red bathing suit checking out Outrigger from beach side

Me giving a demonstration to a group of Japanese tourists on how to paddle an outrigger in the hotel lobby

You can't tell the FBI but I stole like half this furniture to put in our living room.

Pool was hopping this day... not a seat to be had.  (Or it was like 6 AM)