Things We've Learned About Hawaii

Yesterday started with a 4 mile walk along Waikiki up towards Diamond Head and ended with a fabulous dinner at the Ocean House in the Ocean Reef Hotel. 

Along the way we learned a few things:

1. There are approx. 25 ABC Stores along the 1 mile Waikiki Beach road.  These stores sell everything from alcohol to sunscreen to souviners.  They're more frequent than a Starbucks in Seattle!
2. When the cab company that picked us up at the airport said all drivers spoke English we didn't understand ... but after a taxi ride to dinner last night we figured it out.  English and Hawaiian are second languages here ... the first language is Japanese.  Even signs in stores are written in Japanese first ... English second.  It's CRAZY!  Our cab driver couldn't understand us and we couldn't understand her.  I'm surprised we got where we wanted to go.
3. If you're traveling West on Kalakaua Avenue, walk.  Because of the archaic one-way street system what would be a 10 minute walk can take 20 by car!
4. There are more millionaires per capita in Honolulu than any other US city ... and more homeless per capita.  Everywhere you look there are homeless people with their carts and tents set-up in parks, along side the road and in alleys.  We learned that nearly 40% of them have arrived in the past few years from California.  It seems Governor Schwarzenegger rounded up homeless in California and offered them $100 and a one-way ticket to Hawaii to leave the state.  I'm not sure how the Governor of Hawaii stood for it, but it happened and here they are.  It's sad.
5. Despite wide-spread rumors and chat rooms professing toplessness is okay on Waikiki beach, we didn't see on person topless and came to the conclussion it is not allowed.  We're going to try to find a remote beach today where I can hopefully relax sans-top.  The two things I hate most about tops are 1) the tan lines and 2) the fidgeting you have to do with them to keep them in place! 
6. Althought Waikiki Beach is called on of the Top 10 beaches in the world I'd have to differ.  The sand isn't really sand at all, but small pebbles and just off shore are large patches of reef that make wading in the water extremely difficult and painful.  I can think of 10 better beaches I've personally been to than Waikiki.  However, it is good for one thing ... people watching!  Tony and I agree the women (and men) are better to watch on Waikiki because they're so fit.  And if they're not of the fit, athletic type, then they're of the fun-to-watch type ... putting up their shade structure, hauling out the BBQ and generally creating their own little patio in the park.

It's now the morning of our second day in Honolulu.  The 25,000 marathon runners have passed our hotel and the road is open ... time to go out and embrace another day in paradise!