Change of plan. We were going to visit Hanauma Bay for snorkeling today, but we’ve decided to stay closer to home and just hang out in the pool and at the beach. It has been really hot and sticky this trip, and there isn’t a lot of shade at the bay. Between the heat and likely frustration of teaching Aria how to snorkel, it’s a bit much after a really busy first half of our vacation.

With coral bleaching being a serious issue in Hawaii, thanks in large part to the chemicals in regular sunscreen, it’s okay with me to avoid polluting a sensitive ecosystem. We use the reef safe variety, which is mineral-based, and starting in 2021 will be the only kind on sale in Hawaii. That said, there haven’t been any studies on whether massive amounts of “safe” sunscreen in a concentrated area are going to pose problems. Best to use as little as needed and wear a rash guard.

I’ve mentioned the humid weather in previous posts. The trade winds have been mostly nonexistent this week, partly because it’s summer, but it’s also becoming more common. Climate change is having an effect. The annual number of days with northeast trade winds has dropped from 291 to 210 over a 40-year period. The wind is also becoming more easterly. Gary and Sara are visiting a friend in Honolulu today, and she doesn’t remember Hawaii being as hot in years past, and she grew up here.

Gary and I are zipping down Kapahulu Avenue this afternoon for malasadas at Leonard’s Bakery. I love this place. It’s late enough in the day that the line shouldn’t snake around the corner, but we’re taking the bus, so even if the cue is long it will be more bearable. I used to make the three mile walk to and from Waikiki, but the bus will be a lot faster. The whole trip should take less than an hour this way assuming the line is reasonably short.

I always get asked about a shirt from Leonard’s that I occasionally wear, “What’s a malasada?” It is a Portuguese doughnut, without a hole. The original is sprinkled with sugar or cinnamon and sugar. They’re delicious, especially hot, but I really like the ones that have tropical custard inside: guava, coconut and macadamia. Good stuff! We’re getting a dozen.

The malasadas are great. Aria could eat them all afternoon. Right now we’re heading to Top of Waikiki for dinner. It’s like going to Seattle and having dinner at the top of the Space Needle. Definitely touristy, but the food is good, and in an hour we will have done a full rotation on the revolving top, which means we’ll see the sunset from on high.

After dinner tonight I scoop up a couple Crazy Shirts, one for me and one for a buddy at work who wants a cool T-shirt from Hawaii. Hope he likes it! Right now I’m on the front lanai of the hotel hanging out in a rocking chair. This is the good life! I’m about to go to bed, but I hear flamenco ukulele playing somewhere above the Kalakaua Avenue din… Aloha po.

Get caught up on the adventure.