Day 1: Dah-di-dah-di dah-dah, dah-di-dah-di-daaaaah

In case you didn't get recognise the reference in the subject line: the Hawaii Five-0 theme. Duh.


We made it to Hawaii without any problems. Not that I really expected anything to go wrong, but whenever I travel, especially just before leaving, I fret:

Did I pack enough? Did I pack too much? Did I forget anything? Is the house locked? Is the cat on fire? Did I hide the radioactive isotopes? When we cross the equator will aliens board the plane and do their weird alien experiments on us...?

So far everything has gone smoothly. We took off on time at 9.20PM, and apart from the usual problem of trying to sleep in an airline seat, which is like sleeping strapped to a surfboard shoved into a closet - only worse. Otherwise everything was fine.

Although I did have that weird dream about the aliens. And those cold, clammy rubber gloves...

We're staying at the Ilikai Hotel, which is where they shot the opening sequence for the original Hawaii Five-0. The one where Steve McGarret did the wonderfully cheesy turn-to-camera as the helicopter sweeps in.

The hotel lobby even plays old clips of the original series on a loop. Fabulous.

The downside of the Ilikai is that it's a bit of a hike to Waikiki, especially if you take the tourist wandering route, at least 2km. Still, it was good to stretch the legs and get a bit of exercise.

After about a 12 1/2 hour walk (it *felt* like 12 1/2 hours) we finally saw Waikiki Beach and Diamond Head. Honolulu may be touristy, but it's still genuinely beautiful.

Lunch was in this wonderfully quirky restaurant in the International Markets, The Treehouse Cafe, where we chatted with our Palestinian waiter (no doubt attracted to Hawaii after his years of surfing the Gaza Pro).

After that we took part in a tourist scam, where they open an oyster and dig out Your Very Own Pearl for a mere $15, less 50% for the "random discount" you draw from a barrel. Then they try to sell you the $610 white gold pendant you can mount your $7.50 pearl in.

Brilliant sales tactics, straight out of Robert Cialdini's book "Influence". Being wise to their Jedi mind-tricks we dodged the last bit.

Now we're sitting in the bar of the hotel watching the sunset, drinking mai-tais (with six or seven limes to cut the sweetness) and a Longboard beer (with a name like "Longboard" it's probably from Wisconsin).

[Post: dinner]

Our waiter was a delightful young man named Rickson. He explained his father was Rick, he was Rick's son, hence Rickson. If he had a son the would be Ricksonson, so his son would be Ricksonsonson...

I had pork, and Emma ordered the Maine lobster. Maine lobster. It certainly wasn't a minor lobster - it was freaking huge.

According to her it was "the best lobster I ever had".

Here's the eviscerated exoskeleton as evidence:

Jetlag and lack of sleep are taking their toll. Time for sleep.