oahu day 2: in which we eat our favorites

//day 2
//tuesday
//waikiki, mccully-moiliili, haleiwa/north shore, ala moana

BREAKFAST_at rainbow drive-in.
me: breakfast special - portuguese sausage, 2 scoops rice, 2 eggs
bear: breakfast special - ahi katsu, fries (instead of rice), 2 eggs
delicious. filling. comforting. the portuguese sausage was so delicious.
when is linguica not?

BREAKFAST-CAP(?)_beers at rock island cafe (tourist trap, waikiki).
because we had time to kill before the surfboard rental place opened.
they had kona longboards in the bottle.

SURF_rented boards from koa board sports. surfed waikiki.
koa was great.
wide-ish selection of epoxy boards, including short and long boards. some foam tops, too.
if you pay for a multi-day rental, you can swap boards as you want for different conditions.
(the bear did this.)
if you rent a longboard for multiple days, they have a storage space at their shop where you can lock it up after hours (their hours are only 10-6 every day).
also took care of our stuff while we were surfing, since there are no lockers on the beach & people get stuff like their flip flops stolen.
friendly, nice people.

waikiki was crowded. with mostly kooks. because the waves are small here.
LOTS of people taking "lessons" where instructors push them into waves.
without looking. resulting in knocking someone (the bear) in the neck with the student's board.
ugh.

oh, i learned how to paddle!
i attempted catching waves. and was unsuccessful.
the one time i sort of popped up, i have no idea what happened, but i ended up in the water.
good workout, though.
props to the bear for trying to teach me.
sporty spud i am not.

LUNCH_at da kitchen (mccully-moiliili).
pupu: fried spam musubi. yes, fried. as in the whole thing is dipped in batter and then deep fried.
shared entree: katsu cutlet plate lunch - chicken katsu smothered in an onion & mushroom gravy.
GRAVY WAS SO GOOD. onions and mushrooms added flavor. elevated the otherwise already good katsu. chicken was moist and seasoned well inside the breading.
plate included two scoop rice and potato mac salad. both were solid.
side: fries. a lot of them. this may have been unnecessary, but the bear needs his fries.
probably bear's favorite meal of the trip.
probably my favorite out of all the plate lunches we had.

DRIVE_
traffic, just like at home. took the central route through the island to the north shore.

SURF/LAY OUT_haleiwa regional beach park (north shore).
this beach's sand is not as soft.
and there is pine tree crap everywhere that will stick to your towel.


see? both pine trees and palms overhead.

the beach was rather rocky, too. chunks of black lava rock here and there. coarse sand. eh.

the surfing wasn't so great, either, with these rocks jutting out and making it scary.
i laid around until the bear came back in.

DRIVE_scenic route along eastern coast back from north shore.
mostly after dark. boo.


look where the waves break.
yeah, it's dangerous
[waimea bay beach park]


[waimea bay beach park]


sunset at THE pipeline.
[banzai beach/the pipeline]


warning at the pipeline.

PIT STOP_water, snacks, and wine from foodland (ala moana) on the way back to the room.

DINNER_marukame udon (waikiki).
probably my favorite meal, because I LOVE NOODLES.
like way more than rice.
it's a cafeteria style udon place. you pick the style (toppings), udon or soba noodles, hot or cold, size (small or large).
FRESH noodles made before your eyes.
me: ontama bukkake udon (soft poached egg and tororo (japanese grated raw mountain yam that is mucilaginous) on top)
bear: curry udon
mine was better. bear's was more flavorful, but i appreciate the subtle, delicate flavors of dashi broth way more than he does.
there is a buffet of omusubi/onigiri from which you can choose.
we ended up taking ours (salmon & bonito) back to the room and eating them the next day. delicious, fresh, generous chunks o' fish.
there is also a buffet of tempura/deep fried goodness you can throw in your udon or just eat.
mushrooms were juicy but meh in flavor. fried chicken was good.

line is sometimes intimidatingly long. do not fear. it moves fairly quickly.

oh, and it's cheap! bowls of udon are like $5-7ish. sides are a buck to a couple each.
mmm. noodles.

NIGHTCAP_wine. in our room.
fully stocked kitchenette had a corkscrew.

and wine glasses. 

mmm. wine.