Hawaiian holiday, Post 2: Around Waikiki on Monday

On Monday, we explored Waikiki on foot. We walked a couple of kilometres to the Ala Moana Centre, a funky mall that is unexpectedly open to the sky where you would expect the ceiling or skylights to be. On the way, we...

...Shopped at the International Market Place near our hotel...









...Wandered along picture-perfect Waikiki Beach (the mountain ridge along the beach to the left is Diamond Head, an extinct volcano)...















...Passed through some lovely green parks...

...Some of which were home to homeless people...

...Saw some groovy sights on the road...







...Encountered some colourful - and other less colourful - birds (how cute is the second one below?!)...













...And visited the various watersports huts lined up at the wharf, where Ben found our scuba diving instructor for the next day...





That evening we had dinner at Waikiki's most famous restaurant, Duke's Canoe Club. This is a "restaurant and barefoot bar" right on Waikiki Beach, under the Outrigger Hotel. It's named for Duke Kahanamoku, who was 'Hawaii's most famous citizen and "The Father of International Surfing"'. Definitely recommended!! The food was fantastic, the place was packed, and a quartet of Hawaiian ladies on stringed instruments serenaded the diners, a table at a time! Ben got some great photos of the outdoor flaming torches while we were waiting for a table, too...













Hooray for holidays!!

Click here to view our Hawaii album online (photos from Sunday to Tuesday uploaded so far).