July 2, 2005

• Aloha!!!

  I bet I heard that greeting at least 10,000 times in the 2 weeks we spent in the 50th state. The locals say it with great enthusiasm and expect it to be returned with equal enthusiasm. Except one person. Somewhere along the way, I walked up to a clerk and said “Hello,” then quickly said, “Or, I guess I should learn to say ‘Aloha!’” She looked at me and said, “That is their language and I don’t use it. I don’t think it’s respectful!” So, if you go to Hawaii, you can say “Aloha” to most, but not all, people.

  We have had many vacations in the Caribbean. For years, people have told us that we should see Hawaii because we would like it even better. This year, we decided to see if that was true. We have friends who had been wanting to make the trip, so six of us (3 couples) set out very early on the morning of June 9 for the long flight to Hawaii. The beginning was not very promising. We were checked in at the airport by a totally incompetent clerk. 2 of the 3 couples (one of those 2 being us) ended up separated in the plane. Not just separated from the rest of the group. Separated from spouses, also. We were able to fix that problem at the gate, however, and, from there on, the flight was very enjoyable. We flew United Airlines and were pleased to find that we had 2 meals, snacks, and nearly continuous beverage service on the flight, which made it much more enjoyable. We had been warned not to expect food on planes anymore, and we met people in Hawaii who had flown in on a different airline and had traveled 20 hours with no food service. We were glad we were on United!

  We arrived in the early afternoon, checked in to our hotel, the Waikiki Marriott, and set out about the area in search of a Harley Davidson shirt that one of the men had promised to bring back for a friend. Apparently Hawaiians either are severely directionally challenged or they think it is hilarious to send tourists off in the wrong direction because every person who gave us directions sent us off on a different path and none of those paths actually led to the Harley Davidson store! We did finally get there, though, and bought the shirt. We had a great time walking through the Waikiki area, too.

  When we came out of the shopping center, these lovely ladies were dancing on a stage down on the street.

  

  I don’t know whether they always dance there in the evening, or whether it was part of the celebration of King Kamehameha’s birthday. In any case, it was fun to watch them and it was a free show. Early missionaries tried to end the dancing of the hula, which some of them considered lewd, but I am glad that they did not successfully wipe it out. It is really a beautiful and graceful dance.

  The Hawaiians really celebrate their culture. We learned that they are very proud of their royalty, particularly of King Kamehameha, who is credited with unifying the Hawaiian Islands under one government. Preparations were underway for the celebration of King Kamehameha Day, which I believe is his birthday and I think is June 11. Workers gather for days in advance preparing the lei draping for his statue in downtown Honolulu. Here is a picture of the process.

  

  Each lei was 40 feet long. I think the flowers were orchids. On the 11th, they were going to completely cover this statue of the King.

  

  We didn’t get back downtown to see it, but I am sure it was a beautiful sight and the ceremony during which the leis were hung must have been something to see!

  We couldn’t leave Honolulu without a trip to the Arizona Memorial. The visitor area has been beautifully developed so that it is informative and peaceful. Here are some palm trees along the shore.

  

  It’s a short boat ride out to the Memorial itself. People tend to be very quiet there. It is, after all, a tomb, and the memory of what happened on December 7, 1941, is powerful. Did you know that it was over a week before the men trapped down in the Arizona stopped tapping out Morse code messages to their fellow sailors up above? I can’t imagine how awful that must have been, both for the living men already buried and for those who were receiving the messages. The names of the men who died on the Arizona are listed on a wall inside the Memorial. There is also a marble chest on each side of the room in which men who survived the attack can choose to be interred to rejoin their shipmates upon their deaths. The entombment containers aren’t very large, so I assume that men wishing to be buried there must be cremated.

  

  The Arizona is not very far under water and is clearly visible under the Memorial. It still leaks small droplets of fuel oil which are referred to as the tears of the Arizona. The Navy personnel conducting the tour explained that the fuel tanks are nearly empty and that disturbing the ship to try to stop the leak would probably cause more pollution than the leaking oil causes, so the Arizona is allowed to weep for her dead.

  The atmosphere at the Arizona Memorial was quite a contrast to the scene in front of our hotel back in Waikiki.

  

  Waikiki is not considered to be a world class surfing beach, but it does have enough surf to be considered a good place for serious students of the sport to learn. In fact, the driver who brought us to the hotel from the airport said that he learned to surf there. Therefore, young people carrying boards are a common site in the area.

  During our time in Waikiki, one of the things that surprised me the most was that many buildings are not completely enclosed by walls and may also not have a complete roof, so that they are open to the sunlight and also to other weather events. Our hotel had no front wall and only partial walls on at least one other side. It also had a large open area in the lobby roof. Because of all that, birds stroll around in the building with the human inhabitants. These birds are not at all intimidated by the presence of people and do not make a particular effort to get out of the way.

  One evening during our stay, we ate at a buffet that opened onto a garden seating area. It was really very picturesque.

  

  Remember what I said about the birds? Well, they are not afraid to join you at the table, either!

  

  I did not see any birds actually trying to eat out of a plate while a person was still eating from it, but as soon as one was set aside, they landed right on the table and started to consume the leftovers. Some of my friends did not like that, but I enjoyed it.

  There are still 3 of the original luxury hotels from the pre-statehood days of Waikiki. Since Dan is a history buff, we walked through 2 of them one morning. The first was the Sheraton, which reclaimed one of the old hotels as its core and built a wing on each side to increase its capacity. It is really beautiful, with a large porch on the front complete with chairs for lounging. The back of the hotel opens to this beach bar. Wouldn’t it be a great place to sit and have a drink? Of course, this picture was taken about 7 o’clock one morning, so the bar was closed.

  

  This is the view along the beach from the Sheraton.

  

  We also walked through the Royal Hawaiian. I wish I had pictures of it but I did not have my camera along. It has a magnificent garden court and the interior is very luxurious. I could just see Cary Grant and all his cronies strolling through its corridors.

  Well, that’s Waikiki. On Saturday the 11th, we boarded a cruise ship to head for the other islands. That’s another blog. More than one, actually.

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