Time Machine: Waikiki - Day 2, March 6, 2010

We had a late start to the day due to last night's festivities, so we hit the beach at around lunch time.  We ended up grabbing lunch at "Hyatt at the Beach", which was counter service.  I ordered a HUGE foot-long hot dog. (sorry no pictures!)  Note that I haven't eaten a hot dog from then until now, even though I enjoy hot dogs.  It was just way too big, and I will never order that size again unless someone is sharing with me.  We laid out for a bit and then bobbed in the ocean.  Went back to the counter to order shave ice.  Yes, it is called "SHAVE" ice.  It's a snow cone with finely shaved ice, topped with different kinds of syrup and other ingredients.  This treat is quite refreshing on a sunny day though you have to eat quickly before it melts.  We shared a shave ice that had banana, passionfruit, cherry and strawberry syrup, topped with sweetened condensed milk ("snow cap") and azuki beans, yum.  Too bad they didn't offer ice cream on the bottom; that would've been the best!

We went out on a shopping spree after we freshened up from the beach.  There was a Coach store right at our hotel, so we popped in there since Megan needed a wristlet.  We got a couple of tips from the employees there on which nightclubs to hit.

We returned to the International Marketplace to look for some more Korean BBQ, as I had found some favorable reviews from my iPhone Yelp app.  That night at the food court, there was a live band playing Hawaiian music, so that was a plus!  Megan and I grabbed some Korean BBQ food and Sheri got some Unagi-don from a neighboring Japanese stand.  Very tasty and reasonably priced.  I could eat this stuff all day.

There was a store called "The Stupid Factory", where they sell T-shirts with humorous sayings/slogans on them.  I'm sure you have seen these shirts before.  I remembered one shirt from when I saw it on the show "Big Brother"; it said "Gold digger - like a hooker, just smarter".  I didn't buy any shirts, but Megan bought a few.  One of them was really cute; it said "If life hands you lemons...squirt them in people's eyes!"

One interesting thing about Waikiki is that on every street corner and even in between blocks, there are convenience stores called "ABC Store".  The prices are decent for being in a tourist area, and a place where I can find my favorite "7D" dried mangoes.  What's funny is that I see a lot of tourists carrying ABC Store bags, and then they pass by another ABC store, and go in!  Every store carries the same stuff.  I don't understand.

Another store I enjoy is the Honolulu Cookie Company.  They sell delicious shortbread cookies that are dipped in chocolate.  They are individually wrapped, which keeps them fresh.  And they offer free samples!  I would say they are unlimited, since no one is really policing the sampling.  Eventually people stop sampling because either (1) they are satisfied with the amount they sampled, (2) they feel bad taking too many samples, or (3) there are no more samples left of their favorite flavor(s).   There's also a water cooler with paper cups to satisfy your thirst.  You'd think that free samples would take the company down, but actually it's a great idea, because cookies break from time to time and no one wants to buy a broken cookie.  The broken cookies are cut into little pieces, and offered as samples.  After sampling, you'll want to buy them, believe me.  At around 65-80 cents a cookie, I think they make enough profit to pay for all the samples, so I don't feel bad when I go into a store, sample a few, drink some water, and leave. :)

We went back to the hotel room, intending to go out again to haunt nightclubs, but we were so tired from the night before and still jet-lagged that we stayed in and just gabbed about life, everyone and everything.  This is what a girls' weekend is all about!  The funniest part of it was when Sheri was trying to access the in-room safe but she forgot the combination.  Megan and I, lounging on the beds, were reciting the numbers out loud but then stopped at the 3rd digit, as we remembered that the walls were thin and someone could overhear.  We started to whisper the remaining digits, and Sheri complained, "Why are you whispering?  I can't hear!"  Then I showed her the next digit with my fingers and she said "I can't see!  My contacts are out!"  Then I typed the remaining digits on my iPhone, and Sheri said, "I can't see that!"  We were just rolling over and laughing.  Then later in the evening, Megan was trying on one of her cardigans and asked how it looked.  Sheri responded, "It looks nice.  But I can't see."  We cracked up again.  Megan and I had Lasik done in the past.  Sheri is still holding out.

Looking forward to Day 3, as I had reserved a table at Orchids at the Halekulani for brunch!