The ladies are headed to the Ala Moana Center for shopping this morning. Gary and I are headed to the beach. We’ve got a couple chairs and an umbrella reserved for us today, and we’re making use of the luxury. Tropical smoothies on the way!

The front page of the Honolulu Star-Advertiser today is about enforcement of the recent law passed banning short-term rentals without permits. Residents are not happy about Airbnb popping up in residential neighborhoods. These rentals also help drive up housing costs in a market that is already ridiculous.

There is a growing sense that Hawaii is better off managing tourism rather than promoting it. There is even a new program done in partnership with the Hawaii Convention and Visitors Bureau, Hawaii Tourism Authority and county governments. The campaign is called, “Kuleana,” which means responsibility. It’s a series of videos encouraging visitors to have cultural and environmental awareness among other things, such as avoiding illegal vacation rentals. Come here, spend money, don’t be a jerk is another way to put it.

Imagine living with wall-to-wall tourists who invade your small living space of an island. It never ends. To an extent I get it. I used to live in a tourist town. The chamber of commerce had to send letters to businesses reminding us to be nice to the tourists because they ensured we’d survive the lean winter months. We dealt with the irritation for three months or so in the summer. But when it’s like this 12 months a year and millions of people come during that time, yeah, it’s easy to get fed up with clueless tourists.

We do the best we can when visiting here. Frankly, I prefer to be called a frequent visitor as opposed to a tourist. We use glassware when possible as opposed to plastic or paper. We use reef safe sunscreen. We don’t run the air conditioner 24 hours a day. We respect other people, especially those who call this place home. We respect the culture, which has suffered a great deal of disrespect over the years — and not just from visitors. It’s basic human decency for the most part. A showing of aloha.

Finally getting to visit Iolani Palace. Speaking of behaving with kuleana, they are not fooling around here. A certain decorum is expected of those visiting the only royal palace in the United States. Photography is limited — no flash, no tripods and no video. Children are expected to be quiet and behaved. There are signs asking visitors to not touch anything. The palace is considered sacred ground. It was built in 1882 by King Kalakaua and was registered as a national historical landmark in 1962. It has been restored over decades to the way it once looked. There are some original furnishings and artifacts that have been restored and many replications. The search for more original material is ongoing. The koa staircase, though, is original and impressive.

The whole experience of visiting is quite moving. It is the site of both happy and dark times in Hawaiian history. Gowns for Queens Kapi’olani and Lili’uokalani are on display as is the quilt the latter worked on while imprisoned in the palace after her dethroning. The illegal overthrowing of the monarchy is mentioned in the self-led audio tour as is the Apology Resolution, made jointly by the United States Congress in 1993, and signed by President Bill Clinton. The resolution acknowledges that:

The overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaii occurred with the active participation of agents and citizens of the United States and further acknowledges that the Native Hawaiian people never directly relinquished to the United States their claims to their inherent sovereignty as a people over their national lands, either through the Kingdom of Hawaii or through a plebiscite or referendum.

If you have any interest in Hawaiian history, Iolani Palace is not to be missed. Overthrowing a sovereign nation led to tragic consequences that are still felt today. Sound familiar?

I’ve included a bunch of cool pictures from the palace tour below.

Gary and Sara are taking Aria for the evening while Lisa and I head to dinner and hula at the Halekulani’s House Without a Key. This is always a highlight of trips to Waikiki for us. Tonight we’re watching Kanoe Miller (nee Kanoelehua Kaumeheiwa), Miss Hawaii 1973, who has been doing this for more than 40 years.

Lisa and I always enjoy watching more authentic hula, and it’s on display all over Waikiki more than it used to be. King Kalakaua is known for reinstating hula after Queen Ka’ahumanu, the favorite wife of King Kamehameha, banned it in 1830 following her conversion to Christianity. The Protestant missionaries at the time were more than happy to see it go. We’re glad it’s back and celebrated as a way of telling stories!

Off to bed. It’s still very humid tonight. Miss those trade winds! Aloha po.

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