Friday night fun

When we talked on Thursday night, Ganes told me that he wanted to spend one night at a nice hotel while he was in Honolulu. He booked an ocean view room at the HIlton Hawaiian Village for Friday night. We planned to have dinner on Friday night. My wife, Mrs. Aloha_Keith would be joining us.

Friday morning I walked out to my driveway and picked up my newspaper. Yes, I subscribe to a PRINTED newspaper. The weekend section had a big story about the kama'aina deals at hotels in Hawaii. A kama'aina (pronounced kah-mah-eye-nah) deal is a discount given to residents of Hawaii. The article mentioned the Hilton Hawaiian Village Hotel's kama'aina rate of $130/night. I won't drive if I have been drinking, so getting a room at Waikiki sounded appealing. But first I had to run it by Mrs. Aloha_Keith. My request was approved.

I drove down to Waikiki and Ganes met me at the Hilton's check-in desk. A long check-in line, but what else did I expect on a Friday at 1pm. Finally, my turn. I gave the check-in lady my credit card and my kama'aina membership card (my driver's license). Ganes asked if we could be in the same tower. She was able to put me on the same floor as Ganes. Cool. We went up to my room so I could drop off my bag. My oh my, I was very pleasantly surprised. I had an ocean view and one of the biggest balconies in the tower. Usually the kama'aina rooms are the least desirable rooms: garden level, city view. She obviously gave me a no charge upgrade. Sweeeeeeet!!!

Time for lunch. Maximize our laziness and eat at the hotel's restaurant. The restaurant closes in 15 minutes so we need to order quickly. There wasn't anything special about the food or the menu. We had a table next to the beach. Good conversations, some intelligent, many not intelligent. Once again, we were the last to leave. Too much food in the belly has robbed our brains of blood. Sleepiness sets in and a nap seems like a good idea. We will get together at 7pm for dinner.

My wife showed up at 7pm. We waited for a phone call from Ganes. Wait some more. At 7:20 I called his room. Good morning sleepy head!!! Ganes got ready in short order and we were downstairs shortly before 8pm. Then the fireworks began. The Hilton puts on a fireworks show every Friday evening. When it was over we walked a short distance to the Shorebird restaurant in the Outrigger Hotel. We waited in the bar until a table was available. My wife was interested in hearing his tales from when he lived in Surinam. He rescued a baby anteater. He waited for a sloth to cross the road. It wasn't just the stories themselves, but the light hearted manner in which he told them. The Shorebird Restaurant is a place where you cook your own food. There are several grills in one area. You are brought your uncooked (not RAW, as I was corrected) food and any special sauces for basting. I had beef shish kebob while the others had fish. We were surprised when they started singing karaoke at 10pm. I didn't expect this at a restaurant. I think it ruined the ambiance. The first few performers were good. Then came the bad singers. Time to leave.

Over to Lewers Street and into the Yardhouse bar. They claim to have the world's largest collection of beer on tap. Fine. I drink vodka. Mrs. Aloha_Keith could only stick around for one drink. Then she had to go home and take care of the pets. We took in an old abandoned cat with a heart condition and he needs medicine every 6 hours. Here's something gross: he got into a cat fight and got his ass ripped open and the wound got infected. He needed 25 stitches to close the wound, but as a result his butt hole healed crooked and it's not centered. It's funny but it's really sad. Okay, enough about cat butts. Ganes and I walked my wife back to the hotel where she parked her car. Bye bye. Ganes and I went back to the Yardhouse for more drinking. He spent a lot of time trying to figure out why the hot girls are with loser guys. My brain hurts trying to solve the problem. Our attempts at solving the mystery is interrupted when the waitress tells us it is last call. Thanks for the warning. I will have more vodka. The music is turned down and the bright lights turn on. Congratulations Ganes. We have closed down yet another establishment. It's 2 am. It's time to call it quits and head back to the Hilton.