Our Hawaiian Vacation
Aloha and Mahalo to all our friends and family for taking a peek at this. Judy and I have just returned from a long-awaited vacation to the Hawaiian Islands. We’d planned on doing just that LAST year, but our friend and neighbor Mr. Covid had vastly other plans for us and the vacation was put on hold. The world closed up and a lot of plans were dashed. Luckily, at least for some of us, the world has opened up a bit recently and vacations are now attainable. There are restrictions of course, but with some careful planning and investigation you can comply with most of them and at last get that vacation.
We were lucky enough to be able to use the Delta and Hawaiian Airline vouchers from last year for most of our airline tickets, so that was an upfront blessing as they were already paid for. Most of the activities that we desired to do were open for business albeit for masked and vaccinated folks mostly. Hawaii is still very strict as to who can enter and what their status must be for admission. You can investigate those requirement yourself if interested, but how it affected us was this: you had to go onto a Hawaii Safety website, upload specific information about status and make sure you had identification and your vaccine card to be admitted to the state and most establishments. It became second nature to check your pockets before leaving any place – id, vaccination card, mask, money. With those things, most of the islands were open to you.
So, if you’re interested – I’m assuming there are a few of you out there – lets get going, shall we?
There were four of us involved this time. Myself, Judy, my brother Chuck and his friend Dave both from the Bay Area in California. We would be the four amigos for this trip. But first we had to meet up with Chuck in San Jose, California and get ready to go.
Friday: Start Day
This was our travel day to California. We had flights starting in the early afternoon, so there was NO early arising needed this time around. Sitting in the terminal at Cleveland around noon was achieved and our first flight to Atlanta was fine with a full plane. We generally book window and aisle seats and hope the middle one will be empty. This flight was full, so we had a travel companion. Quiet dude, so no necessity for chit-chat. Next flight was partly empty, so we got our vacant middle seat. Four and a half hours westbound. Watched the movie “Jungle Cruise” and dozed a bit. Most of the flight was after dark. My brother picked us up at the San Jose airport which is about five miles from where he lives. A quick drive and we were at his place. After a late supper of cheeseburgers from Jack in the Box it was sleepy time in his NEW queen-sized bed in his guestroom! He’d put on flannel sheets and they were very comfortable. We slept well, but wanted to wake up at 5 a.m. - 8 a.m. at home. We’d struggle with the clock all during the vacation.
Saturday: California Day One
Up and at ‘em around 9 am Pacific Time. My brother made us some dynamite breakfast burritos which were quite good. He’d been planning on having some stuff for us to do while we were in his hometown, so we started out at the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum late that morning. We toured that, saw bunches of mummies and artifacts of the ancient Egyptian’s time, and enjoyed the place. Then it was off to a beautiful rose garden where we took lots of pictures and enjoyed the still blooming flowers. Don’t know what the blooming season is for California at that latitude, but most of the rose bushes still had good blooms. It was a nice walk. Then we stopped at one of his favorite Mexican restaurants called Aqui and had margaritas and chips/salsa. The drink – Chuck’s choice for us – was called Sunrise Industrial Drink Margarita. Frozen and delicious. It reminded Judy and I of a concoction we’d drank on several of our Caribbean cruises called Miami Vice. Yummy. Then it was back to the house for a few more drinks made with lemons from his lemon tree in front of his house. He made us home-made spaghetti and meatballs for supper which was quite good.
Sunday: California Day Two
Up to showers, coffee and some family chit-chat with my brother. He cooked again for us. French toast and sausage links. I read our local Sunday paper online (quite handy during a vacation). Checked in with Hawaiian Airlines – our carrier to the islands and back – and also took care of our Covid responsibilities at the Safe Hawaii website. Went golfing that afternoon with Chuck and two of his buddies, one of which was Dave who would travel with us starting the next day. The course was Santa Teresa and it was a beautiful place. We even had deer watching us tee off on several of the holes. Close up! They weren’t afraid of us at all. My game was not as pretty as the course, but it was fun time with the guys as that was a bit late for a golf round back in Ohio. We stopped for a beer and chit-chat after the round and picked up Subway sandwiches on the way home for our long west-bound flight coming up the following day. Supper was delivered pizza, macaroni salad and jalapeno poppers. Worked on packing for our trip tomorrow.
Monday: Fly to Maui Day
Up early – 6 am – and finished the packing for the plane ride west. Took an Uber to the airport and met our traveling companion Dave there. Had to show the ticket agent the vaccination code we received online yesterday along with our identification. This earned us an orange wrist band that “proved” we were not sick and were A-OK to visit Hawaii. The plane was not full so we four kinda stretched out on the six seats of our row. It was a five plus hour flight and was a little bumpy due to a big front approaching California from the Pacific. Watched “Justice League” on the laptop. Two hours difference from California. Hawaii does NOT change back and forth from Daylight Savings Time to Standard when most of the rest of the country does. It’s nice and warm here! Over 80 degrees. We took a little outdoor tram from the airport to the car rental area and got a GMC SUV. All our luggage for the four of us JUST fit in the back. Tightly. Drove down to Chuck’s time share place called World Mark. The reception desk there required us to log onto the Hawaii Safety web site and show our codes again. The orange bands from the airport were NOT enough. Finally we were admitted to the facility and exchanged our orange paper bands for some elastic blue ones that identified us as World Mark guests and also unlocked our apartment door. Our digs were on the second floor and were quite nice – two bedrooms and a Murphy bed in the living area for Chuck. Judy and I had one of the bedrooms and Dave the other. TV’s, washer/dryer, balcony (always called a lanai in HI) and this and that. Very beautiful tropical landscaping and plants all around the buildings. We later went for supper in a 2nd story restaurant down on Kihei Road. (Our town name on Maui was Kihei) I had fish/peppers/onions/mushrooms teriyaki with rice. Very tasty! Judy was mahi-mahi, fresh, and chips. Watched the sun go down over the Pacific beach. Dave and Chuck took a walk and Judy and I rested. We noticed that a LOT of Hawaii is just plain gorgeous – palms waving in the trade winds, wonderful weather, friendly people. You know you are in the tropics immediately. Almost all road and street names are in Hawaiian. LOTS of vowels and some incredibly long!
Tuesday: Maui Day One
Up and shower/shave. Breakfast in The Kihei Cafe, a local must try place. About a 40-minute line, all outside but the day was nice so it was no problem. Seating was also all outside. Very good food and fast once you ordered and sat down. We noticed live chickens walking around the dining area and basically all around the islands. I was feeding a rooster some cheese shreds from my omelet. Friendly little bugger. We stopped at a grocery and got some staples for the room – Cheerios, bread, butter, rolls, juices, milk, etc. We then took a drive up to Lahaina up the west coast highway. It’s a picturesque old whaling town. Walked around for a while and checked out the old prison for rowdy sailors from the old days. Walked around the gigantic banyan tree in the public square area also. Huge! Judy bought a lime shave ice with macadamia nut ice cream on the bottom. Mmmm…! Drove back to Kihei then and the time share. Chuck, Dave and I went down to the pool for a while. Nice warm water and not terribly crowded. Later we went back to the room and got dressed for dinner. Drove to an Italian place. It was in the same building we had breakfast in except it was upstairs. Excellent food. I had peppers, onions, sausage, marinara over spaghetti. Yum! Excellent waitress. Stopped at a convenient store on the way back to the room and picked up some souvenirs. The convenient store was called ABC Store. That chain was everywhere on the islands and sold everything from liquor to souvenirs, fresh sandwiches to Hawaiian shirts, toothpaste to local beer. We frequented them often.
Wednesday: Golf Day
Today was Golf Day! Up and breakfast on our lanai. Cheerios, coffee, breakfast rolls, juice. Off around 9:30 and up the highway to Pukalani Country Club, about 40 minutes away. This course was in the highlands about halfway up one of the old volcanic mountains, so with the altitude there it was about 10 degrees cooler than at the coastline. It was a very pretty course with lots of Norfolk Pines and Palms lining the fairways. The course was quite busy as it was one of the less expensive ones on the island. We rented clubs and they were good ones, TaylorMades. Dave, Chuck and I played and Judy rode along to keep us in line. My game was about normal – good shots amid the bad ones. Putted fairly decently. As I said, beautiful course with many views of the ocean and the valley below. We paid around $100 apiece, but that was, by island standards at least, budget priced. After the round we had lunch at the clubhouse restaurant – outside of course – and not quite as expensive as Kihei. Mushroom burger and macaroni salad along with a drink. Then we drove back to Kihei and World Mark. This was another absolutely lovely day – normal I found out for Maui – with a blue, blue sky and a few fluffy clouds. Around 80. Noticed some Hawaiian birds making some odd sounds in the trees. Very different than northeast Ohio. Very exotic. Noticed that the sand trap sand on the golf course was quite dark. Probably from its volcanic origin. Took a nap that afternoon then went down to the pool area later where Chuck and Dave were lounging around. The Tiki torches were lit and a fair amount of people were around talking and laughing. Kids through oldies like us. Saw one group grilling steaks at one of the provided grills. Looked good! Sat and jawed with the boys for a while then I walked down the street to the local ABC store and bought some roll-ups, potato chips, pop and fresh cut pineapple. Brought it back to the room and had our “supper” then. Chuck and Dave came back later and we all watched some TV.
Thursday: Maui Day Three
Up early, shower and coffee on the lanai. (Could get used to this!) All four of us went to Lava Rock Restaurant and sat outside on their 2nd story lanai dining area. Nice area. Hearty breakfasts all around – omelet for me – and mimosas! Amused ourselves watching a garbage truck pick up dumpsters down below us. Hehehe. Walked down to the beach across the street with Dave and Chuck. Very Hawaiian looking with palms waving in the trade winds and the small breakers coming in from the Pacific. (This was the normal lee side of the island – normally no big waves there.) It was a very clean beach with virtually no shells or shark teeth. Walked along looking for dropped jewelry. Don’t laugh, it happens. We could see two to three islands offshore and the bulge of the second volcano on Maui to the north. Back to the room after a bit and took a little nap. Chuck and Dave hit the pool again. Woke and we all went to Kalima Village to shop a for a while. It’s open air and close to the restaurants we were eating at earlier. I had a cherry shave ice with macadamia nut ice cream on the bottom, then we all ate at a nearby fish restaurant. I had fish tacos, Judy shrimp. Bought two Hawaiian drink coasters and a sea glass bracelet along with some silver pineapple earrings for Judy. Then back to the room.
Friday: Snorkeling Day
Today we were going snorkeling! Up real early at 5 am and drove to the harbor about halfway to Lahaina at 6. Boarded our ship the “Calypso” at 7:30 (after doing vaccination this and that) and off we went. About 140 passengers/snorkelers. It was a largish 3-deck catamaran with a crew of about 10. Seemed a lot of crew, but they had a lot of jobs – lifeguards while in the water, catering, deckhand, naturalist, speaker, instructors, etc. Stopped at Molokini Crater about 3 miles off the coast for our first stop. Molokini is part of a volcanic crater that sticks out of the water. Imagine a half-circle of naked rock sticking out of the water and that’s just what it looked like. Soon we were all geared up and in the water and I soon discovered I was NOT a lover of that sport and was soon back out of the water. Leaky mask (mustache), leg cramps, stomach discomfort. I’m definitely NOT a water baby! Chuck and Dave loved it and swam all over the area seeing the fish. Breakfast on the boat was a big muffin, a couple pieces of sweet baked bread, a fruit cup and a drink. We lifted anchor after an hour and a half and motored to another spot they called Turtle Town. Everyone snorkeling was soon back in the water. Unfortunately the turtles were not to be found on that day. Who knows where they were hiding? Lunch was a pulled pork sandwich, chips, slaw, chocolate chip cookie, pop. We returned to the dock a bit after noon. Not even doing that much snorkeling it was worth it for me. Back to the time share by 1. Went to the pool and relaxed again for a while, after which we drove to a Tiki Lounge for margaritas and supper. They had a guitar player there for live entertainment. He was unfortunately pretty bad and we were not impressed. Coconut shrimp for me, Dave crab cakes, Chuck a deluxe hot dog and Judy a chef salad. Two margaritas apiece. Enjoyed the Tiki Hawaiian vibe. Then back to the room by 6:30. Hit the sack early as tomorrow was fly day to Oahu and Honolulu. Flight at 1 pm. Noticed the myna birds were very loud in the trees at supper. Bought two flowery Hawaiian neckties after our meal and the clerk gave me a free Aloha bracelet. Friendly and pretty Asian lady.
Saturday: Fly to Oahu Day
This was another travel day. We were up and at ‘em at a somewhat normal hour and finished most of the food we’d laid in at the time share. We drove back to the Maui airport around 10 am. Gave the car back to the rental place (note: car rental prices in Hawaii are OUTRAGEOUS) and got checked back in with Hawaiian Airlines. TSA was normal and we waited at the departure gate for about an hour and a half. This was quite a smaller jet as the trip was only about 100 miles. We all were split up throughout the plane. Landed a little after 2 and a funny and talkative van driver took us to our hotel, the Ala Moana. Had to go through vaccination protocols again at the hotel front desk before we got our room keys. Starting to kinda get used to it. We all were on the 22nd floor of the hotel, Waikiki Tower (they had 2 towers) about 3 rooms apart. Our lanais were looking toward the east with views of the harbor, the Pacific and a lot of Waikiki. There was a gigantic outdoor mall next door, the Ala Moana Mall, and that would be where we would generally eat and do whatever the next 5 days. This mall was HUGE. Built in 1959 with 25 stores at a cost of 5 million dollars. It now contains 350 stores and is worth about 6 BILLION dollars. We all got LOTS of exercise walking to and around the mall.
Sunday: Oahu First Day
This was our first full day on Waikiki. Not sure whether I should call it Waikiki, Honolulu or Oahu – it was kinda all three. Got up and walked to the Mall (you’ll see us do this a LOT) for breakfast. Got it at a Thai place in the huge food court in the middle of the mall. Surprised that a Thai place would have American breakfasts, but they did. French Toast, eggs, bacon. And the ever available Loco Moko. This dish is a pile of seasoned rice topped by a ½ pound hamburger patty, brown gravy and an egg. Our traveling partner Dave was mysteriously attracted to them and ate them at a LOT of occasions! Actually, since this was a Sunday, there wasn’t much open at the mall, so we were lucky. Even there in the food court they had a security checkpoint where they viewed your vaccination card and I.D. before you could enter. Walked back to the hotel. Judy’s legs were hurting so she stayed at the hotel while Dave, Chuck and I got a Pink Trolley (bus that made a loop in downtown Honolulu) and rode it downtown. $5 on-and-off all day. Got off and did some sightseeing. Dave suggested we look at the “Pink Lady”. He explained that that term referred to one of the original hotels there in Honolulu, the Royal Hawaiian. And it was painted pink. It was built in 1927 and is one of the oldest in Waikiki. We walked around and marveled at the rococo architecture and the 20’s-style decorations. In some of the corridors there were pictures and other artifacts of the “old” days. Pictures of old movie stars, sports heroes and, of course, of Duke Kahanamoku, the erstwhile symbol of Hawaii and the sport of surfing. We left the Pink Lady and got some lunch at a place downtown. Walked a bit further and checked out the statue of Duke there on the beach. It’s made out of bronze and is about twice real size. He’s standing in front of a surfboard and there are usually flower lei’s left on his outstretched arms, around his neck and at his feet. Right behind Duke was the beach and we saw surfers, water-boarders and other water lovers. And of course the bikini-clad ladies that made Waikiki Beach the holy grail of girl watching that it was. We grabbed the Pink Trolley at that spot after a while and rode it back to the Mall. Then made the hike back to the hotel.
Monday: Day of Infamy
This was the day we would tour Pearl Harbor. We were picked up at the hotel by Harold, our Pearl Harbor Tours van driver and guide for the day in a black Mercedes 12-passenger van. We soon picked up another six tourists – three from Saskatchewan – and were off through heavy morning traffic to Pearl Harbor and their visitors area. We got wrist bands showing we were paid and were then ready to go. We got in line for the launch out to the memorial and soon were gliding on the water of Pearl Harbor. This area was an active military base and had more rules to be followed. The Arizona Memorial is a very, very moving place. You could feel the vibes of history everywhere you looked. The ghosts of the men killed there were present for those who cared to look. The atmosphere was heavy with memories, at least that is how it felt to me. You could feel the echos of what happened 80 years ago like they were yesterday. We saw the oil floating on the water still leaking from the fuel bunkers of the battleship after 8 decades. We could actually see a lot of the ship under the water below us, rusting it its grave. We took pictures, but it’s doubtful they captured the solemnity of the place. There were helicopters flying over the harbor – tours I assumed – and they reminded me of the Zeros diving down from the blue sky on that Sunday morning and dropping their bombs and torpedoes. Definitely creepy. Our time at the memorial wasn’t long and soon we were riding the launch back to the mainland, a lot of us a bit shaken from the experience. We were informed that every year, on December 7, an envoy from Japan traveled to Pearl Harbor and gave a formal apology to the U. S. for the surprise attack. After that we caught a bigger bus that took us over to Ford Island where we would tour the battleship Missouri. We visited the small memorial to the Oklahoma which was sunk the same day as the Arizona which was just outside the Missouri area. Then on to the Missouri. This, if you don’t remember, was the ship on which the surrender of the Japanese took place on September 2, 1945, in Tokyo Bay. We walked on what was called the “surrender deck” and saw the actual spot the surrender document was signed. So within a half-mile or so we saw where the war for us began, with the Arizona Memorial and where it ended there on the Missouri. A facsimile of that surrender document was displayed there along with many pictures of the event. We took the tour of the ship which included a lot of the upper decks and then a LONG trek through the lower decks where the sailors, marines and officers lived. Thank goodness for the arrows on the walls that you followed. Without them I’d have been lost many, many times. A lot of pictures were taken of the interesting areas there. Finally the last stairway was climbed and we took our leave of this, the last battleship on earth. When the Missouri was decommissioned in 1992 there were NO more of her kin left on the planet. We wolfed down a quick hot dog before resuming our tour with Harold. On our return to the hotel we slowly drove through the “Punchbowl”, an extinct volcano caldera and a cemetery near Honolulu where a lot of the war dead were buried. We even saw the grave of the writer Ernie Pyle who is interred there. We also stopped at the old Hawaiian palace and saw the statue of King Kamehameha, the last ruler of the islands before they became an American territory. The old Hawaii Five-O headquarters was across the street and a lot of us remembered it from the classic TV show. Then back to the hotel. Harold gave us lots more interesting information during our drive, much more than I can remember now. The tour lasted from 7 am to about 3 pm. Then, after a rest in our hotel rooms, we adjourned to a bar over in the mall for mai-tai’s and to watch some Monday Night Football on the bar’s TV’s. Judy and I then walked to the food court for some supper then back to the room. LOTS of walking that day – a new record for me. We were pretty tired. Collapsed soon after.
Tuesday: Blue Trolley Tour
We got muffins from an ABC store in the mall the night before and ate them for breakfast along with some hotel coffee. Judy stayed at the hotel today and eventually walked to the mall to do some shopping. Dave, Chuck and I walked to the Pink Trolley stop. We rode it to its second stop and then transferred to the Blue Trolley for our ride along the southern shore of Oahu. That trolley was old school, wooden bench seats and all open air. Easy to take pictures from! Our driver’s name was Keiki and he was very informative and funny in his narration of what we were seeing. We again went by the Duke Kahanamoku statue downtown and then headed out to Diamond Head and beyond. We saw lots of homes that Keiki informed us were millions of dollars in value. We saw the hospital where Barrack Obama was born and the house where he lived from age 4 to 6. We stopped at the Halona Blow Hole and watched the small geyser that appeared when particularly large waves hit the rocks. Very picturesque. Then on to view more of the rugged southeastern coast. We saw a particular beach named Sandy Beach and Keiki told us a story about it. It seems that President Obama used to body surf on that particular beach when he was a youngster. While president and during one of his trips back home he tried doing it again at that exact spot. The waves slammed him down onto the beach and knocked him right out. The Secret Service had to revive him and then admonished him that he was NEVER to do that again! We stopped at Sea Life Park – kind of a Sea World type place at the end of our eastward trip – turned around and headed back to town. The coastline was, like I said, very rugged – surf and rocks and small beaches on the seaward side and high volcanic hills inland. Picture postcard Hawaii country. We got off the trolley at the Waikiki Shopping Center downtown again and walked to Duke’s Bar and Restaurant. Quite a famous place I’m told. BBQ chicken wings and beer for me then. Mmmm…! Right on Waikiki Beach with all the fabulous views! Wow! Then walked again to the Duke statue and waited for the Pink Trolley to take us home. While there we watched the beach babes again. Also wow! Soon we were back to the hotel for a quick afternoon snooze. Judy and I grabbed a prepackaged sandwich from a store in the hotel for supper. Judy had done some shopping at the mall earlier and made some purchases.
Wednesday: The Last Day in Hawaii
This was a lazy day for Judy and I. We all walked to the Eggs and Such Restaurant for breakfast. It was a LONG walk – clear to the far end of the mall – probably ¾ mile to get there. We ate a good breakfast that was NOT food court quality for a change. Judy had Macadamia Nut Pancakes and they were so yummy. (She gave me one) Dave and Chuck again took off and rode downtown for more touring (and bar hopping) while Judy and I ambled back to the hotel and did some laundry. We were running out of clean clothes! I went down to the hotel swimming pool and spent a few hours bobbing in the water and sunning on one of the loungers. So very, very tropical with the palms waving above my head and the hot Pacific sun beaming down on me. Totally relaxing. I was trying to maximize to the utmost the few hours we had left on the island. We decided to do a BW3’s restaurant for supper. It was near the Target store at the mall (of course, where else?) where Judy had been the day before. As I said, this was a beautiful day in Hawaii. It was as if the islands were giving us a fond aloha with it’s sunshine and fair trade winds. We were planning on a 10 am departure from the hotel for a 1 pm flight homeward. I was not even trying to figure out times and distances for the flight. My time sense had been hosed since leaving Cleveland around time change day and jet lag had finished the work. Supper was at the BW3’s as planned. Chicken wings, onion rings and a beer. Chuck and Dave had been celebrating most of the day and were pretty wasted by then so Judy and I bid them a fond adieu and went to the Target next door. We bought doughnuts for tomorrow’s breakfast. We then hiked our LAST time from the mall and back to the room. We finished the day by doing some packing and getting ready to leave in the morning.
Thursday: Flight to California Eastbound
We flew the long flight over the Pacific that day and watched the sun set from 35,000 feet. Home to San Jose and a good sleep in Chuck’s guest room on his new bed.
Friday: In San Jose
We rested most of the day at Chuck’s house. Ate at a family-style restaurant and just took it easy. Did a lot of talking.
Saturday: Last Day in California
Chuck made burritos for breakfast again and they were great! Watched some TV and again talked and enjoyed each other’s company. Mexican restaurant for supper. Did some packing for our flight home tomorrow.
Sunday: Flight Home
Left Norman Minetta Field in San Jose a little after noon that day and flew to Atlanta for our connecting flight to Cleveland. Full airplanes (Thanksgiving coming up and lots of travelers) and Judy and I had a passenger in the center seat both times. Again watched the sun set from the air. The Cleveland flight was a late one, around 10-ish and we got into Cleveland somewhat after midnight. We arrived home around 2 am. Tony had the lights on for us. Yay!
Some Notes on the Trip:
Duke Kahanamoku is almost a god around Hawaii. Very venerated and loved. He was actually Waikiki’s first sheriff and a hell of an interesting guy. Five Olympic medals, 3 gold, 2 silver. He was the driving force for surfing worldwide. Quite a heroic figure. Also venerated is Barack Obama. Lots of references to him throughout our tours. Very loved around the islands.
We liked Maui kinda better than Oahu. Much more laid back. Less people, less tourists. Maybe prettier also?
Pearl Harbor had WAY more impact on me than I imagined it would when I booked our tour. I literally felt ghosts all around us while we were there. I kept reminding myself that THIS WAS THE PLACE THAT ALL THAT BAD STUFF HAPPENED. Right there! The helicopters buzzing around the memorial seemed to be Japanese Zeros bearing down on us. Judy and I had watched a TV documentary at home about one of the last survivors of the Arizona’s cremated ashes being interred with his shipmates by divers under the memorial back in 2019. And we saw and remembered his name carved on the memorial on a smaller piece of granite there. He was back with his buddies. It was very moving. The Missouri was another place of memories. The surrender spot and all the parts of the last battleship ever anywhere. Sent chills up and down your spine. Also there were a LOT of steps to climb and descend. I think I did them well for a fellow of my advanced age. An incredible engine of war and home away from home for many sailors. Almost too much to take in at one time.
Loved our hotel in Waikiki, The Ala Moana. The 22nd floor which our rooms were on gave wonderful views of downtown and the harbor. I still have vertigo being that high though out on the lanai. Great housekeeping, super friendly staff. Easily as nice as the crew on our cruises.
Saw many chickens loose in a lot of places on both of the islands we visited. Also lots of pigeons and myna birds. Very interesting. Found out mynas are very LOUD birds.
Many, many Asians of all ilks everywhere. Asians are the top ethnic population on the islands – Japanese, Chinese and Korean top them. Then white, two or more races, native Hawaiian or Polynesian, then others. Most informative signs and menus in restaurants are in English, Japanese and Chinese – sometimes Korean also. And apparently a lot of normal visitors and tourists to the islands are Asian. Pre-Covid that is. They have not yet returned according to several of our guides. The place is REALLY hopping when they are there. And, in my opinion, a lot of the Asian women we saw there are astonishingly beautiful.
So this entry in our bucket lists has been at last checked off. I doubt we’ll ever see anyplace as beautiful and inviting as Hawaii was for us. If you ever have the opportunity to visit, please take advantage of it. You won’t be disappointed.
