Day 12: Appreciate the vendors and street performers

Today was not a day of metaphors, I literally was a tourist tonight.  Even though I had a hectic crazy day at work, my fiance and I met up with some friends in Waikiki.  We had time, so we strolled.  Leisurely stopping at the farmers market, tasting the coconut peanut butter and local honey.  I even picked up a beautiful faux orchid for my hair, to show off my new haircut.  This move was pure tourist.  I feel the only people who stop to buy and wear these things are the out-of-towners.   They cannot wait to show off to their friends back home his new colorful addition to their hair, and here I am on a Thursday evening wearing a faux orchid.  But it's Waikiki, I blend in.  We grab authentic ramen at a hole in the wall populated japanese spot.  We continue our walk and pass the following street performers...the palm reader, the artist, two man band, the gold man, the silver man, the newspaper man, one man band man, the parrot man, elmo with a lei man, and finally the faux zombie with a coconut bra man (which I am not sure was a statue).   What's funny is these people are everywhere.  Any major populated city that has a promenade...these people circulate, try to bring curiosity and wonder to your smile, and hopefully deeper into your wallet.   As we met up friends in a small art gallery, we caught up, stood on the streets with the rest of the visitors, and continued our stroll back the infamous kalakaua avenue.  Past each street performer.  Generally I do not frequent the heart of Waikiki, or I walk so fast I do not pay attention to them, or it is too early in the day for me to see them.