Clowndoctor Tiki Tour!

Aloha,

I don't know if you remember me from the great tiki swindle of last year but the site inspired me and I am now planning a grand tiki tour in August this year with my darling boyfriend.
We are going on a four stop, three week vacation to Vegas, Kauai, the Big Island and San Francisco. We've got a pretty packed schedule but I would like to hit at least 1 top tiki spot in each place.

Any and all suggestions welcome and be gentle, I am a tiki novice...

Mahalo,

F
x

PS Does anyone know if there are Clowndoctors in Hawaii? Seriously, if there are I would really like to visit them.

I, for one, would be thrilled to meet you! Please be sure to visit Forbidden Island in Alameda, a 25-minute drive across the bay from San Francisco. I hope you don't mind, but two of us Forbidden Island regulars actually dressed as Scottish Clowndoctors for Halloween last year after "Andy-Gate." The other great tiki locations in the Bay Area are Trader Vic's in Emeryville and San Francisco, the Tonga Room at the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco, and the Conga Lounge in Oakland.

You can go to http://www.critiki.com to find the websites and addresses for the places mentioned above. Please let us know when you'll be in the San Francisco area and I'm sure you'll get a proper Ohana welcome.

Please do try to get by Forbidden Island (SF/Bay Area)!

I wonder if Children's Hospital in Oakland has a Clown Doctor programme.....

Well, welcome.

Northern CA TC folks gather at Forbidden Island on Weds nights. If you're in the area, post, and then stop by if you wish.

Did a quick google search, and there appear to be clown doctors in HI.

Children's Hospital in Oakland has clowns, but now sure if they're doctors.

This contact might be able to provide more information. http://www.hospitalclown.com/Past%20Issues/Vol%201-6FinalNew.htm

Remember you? Why, you guys are practically legend around here!!! I'm glad that we have been of inspiration to you, and that you will be hitting some of our favorite haunts while in the States.

In the San Francisco Bay Area, we are pretty ripe with tiki places, including three Trader Vic's restaurants, the Tonga Room at the Fairmont Hotel, Trad'r Sam, Bamboo Hut, Conga Lounge, Kona Club, and of course Forbidden Island. Plus many more.

Some of our Southern California Ohana came up for a visit a couple of months back, and here is a thread that covers most of the tiki places to visit in the Bay Area.

Discussion of San Francisco Bay Area tiki places starts here:
http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=22871&forum=16

Pictures start here on page 2:
http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=22871&forum=16&start=15

I don't know how long you are staying in San Francisco. If I had to choose 3 places, they would be the Tonga Room in San Francisco, Trader Vic's in Emeryville (in the East Bay Area, across the Bay Bridge from San Francisco), and Forbidden Island in Alameda, also in the East Bay.

If I had to choose two places, then I'd have to flip a coin between the Tonga Room and Trader Vic's - the atmosphere is fantastic at the Tonga Room, it rains inside every 20 minutes, and there is a band that floats out on a bamboo raft to perform. But the food and (especially) the drinks are better at Trader Vic's. And then I'd hit Forbidden Island.

If I had to choose just one place, then maybe it would be Forbidden Island. It's in a sleepy little suburb on an island town in the East Bay, so there's no big city atmosphere - you'd truly be going where the locals hang out. And they don't serve full dinners, only awesome pupu's. But the atmosphere is pretty much dead on to what a tiki bar should be. Even though Forbidden Island has been in existance for just over one year, it feels like the place has been around forever! It has that cozy atmosphere of your local pub, and the owners and staff are all very warm and welcoming. And the drinks are absolutely top notch - they use only fresh juice and make all of their juice daily, and use quality rum and other quality liqours in their drinks - which we've all noticed cuts down on the hangover factor!

Anyways, wherever you decide to go, let us know, and some of us will come out to meet you. Cheers!

How fabulous! Will definitely check out the HI clowndoctors. For the record our clowndoctors are real clowns but not real doctors (though don't tell them that they might get upset). Just so you know my name is Fiona and I have the dubious honour of managing the charity.
We'll not have a car for our 2 night stop in SF which is a shame as I would pretty much kill to see what a halloween costume of a Scottish Clowndoctor looks like! I can send pictures of the real ones as a trade for ones of you all dressed up.
Tickled pink that we are remembered fondly!

F
x

You'll find pictures of the Scottish Clowndoctor costumes on this page.

You don't need a car to get to Forbidden Island. The Bay Area has a terrific mass transit system, including a bus that will take you from downtown San Francisco directly to Alameda, and it stops just one block from Forbidden Island. We're also a pretty friendly bunch and you might not have a hard time getting a ride back to the city at the end of the evening. Forbidden Island is definitely worth the little bit of extra effort to get there from the city. We hope to see you there!

If we can work out the transport then we'll be making our way to FI on Thursday 23rd August! I'll bring the red noses!

The clown team are all very jealous (especially Dr Pavlova who loves cocktails and plays the ukelele).

Fantastic pictures guys - we have printed one off to put up in the office.

Fiona
x

http://www.clowndoctors.org.uk
http://www.heartsminds.org.uk

Others may have even better mass transit solutions....but The O bus comes directly from San Francisco Trans Bay Terminal to within a block of FI. Alternatively, and perhaps more expeditious, take BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) from any SF location to 12th Street in Oakland. Take a taxi from there. It's about a 7 minute cab ride. :)

Fiona, you don't KNOW how jealous I am that the West Coasties get to meet you!!

I wanted so badly to dress as a Scottish Clown Doctor this past Halloween, but unfortunately, I would have been the only person in Houston who would have gotten my costume! Kind of a long back story to explain what I'm wearing if they're unaware, you know? Maybe "Andy Hale" would have understood....

I hope your visit to The States goes well. You will be very welcome at the above-mentioned places :)
Formikahini

P.S. "Andy-Gate": snigger :lol:

Aloha again,

I've done some transport research and we can certainly make it for a good few hours on Thursday 23rd before the last bus back to the City. Hope some or a lot of you can make it to Forbidden Island to meet us.
What time is good to meet? We'll be on our way back from Hawaii so we'll be the big sunburned people with drooping leis. Hard to miss.

Am very excited!

Fiona
x

Wheeeeee!!! I'm thrilled you're coming!! I have the perfect aloha outfit (it's a late 60's- early 70's pantsuit from The Resort Shop in Waikiki.) It's the closest thing I have to a clown suit, but I don't think it'll disappoint...

Hi Fiona,

I'm confused. The 23rd of June is a Saturday, not Thursday. Which day will you be at Forbidden Island? Could it perhaps be Thursday June 21st?

On 2007-06-18 09:11, Scottish Clowndoctors wrote:
Aloha again,

I've done some transport research and we can certainly make it for a good few hours on Thursday 23rd before the last bus back to the City. Hope some or a lot of you can make it to Forbidden Island to meet us.
What time is good to meet? We'll be on our way back from Hawaii so we'll be the big sunburned people with drooping leis. Hard to miss.

Am very excited!

Fiona
x

arrggg, kink in the system posted this twice. :)

[ Edited by: Coco Loco 2007-06-18 14:22 ]

This should clear up your confusion Coco Loco:

On 2007-06-01 07:51, Scottish Clowndoctors wrote:
... I am now planning a grand tiki tour in August this year with my darling boyfriend.

[ Edited by: JenTiki 2007-06-18 14:18 ]

Thank you. August 23rd makes perfect sense. I'm looking forward to meeting you Fiona! It's a week after Tiki Oasis, so perfect timing. :)

On 2007-06-18 14:17, JenTiki wrote:
This should clear up your confusion Coco Loco:

On 2007-06-01 07:51, Scottish Clowndoctors wrote:
... I am now planning a grand tiki tour in August this year with my darling boyfriend.

[ Edited by: JenTiki 2007-06-18 14:18 ]

I'm confused too! So who is Andy?

Sorry for all of the confusion!
Yes - it is Thursday 23rd and it is the very last night of our holiday as we fly out of San Francisco the following morning.

Andy is my little boy and he loves tikis...

(that was a joke - if you really don't know search the forum for Andy Landry and all will be revealed).

Fiona
x

On 2007-06-19 06:21, Scottish Clowndoctors wrote:
Sorry for all of the confusion!
[...snip...]

Andy is my little boy and he loves tikis...

BBBBWWWWAHHHHHHH HAAAAA HAAAAA!

oh, you ARE a funny one.....

Thanks Fiona,

It took me a few days to read about your son Andy. What a long post. I'm still confused though as Andy's mother is Barbara in the post? So Andy has two mothers?
You're not clowning with me are you?

[ Edited by: Ojaitimo 2007-06-23 17:13 ]

Ok - you caught me - I was indeed telling fibs! Andy (should he exist) is no relation of mine. I should leave the funny stuff to my clown colleagues...

F
x

On 2007-06-24 10:47, Scottish Clowndoctors wrote:
Andy (should he exist) is no relation of mine.

F
x

Should he exist? OK, let me get this straight......

[ Edited by: Ojaitimo 2007-06-24 12:33 ]

Fiona,
Thanks for being a good sport about all of this. I am the one that is clowning around. I think that the whole Andy thing turned into something positive. The Scottish Clown Doctors are now part of Tiki history.

I was one of the members that was scammed last year.
Barbara
Tiki Centralite

Joined: Aug 08, 2006
Posts: 11 Posted: 2006-09-15 01:22 am

I would like to thank everyone for the support and caring you have shown Andy these past few weeks. He reads these post almost daily when able and it really seems to lift his spirits to know he has tiki friends around the world that wish him well. I wish I could thank each and every one of you individually but that’s not possible for me at this time. But just know that Andy loves his get well notes, cards and letters, from all of you and it really does make a difference, thank you for everything.

Ojaitimo
Grand Member (first year)

Joined: Aug 04, 2006
Posts: 417
Mugs: 8 Posted: 2006-09-15 08:47 am

Hi Andy, my name is Tim , Ojaitimo here on TC. That is so cool that you are into tiki so young. I got into tiki when I was your age after my mother helped create the Tradewinds restaurant in California which had about 100 tikis inside and out. Vontiki and Colton now have this one,

There was a lagoon with a boat and a dock, lots of koi fish. It would rain inside at times and they had polynesian dancers, It was pretty cool. Do you have any places like that around you that you would like to check out?
For years I forgot about tiki until I found Tiki Central and all of you. I'm looking forward to meeting you soon. Take care buddy,
Tim Ojaitimo

So, this was my letter to Andy back then. Later when the scam was revealed, Tiki Central had come together for Andy and even though he didn't exist, the collective spirit here does.

I hope you have a great trip out here and if you can make it to Southern California on a future trip there are more than a few fans of the Scottish Clown Doctors and we would love to give you a LA tiki tour.
Tim Ojaitimo

Hi Fiona, I just found this thread and read through it. I met many of these same people at Forbidden Island after the hoax was revealed. It just confirmed once again that tiki people are special, caring people who love to drink and socialize and make new friends. So you really do need to make it to Forbidden Island to have a real tiki party with a very fun group. We are going to try to be there too. Wendy and Dan

Ojaitimo - sorry you got stung - we found the whole thing really icky but we did find that the whole thing showed up how incredibly generous you all are. And now we have new Tiki friends half way across the globe!

Who knew that Clowndoctoring and Tikiphilia went hand in hand?

Am really very very excited to meet you all!

Fiona
x

Fiona, I'm not sorry and I never was. I would not have found out about the Clown Doctor's if not for "Andy"
It would be nice to know who the boy is in that original picture. I think many of us would like to know. I am sorry that the picture had to be removed from your site though.
Looking forward to meeting you someday. Maybe we can arrange to call you at Forbidden Island from where ever we are and have a TC gathering to honor the Clown Doctors? I will buy you a Mai Tai over the phone.

Life is a state of mind

[ Edited by: Ojaitimo 2007-07-13 11:03 ]

Contact Inky and I about Vegas stuff-and where to hang out!

Aloha!

It is now 3 weeks until we leave for our grand Tiki tour and only 38 days until we hit Forbidden Island!

What time is a good time to get the night started at FI? I am trying to plan our transport before we leave Scotland as I won't be near a computer from 5th August onwards.

For those of you still following Andygate I have checked our confidentiality arrangement and can let you know that as far as we are aware the little boy in the picture is now doing fine.

Mahalo,

Fiona
x

Great news, all the way 'round (especially about the little boy).

FI opens at 5pm on Thursdays, if that helps the planning.

The countdown begins!

This time next week we will have just left Vegas for Kauai!

The plan is to hit Forbidden Island around 7pm on Thursday 23rd - if we can work out the public transport system.

I will be the cuddly red head with a British accent sitting next to a dark haired Irishman. We'll both be bright pink from the Hawaiian sun and jet lagged!

So, who is all coming to meet us?

Fiona
x

On 2007-08-01 00:46, Scottish Clowndoctors wrote:
So, who is all coming to meet us?

There's nowhere else I'd rather be! Looking forward to meeting you!

I'll be the one in the Aloha clownsuit...

OK last message before leaving for the airport. Am looking forward to meeting the SF tiki ohana on the 23rd! Will bring red noses for you all and hopefully some good pics from our Vegas/Kauai/Big Island adventures.

Fiona
x

Bump! This is tomorrow night around 7:00pm! Let's give Fiona a proper FI ohana welcome!

Last night was great! Fiona anf Jeff, mahalo nui for stopping by and bringing gifts! I will wear my "nose" with pride. :P

[ Edited by: Haole'akamai 2007-09-07 09:31 ]

Aloha!

Many apologies for the delay in posting a huge big thankyou to all tiki centralites who made it to meet us at Forbidden Island. The lift back to Oakland was much appreciated (and also most needed after that last Pirate Grog)!

Will post pics from the Hawaii leg of our trip when I next get the chance.

For now though mahalo again and I hope that if any of you are in Scotland we can show you the same kind of hospitality,

Fiona
x

In honor of the Scottish Clown Doctors and Andy. I will be observing a moment of silence while I toast them live via the Tiki Central webcast from F.I. during the crawl.

I guess they made it big on their tour.

Oh, they better hella be suing...