Honolulu Hawaii

Aloha!  Greetings from paradise.  The sun and warm temperature made for a picture perfect couple of days in the 50^th state’s capital city. 

Honolulu is derived from the native words hono, meanings “a bay”; and lulu meaning “sheltered.”  It is 2,397 miles from San Francisco.  Tourism is the leading industry.  The yellow hibiscus is the state flower.

The island of Oahu is bisected by a mountain range.  The leeward side of the island receives 25" rain, while the windward side receives 170”.  The mountains on the windward (wet) side have vertical cliffs and it is cool and windy; the leeward (dry) mountain side gradually slopes to sea.  The city of Honolulu is running out of buildable room, so you will see huge swaths of the leeward mountains covered with houses.  Three quarters of the state’s population live here on Oahu.

 

The west or windward side is where moon doggie (surfer dudes) ride the gigantic waves.  The ocean water temperature is 76* and the average depth between the islands is between 14,000 and 18,000 feet.

Waikiki is located on the leeward side and this is where all the big resorts and high rises – and shopping -- are located.  Waikiki means “spouting water built on coral reef.”  There are no private beaches; all are open to the public, and houses built on the beach have to provide beach access.

In the many parks and gardens, you will find Indian banyan trees and an assortment of exotic plants and flowers.  There are 120,000 species of trees and plants.  There are mango trees everywhere, and right now they are in season.  I wanted to shout out to the bus driver to stop and let us pick some as the fruit was hanging on decorative trees lining the streets of the business district.  Forgot your lunch and have no money?  Just step outside and pick a mango!


Today, both Michael and I had tours, but we went as guests not as escorts.  It felt weird not having anything to do.  We had a city tour, and stopped at some scenic overlooks for picture taking (wild chickens included), saw Diamond Head, and the National Cemetery in the Punch Bowl crater.  The National Cemetery was beautiful.  Michael’s tour included a stop at the Pearl Harbor memorial.  We had last visited the memorial almost 30 years ago and much has changed.  In fact, most of it was brand new, having been opened only three weeks ago.  The somber and sobering experience one cannot help but take away from here has not changed though.  For those of you who have been here, the oil continues to leak from the Arizona!

 

Regent put on a special BBQ on the pool deck.  The chaise lounges were removed and replaced with dining tables covered with white table cloths and china.  Flags and banners were hung across the deck.  There were five ice carvings, and watermelon was sculpted into pirates, dogs, and owls.  A local band played Hawaiian music and there were hula dancers, too.  Lobster tails were BBQ’d along with the ribs, chicken, and steaks.  There was roast beef, turkey, salads, taco bar, shrimp, crab legs and desserts.  We had dinner with Gerald and Robin, the folks from Boise and had a wonderful time swapping travel and work stories.  Michael got in a few good jokes and ate at least seven and maybe nine lobster tails; we lost count!