Synchronize watches

Well, it’s taking me a loooong time, but I’m getting close to finishing this story. : )

August 4th, 2006

Free day, or free half-a-day. Civic had been texting me asking if I had “lost” Daisy yet. Nobody had banked on us being able to tolerate one another 24/7 for a whole week. And we weren’t splitting off to do our own things because we couldn’t stand each other anymore. Daisy was headed off to Hanauma Bay to go snorkeling, and I’m not a very strong swimmer so I passed on that. I needed to go shopping, and that wasn’t very high on Daisy’s list. So the plan was: have breakfast together, split off, and then reconvene in the afternoon to check out the huge Hilo Hattie store.

Oops, I must have been more exhausted than I thought. I somehow slept through Daisy’s alarm clock, beyond her trying to gently wake me up, and I did not even stir when she left. When I woke, there was a note on my pillow wishing me a good sleep and that she would meet me in a few minutes after lunch.

Wandering solo in Waikiki. It was bad enough I woke up late, so I picked up a coffee and a spam musubi from an ABC store across from the Galleria and that was breakfast. Being a nerd, I even took a picture of my musubi for my captured memories. Kona coffee and spam musubi, uber-Hawaiian breakfast.

I have never been to any DFS Gallerias ever, so this was my first experience with them. Though right from the get-go there were Japanese shoppers everywhere (of course, they were everywhere outside of the Galleria, too) I wandered around the ground floor, nothing too exciting down here…lots of souvenirs and that kind of thing. I went to take the escalator up and the escalator attendant (I kid you not) stopped me. He asked if I had an “international shopping card.” Apparently, if I did not have one then my Galleria shopping experience was limited to the first two floors. Amazed that I was being denied shopping I walked off in a daze. New goal in life to add to the list: attain international shopper status.

Walked by the Royal Hawaiian shopping centre and took a look at their store map. A lot of them were stores available at Galleria though I had permission to walk into these stores. Side note: there were 4 LeSportSac stores within a one-block radius. Either the Japanese really love their LeSportSac or these stores don’t know how to space themselves properly. I wonder how big of a difference there is between the “common” stores and their Galleria counterparts? I didn’t have the patience to try and find out.

Stepped into Stupid Factory and finally picked up some David & Goliath. I had been eyeing them ever since Lahaina and I figured I’d hemmed and hawed long enough. We sell David & Goliath here in Calgary, but never had I seen so many stores dedicated solely to the brand. It’s such a teenybopper kind of thing, but I just thought the shirts I bought were cute.

At a loss for where to shop next I wandered the International Marketplace again. Don’t get me wrong, I had not exhausted all the stores in Waikiki. I think I was just so overwhelmed by all the stores around me that I had no clue what to do with myself. At the marketplace I found a mu’u mu’u for my grandma and some other souvenirs for friends and family. I also had to find an ABC store that had the “bundles” I had seen in Lahaina. So after the Marketplace I wandered into every ABC store around my hotel (time was nearing meeting up with Daisy) looking for those precious bundles. I ended up wandering into Food Pantry to see what they had there when Civic texted me again. And all of a sudden I was extremely homesick. : ( Good thing there was less than 24 hours left before I headed home. Long slew of text messages back and forth. It would have been cool if Weird Kid or Civic had been there with me, I had nobody to conspire with re: Waikiki’s crazy Asian-osity.

I picked up a Beard Papa cream puff (Coffee: the flavor of the day) and meandered back to the hotel. It was almost noon, and although I didn’t think Daisy would be back so soon I really couldn’t think of anywhere else I wanted to shop – you know Leah’s exhausted when…-- so I hung out in our room. Finally finished my pineapple that we had bought at the Helemano Plantation and hung out on our lanai for a little while. What a difference between Waikiki and Lahaina. It’s hard to imagine you’re in paradise when your view is filled with highrise buildings and the sounds that greet your ears are full of traffic. I even watched a bit of the brain-wash TV again. I don’t know why I bothered. And the cream puff was soooo good. Did it make up for the fact that we never made it to Leonard’s Bakery to try the famed malasadas? I wouldn’t know, but it’s always good to save some experiences for next time.

Daisy arrived and let me know it was a good thing I had not gone snorkeling with her. They are not joking when they warn you about the strong currents, apparently. The fish were used to visitors and one even spooked her by popping up out of nowhere. She sorted herself out and away we went to the big Hilo Hattie store.

Thank goodness they offer a complimentary trolley to get to the big store. I had no idea where we were by the time they dropped us off. More yummy guava punch and we got to see the world’s largest Aloha shirt. (Pictures available someday. I just don’t want everyone to see them online before I get them scrapbooked) I picked up some coconut syrup for friends back home, and pancake mixes the likes of which we had never seen in Calgary. Can you imagine if they offered taro pancakes and coconut macadamia nut pancakes at our Stampede breakfasts? Feedback: the coconut syrup tastes great, although if you have a dirty mind the consistency and color of it all makes the syrup highly questionable. Apparently, this had not crossed Daisy’s angelic conscience when she tried the stuff at breakfast in Lahaina.

We were unbelievably efficient. After Hilo Hattie we decided to have lunch (we were starving by this time) and try our luck at catching the Na Hoku II catamaran for their sunset AKA booze cruise.

Helloooo Ono Philly Cheese Steak! (How I miss you so!)

Daisy finally had her Jamba Juice. Never a day passed when she would not declare her love of the stuff whenever we saw the joint.

Alright, bellies sated. It’s never a great idea to drink on an empty tummy. : ) Now we just had to hit the beach, relax, and wait for the Na Hoku II to appear.

Well, we saw it appear, only to be told that the sunset cruise was cancelled due to choppy waters. Again denied! One more for my list of to-do-next-time. Oh well, more beach time before we say goodbye. I don’t know what it is about the beach, it’s not like you’re doing anything remotely exciting, but it’s still a lot of fun.

Except for the sand-cling situation. Not a big fan of sand-cling. Oy vey, I “imported” so much sand back to Calgary in my rolled up beachmat. Ridiculousness.

After we parted ways with the Pacific we headed back to our hotel to get cleaned up and enjoy our last night in Waikiki properly. Our leis (which Daisy attended to so lovingly day after day in the fridge) were getting pretty bedraggled. Note to everyone: always listen to everyone who tells you to just wear your lei non-stop the day you get it and enjoy it for those moments. There is no sense trying to “preserve” them. So to do our leis right we wore them out for the evening.

Enh, Waikiki/Honolulu is a city. There’s nothing you can do about that. So shopping and dining are everywhere. We finally set foot in Fashion Fever, a chain big around there which is quite similar to Sirens here in Calgary. Cute stuff, but I did not come to Hawaii to buy “regular” things so I left without any purchases. Daisy tried on a tube top! I bet our friends would never believe that. I guess Hawaii really does something to one’s inhibitions.

After that we were starved once again. Big Kahuna advertised Loco Moco in their window, and I knew I had to have something authentically Hawaiian for my last dinner on the island. Big Kahuna was kind of pub-ish, and they were setting up a DJ table for the night as we had our dinner. The bathroom had an attendant, which was kind of odd for such an establishment, but whatever. The crowd really wasn’t our thing, though, so we left once we cleared our bill.

We finally found Moose McGillicuddy’s, but the lineup was kind of a turn off. I know I know, if I had really wanted in I would beared the line. I guess I just didn’t want to spend my last evening en queue. But there was something else we had to try anyway: the Sunset Pink beer at the Royal Hawaiian hotel.

The Royal Hawaiian is the only pink hotel/landmark on Waikiki beach. There is no way you could miss it. Swanky, too, but I suppose that’s what makes it royal. The hotel is so grand it took us a while to figure out how to get to the Sunset Lounge. Not only that but there was thumping music going on in the opposite direction from the lounge. Apparently it was a private function, but oh, to be at that party! It sounded like a blast! They were on the beach underneath big tents with lights flashing and good music pumping. *pouts* I wanted to be at the beach party.

Sunset Pink beer is good. I wouldn’t say it’s my favorite, but hey, I love pink. We had a lovely table right by the beach and we sipped our beer while we watched the dark waves roll in. The moon was exquisite, too. And yet, the ocean looks like a terrifying place to get lost in the dark. I guess I have not overcome my anxieties about the “never-ending” ocean yet. Baby steps. At least I swam and “surfed” in the ocean.

The music was long gone and the lounge was closing for the night. All of a sudden I had the idea that we should leave our leis with Duke. So we paid our server and made a leisurely stop to the bathroom in the lobby. Yup, swanky place through and through. Strolled down Kalakaua Ave for our final goodbye to Duke.

I’m such a good shot, I got my lei on Duke’s arm in one toss. Daisy on the other hand…. It was amusing, let’s just put it that way. In the end, she simply laid the lei at his feet.

I’m sure anyone watching the webcam during those moments was laughing just as hard as I did.

On our way back to our hotel we came across a tall blonde cougar-y woman with a young Japanese tourist. First thing that came to mind, unfortunately: prostitute. The fact that she said she liked him and that he was “not too young” only made me even more convinced of the matter. I watched as she firmly took hold of his hand and led him away while he hesitantly followed along. The poor little tourist-guy! He looked so helpless and uncomfortable I wanted to save him. But how do you save someone from a situation like that? Last thing I wanted to do was get into a catfight with a hooker, or worse yet her pimp, for screwing up a deal. Yes, I’m sure my family would just love to hear about that one. “Leah can’t come home today. She got into an altercation with a prostitute late last night. No, I don’t know what she was thinking. What possessed her to make such a dumb move on her last night on holidays?”

So I just turned a blind eye. I hope the little guy turned out ok.

One more quick shop at a nearby ABC Store.

There we saw a young lady dressed like she was going to the clubs. She brought up a Starbucks bottled Iced Frappaccino to the older gentleman already paying for condoms at the till. First thing that came to mind: another prostitute! How did we not see them during our entire stay? Now they seemed to be everywhere Maybe it was a Friday night sort of thing.

So after we paid for our purchases we trailed her down the block. Not because we wanted to follow her, mind you, but simply ‘cuz we were headed the same way. *shudders* The older gentleman was gone. Was he her pimp? I thought he was a client. Guess he didn’t like the price or something. We watched as she approached another gentleman by the Burger King. Short talk, no deal. Then we lost her as she turned the corner. But as we got closer to the intersection she was headed back in our direction with another guy. And if I had had any doubts about her they were quashed when I heard her say “I don’t discuss that here, we’ll talk about that later.” So yeah, in a span of two blocks, this girl had approached 3 guys. Talk about a fast sales approach. I wonder if she was working with the blonde cougar.

Back in the safety and quiet of the hotel room we did all the last minute packing we could and set our alarm. Another early morning, but we were headed home. : (