Mai Kai Magic
okay, so we've made it to saturday afternoon and we're back at the hotel. we wisely decide that a nap is in order and set the alarm. it will leave us just enough time to shower the briny deep off of us and get ready for a night of tiki goodness...
of course, you can guess that the alarm didn't go off. i was awoken by the sound of the boy's voice saying 'baby, we overslept'. ugh. i'm pretty damn sure that i was the faulty alarm-setter. i would put money on this.
the reservations are for 8:30. it's now 8. we are 45 minutes away from the tiki bar of our dreams. we scramble into clothes and do our best to make do with the salty mess that has taken over our hair.
what follows is a tense drive north from miami to ft. lauderdale... with me navigating. i suck at navigating. we make it to the place at about 8:45. after running inside we realize that we are behind a group that also has reservations for 8:30. these reservations were for ten people. surely they will be able to accomodate two???
yes! they can. i am saved from opening my wrists in the ladies' toilet. it is a good thing that i decided against self-destruction. i would have missed one of the greatest evenings of my life.
the mai kai is the tiki bar to end all tiki bars. before i lose anyone here, let's make sure that we all understand what i mean by tiki bar.
tiki bar:
a bar that was created in the late 50's or early 60's as a tribute to the culture of polynesia as it was witnessed then. the popularity of these bars was spawned by men traveling to tropical locations in world war II. the bars themselves are not historically accurate or authentic but a tribute, instead. tiki bars in this sense can only be found in the united states.
it's a shame, but tiki bars are really dwindling in number thanks to the likes of hooters, planet hollywood and hard rock cafes. columbus, oh had one of the best tiki bars in the country until it was closed to welcome a walgreen's. yes, according to the commercials life isn't perfect and this is why we have the walgreen's. i'm just not so sure how that works.
please take a peek at the mai kai site. the picture i have below doesn't even begin to do it justice. if you have the luck to be anywhere near ft. lauderdale, do yourself a favor and go.
this place was truly amazing. that was before the show with the hula girls and samoan singer with the guitar. the boys danced with fire and there were tahitian drummers. we had smiles on our faces long before the drinks kicked in.
let me put it this way, this place had real mai tais. they came with orchid garnishes. we also drank out of coconuts and pineapples, tiki mugs and brandy snifters.
everything was over the top. there is a whole tropical garden outdoors with tiki statues and waterfalls. the bar has water running over the windows and thunder in the background.
some day i will sit down and think of a better description of this wonder. right now i'll just leave you with this... i wouldn't change a single thing about the place. not one bloody thing.
