It's been a change, that's for sure: from our remote, quiet Kauai apartment on the ocean smack in the middle of concrete, of entertainment, noise and dirt, poor souls and wealthy tourists. Waikiki (part of Honolulu) appears as a mix of Vegas, Miami and (perhaps?) Hongkong, with a little shabby Mediterranean atmosphere mixed in.
Our Hawaiian flight from Kauai to Oahu was very short, about 20 minutes only, in a Boeing 717. Spent much more time at the airport - with a live hula band performing! - than in the air. In Honolulu we took an Uber (which cost only $ 25) to Waikiki and had interesting conversation with the Hawaiian driver during the 25 min. drive.
Checked in the Shoreline Hotel (lobby on pic left) - about 3rd row from the beach and from the outside rather "boutiquey" - at about 3 pm, got a room in the 10th floor and were upgraded to King instead of Queen. There were complimentary locally produced snacks and sodas in the room, a fridge and a bathtub and, eventually, the TV channels we missed so much the last week.
Seems like the hotel had been a good choice, rooms are newly renovated and colorful, with a little balcony, though with a strange view showing the building below:
Went out again briefly afterward, first, out of necessity, to the Apple Store on the main shopping strip in front of the hotel. Peter crashed his beloved iPad when it fell just a little distance on the tile floor in the apartment. It took a while to get the paper work for an replacement done, but finally we had saved $ 80 and Peter got a new gadget. Along the main strip all the fancy brand stores are rowing up and the clientele on first view seems to be Asian (Japanese) in the majority. Next stop - being famished and thirsty: the Mauai Brewery to have our first meal of the day: $ 10 Happy Hour Pizza and an IPA.
In time for sunset we were at famous Waikiki Beach - much smaller and more packed than we expected! - and watched people and sunset followed by a performance of a hula band with dancers on the beach. After what we've seen on the other islands it's a "baby beach" and we were wondering about the show the surfers put on here. There is even a "Surf Alley" with boards locked up by the owners - fancy longboards - and everybody runs around like a pro surfer. But,,, waves are REALLY low and it's more a beginners' practice field than real surfing grounds. Wondering whether there were higher waves at the times famous Duke Kahanamoku - he got a statue set up at the beach - was surfing?
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