Day 1: To Los Angeles
Originally this tripped was planned and booked (rather extensively) for 2021. But as we got closer to last summer, and COVID started ramping up again (Peter was at that time unvaccinated), we decided to delay it. So here we are in 2022, heading back to Hawaii...the timing was planned to hopefully coincide with the Waikiki Steel Guitar Week festival.
Because we can't do a direct flight to Hawaii and Hawaiian Airlines doesn't service Kansas City, we had to book the flights separately and HOPE that the first flight (to LAX) was not cancelled. We even (briefly) considered driving to LA, especially given concerns about cancellations. But all the flights happened just fine, no serious delays or issues. We left at about 6:45am or so to get to the airport early. No dog drop off this time, we had hired a teenager to check in on the pets twice a day and feed them.
Flight left at about 10am and arrived at 11:30 local time in Los Angeles. I saw this banner and told everyone oops, they must have landed in the wrong state, sorry guys.
We got our luggage, hitched a shuttle ride to a very mid-level airport hotel (La Quinta) and grabbed a quick meal at the adjoining McDonalds while we waited for early check-in. Then once checked in we decided to go swimming in the rooftop pool.
It was windy and extremely cold, for whatever reason...Peter and I swam for a bit but Debra and Gretchen did not dare. It was amusing to hear all the other people react with horror when they got in. It was nice to see all the flights coming in for a landing though.
Later, loitering outside in an alleyway for a DoorDash order...
We got Pollo Loco, which we had missed...but (with my pollo asado skills having improved over the last couple years) it was not as unbridled-amazing as we had recalled. Also they gave us a lot of sauces as you can see.
Day 2: To Kaua'i
Up early the next morning, we ate cold pollo asado leftovers for breakfast (I had foolishly booked a "free breakfast" hotel but not verified when they started breakfast). Down in the lobby they had a "Business Center" that apparently was just left on with a BIOS error.
Waiting outside for the airport shuttle..
Once into the airport...and I should say, LAX is one of those airports I would very much not like driving around in, it's a madhouse...we got off at our terminal which was the far western international terminal, so we had a good hike (actually going underneath the tarmac to reach it). I realize none of this is terribly interesting...this is normal air travel type stuff we all deal with. But we got a thing of extremely expensive pineapple to tide the kids over and our flight eventually left around 9am.
Hawaiian Airlines is great...definitely a step above the usual Southwest/Spirit budget lines we normally would spring for. Because it was an early flight, the meal was "brunch" and consisted of a cheese and bacon bagel "hot pocket" kinda thing. Not bad! The rest of the family promptly sacked out thanks to motion sickness meds.
The plane was the smaller Airbus (A321neo I think) and so didn't have the seat-back screens, but I watched Dune during the flight, and later some Curb Your Enthusiasm. There was a scene where some incidental music played by a tuba went off in the right stereo channel of my headphones and I very briefly thought my seatmate to the right had gastrointestinal issues.
We landed about noon local time in Lihue. We had reserved a car (actually a Jeep, which wasn't much more expensive, and turned out to be a good choice) and I basically waited in line for an hour...rental car company not moving very quickly unfortunately. This was one of the first of the ubiquitous chickens we ran across, while I waited.
From there we went to pick up the rental packet for our condo, and stopped at Konohiki Seafoods to get some...dinner? Lunch? Our times were pretty askew at this point. We couldn't check in yet so we stopped over at a beach park next to the condo complex.
We got ginger fried chicken (bone-in, interestingly), a laulau, and pork wontons, with this intense wasabi soy dipping sauce.
The grounds at the condo were pretty well manicured.
It was a 2nd and 3rd floor condo, with master bed/bathroom on the top floor...the lower floor having this beautiful lanai and view.
From the upstairs...the breeze was magnificent.
I even took some video because that sound...I was in love. Ultimate sound machine right there, listening to that all night. Counterpoint: roosters with a bad internal clock starting at 4am.
I drove north up into Kapa'a to pick up a bit of food and essentials. Saw this on the way back down, completely gutted buildings right by the highway...turned out to be the famous Coco Palms resort made famous by Elvis Presley, that later was closed and hit by Hurricane Iniki.
Debra napped while the kids hunted for chickens.
The chickens were everywhere, which was fun for them. The kids...but I guess, maybe for the chickens too.
The view on the mauka side, from the front porch. Sleeping Giant (Nounou mountain) visible...our plan was tentatively to hike it the following day.
I came up with a bit of a grab bag dinner by cutting up a pineapple, mango, and parting out the leftover chicken (kids don't like the bone-in part), and making some Filipino pancit instant noodles and letting people pick what they want. Then we went to the pool for a bit of swimming.
Back at the condo, we realized our plan to hike up in the interior had a fatal flaw...we lacked both water bottles and mosquito repellent. I ate my dinner, the remains of the laulau and some chicken, out on the lanai which became my routine that week.
Later, fireworks.
Celebrating July 4th could be touchy for some Hawaiians (I get it, I get it...put it this way, I'm simultaneously sad that the US government worked to overthrow the kingdom, and happy for the end result that this amazing place is our fiftieth state...) and I've heard that in Hawaii you get more fireworks on New Years, so I wasn't sure if we'd see much, but there was some.
Day 3: Canyon Tour
Up early the next morning, I made coffee and we had pineapple fritters (like an apple fritter donut, basically).
Red-crested cardinals are pretty common here.
Kids on Chicken Patrol.
There was a hen with a large brood. Heck there were likely many such hens. Chickens, chickens everywhere
Like I mentioned, skipping Sleeping Giant this day until we could find some mosquito repellent. Instead, we moved up the tour of Waimea Canyon and Koke'e state park.
So around the south of the island to Waimea Canyon.
As you climb in elevation, it gets cooler, and it got almost cold.
Me goofing around with the panorama mode function.
It's always prettier in person than the pictures can portray.
This was an overlook pointing out Ni'ihau, the "forbidden isle" owned by a private family and pretty well restricted.
Up into Koke'e state park to look down the Kalalau valley.
Bit of clouds obscuring the views, but not too bad.
An Air Force radar installation I believe, one of several in the region. Kokee AFS, used by the Air National Guard as a part of the Aircraft Control and Warning squadron.
Pu'u o Kila lookout a bit further east.
That look on my face trying to take a selfie stems from the difficulty in holding the phone at arms length while also clicking the shutter button. I am not a "selfie" taker except occasionally, as in this case, by special request...
'Ohia lehua.
Pair of locals...nene.
The visitor station was closed, but there was a shop just opening next door where we got snacks. Then back down towards Waimea.
The best chain serving Hawaiian food...L and L Hawaiian BBQ. Teri beef, chicken katsu, fish, and shrimp. Pete was a bit nauseous and very hungry so we just ate it there on a table outside.
We also stopped briefly at the Kekaha small boat harbor nearby...we were headed there the next day for a Na Pali tour. Then back to our "home base", where we took a nap, then swam in the protected section of Lydgate Beach Park. Saw some fish, but not the best snorkeling there.
Pete often quickly tires of swimming when there is sand-based engineering to be done.
The family rested while I went up to Safeway to get groceries. It was a bit crazy there...although man, these folks are serious about rice. I love Asian food and I could adapt to Hawaiian cooking for sure.
There was a rare rude couple that sort of pushed in front of me while in the checkout line, and I took their picture in hopes of memorializing their rudeness for all time, but decided not to post it after all, because I got the last laugh when the checkout lane next over opened up, and I ended up getting checked out before them anyway. But got back to the condo, where we watched an episode of Boba Fett on DisneyPlus. And I also just sat in front of this view and lapped it in. Definitely the closest we've ever stayed to the ocean.
The family ate pizza and grapes for dinner...the grapes being significant because due to their high toxicity to dogs, we don't ever have them at the house at home. I'm sure I probably said, Mugatu-style, "AND NOW THE FORBIDDEN FRUIT MUST BE TASTED" at least once. For me, I made a Hawaiian plate of poke, poi, rice, and leftover katsu.
Poi is the unloved brother of the more fashionable poke (poke bowls are a dumb fad in my opinion). Its appeal is, much like that of Spinal Tap, "more selective". Calling it bland is certainly defensible...but the key is in how you eat it...you eat it with things, where it complements. Sort of like mashed potatoes in American culture, you're not supposed to just have a big bowl of mashed potatoes by itself. A spoonful of rice with salty fish and a bit of poi, you get a smooth sweetness that kind of works with it.
Debra thinks I'm trying to hard to like things, and she's probably a bit right. I'm just saying...yes, there is an uncomfortable similarity between poi and wallpaper paste, but does it start to grow on you a bit if you eat it in the right way? Yeah, I think so, at least for me.
Just a gorgeous view at sunset, and this is the east side, too.
Day 4: Na Pali
Up early (again) to head back to Kekaha. To combat potential sea sickness, we ate little (breakfast bar) and didn't drink a lot of coffee, only small sips of water. Debra and Gretchen took Bonine.
So strange that I had to kind of explain what this was to the kids. And teach them how we used to always run our fingers through the coin slots reflexively to find spare change (now that Debra has introduced me to germaphobia...gross!).
Waiting for our boat to show up...Na Pali Experience was our tour company.
Our boat had a captain and one other couple on it (6 person guest limit). We got out of the harbor and got underway...10 minutes in and an engine issue had so significantly concerned the captain that he said, we've got to turn back. Well dangit. So we did. The whole ride back I'm thinking, well, that scuppers us seeing Na Pali, but what I was more concerned about is whether they would just voluntarily refund all our money, or try to claim that the fares were nonrefundable (which may be technically true) and the unpleasant awkwardness that would entail. Here is Gretchen on the ride back, enjoying herself. We had (at least) seen flying fish on our brief outing!
But just as we approached the harbor, the captain reversed course, again, having seen that his second engine had properly warmed up finally. And so back out again!
A sleeping pod of Hawaiian spinner dolphins. About as close as you can get to them without hopping in the water.
As we passed Barking Sands and got to the actual start of the Pali, I, seated forward starboard, saw what looked like people in the water directly ahead of us, and warned the captain. He was annoyed (apparently they needed to have a float or flag more visible). But the scenery got progressively more impressive.
Visiting one of two caves:
The second cave chamber with an open ceiling:
Larger boats wouldn't have made it inside this thing. Very cool.
Then we anchored, and did some snorkelling. None of which I got on film...I had forgotten to take my cheap generic "gopro" type camera. But definitely the best snorkeling experience, all 15 minutes of it, of my life, the reef was teeming with fish and I saw 3 or 4 honu / green sea turtles. Back on board for some fresh pineapple and chips.
Further up we got to the main section of Na Pali. This is Honopu Beach, with the famous Honopu arch on the left.
The arch from the other side...there are people under it, in this picture. That's how big it is.
A distant waterfall. Things are much bigger, and much more distant than they appeared, even in person.
Kalalau.
It was nice seeing it from this perspective (especially having just seen it from the other side, in Koke'e, the day before).
Taken by the captain (Gretchen and Debra unwilling to venture up to the front of the boat).
Gretchen got sick on the return journey...it was light for the time of day and year, we are told, but still rough seas for her. Pete seemed to do OK.
After the older gentleman requested a stop to use the, err, facilities...Pete decided to join in and make use of the "bladder ladder". And being somewhat ornery of a father I had to take his picture while he was down the ladder to memorialize the somewhat undignified nature of it.
Once back home, I think most of the others took naps (or the kids happily jumped back on their ubiquitous devices) and I took a walk by the beach.
Caved in section of the walking path...lots of power in the sea.
OK, OK so I took too many pictures of two things, the view from our lanai, and chickens. But no regrets.
Dinner was an odd mix, Portuguese sausage, pierogies, and delightfully inexpensive pineapple. (oh, and more poi, for me)
Pete accompanied me on the lanai to discuss "Sea of Thieves" (a pirate computer game he is much enamored of) strategy, at length.
Day 5: Nounou Mountain and Kilohana Plantation
Now properly equipped with water bottles and mosquito repellant, we went early to the trailhead of the Sleeping Giant / Nounou Mountain.
It's a nice trail although there was allegedly some scrabbling near the end, and I assumed the possibility that maybe only I would summit and the kids and Debra would hang back.
Our condo is pretty far to the right, past the Wailua River, in the Lydgate Park area. Wailua town below.
But...we didn't end up getting too far. Got to this section with painted cutouts in a rock wall and Debra vetoed further progression. Possible wet/slick rock footing, no protective headgear. I looked for alternate routes to get past this section and they ended up looking even more sketchy. Would I have attempted this had I been hiking alone? Well, [ANSWER REDACTED ON ATTORNEY ADVICE IN LIGHT OF SPOUSAL READING OF BLOG], but with the kids, we opted to turn back.
So, short hike that day.
Domesticated chickens allegedly descended from the southeast Asian junglefowl, and junglefowl seems an apt description of them here.
Then we opted to go to the Kilohana Plantation, which is a pleasant enough tourist trap...shops, restaurants, nice gardens, and a train ride.
It helped scratch the "we should go to a botanical garden" itch, and was a bit more of what Debra was looking for, beautifully tended grounds...we got some expensive chocolate at a candy shop for the kids.
Can't get away from hibiscus here that's for sure.
Eventually onto the train for the little tour. They were throwing corn tortillas to the junglefowl.
Nice open air car.
I forget the donkey's name.
Lots of banana plants. Avocado, coconut, papaya, etc also in abundance.
Papaya tree here.
The coconut palm, or niu.
The estate's bull.
This being the big draw of the trip though...feeding the pigs.
They gave us all corn tortillas to rip up and toss to them.
Once the pigs were well fed for the umpteenth time that day, back into the train and on we went.
Beautiful pools here.
Kalo being cultivated.
After the trip, noticed a stowaway on the car behind us.
The train itself was neat...smaller, probably designed for lighter duties around the plantation.
Once back at the condo we went for a dip in the pool. But first I opted to go down to the ocean first. I knew I wasn't going to get approval to actually swim there from the Safety Committee [ATTORNEY SUBMITS THAT CLIENT IS VERY APPRECIATIVE OF SAID SAFETY COMMITTEE AND INTENDS NO SNARK] since the surf was rough and well, there's no one there, much less a life guard, but it's pretty just to look at.
Looking off to the north...
...and to the south. Just pristine, there.
Another lizard on the grounds.
Back from the pool, Pete found the dominoes and set to work.
We cooked a frozen lasagna for dinner. Just a massive amount of food. The flavor reminded us of canned ravioli. I mean, we've eaten better, but when you're on vacation, you make do.
Then the storm rolled in. Hooboy. "The sea was angry that day, my friends. Like an old man trying to return soup at a deli."
After it cleared up, the de rigueur meal on the lanai of course.
Day 6: Hanalei
So this was our day to travel up and see the north part of the island. So we got underway early as usual (due to fears of filled parking). We did indeed find (ample) parking, because it was so early, up in Ha'ena Beach Park. This is separate from Ha'ena State Park, which we had zero chance of getting entry reservations for, and so could not enter (that is where Ke'e beach and the Kalalau trailhead are, and it was our original intent). So we wanted to go to Tunnels Beach, but never found the parking for it, and went on just a bit ahead and found the parking for Ha'ena Beach Park instead.
We did find a well-laden avocado tree!
Off to find a spot and do some swimming.
Looks to be a recently opened coconut. Good eating.
Very pretty, densely overgrown mountains behind us.
How many times do I have to tell my family, sand people always ride single file, to hide their numbers!
Visually, it's just paradise here.
We did some swimming, and tried a couple different spots but the consensus was, the drop off was too steep and the surf too heavy for good swimming, much less snorkeling. I keep using the word snorkeling but we only brought masks...should say, "swimming in the manner of snorkeling but without an actual snorkel".
Pete playing chicken with the waves
Debra was worried about Gretchen being sick from not having food...we hadn't packed extra food, more's the pity, because we thought we were going to get McDonalds breakfast and they weren't open before 7. After discussing back and forth, Debra was willing to try my proposal for getting some better swimming in...I had surmised that Tunnels Beach was actually just a bit up the coast and we could walk there. This is after I arrived, looking back.
The water was much, much calmer there, virtually no surf. Perfect for "snorkel type swimming" which we all did.
Then heading back to the car.
Just a stunning nice view...I should probably apologize for putting in redundant pics but that place was amazing.
We then had the problem of where to get said food...Hanalei was down the road but a lot of stuff not open yet. Luckily a food truck in the parking lot was just starting to get their wares out and we got banana bread, candied ginger, and some apple bananas from them to tide us over.
Then into Hanalei itself...the famous church. Wai'oli Hui'ia.
Junglefowl EVERYWHERE
The skyline was nice! Definitely catering to tourists there, it got busy. We found a place open early enough and got an eclectic mix of churro French toast (for the kids to share) and coconut shrimp with a side of kimchi for us (the kimchi was not shared...I ate some of it...alternate option was seaweed salad and I knew for sure that one would have no takers).
The obligatory stop at the famous pier.
Panoramic views. Kids were jumping around and running and being crazy, so we didn't stay there too long.
This is a lookout of the Hanalei valley itself. Lot of kalo grown there, and it gets a lot of rain.
Hit the Safeway on the drive back, and seeing the Asian sauce aisle, man, these are my people. Like an entire aisle of Asian sauces. Things you'd definitely have to go to an Asian grocery store for back in Missouri.
Once back, we had a mostly relaxing rest of the day. Went to the pool for a bit, took naps, and doing dishes got to appreciate this view.
Dinner was leftover lasagna with garlic bread, and more of the pineapple that I couldn't bring myself to stop buying.
With light fading; clouds on the horizon may have indicated the brewing storm that hit overnight, sending me dashing to close the many windows in the upstairs bedroom as water was flying in horizontally...
Day 7: Kuilau Ridge
Like every day, up early and off to beat everyone to limited parking. Debra insisted (and was mostly right) that we overdid it and all the other tourists weren't getting out of bed that early....but this day it was a little close, car behind me took the last spot. Our destination was the Kuilau Ridge Trail, deep into the interior.
This is basically a true rainforest. It was very muddy, and the red mud actually stains the skin.
What's this? A well laden mountain apple tree sagging down over the trail? I eagerly helped myself to one. It may have not yet been perfectly ripe, but then again, the texture was delicate and soft, much like a ripe pear, so maybe it was. Flavor mostly mild and/or lacking, but not bad.
This was an easier trail with more of a gradual ascent and fewer dropoffs. The mud is the main challenge...
So very, very green.
There are a lot of viewpoints on the way with really nice views.
Alas, one of the two guava trees set high above the trail. Dropping ripe, pungently aromatic guavas directly onto the trail (look, I'm not going to eat fallen fruit from a muddy trail, I have at least SOME standards) but out of reach for me to get hold of one.
As usual, I take more photographs than I have ways of saying "that place thar was really purdy".
Some really tall trees as we ascended.
Green is my favorite color, as it happens.
I liked the way this panoramic turned out, with the family on the trail ahead.
At certain spots, there were viewpoints off the other side of the ridge as well.
Nearing what was effectively the end point for us, a picnic area.
Nice little clearing.
Fortunately for us, the rain started just as we got there, so we had a snack under the shelter. And it cleared up just as we were ready to leave.
Some kind of berry. I did NOT try it, I don't mess around with berries, or little brown mushrooms.
Closeup of the mountain apple. I helped myself to another.
Once we got almost all the way down there was a pack of dogs...like a dozen or more...off leash and being accompanied by two or three people obviously there to walk the dogs...and the smell that preceded / lingered on the trail...I mean I feel like, not to make the blog family-unfriendly, but the word dog crap is insufficient, this was a true high octane dogshit aroma. Just awful. We got down to the parking lot and the fumes were even stronger...the entire back of the truck had a mounted cage for the dogs and the bed was covered...like an inch worth all across it...in a substance that let's just say, wasn't mud.
It was at that time that a giant, previously unseen swam of mosquitoes, who were completely undeterred by our mosquito repellant, unleashed themselves upon us, as well as the resumption of the rain in earnest, in more of a downpour. So we had to sort out how to strategically remove our incredibly soiled sandals (I had brought a trash bag with us for this eventuality) and then use bottled water to rinse our feet off...before getting them into the rental car. It was tricky, and made moreso by the TriForce of dogshit, mosquitoes, and the rainstorm. But we did it, mostly. We eventually gave up on Pete's shoes, which were written off as a total loss the next day.
From there to the previously attempted McDonalds breakfast, which is a necessity in Hawaii because you can order SPAM or Portuguese sausage with rice and eggs. And that is an amazing breakfast. Little packets of Aloha shoyu included! It started raining again shortly after we got there so breakfast had to be removed from the lanai.
The rest of the day was a mishmash of getting ready to leave the next day, and resting. Obviously the weather cleared up nicely. I thought then, as I do now, that I am a "windward side" guy by far. Waikiki, Kona, south side of Kauai...the leeward sides are where they build most of the resorts and send the casual tourists, and I get it...most tourists want sun and no concern of rain. But I love the transient, usually gentle rains, the cool breezes, soft cloud cover yielding to the sun, and of course the tradewinds. If I lived here, that's where I'd want to live.
I'm pretty sure there is some chicken observation going on here.
Aloha au i na niu.
I think we went to the pool and the beach again at some point. Dinner was guacamole (the girl had requested this, and I wonder why I didn't just stock up at that tree up in Ha'ena earlier) with chips and (mismatched) Portuguese sausage, just a variety of things to try and empty our fridge out before travelling again. Then more packing and prep. This was one of those times we felt reluctant to leave, for sure. It was just a perfect little place.
Day 8: To O'ahu
Headed back to Lihue in the morning to catch our flight. A nice anuenue to bid us aloha 'oe.
Turned in our Jeep, checked our bags, and got through security. There was a moment when they X-rayed my Clinesmith frypan and I saw it looking back at their screens, now that was cool...I wish I'd snapped a picture. Lihue airport is nice...bit older in ways, but I like the open air aspect. I like small Hawaiian airports for sure. Hilo remains our favorite (if we want to go really small...well, there is the Kalaupapa airstrip but I doubt Debra will approve).
View of the mountains from the taxiway.
And saying goodbye to Kaua'i.
A very short flight over to Honolulu...the massive Aulani complex visible from the air. We intended to take a quick daytrip there, just to scratch the Disney park fan itch without shelling out the ludicrous amounts required to actually stay. Also...its the leewardest of the leeward and the only reason it is even remotely green is extensive irrigation.
Coming in over Pearl...
O'ahu is a proper big city airport (and with the airbase included, it is not small by any stretch) but still very pretty. But...what's with the traffic cones?
"Sneaking into" Aulani.
These geckoes were having a bit of a squabble and were not afraid of us at all, apparently. Kids watched them for a while. Fella here managed to lose his last tail, regrowing a new one back.
It's pretty, I'll give it that.
And huge. That's why it was easy to spot from the air. Complete with lazy river.
The massive amount of people, slightly over-tired children getting fussy, and fairly hot sun certainly reminded me of Disney Park experiences. Basically, yeah, it's a Disney Park feel and that comes with the good, and bad aspects. I wouldn't really love staying here for very long, personally. We opted to get some food at a walkup for the kind of prices you'd expect, and it was honestly not great...fish and chips and coconut shrimp. The shrimp weren't bad, just about on par with what you'd expect out of a frozen box, although the fish was kind of balancing between "not great" and "actually bad".
It is very pretty and beats out the Polynesian in Florida on many points of merit. Starting with actually, you know, being in Hawaii instead of pretending that that gator-infested lake in front of the Polynesian is the Pacific Ocean. But it was nice to walk in and "try it on" before considering actually forking out the larcenous amounts the Mouse would require of us.
Debra delights in the sufferings of others on occasion and sagely chose to record a picture of me being brought nearly to vulgarities by this stupid parking machine. See, I had lost my ticket. I thought it was in my wallet, but it must have come out at some point. [ATTORNEY WOULD LIKE TO NOTE THAT FORESHADOWING IS IN USE HERE] So without my ticket, I had to pay the full fare. Which was frustrating, but understandable I guess. Unfortunately the parking payment machine did not have an option for "I, A Dufus, Have Lost My Ticket" even though that was their stated policy. So I pushed the help button which called the front desk and I must have tried that like five times and several accidentally dropped calls later til I finally got someone on who could help...and they just offered to wave me through (without paying at all!). So take that, Mouse. (But thank you, nice person at the help desk.)
Then up to Kailua to our rental...house? I guess its a duplex technically. Quite tiny, but not bad. I love this sign and made Debra take a picture. That "MILITARY EXEMPT" thing being a separate sign, like they added it after the fact, is just funny to me.
The mountains here are so pretty. Again...windward side is the best side of all the sides.
This is obviously a crap picture, but included to just show how bright it was and how white Waimanalo beach is, you can't even hardly take a picture without it washing out. That's where we headed (still too early to check in), and we strolled a while there. It was fairly busy, mostly with families and friends doing cookouts and having these little tented areas for their party.
I went to Foodland in Kailua to pick up food and we had pizza and sushi (well, they had pizza, I had sushi). Then watched the movie Enders Game with the kids (I had recently just read the book, trying to read more of the science fiction classics). Geckos were in attendance.
Day 9: Kailua
A short, quite reasonable hike at Makapu'u Point, the eastern most tip of O'ahu to start the day.
Paved and not very challenging, for the most part.
Memorial to a PBY crew that crashed here in WWII.
Rabbit Island (Manana) and Kaohikaipu.
The lighthouse...we didn't head down there (not sure it was publicly accessible anyway).
It's pretty, worth doing as a hike I think if you're in the area.
Just extremely blue water.
There's a lot going on here.
Then over to Ho'omaluhia Botanical Garden.
It's pretty extensive and we limited our time here. I took pictures of numerous plants (a cinnamon tree was fascinating) but when picking the best pics, its the ones of the pali that win out.
Saw some of these odd mangrove like trees on Kaua'i as well.
Mountain apples, again!
A quick stop in Kaneohe to go to Kin Sun, a small shop specializing in roast duck and char siu, which we got some of, along with fried noodles. Peter was rapidly tiring of this kind of food...sorry buster. The duck was chopped up bone in, so a bit tricky to navigate. Char siu is like candy.
Changed and headed down to Kailua Beach Park. It was my intent to spend more time at Waimanalo due to more available parking, but Kailua Beach turned out to be perfect for us...not too crazy, the waves fun and a bit challenging but not crazy, and soft, almost carpet like sand.
MCBH (Marine Corps Base Hawaii) in the background. A lot of helicopters in the air.
It was a great swim in a nice location.
Back at the house/cabin/whatever we want to call it, got a fire going in their provided park-style grills.
Took this pic more for us to remember it by. It wasn't bad at all, just a bit more humble...Kailua area is not cheap!
Hot dogs on the grill, more fruit, POG which we'd been consuming all trip (Gretchen was getting tired of it) and cookies and milk for dessert. We then watched the first half of Dune, which I had to sort of half-explain throughout...it's a tricky movie to step into without background knowledge of the book.
Day 10: Northern Side
Heading up along the windward side towards La'ie...a quick stop first at the Hawaiian Memorial Park near Kaneohe to pay tribute to a few musical legends. First, Gabby Pahinui. Can't really overstate his influence on Hawaiian music in the Renaissance era. Despite his slack-key renown, he was also a great steel guitarist, something not many realize.
And the main reason I stopped there, "Mr. Hawaiian Music" himself, Benny Kalama. A mentor to my own teacher, a brilliant arranger who worked extensively with Alfred Apaka, the bandleader of the Hawaiian Village Serenaders at the Tapa Room, and a lovely musician and singer.
Leland "Atta" Isaacs, one of Alvin K. Isaacs three musician sons (aside from Barney and Norman). Also later became well known for slack-key, and for working with Gabby.
And while I spent hardly five minutes there, I happened on this one that I didn't know was there. Andy Cummings, the songwriter and musician! He wrote the song (a favorite of mine) "Waikiki" while homesick on a mainland tour in 1938...Waikiki in the 30s was so very different than today, the homesickness is more understandable.
Then off to visit a place Debra had wanted to see...the Byodo-In, a Buddhist temple replica of sorts built deep in the Valley of the Temples. You have to get through a different cemetary to get there, and this section caught my eye...the hillside Japanese style headstones here reminded me of pictures I'd seen from Japan. Definitely a bit more elaborate and I bet these folks paid rather a lot.
It's definitely culturally interesting. I think many sections were segregated by either religion, or nationality.
The Byodo-In.
The replica was built in the 60s, and duplicates the design of the real Byodo-In in Kyoto, which was built over 1000 years ago.
I figured it was more important to get the picture of the family mildly squabbling over an attempt to take a photo than the actual photo itself.
Incense burning. One tries to display a bit of reverence here, although they've somewhat embraced the fact that yeah, it's mostly a tourist destination. There was a long line to ring the giant bell.
Feeding the fish was fun.
Of course there were packets of food for sale, and so the koi and the pigeons each got some.
Debra, after I showed her pictures of the original, thought this one is prettier, and you have to admit, it's the setting. Kyoto's one doesn't have the pali.
OK, setting this one up...after exiting we hit the McDonalds right there to get a quick burger. I'm pulling round the drive-through to pay, and start fumbling through my wallet for my card. Now if you remember, when we were in Aulani and I lost my parking ticket, and the machine was complete hell to work with, not giving me an option to pay? And I got increasingly frustrated as the "Call for Help" option kept dropping me or going on hold. Finally the merciful person at the other end just offered to pass me through at the gate, and so I got out without paying because I had lost my ticket (even though by their policies, I owed them nearly $40 for a lost ticket day's parking). Well as I'm fumbling through my wallet I find this ticket and pass it over to Debra to look at without me reading it first...
We're at the window and the person is taking our payment and Debra lets out what can best be described as an explosive guffaw that takes me a bit by surprise. Yep, that's my Aulani parking ticket. Still in my wallet in the spot I initially thought I had put it. So...uhh, sorry Mickey, I owed you money. But you know I'm good for it, I'm sure I'll be funneling future paychecks back to you in no time.
Then we stopped a bit further north by Kahana Bay. If for nothing else, to visit the place that inspired Mary Montano's song "Beautiful Kahana".
Gretchen hung back among the trees while the rest of us strolled in the sand and surf.
Mau loa nō koʻu mahalo nui i ka nani pūnono o Kahana
Ka moani ʻaʻala anuhea o na pali aʻo Koʻolauloa
Be Here. ALOHA
I took this pic to memorialize forever the spot where Peter "Tinybladder" Neufeld, in lieu of visible facilities, gave back a bit of wai to the 'aina, where he can one day tell his grandchildren he marked his territory on the shores of Kahana Bay. (Uh, turns out they were just north at the next pullout, whoops.)
Up into La'ie, you know where we are!
Technically this was maybe the first Hawaiian song (yes, we know it's HapaHaole) I'd ever heard, that started me down the path. First overheard in a very silly episode of South Park where Satan and his minions through a lu'au in Hell, singing this song, sure to offend, well, most everybody...I then later plugged "hukilau song" into Pandora, that old radio station app, and the first thing to come up was Alfred Apaka. (So it began...) I'm told Trey Parker was actually a big lover of Hawaiian music, so while absurdly offensive and ridiculous, it was not likely done without a bit of love.
La'ie is well, a bit tinged with Mormon culture. NOT THAT THERE'S ANYTHING WRONG WITH THAT But yeah, looks like the LDS folks put up this cool sign, complete with song lyrics.
It was sprinkling and my people stayed in the car...I went out to stroll, very briefly, in the surf at Hukilau Beach, while singing the tune. Just to have done so. Huki.....huki....hukihukilau!
OK, time now to get back into La'ie proper and visit our destination, a sort of Mormon-led theme park of Polynesia, the Polynesian Cultural Center. We didn't have tickets to the big shows or anything, just the base tickets to get in and stroll about the islands in the afternoon.
A statue to Joseph Kekuku, the credited inventor of the steel guitar. That's just very cool that it exists at all. Way to go my Momo homies.
Pete looking around the (mostly for display) uke shop.
From there into the island showcase. I literally just said showcase, as in the World Showcase at EPCOT. You see, I think we were kind of seeing this like an EPCOT day.
First, weaving banana (or was it palm?) leaves into little fishes in Samoa.
I think this is 'ulu (breadfruit) and papaya.
Everyone there is extremely friendly and to an introvert, constantly having to greet people who smile at you and beam ALOHA! rays at you every 5 feet is almost a little disconcerting, but it is nice overall. We should put the student body of BYU-Hawaii (who largely staff the park) in charge of running TSA checkpoints!
After sneaking out early from a Samoa presentation that seemed to go a bit long, we headed over to Aotearoa (New Zealand, Maori culture). It was largely empty at this point and kind workers quickly shuffled us into a great hall (wharenui) with like 4 other guests. I should note that while most other Polynesian cultures tend to have that, I dunno, Polynesian accent in English? kind of an "island" accent?...the New Zealand folks have a thick Kiwi accent which is disconcerting and makes you feel like you're in an episode of Flight of the Conchords. I'm not knocking it, it's a lovely accent, better than Australian for sure.
I doubt the wharenui's were designed with acoustic projection as the chief factor, but these kids were LOUD. And extremely good. No mics, guitar completely acoustic, it filled the room and they were spot on. [Insert however you say "good on ye mate" in Maori]
Now I mean, there are times in the various shows where I think, "ahh, this is what they would come up with if the Polynesian Mormons in Las Vegas wanted to compete with Chippendales". I mean, the dad-bod demographic I belong to was represented, sure, just not that common.
A war canoe. I love the various versions of wa'a as it crosses all the different Polynesian languages. Sometimes the w is a v (vaka), and sometimes the 'okina is a k, depending on which language...but it's all the same word, just accented and transcribed differently to Latin script.
Hale is another one of those words. Fale, Hale, Whare, etc. Just slight variations.
Another outrigger.
OK, I forget if this was Fiji or Tonga, but Gretchen got a temporary arm tattoo.
Inside another hale.
Learning a stick and ball game of some kind...
Teenagers, getting all tattoo'ed up, sheesh.
Over in Tahiti, as we wound down our stay. We were mildly disappointed that they had removed a lot of the island-specific snack vendors, as we wanted to (a bit like EPCOT) taste our way around Polynesia. We ended up getting a slightly odd Korean BBQ hot dog, some lemon bread, and I ate a bit of a musubi.
Miniature moai at the Rapa Nui mini-section. We left and grabbed some kind of boba tea and custom soda drink from a truck vendor for the kids.
Back down south, we considered stopping for a -real- hulihuli chicken place, complete with open fires and everything, that was roadside, but it looked like they were closing up shop. So, back at the cabin, where we had leftover hot dogs, fruit, bread, and I picked at the remaining duck and char siu, and we finished the Dune movie.
Day 11: Hanauma Bay
So the ever-increasing popularity of Hanauma Bay for swimming and snorkeling has forced reservation system entries, which a couple days before, I very carefully snagged by logging on the second they were released. We got there fairly early, just before 7 or so, and there was a big line of cars waiting for entry. Fortunately there was wildlife to witness...one of many mongoo...err, mongeese? we had seen on the trip.
My Canadian patch bro trying to get in free with his military ID, and being denied (US active military only). Look my man, we said MILITARY, like an actual, you know, capable fighting force. OK, I was gonna go on about this and disparage the very fine and effective Canadian Armed Forces for comedic effect but I don't want to end up in some alley with Canada's Finest kicking the spit out of me in retribution. Now if he was a member of a hockey team, THAT is a legitimate fighting force.
Pandanus trees...we had like 17 different presentations to endure to finally get entry, it took a while. Yes, yes, don't touch the reef.
At REX KWON DO WE USE THE BUDDY SYSTEM. NO MORE FLYING SOLO
The Bay looking lovely as ever.
It's a bit tricky to find the right spot, with sand underneath vs rock/reef. We didn't bring snorkels which makes the ability to get a spot to stand on a little more important.
Setting up a spot...Koko Head in the distance. I initially planned to hike it, but was deterred by, I don't know, reports of it being a painful slog that just goes straight up, in addition to people talking about people defecating on the trail, etc.
We swam a bit, saw a lot of fish (no pictures), including humuhumunukunukuapua'a, and eventually headed back up. These were really neat trees.
Honestly were I to go again, I would get a good top-down shot, note some landmarks, and try to set up where the light color is shown, to get a good spot where we can swim with sand underneath. That said, I'd also bring, you know, snorkels.
These kids and gift shops, I tell you.
Garlic fries and Koko Head. We got these last time, and they are great. Now...it's raw garlic...and I love spicy foods. But Debra had basically a whole clove left over, not diced, and dared me to eat it. I complied and honestly I was amazed, it was extremely spicy and pungent. Yeah, duh, Nic, it's raw garlic, but ouch, that one just felt overpowered. Tasted that the rest of the day. Felt like my mouth was burning. I'd rather eat a habanero!
Stopping briefly by Halona Blowhole. We saw it, but it's hard to capture on film. It was a bit windy.
The famous "Eternity Beach" is a pretty little spot. The sign seemed to indicate, don't go down there, but obviously...people did. Not us.
I took this pick while stuck in traffic in Waimanalo, just to be like, how pretty is this random little place. I could live here.
Once back, Debra did some laundry, and I headed across Kailua to my teacher's place, where I got my second in-person lesson from Alan Akaka. Always nice to jam in person because it's a lot easier than over Skype.
After that, back to Kailua beach again.
As ever, it was lovely.
Hard to see, but Pegleg the Pirate Pigeon here...missing a foot but still hobbling around okay.
Back at the place, our last night there, we made bean nachos and guacamole. I tried cutting up a local guava but it was hopeless, knife-dullingly unripe. But the avocado, man, that thing was huge. Placed with the lime for scale. Kids watched another movie, and we prepared to check out in the morning and head to Waikiki.
Day 12: To Waikiki
So since we couldn't actually check in til a bit later, we left somewhat late from Kailua that morning. One thing I wanted to do was stop briefly at the Nu'uanu Pali cliff overlook.
Just soak in that view! Not the first time fog has clouded an overlook for us (see also one of our trips to Sequoia, although that one was funnier because it required more time and hiking).
I mean, people still came there for whatever reason. For me it was just stubbornness...I'm here to see the Pali Overlook goddammit! Anyway, it was quite windy and spitting rain.
Back down the pass, we stopped at Leonard's for malasadas, like good tourists do.
The line was long...not as long as it probably can get, but out the door, down, and around the corner. Still, we had time. My intent was to get the kids and Debra something to snack on while I paid some quick respects at Diamond Head Memorial Park. But I gotta say, the malasadas were a bit underwhelming. We got the macadamia, guava, and haupia fillings. This place runs on the strength of its reputation as a "must try" place in Hawaii and I think it may be a trifle overrated for what it is. There's probably plenty of no-name malasada bakeries or food trucks where you can get what are basically donuts without standing around for an hour.
The family noticed a dog park next door and settled in to eat the malasadas and dog-watch. I first located Randy Oness...songwriter, bandleader (briefly with Alfred Apaka). The song "Haunani" was his.
One of my top three for sure...OK, top five, since I probably need to fit Andy Iona and my teacher in there too...Barney Isaacs, a master of steel guitar, and a Hawaii Calls icon. Very influential to me.
Charlotte Iwalani Kahalewai, who was a young singer in the Tapa Room in the late 50s with Alfred Apaka and the Hawaiian Village Serenaders, introduced me to many great Hawaiian songs when I first stumbled on those Tapa Room Tapes. She had a lovely voice, and her one album release (A Hawaiian Happening) unfortunately had "modern sound" backing that now feels painfully dated (trying to get more of the 60s rocknroll or pop sounds). Related, I think through marriage, to Haunani Kahelewai...who I didn't end up finding again, but is also buried here, whose marker I found in 2019.
Billy Hew Len, master of pedal and non-pedal steel guitar in the Hawaiian sound, and a odds-defying inspiration...lost his hand in a shop accident as a young man, and then decided to learn steel guitar anyway, playing with a bar fixed to his wrist. Even playing moderately well that way would be inspiring but this man became one of the top players of his generation.
Alfred Apaka Sr.'s second wife (Alfred Apaka's stepmother). Wasn't looking for this marker, just happened on it by accident and knew that "Apaka" isn't a common Hawaiian name; it was Hawaiian-ized to Apaka by Alfred from the Chinese Afat, and his father subsequently also took that version of his name.
Jules Ah See. I feel like I talk about him too much, but suffice to say, he's got the number one spot with me. Nobody can touch him.
I saw this one accidentally...Marlene Sai??? The singer? Well, not exactly, I found out later, Marlene Sai is still with us. This is Marlene Sai Han Chun, assumedly no relation.
And the guy that got me hooked on Hawaiian music, Alfred Apaka. His son Jeff recently passed, and I think his ashes are interred here; it is a little disappointing that they just went with "get the label maker out of the storage closet" to note his burial here, I'm going to have to assume that is a temporary measure.
It's a pretty place in the shadow of Diamond Head. I meant to find Jack Pitman, the songwriter of "Beyond the Reef", but I knew I was using up the good will of the family to remain much longer, and my skin was also roasting in the leeward sun.
Now let me tell you a "meanwhile" story. So like I mentioned, Debra and the kids were next door at a dog park shoveling malasadas in their faces. OK, not really, they actually got kind of picky about them and left plenty of them for later. And you should also know, as background knowledge that Debra, who generally is never a particularly ardent fan of musical groups, usually I'm the one getting us to go to concerts...is in fact, quite a big fan of Hawaii's own Bruno Mars, since seeing his first SuperBowl halftime shows. And recently, in a trip we justified by Valentine's Day on which we booked it and our upcoming 20th anniversary, we flew to Las Vegas to see Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak in the 70s RnB supergroup "Silk Sonic" at their Vegas residency. Which was not cheap. So I'm just laying the groundwork, that while Debra is usually pretty meh about most musical acts, she is a much bigger fan than normal when it comes to Bruno and it has gotten to the point that the Boy complains about "An Evening With Silk Sonic" getting overplayed while she does the dishes in the kitchen.
OK, so at this dog park a lady who is a regular comes up to Debra and says, see that man? That's Bruno Mars' dad! Apparently he was taking his Doberman Pinscher to the park, and by all accounts, the Dobie was a bit of an asshole, named Zorro. They ended up walking right past him and Debra "saw his little moustache" and confirmed, yeah, that's got to be him.
So then Debra goes up to him and introduces herself as his son's BIGGEST FAN and...OK, now I'm lying. Of course she didn't, she didn't snap a pic or anything, she was respectful and gave a wide berth, but hey, its a funny story. Upon telling me the story, I told her, my God woman, why did you not flirt with the man? I need funny material for the blog and you RESPECT HIS PRIVACY? What were you thinking?
Thence to Waikiki, where we checked into the Sheraton Princess Ka'iulani, greeted by this lovely view of the ocean over the top of the historic "you can't afford to stay HERE" Moana hotel.
Pleasant little cafe/bar down at the pool.
We decided to walk up Waikiki beach. What do I mean "decided", this was all spelled out in my plans months ahead of time. Crossing over to the Moana...
The courtyard of the Moana hotel played host to the Hawaii Calls broadcast for years, with this giant banyan tree regularly name-checked by host Webley Edwards.
It's good of them to, well, build around this historic tree.
Crossing the Royal Hawaiian Center, with a glimpse of the also-historic also-can't-afford-to-stay-there Royal Hawaiian Hotel.
The museum at Fort Derussy is closed for renovation, but the outside exhibits are still there. AH-1 Cobra up top.
A historic Kingdom-era cannon and a much more recent AT gun.
A couple light tanks...
Pete was proud of himself (and I of him too!) that he could tell this was a Japanese tank from a distance. I honestly don't know what clued him in...I knew, but then, I grew up obsessed with reading about tanks.
Debra loved the quasi-Disney feel of all of it.
Back to the Hawaiian Village Hotel, the Tapa Tower where the former Tapa Room once stood.
And someone at least put some leis on Alfred's statue.
The requisite stop off at the Honolulu Cookie Shop.
While in the shop, we were chatted up by one of the store workers, who asked the usual questions about what we've been doing in Hawaii. We mentioned Kaua'i, and she asked if we did any hiking? Yeah, Sleeping Giant and...(loud guffaw from her)...apparently she remembered doing Nounou Mountain as a high school student and it was horrible, they never even made it to the top and it took all day. So we could all identify with not great experiences with that mountain. She asked what else and we mentioned the steel guitar festival, and that I was a student of Alan Akaka, and she immediately started gushing about Uncle Alan, who taught her when he was a music teacher at Kamehameha School. It's a small world, but it's an even smaller island that is for sure!
Kids examining their haul...
Baby birds...well, juvenile birds anyway...still clamoring for food from the barely larger parent bird. Entertained the kids anyway.
We meant to visit the parrots that were at the Hawaiian Village, that Gretchen was so sad to leave in 2019. Here our kids are doing their best forlorn faces as we discover they've retired from that gig and no longer occupy that spot in the resort.
Walking across DeRussy park.
I bought a Hawaiian shirt from (where else) an ABC Store and went down to the Royal Hawaiian Center at 5:30 to catch Alan Akaka and the Islanders. A very enthusiastic little kid was enjoying the sounds.
The stage is pretty in its own right.
The family got chicken fingers from a food court and watched the show from a balcony view while I stayed down below. Alan put on his usual great show.
They also got some kind of POG slush with a Dole whip on top. Not bad!
After chatting with Alan briefly afterward, I grabbed sushi and a musubi from an ABC store for my dinner...again, on the lanai. It wasn't the peaceful sounds of Kaua'i (roosters exempted), but it was nice. They could go a long way to cleaning up the noise pollution by banning (loud) live music and motorcycles down there.
Day 13: Honolulu History Day
OK kids get ready for a day packed with EDUTAINMENT! So some history focused stuff around Honolulu was planned. First, coffee (or what passed for drip coffee in our room) on the lanai.
Side note, all of our soaps/shampoos were branded "NONI". Did the marketing genius who thought that up ever actually smell a ripe noni fruit???
First, the drive up to the Tantalus lookout. Still a good deal of clouds, and it was raining, but nice view of the city towards Pearl Harbor.
Out more towards Waikiki, a bit more obscured.
Then to the Punchbowl (National Memorial of the Pacific).
It was mostly empty, and while I kind of meant to grab a picture of this memorial to reference somewhat mockingly the ridiculous Hawaii 5-0 intro scene where the camera does a jerky zoom-in on the statue's face...actually being there felt a bit more somber and serious.
A beautiful and important place, like Arlington.
I had read an article written by Senator Daniel Inouye about his experiences in the European front in WWII. He won the Medal of Honor.
Mild rain most of the time, the family waiting in the car (but the grid system was very clear so it didn't take me long).
Clara Nelson...also known as Hilo Hattie as her stage name, the famous comedic entertainer who took over top billing in the Tapa Room after Alfred Apaka died.
Row after row after row, seemingly endless numbers of "US UNKNOWN, KOREA". Really has turned out to be a "forgotten war".
And Senator Daniel Akaka, my kumu's father and a Senator of Hawaii.
Lastly, the aforementioned third brother of the musical Isaacs family, Norman Isaacs; often see him playing bass, if I recall. Played with Sterling Mossman at the Barefoot Bar with his brother Barney, and later with Hawaii Calls.
Then, to Mauna 'Ala, the beautiful and somber mausoleum of multiple lineages of Hawaiian royalty...Kamehameha and Kalakaua dynasties. There was an event going on here that we were careful to skirt around away from, so didn't stay long.
The grave of John Young, who was an advisor and friend to Kamehameha the First, and who fought with him at the battle that conquered O'ahu and united the Kingdom.
Whatever event was going on was likely being recorded, and probably quite serious in tone, and so we skipped away out of view.
Then to the Bishop Museum, which we'd never been to.
Main Hawaiian history hall.
A Lei o Mano, shark tooth club.
A couple imposing ki'i here.
There's one a bit like this at the front of our hotel, which contrasted with the hushed, serious tone here, almost seems a bit offensive (like most tiki things). I'm not saying I'm offended by tiki culture, just that I can get why some folks might be. Imagine seeing your religious figures, say, Jesus on a crucifix, 500 years later used in kitschy, unserious ways in a drinking culture...this is a perfect layup for a joke that I haven't worked out quite yet involving Catholicism and "drinking culture".
Feather helmet and cape...signs of the high ali'i. A LOT of little birds snuffed it for this stuff.
This is where you pound the poi!
Various fishhooks.
The lack of metal tools was a huge drawback for the islanders, but they were clever with what they came up with using wood, stone, and bone.
Various weaponry. Ancient Hawaiian combat was likely a very messy affair.
Double canoe, about 100 years old if I remember correctly.
A large serving platter for meats, the open mouths for condiments apparently. I would totally buy this on Etsy.
Another feather cloak for the ali'i.
In the 19th century the royalty was more heavily influenced by European cultures; a sword of one of the kings.
This was said to be the very guitar on which Queen Liliuokalani composed Aloha 'Oe.
One of, I think, a prince's pistols. Slightly ironic pairing with Mai Poina Oe Ia'u (Forget Me Not, a beautiful song).
A jade club of the Maoris.
Rather intimidating looking slit drums, not sure from which island in Polynesia.
Back in Waikiki, we walked around a bit and got food here and there. Pete opted for waffles.
Then they ordered some kinda odd nachos that I wasn't a big fan of (and they didn't like the weird way the cheese seized up), and I walked to this nice udon shop where I got beef udon in a dashi stock with a side of some tempura...shrimp and egg omelet.
It's a neat shop, they make the udon in house. I was eating on that udon for a couple days.
From there, back to the festival that evening. This time the focus was on Japanese steel guitar players. First up was Matt Kobayashi.
I didn't get a picture of Noriko and Shuji Tomita who were next...a student of Alan's who I could tell, worked out the arrangements diligently and memorized the songs perfectly. I'm not that diligent for sure! Finally, Kiyoshi "Lion" Kobayashi, no relation I think to Matt, was on stage with his "Lion Ladies" ensemble. Lion plays a pedal steel set up with only knee levers, no actual pedals, and plays it in a way that gives him great jazz chords, a lot like Basil Henriques with his A7 copedent...doesn't sound like the "pedal steel" sound we associate with country at all, but it just allows them to play chords, that you assume otherwise might just be very clever bar work if not with the actual pedal mechanism. Great player.
Neat that they at least had a digital sign up for the event.
Afterward we headed back towards the beach, through the Royal Hawaiian Hotel.
It's a pretty hotel in a style that is almost confusing...a little Mexican maybe?
Our goal was to see the Friday night fireworks over Waikiki. What an iconic spot though. We did some swimming, first.
Then trotted a bit up to get a better view as the sun set.
We waited here as the sun started to set, the water crashing against the sea wall.
This would be a very bad place to be in the water, at this time.
I think this may have been the Sheraton...not ours, the more expensive one. Pretty...and the iconic Diamond Head silhouette.
Sadly, a semi ridiculous adventure ensued, with us slogging our way up the coast through several spots that were not exactly safe and a bit flooded with water and sand, hoping to get a better spot to view it. We passed the House Without A Key at the Halekulani and reached an impasse where serious wading in pretty active surf was required...and so we stopped...ironically very close to where we would just pass around and be able to see the fireworks, but because we were so close to the building that was blocking, we couldn't see them, just hear them. Ah well. We walked back and tried to get the ton of sand out of our sandals.
So points to Disney for, better fireworks display, although it's true, sometimes it can be hard to find a spot to watch it there, too. Then back to the hotel for a late dinner of leftover udon...
Day 14: Waikiki Steel Guitar Festival
First up, back into central Honolulu to do a booked self-guided tour of Iolani Palace.
Very nice grounds there. Birds, the occasional homeless person. Are we still allowed to use that phrase? I feel like someone will take offense. I mean, you can just state the same thing in a different way, which is what we usually do with English to avoid words that come to have offensive overtones. Domicile-lacking? Look I can't blame them, there isn't a better place in the world to try your hand at open air living.
Behold, fuzzy digital zoom green parrots!
And these finches weren't too scared of us.
A very large, very old tree.
The front of the palace.
As we headed back to go in, noted the scale of this massive banyan.
The woodwork in the main entry hall is beautiful.
This was the Blue Room.
Proper place settings in the dining hall, the large chair reserved for the king.
The Throne Room.
Crowns, sword, and sceptre.
Kalakaua's bedroom.
Each room has been very well restored.
I believe this was Queen Kapiolani's quarters.
OK, which one is the sink, and which the toilet? Or is one a bidet??
I think this may have been a quilt made by the queen while in captivity.
Ceremonial swords.
This may be the Order of Kalakaua. Like I said, heavy European influence upon the Kingdom during that era.
Ridiculously ornate carved pipe.
More personal effects, on display in the basement.
I forget how many carats this is...but a very large diamond.
We finished the tour in the downstairs kitchen.
Meanwhile Debra and Gretchen, having skipped the optional basement tour, were outside looking at birds.
The statue of King Kamehameha across the street as we headed back to Waikiki.
Around 11am the last, bigger day of the festival kicked off. First up, Greg Sardinha:
After him, the talented young singer/steeler Kapono Lopes.
After him, the nahenahe sounds of Geri Valdriz, whose playing I hadn't heard before, but he does a good slack key imitation on the steel.
Then, Steve Cheney who plays at the Polynesian Cultural Center (maybe he was the one who helped push for that statue of Joseph Kekuku?). Great playing from all so far.
One of my favorites from the first set, Jeff Au Hoy. A great singer and musician (on whatever instrument), I had read his old posts on the Steel Guitar Forum playfully arguing with folks two decades ago, so it was fun to meet him in person which I did when we chatted after his set.
My anole friend...both of us sitting in the rather toasty sun. Had just watched him sneak out on the grass and actually capture and eat a fly.
Next up, the Kiwi-turned-Aussie Paul Agar played, after a short intermission.
The great Bobby Ingano. Worth noting, the backup band is one of the most solid I've ever heard and they'd been playing all week.
Then Lion and the "Lion Ladies Ensemble" again...
Finally, Alan Akaka came back on to close it out. Here with Kapuanani doing the hula.
And this is where my tongue in cheek title comes from...Alan kindly invited three of his students present to come on and play one song. So playing at the Royal Hawaiian stage in Waikiki...well, that's a dream for someone like me, and it was a pleasure to get to do so. I did the song "Sand" by Andy Iona, following closely along with the form and style of Jules Ah See's version. I go on at about 59 minutes in to the livestream below. It was a fun "gig", if not exactly a cheap one to get to, hah!
Trying again with an uploaded trimmed version for my cameo (though listen to the others above, they are better than me!). Has to be in low resolution for Blogger to accept it...
I talked with a number of folks after, including Bobby Ingano where we both commiserated the lack of steel guitar, and Hawaiian music, in Waikiki. He believes its the suits in charge, thinking they know what the tourists want, and that's why we have generic pop entertainment, indistinguishable from say Las Vegas, with little character of its own. But people come here for what is unique about it. There's any number of places cheaper and easier to get to on the mainland where you can hear pop cover acts.
Back at the hotel after it was all over, just feeling a bit shell-shocked and happy. A "talent agent" approached me afterward and gave me his card, and while I did clarify he knew I live in Kansas City, he insisted I take his card. Which was funny, not sure what a guy in Honolulu is going to book me for! But a great night, for sure.
Day 15: Packing Up
Our last day was kind of an extra day...not much on the agenda. Packing, swimming, that kind of thing. First order of business was breakfast, and we got waffles (the boy got a Nutella waffle, me a gjetost one...I am sucker for that cheese), and Debra and Gretchen a croissant.
The hallway on our floor had these nice open windows so there was usually a good breeze. It feels like an older building, for sure. We went to the pool to swim for a bit.
Then we decided to walk over to Domino's pizza after comparing ridiculous prices for pizzas elsewhere (that they likely wouldn't like as much as normal, chain pizza joints). Along the way we saw the "Hawaiian Music Hall of Fame" and I thought, neat, let me see who is here and WHAT THE HECK IS THAT
We bought inflatable tubes at the ABC store (where else) on the way back. The pizza was good.
I practiced a bit, as I had just gotten a solo gig back home doing Hawaiian steel guitar for a luau event. I needed to shore up the songs I could do without backing (using fuller chord voicings). Then, over to Waikiki beach which was absolutely packed. We didn't stay too long, but swam for a while.
Then we actually cleaned off and went to the pool, which was less packed and more pleasant for Peter and Debra who aren't as in to swimming in the surf.
After some more practice, and packing, we walked over to the Royal Hawaiian Center, and then the International Marketplace, to scrounge for dinner. It was a tiny bit sad seeing this stage empty the day after...
At the Japanese market I grabbed a miso marinated mackerel and some karaage...which I noted was chicken thigh. As was the chicken teriyaki I had gotten previously at the ABC store! Hawaiian and Japanese people know what's up, chicken thigh is the superior cut.
The family got chicken and Chinese from the food court. One last dinner on the lanai for us.
Day 16: Back to LA
OK, it's a typical travel day here...the hectic packing, early departure from the hotel, returning a rental car, checking bags, getting through security. Nothing you would find interesting or difficult to imagine. We got on our early flight, and off we went from HNL to LAX via Hawaiian Airlines. This was the larger A330 that services the bigger routes, and the seatback entertainment included at least a couple older style Hawaiian artists...Hawaii Calls, and while Raiatea Helm is contemporary, that particular album had more of an older style about it (with steel guitar, I think by either Greg Sardinha or Bobby Ingano...maybe both?).
Pete relentless played the seatback game "2048", finishing with a high score of 5016. I passed the time watching saved Jiminy Glick videos, of whom I remain helplessly obsessed, and silently shaking with mirth in my seat. Later I watched some funny "Sea of Thieves" gameplay videos with Pete, it being mutually interesting. Finally, the mainland in sight.
From there, got our luggage and shuttled to the same La Quinta for an overnight stay before our morning flight home to KC. We didn't bother with the frigid pool at all this time, and ate a simple McDonalds dinner since it was right there and available.
Day 17: Kansas City
Before catching the shuttle, it was at least comforting to note there was no change in the hotel's business center. I mean, why wouldn't you just power this thing off?
The rest is as boring and uneventful (thankfully) as you can imagine, catching a Southwest flight home, still managing to sit together in separate 2 seat sections so that the kids did not have to sit alone with strangers (we were in the "C" boarding section despite checking in within 2 minutes of the 24 hour checkin start). We got home that afternoon and reunited with the pets, and I cooked a simple American dinner that hopefully would please everyone (good to be back in my own kitchen).
All in all, a lovely time and a really memorable experience. And man, I took too many pictures. I'm going to start going on shorter vacations so the post-facto blog writing doesn't feel like a job. But if you have the means, I think every American citizen should try to visit Hawaii...and I don't mean come to Hawaii and plop yourself on the beach with a few Maitais, but learn about the history, and the place, and the people. They came to be a part of America under somewhat problematic circumstances, admittedly, but they are our fiftieth state and by far the most unique one in my opinion, and we should appreciate it for the jewel that it is. I guess though, some of the locals might take issue with that sweeping proclamation of "everyone should visit Hawaii...", let me amend that to "everyone [who is not a complete asshole] should visit Hawaii [in a metered and reasonable fashion so we don't further clog everything up]".
Oh and if you run into Bruno Mars' dad tell him Debra says hi.
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