It became obvious very quickly that I made the right choice going to the indoor stuff yesterday. Even though it was still raining most of the day, there were very few clouds and it was much lighter, almost a mist rather than actual rain. Anyway, I started the day with breakfast at a lovely little place with a longboard over the bar, the food was really quite good too.
Pretty much the entire reason I chose to eat there.
After this I wandered down to Waikiki Beach and spent pretty much the entirety of the time it wasn't raining while I was in Hawai'i relaxing on the beach. I was going to go for have a swim but I couldn't easily find a spot to lock up my valuables and as I passed many people with metal detectors coming the beach and a woman furiously digging in the sand and asking people on towels nearby if they had seen her room key I thought I might give it a miss.
After this I took the Waikiki Trolley to the aquarium which was small, but interesting and I once again availed myself of the audio tour because it was free and, like the one at the palace, was pretty interesting and together they got me on the path of considering
A reef exhibit
All the kids at the aquarium were thrilled to see Dory Jellyfish posing for one of the better shots I took all trip
The highlight here was holding a hermit crab in my hand and feeling it scuttle across, a strange sensation that made me think of being gently prodded with small needles. I also found the monk seals entertaining, one of them anyway, the other was doing it's best impression of an overweight tourist, lying by the water and scratching itself.
Interactivity at its finest.
Also taking advantage of the good weather to sunbathe by the water.
I followed the visit to the aquarium by having lunch in a beachfront cafe where they served all meals with a hibiscus on the plate and again I just sat around and enjoyed the afternoon.
After lunch I once again boarded the Waikiki Trolley which took us along the coast past the Diamond Head Lighthouse which is and a memorial commemorating Amelia Earhart's solo flight from O'ahu to the USA.
I got off the trolley in the crater of Diamond Head, along with a young family of four from Canberra, and the trolley driver informed us that it was vitally important that we were ready to go back to town in an hour because the last trolley would be leaving then. The climb to the lookout on the summit was supposed to be particularly difficult but although it was a bit tiring it was no more so than any other brisk walk of a little over an hour.
The thing that shocked me the most about Diamond Head was the difference in vegetation inside the crater to what I'd seen elsewhere in O'ahu. It was a wonderful walk and part of the path was through WWII defense installations. It was one of the most beautiful areas I went to while in Hawai'i.
The steps leading to the defense tunnels.
Military defensive structure circa 1930s View from the top of Diamond Head looking East
And the view back towards Waikiki and Honolulu to the west of Diamond Head
When I got back to Waikiki it was almost sunset so I headed back towards the beach to properly enjoy it. The torches along the beachfront were lit and then
This photo contains at least seven Hawai'ian stereotypes
Finally I had a traditional Hawai'ian meal, but to find this I had to head well out of the Waikiki area and up to Ono Hawaiian Foods. This meal consisted of poi, tomato, onion, pork, jerky and chili sauce and was fairly delicious, although I discovered that it is vitally important to not have too much poi at once because it is bland but can still easily overpower the other flavours and leave you with an entire mouthful of bland.
Looks tasty, yeah?
Apparently I'm not the only one who thought the food was pretty good.
I went back to the hotel for an early night as I'd been told to get up very early to go to Pearl Harbor the following day.
Culture shock for the day: I was mistaken for an American twice today, first by a couple from New Jersey who assumed my accent was Hawai'ian and then by a Hawai'ian who thought I was from Montana. I have decided therefore that all Hawai'ians and Montanans sound alike - surely that's politically correct and stuff yeah?
Next time: I find out the importance of getting up early and talk to a bus driver.
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