Sunday was Mother's Day, and of almost as much significance, Survivor All-Stars Finale day. We had been asking around to see if anyone could suggest a bar where we might experience this cultural phenomenon in the company of like-minded fans, but we got mostly blank stares and smirks in response. Oh well, luckily our suite was a very comfy environment for TV viewing, what with the living room and full kitchen. But first, Mother's Day. We had gotten a call confirming our reservation at the Royal Hawaiian for 9:30, so we were understandably rattled when the hostess told us that brunch was over and that they "tried to call you." Somewhat testily, we explained that they HAD called us, and spoken to us, and that no one had mentioned this little detail. We were seated at an excellent table right near the railing separating the patio from the beach, but our waiter seemed annoyed when we tried to order the ala carte breakfast. He explained that we'd get a much better deal if we just took the brunch. ARGH! After a little more of this, we decided to use the remaining three minutes (!) of the brunch time to sprint around grabbing items-no time to make careful decisions or return trips. We managed to get a fair number of goodies, and our waiter helpfully followed us with a tray, but it was disconcerting to see and hear the efficiency with which they were dispatching every other table while we tried to relax and eat. Mother's Day is obviously big business even in paradise, and loitering is expensive for the restaurant.

Everyone needed to change before our next adventure, so we made a plan to reconvene at noon and David and I went for a little walk down the beach to the Hilton Hawaiian Village. The Hilton has sentimental value for me because I stayed there at age 7 with my parents. I still remembered the rainbow tower and the sprawling grounds filled with wandering ducks and other birds. It was very hot as we walked back to the resort, so we were looking forward to a jaunt around the island.

We picked up Joan and John and the car and headed up the Pali Highway towards the Windward Coast. Along the way, we pulled off at the Nu'uanu Pali Lookout to see the view, and it was spectacular, all green and misty with rocky cliffs and a panoramic view down into the valley. There was a trail that arched over the top of road against the mountain and I headed down a little ways to see what there was to see (nobody joined me.) The black rock walls along the trail oozed with moisture and there was a lot of jungle-y vegetation.

From there we headed into the beach town of Kailua, which is the second largest town on Oahu after Honolulu. However, there is a vast difference in size; Kailua feels like a sleepy suburb. The Visitor's Center was closed and I had my first of two unpleasant encounters with a local. I asked a woman dressed as a security guard if she knew where a particular street was (we were looking for a café) and she cut me off saying "I don't work here." She seemed really quite bizaarely annoyed to have been asked. I'm not sure what her working there had to do with it, either. Anyway, we drove out towards the beach (going around in circles a bit) and rolled up next to a restaurant named Buzz's Steak House where we stopped for a spot of lunch just as it began to rain. The lunch was good, and the waitress presented Joan with a Mother's Day gift of note-cards with little paintings of the local beach on them-very cute.

The rain had mostly stopped so we walked over to Kailua Beach, and wow! It's might be the most beautiful beach I've ever seen, even in the gray weather. The sand was as white and fine as baby powder, and the water was the lightest clear blue. In the distance, we could see cliffs so green they were almost glowing. And a little ways out in the water, two stubby little islands called Mokolua. The water felt warm after the cool air and we all waded around for a while, enjoying it. I really felt like I could have spent a whole day there, but not in that weather.

We headed home along the eastern perimeter of the island that brought us to Halona Blowhole just to the east of Diamond Head. While watching the white jets of water spurt through the rock, we also saw a few sea turtles frolicking in the waves below, as well as some pretty crazy swimmers who looked like they could have their heads bashed in at any moment. The sky was still pretty gray so it seemed like it was later than it was. We continued on into Waikiki and agreed to get a mai tai at the Moana before the Survivor festivities began. The Banyan Terrace was as lovely as we remembered it from two nights before, but we kind of joked about the plastic cups they brought the cocktails in, having been spoiled by the finery at the Halekulani. David and I shared a chicken Caesar salad with our drinks but it wasn't that good so the rum really took its toll. I was feeling pleasantly off-kilter by the time we took a little tour of the second floor "history room"- they have some wonderful early tourist memorabilia of the island, including the earliest menus and rate cards and photos of the hotel when it was the only thing on the strip except for trees and water.

There wasn't much time now before Survivor, so David and I skedaddled, making one stop at Baskin-Robbins for a pint of Mint Chip for our "dinner." Evil! Ice cream and three hours of reality television! It was supremely satisfying. ;)