ANOTHER DAY IN WAIKIKI

As there was too much food on my schedule yesterday, I started with Rambutan and Dragon Fruit with some milk.  Some of you will recall that I have been staying at the best hotels on Oahu because I chose not to take my Fall around the world trip this year.  I am today at the Princess Kaiulani and next weekend will complete my splurge with two nights at the Halekulani, as Chaine des Rotisseurs will be having our annual dinner there.  The first reason for the PK was that I haven't stayed here for decades, and they just refurbished.  The second was that Ed Jurkens invited me to his family Thanksgiving luncheon at the Oceanarium, a short walk away.  The third, and most important, is that this brings me up to 25 stays at a Starwood hotel, raising me to Platinum status next year.  Why is this important?  Free internet, upgrade to the best available room, check-in gift (many times a bottle of wine), use of any Executive Club, etc.   By the way, Hawaii has laws that prevent Executive Clubs serving liquor.  This might be the only location in the world with this restriction.

The view from my room was spectacular:

The last time I ate at the Oceanarium was also at a least a decade ago.  Their Thanksgiving buffet costs nearly $50 now, and Ed, all of 95 or so, paid for the table.  I had way too much food, and my second turkey meal.  Here are the Jurkens:

There was a whole lot of moi in the 280,000 gallon tank, and two rays:

I went to the Moana for the sunset, and it was disappointing in color, but relaxing, nevertheless:

Then a quick walk through the International Marketplace:

The only new and exciting thing on Kuhio Avenue was a new Japanese restaurant, Marukame Udon:

These are just the chefs working there.  The line was 20 yards long outside, and they were all from Japan.  There are 467 of these restaurants in Japan.  Here is what udon looks like:

The noodles have a diameter about triple that of spaghetti.  

Speaking of lines, on my way to dinner I noticed that there was a shoe store that looked like it was from Australia.  Again, there where no other lines in the Hyatt Waikiki, but outside UGG Australia, twenty yards of youngish Japanese tourists.  I asked the guard positioned at the front door if this was the beginning of Black Friday on Thursday, and he said, no, this is all the time.  Interesting though, that the company is American owned with footware made in China.  They specialize in sheepskin boots, which here and there have become the target of the animal liberation movement.

Dinner last tonight was at Japengo, a relatively new Asian fusion restaurant in Waikiki.  I had:  butter fried scallops, sashimi salad, and an outstanding garlic steak with a flight of sake:

Too, too, too much food, but very tasty with excellent service.  I'd come back.

No, not a large blue egg but my view of the hotel pool:

Sunrise, with Waikiki surfers:

And the Hyatt (where I had dinner last night) blocking my view of Diamond Head:

This was a most enjoyable one day vacation, and my carbon footprint was not all that bad.  Aloha.

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