Kailua, Hawaii

This was the earliest wake-up call of the trip – at least so far. Partly owing to M/K’s schedule and our earlier trouble getting a table at Boots and Kimo’s, we agreed to meet there for breakfast before 8 am.
We arrived about 7:45 and sat right down. Good thing we got there that early, as the Japanese tourists began pouring about 8.

The decor in the place is a funny mix of Pro Bowl memorabilia (apparently, Kimo is somehow connected to the game) and kitschy Hawaiian stuff. It’s almost as if the place was decorated with the intent of convincing the many tourist guests that the restaurant is an authentic Hawaiian joint. The menu itself seemed to be crafted with the same idea in mind. A rough example: rather than describing a sausage-egg-onion-cheese omelet as such, the menu said something like “Three fresh Kaaawa eggs; sweet Maui onions; traditionally spiced, hand-made sausage; and Kaneohe swiss cheese. Ono!” It all felt a little (actually, a lot) overdone and completely transparent.

My gripe about the superficiality of the presentation takes nothing away from the food, which was mostly really good. I got a (fairly boring) old fave: corned beef hash, eggs, and rice, which hit the spot. LVL’s “Okole” omelet, which was advertised as jalapeno and cheese, was instead served with a very runny, heavy-on-the-tomato/onion/green pepper salsa; no discernable jalas. False advertising, and the end product wasn’t that good. Maka and Kii shared a Portuguese sausage omelet and the house specialty, the banana-macadamia nut pancakes, with an incredible, sweet sauce. I completely agree with LVL’s take: “I’d go with Cinnamon’s on everything except the Mac pancakes. They were incredible.”

All in all, I think we’re both members of Team Cinnamon’s. Here’s hoping the tour bus operators don’t anytime soon get wind of the truly local (and best) breakfast spot in town.

A quick fight preceded a stop at Don Quijote (formerly Daiae; formerly Holiday Mart) for a cheap duffel bag, intended to help us solve our too-heavy-for-United's-ridiculous-50 pound-luggage rule. In case you care, we opted for a bright red one. We also got a chance to marvel at the prodigious seafood case (at least 25 different kinds of poki, among tons of other stuff) and several aisles of "As Seen on TV"-quality stuff. An Only-in-Hawaii classic.

After DJ we said a too quick/too soon goodbye to the Pulis for the last time. We spent a few hours chilling at the B&B before heading out to Kailua Surf and Kayak. We opt to rent two singles rather than a double. LVL watched the silly instructional video as I ran back to the B&B to pick up our camera. Left the credit card in the B&B, not realizing that we’d need it to buy a waterproof box to keep the camera dry. No matter, the dude used the imprint from our receipt (sketchy?) and we were on our way.

Through the canal, under the bridge, and out into the ocean, headed toward Flat Island, just off Kailua Beach. Tons of people on the beach, almost as many swimming; several other kayakers out. The water a bit choppy, more cloud cover than direct sunlight. So much fun to be out there together.

Opt not to stop at Flat Island, owing mainly to the crowd already there. Instead we head for the Mokulua Islands (“The Moks,” in local parlance) off a ways in the distance. The trip out was pretty easy. LVL and I switched off being in front, and sometimes going side-by-side. Despite saying (often) otherwise, she was strong. Spotted two green sea turtles on the way.

Landed at the Moks after an hour or so in the water. 10-15 other kayaks/paddle boards already there; some people chilling on the little beach, some in the water, some cruising around on the island itself. We pulled ashore and immediately started walking around the island, following the of course the signs designating walkable areas from restricted zones. The island is a bird sanctuary, and we were there in the middle of nesting season. With almost every step we passed either a bird nestled in a hole, an egg laying on the dirt, or a bird sitting in the shrubs. Pretty cool to see; happy that most people seem to respect what was happening.

Toward the side of the island, the terrain changed from dirt to rough lava rock. Tidepools instead of birds’ nests. We saw a few black rock crabs, a sea urchin, and some tiny snails. Also, we heard three or four local dudes** in the “green room,” a cave of sorts reachable only through a passage under the water. They seemed to think it was pretty cool.

Back on the kayaks after half an hour or so. Headed toward the far end of Lanikai beach, but couldn’t really go anywhere. The current/wind/something made paddling much harder than it was on the way out. After 10 minutes or so fighting whatever it was, we decided to head back toward Flat Island and Kailua Beach. Beautiful homes along Lanikai Beach and even more stunning ocean views. It’s hard not to want to be able to do stuff like this regularly. If only Hawaii was closer/cheaper/etc.

** It is worth noting here that one of the dudes in the “green room” was a 20-something surfer-looking fellow with crutches and very blond dread locks. Frowned upon just about anywhere else, apparently the white-person-with-dreads is look that carries some currency in Kailua. We have seen at least five such people since arriving in HI; they include: 1) Heavily bearded, heavily dreaded gentleman from Zippy’s; 2) Older looking white dread, spotted waiting for the bus outside of a Chinese restaurant; 3) Blond surfer-looking dude with crutches, seen first at Aikahi Shopping Center and then on the Moks; 4) White-blond, athletic-seeming woman in the HIC parking lot; 5) Chicken, LVL’s color artist. This list does not include Mango Man, the homeless guy who has walked around Kailua and the Pali for as long as I can remember. After a sighting early in the trip, we can report that his dreads still hang way past his butt.