HO'OMOE WAI KAHI KE KAO'O....Let's all travel together like water flowing in one direction.
Don't I look happy! And why shouldn't I since I was in Paradise! Yes, Alan and I were blessed to spend a week on the island of Oahu. Our hotel was directly across the street from the beach on one side and the zoo on the other side. We decided to take it easy and spend more time relaxing this time. This photo was taken at the lookout point from Nu'uanu Pali where King Kamemhameha was in several battles and a lot of his men died, some being thrown off this clift. Some also died throwing themselves off the clift as they would rather die than be captured.
While in Hawaii we went to Germain's Luau, took an Around the Island Tour, enjoyed a Sunset Dinner Cruise, visited the small aquarium at Waikiki, and spent a day at the Polynesian Cultural Center. My favorite time was spent feeding the birds everyday. They would come and sit on my arm or in my lap and sometimes they would even ride along on my scooter.
The Blue Angels were in Hawaii to celebrate the Floral Hawaiian Celebration. One day while on the beach at Waikiki we noticed a helicopter out in the ocean wondering what they were doing and later found out that it was part of the shooting of the new Hawaii Five-O show. It's fun watching that show and seeing places we have visited. During the Around the Island Tour we stopped briefly at a special beach, not even listed on the map, where Sea Turtles came on shore to eat a special kind of seaweed that washes up there. The turtles are protected and people guard them there from anyone that might try to get close to them. If you don't know what you're looking for you could even miss seeing them as they blend in with the big rocks on the beach. This time when we went to North Shore we got to see the big waves. All the other times we have visited it's been during the spring when the waves were nearly nonexistant. It was fun seeing the big waves and surfers this time.
Whenever we go on vacation we try to see a show and this time we saw the Society of Seven. They put on a fabulous show. They are from Hawaii and have been together since the 60's. They introduced a 15 year old girl who had a voice that captured your hearts. She definately will have a career in music. The new lead singer is quite talented, a graduate from the U of Hawaii and can sing anything from Pop to Opera. The group also did a Vegas Variety Show that was hillarious. All in all The Society of Seven is a show that no one should miss!
We enjoyed laying out on the beach and swimming in the crystal blue waters of Waikiki. There is a seawall where the swimming is like being in a pool. It only gets about 5 feet at its deepest and the waves aren't strong. One day a lady brought her dog and he had a blast running after a football that some guys were tossing about. Kids loved swimming there and so did I. We would lay out on the beach until we were hot and then go into the water and spend about half an hour or so to refresh ourselves. We also enjoyed sitting in the park and reading our books or just kicking back watching people...once we even fell asleep. Naps were in our itenerary for this trip.
And of course what would a trip to Waikiki be without going to the International Market Place? I bought an adorable purse made from a coconut and Alan bought several t-shirts. It's a fun place to shop and there is a large Banyan tree in the center of the outdoor marketplace with a pond filled with large Koi fish. We also shopped at the local ABC stores. There are over 45 of the small stores in Waikiki. They have all kinds of souviners, snacks, and drinks. We were looking forward to eating at the Denny's that use to be above the hotel we stayed at but they moved and the restaurant that replaced them, Lulu's is now there. The place overlooks the beach and there is seating all along the bar that overlooks the beach. We ate there a few times but would've preferred that the Denny's was still there. We did find where Denny's had moved to and ate there the day before we left. The omelet there was really good. Denny's in Hawaii is so much better than the ones on the mainland. We also ate at the famous Duke's restaurant a couple of times. They are next to the Royal Hawaiian Hotel and also on the beach. We enjoyed babyback ribs and chicken. The salad bar that came with it was the best! We concluded our meal one night by indulging in their world famous Hula Pie. It has a dark cookie crust on the bottom topped with coconut-macadamia ice-cream, then fudge, whipped cream and a cherry. Since it is so big Alan and I shared it. We're glad we took the plunge and tried it. Everyone should if they're ever in Hawaii. There's actually a Duke's in Huntington Beach, California now too so if you live in southern California you can check it out.
While at the Polynesian Cultural Center (PCC) we enjoyed seeing various Polynesian Villages and the Parade of the Long Canoes. On each of the canoes authentic Hawaiians would depict a different island of Polynesia and would share their music and dances. In one of the villages from Samoa a man demonstrated how to climb a tall coconut tree, how to open a coconut, and the various uses for coconut, including helping in building a fire. We learned so much at the PPC not only the culture but also about various plants. Taro produces the root that is used for poi. I use to think poi was a nasty tasting substance but after going to the PPC and trying some that was freshly made I have converted to enjoying it, in fact the taste reminds me of sweet potato...but it's purple instead of orange. We spent the entire day at PPC. Lunch and dinner were included in our Ambassader Package. We chose to have the fine dining option for dinner instead of the luau since we had already gone to Germain's Luau earlier in the week. After dinner we wandered around on our own before the show HA began. It was a fabulous show and we enjoyed it so much that I bought the DVD for Alan's sister Janis. Her birthday just happened to be on the day we went to PPC and thought she would enjoy watching it. HA means breath of life in Hawaiian and the story of the show was about the life of a man from birth till he grew up and got married and had a child of his own.
While in Hawaii I wanted to see if I could find a DVD with IZ, Israel Kamakawawio'ole. He was a man weighing over 800 pounds but had the singing voice of an angel. They called him the gentle giant. We have several of his CD's but I wanted to see if I could find a DVD since we never had the opportunity to see him in concert. He died in 1997 and the state of Hawaii held his body in state there as there were so many mourners. He was married and had a daughter. He had a tender heart and sympathetic to the Hawaiian people...an activist you might say but in a positive way. One of my favorite songs he sings is Ahi Wela...Twinkle Little Star but with a different tune. One song many of you might have heard is his rendition of Somewhere Over the Rainbow. It's in the movie 50 First Dates. At a small gift shop in Wiakiki not far from our hotel I found a DVD of him. I was so excited! When we returned home from Hawaii I watched it and it was entertaining and informative. At one of the airport shops I found a fabuous tablebook on his life. It has beautiful pictures in it and was quite a buy at the shop. It normally sold for $40 but was marked down to $12.99. That's less than I've paid for his CD's. It's a large book too and during the plane ride home I enjoyed reading a lot of it.
Our trip to Hawaii was too short, as it always is but we'll be planning another trip in the near future. Till then....aloha!
