Whats up in Waikiki

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Waikiki was described to me by people on the Big Island as the Las Vegas of Hawaii. It's not as crazy as Vegas, but that label captures the direction of the contrast fairly well. Waikiki has a decent nightlife and people are looking to have some fun (and some alcohol). I had a good time with pair of au pairs on vacation there. Overall Waikiki is very much a mainstream touristic spot, so if that's not your thing, then you might as well skip it, and save time for those other aspects of Hawaii that are up your alley.

I stayed at the Backpackers Hostel Waikiki, which had a pretty mixed crowd from around the world. I was only there for two days, one of which I spent on the beach and exploring the town. The other, I trekked out to Pearl Harbor to see the exhibit/memorial there. There's a decent free museum, and a trip out to the wreckage of the USS Arizona, still sitting at the bottom of the harbor, which was impressive. Unfortunately, all that's out there in the memorial building is a bunch of names on a white wall. I was hoping it would go down into the ship 😉

Waikiki is believed to be where the native Hawaiians first started surfing, on ridiculously long wooden planks. There's a huge crescent coastline that purpotedly has a very long nice break in summertime, but during my visit (in Feb) it was nearly flat. I bought a $50 bodyboard and a pair of fins for the hell of it, and took them to the North Shore with me (more on that later).

I don't have much else to say about Waikiki. It's pretty much what you would expect. After my 2 days there I caught a bus headed to the legendary North Shore of O'ahu, to enjoy the paradise of surf country.

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Photos

Yes, thats a SPAM® rice ball on the left
SPAM® is inexplicably popular in Hawaii.

Battleship in Pearl Harbor
Don't they ever learn? :P

Sunday morning scene in the park
Surfers, Tai Chi, and Chinese dance. Hawaii is fantastcally multicultural.