We are staying in Waikiki a couple of blocks from the beach. The beach is a ring of sand fronted by swanky modern hotels with Diamond Head in the background . The water is calm and shallow for some 200 metres or so with gentle small waves lapping in. It is the mecca for the tourist industry, made even more frenetic this weekend by a NFL match which attracted thousands of football fans from the US mainland. On Saturday night the whole front boulevard turned into an open air market and concert hall with bands, live acts and music everywhere. The place was full of people but by 6am on Sunday everything was gone and the roads spotlessly cleaned, which was an impressive feat.
After visiting the North shore on Saturday we drove back along the east coast which has more native Hawaiians and some clear open spaces backed by high tropical forested mountains. The coast has a reef about 300 meters out which protects the water close in from waves. The waves though are much smaller than on the north coast. Yesterday we drove to the Waimea valley to visit the tropical gardens and the waterfall and stopped at Waimea Bay to see the shore break, the swell having dropped since Saturday. Then back to Waikiki for dinner. We have eaten twice in a really good Chinese restaurant called the Seafood Village. The first time I had some fresh crab in chilli and garlic which was fantastic although a bit messy to eat. Last night we had local fish and a spicy tofu dish which was excellent. Then I noticed a framed photo on the wall of the owner of the restaurant flanked by Barack and Michelle Obama. So they obviously liked the place too. Barack Obama was born and brought up in Hawaii for much of his childhood.
Today we leave for Big Island Hawaii.
