BONUS! Lan's 7a, 8a, and 9a in Hawaii

Duke's Canoe Club Waikiki
At The Outrigger Waikiki Hotel
2335 Kalakaua Ave., Suite 116
Honolulu, Oahu, HI
(808) 922-2268

This establishment was right behind us while we were lying on the beach on our first day in Waikiki, so we figured we'd come back here after taking a shower for snacks and some drinks on the beach. We had hoped to sit on the beach patio, but some guys ahead of us swooped the last table, so we ended up on the deck, which was still outdoors and great. There was already a guy sort of sitting at our table, but we sat down anyway and he turned around and drunkenly started talking to us (Scott from Georgia on vacation with his parents). Live Hawaiian music on a warm night on the beach in Hawaii...not much to complain about! Scott bought our first round of daquiris (hey--drink the local drink!) and we ordered some salads, fries, vegetable stir fry, and pizza. In general, the food was alright and nothing to write home about but certainly edible.

I don't remember what my 2nd drink was, but there certainly was one. I forgot to take a picture here.

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Mai Tai Bar
At the Ala Moana Shopping Center
1450 Ala Moana Blvd. #3247
Honolulu, HI
(808) 947-2900

After a long day of eating our way around the island and lounging on the beach, we went to the Mai Tai bar, which friends had recommended to us. The very odd thing about this bar/club is that it is an open air venue AT THE MALL! It doesn't have its own bathroom, but you are very welcome to use Bubba Gump's bathroom. It appears to be a very college-y bar with some people REALLY dressed up and some people REALLY dressed down (me).

There was a live band, which I just found out today was none other than Kawao, the very band that we'd been wondering about. On our drive around the island, we kept hearing a song that we liked...and it turned out to be the band at Mai Tai, although we didn't realize it at the time.

People in Hawaii can be quite large. I refrain from saying "Hawaiian people are large" because this applies to all races. I would look at one guy and think, "That's the biggest guy I've ever seen!" As soon as I'd made this declaration, inevitably, someone bigger would show up. These people were so gigantic, that many of them were drinking beer from pitchers, which proportionally appeared as a funny shaped cup in their hands. Because of all these big people, I was a bit afraid for my flip-flop clad toes while walking around the crowded space. If Joyce's 115 lbs can cause my toenail to fall off, imagine what 300-400 lbs. would do to my feet!

The only other comment I have about this bar at the mall was that the drinks are quite sizeable: rum & cokes were served in pint glasses instead of the usual cocktail glass. I wonder if they'd make them in a pitcher for the giants?

I also forgot to take a picture at this one.

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Da Big Kahuna
2299 Kuhio Ave.
Honolulu, HI 96815
(808) 923-0033

It was drizzling this evening, so we didn't venture very far. Luckily, our hotel is smack dab in the middle of all the action so all we had to do was take the elevator downstairs and walk one door over to Da Big Kahuna. This place smells like most other bars--years of the same wood countertop and carpet being continuously doused with beer and vomit.

There are plenty of tables here where they serve typical bar food with 2 pool tables and 2 automated dart boards in the back. We stayed here for quite a while and again, every time I thought I'd just seen the biggest person ever, someone even larger walked in.