Waikiki and beyond.....

I don't often take pictures of toilet signs - but I loved this sign so it's gotta be the main picture for this blog post.

Sorry it's been a few days..... I'm in Hawaii. Places to go, people to meet.... Including a Polynesian cultural centre. Here are a few pics from the show at the centre.....

We had a nice time. One thing about Hawaii is how much it caters for Japanese tourists - restaurants, stores and hotels. We love it! There is this awesome store we first visited in Kyoto called Lawson's - there just happens to be one in our hotel here in Hawaii. How can u describe it? It's like a 7-11, but with way, way, way more interesting stuff. So, I was looking around and I found this;

Here is a description;

Obvious question - what is the Ume fruit? Good question....

Kylie tried it first and said 'You will love this' while trying to keep a straight face. The verdict - The first sip was a little eyeball splitting. But, then - I loved it! Further to our love of all things Japanese, we had Okonomiyaki (basically, savory pancake). Amazingly cooked right in front of us on a grille with nothing more than what's shown in the pic below;

What an amazing treat!!! And, NOTHING LIKE the Okomnomiyaki I get from the food court at Werribee Plaza.

So, this hotel is huge! It continues to amaze me how many people we see coming and going. There are 32 levels with a total of 1636 rooms (thanks Wiki). I went to front desk yesterday, I overheard them saying that the hotel is at full capacity. But, is still branded to welcome the Stampin' Up! Achievers.

This entry area constantly is filled with people waiting for buses or tours, looking at the shops, meeting people ..... Such a melting pot of nationalities too. 

We went on a trolley to Diamond Head. Here is a pic I took with my selfie stick;

Its a volcano or something like that (I wasn't listening to the tour guide). The view from there (as well as the view along the way) was amazing. The trolley is basically an open air bus with seats that face outwards. 

Here are some pics we took;

So, as we were driving back into town, Kylie made use of the opportunity and started pinning....

It was too good to miss out on that pic....

That night, we went to the local Waikiki Congregation meeting. We carpooled with Brandon and Halina (also from Melbourne) whom we bumped into in the food court the night before. We also met Monica and Adam (who live about 25 minutes from us) at the meeting. It's a small Kingdom Hall with an older population. But, the singing was something I won't forget. I met one of my longtime Instagram friends nick_hawaii. Nick and DeAnna came to Melbourne for the convention. The meeting is at 7, so we grabbed a bite to eat afterwards.

Nick and DeAnna were super-helpful to us and gave us some awesome local tips about places to go. So, then and there, we planned what us four Aussies were going to do the next day. And, let me tell you - it was a spectacular day!