Around The World In 80 Waves

I’m not having Christmas dinner with my family as usual so I treat myself to a lu’ua at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel know as The Pink Palace because of the colour it is painted. Once there I am greeted with a beautiful Lei, which is the flower garland you all associate with the islands, before being sat with a family from Mississippi who I can’t understand (the Dad’s name is Ted, but he has o tell me it about 8 times before I get it-at one stage I thought it was Thor!), a Japanese couple who speak no English and another lovely couple from America who have actually enjoyed a bottle of wine at the summit of the Great Orme in Llandudno back at home. The host is a very cheesy Hawaiian version of Val Doonican or Andy Williams who is chummily tapping people on the shoulder as he wanders the room under the spotlight. “And where do you beautiful people come from?”, etc.

The luau is held on the beach with people still surfing behind it, and has loads of different acts based on the history of Hawaii both mythological and more recent. It is completely overdone but I have to say I loved it all. More cheese han  Quattro Staggioni.

There is plenty of hip swinging hula girls and fire dancing , as well as a young girl who is getting all Jimi Hendrix on her electric Uke. The drinks are free so I aim for the Mai Tai consumption record and must have got fairly near to it by the end of the night.

Great fun and I am back in a very festive mood as I head back to the hostel.