Lost 2014: Day 2

For Thursday September 18th, my first full day in Hawaii, I decided to take a solo walking tour covering some of the LOST locations I had missed back in 2011.  The day started with a quick appreciation of views from the hotel followed by a stop at Lulu's for a scrumptious blueberry pancake breakfast.

Morning view from my hotel room balcony.

View of Diamond Head from hotel's 8th floor walkway

I then jumped on the #13 bus, heading toward the west side of Honolulu.  I'll break down each of my LOST location visits into separate posts, but suffice to say that the day was hot (in fact, the whole week was abnormally warm and humid by Oahu standards) but fortunately cloud-covered so I didn't feel the full force of the Hawaiian sun.  After more than 4 hours of exploring I caught a second bus back to my hotel.  Despite wearing sunscreen, a hat, and keeping hydrated, I was pretty exhausted.

Fortunately, nothing counteracts exhaustion better than a stop at Lulu's.  I had a wonderfully tasty plate of teriyaki steak bites with sesame, and a couple of refreshing drinks alongside.

Refueled, and with another shower and change of clothes, I ventured off on foot to the hotel where Alice and her group were staying, where Alice was hosting a reunion of sorts with some of our other LOST cohorts who had arrived in Hawaii during the day.  I walked through Waikiki along the beach side of Kalakaua Avenue, always lovely around sunset.

Sunset in Waikiki

The early evening was punctuated by smiles, hugs, and shouts of delight as guests arrived.  "Rambo!"  "Ian!"  "Fiona!"  "Paul!" "MJ!"  "Chris!".  What a lovely group of people, and how lucky I am to know them.  Most I hadn't seen since 2011, with the exception of Chris and Ian whom I met up with in London during a family vacation in 2013.

Reunion.  (Photo: Ian)

Later in the evening Jo & Lisa dropped by to say hello and chat for a bit.  I believe it was here that we heard that sad news that Jo's Cancer Get Lost partner, Jared, had to cancel his travel plans last-minute due to a family emergency.  We missed you, buddy!  I called it a night relatively early, and had the pleasure of walking with Jo and Lisa back to the hotel zone.  I first met Jo back in 2011 when she visited "The Barracks" in San Diego; I'm always impressed by her energy, her lightning quick smarts, rapid-fire delivery, and giant heart.

Jo & Lisa visit.  (Photos: Alice)

And so ended my first full day in Hawaii.  I hit the hay before midnight, knowing full well that things would only get crazier and sleep more elusive in the days ahead!