Lauren and I started the day off properly: with surfing on Waikiki beach! I had some trouble at first, but Lauren assured me that anyone could surf as long as the board was big enough. After paying the extra $5 to rent a 10-foot, boat-sized board, I was a natural. I stood up 5 times, 2 of which were legitimately long rides. I asked Lauren whether I should cut the ride short to reduce the time I'd have to spend paddling back out. She replied that the people who were really good do that, but for newbies like us, the successful rides would be so few and far between that we should take full advantage when we do catch a good wave.
After surfing, Lauren and I walked around the corner to a casual, Thai-fusion-y place called Keoni for lunch. My Thai food was really good, and Lauren's grilled cheese was scrumptious as only a morning paddling a surfboard can make it.
At this point, Lauren and Albert split off to go horseback riding in a beautiful state park near the sets of LOST and Jurassic Park. Meanwhile, I went to the Ko' Olina resort with Bill, Kate, Dan, Matt, Maricia, where I did some good reading (Hard-boiled Wonderland and the End of the World, by Haruki Murakami -- thanks for the recommendation, Albert!).
We met back up for an early dinner with Lauren's extended family at the Golden Dragon, a formal Chinese restaurant. Matt reported the "best lemon chicken he'd had in his life," and others were similarly enthusiastic. There was a weekly fireworks display every Friday evening, which we caught just as dinner was ending.
After dinner, we had a guided, behind-the-scenes tour of the the Wakiki Beachwalk, which is the development project Donna has been working on for years. The tour took us to a closed-off rooftop for a great aerial view, among other places. There was some confusion at one point ("Where's Kung Kung?!") but we all emerged unscathed and impressed with the scope of Waikiki development.
After the tour, Robin joined "the kids" (minus Matt and Maricia) for drinks at the Lewers Lounge. A really classy piano bar with a dress code and great live music. Hawk had been looking for this place for the entire trip; it was a perfect spot to end our evening.
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