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.

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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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While everyone else heads to the Honolulu Zoo, I’m visiting The Ukulele Site’s new Honolulu location in the Kaka’ako neighborhood. So far this hasn’t gone as planned. Got here on the bus just fine. The website says the store opens at 10 a.m. It does not. It opens at 11 o’clock, and I’m 45 minutes early. There’s not much around other than coffee, food and car lots. So, I’m hanging out waiting for someone to show.

The shop has opened, and there’s a new wrinkle. I talked to the manager last week and he was going to print out the list of ukuleles I want to test drive, bring a few down from the North Shore shop if necessary, and let Eli know I’m coming. There is no list, and Eli has no idea who I am. Ha! I’m a little surprised because the customer service is always great. That said, most of their sales come from online, and they are probably busy. So, whatever. I did bring in my own list, and the ukes I most want to try are here.

After an impressive bout of indecisiveness, I’ve picked a really nice Kala solid wood instrument. It’s an exclusive Kala built for The Ukulele Site, and the concept was born in a Mexican restaurant in Wahiawa. (That makes me laugh.) The idea was to create an affordable all wood instrument. No fancy appointments or binding, but it’s a solid spruce top with a solid mahogany body and an ebony fretboard. The contrasts are striking. The sustain is long and the volume loud. With spruce being a soft wood the ukulele will sound better with age, and it sounds great now. This is a step up from my Islander, which is acacia laminate. Both will be used quite a bit back on the mainland. I’m having the Kala set up with a low G string.

Eli not only sells in the Kaka’ako store but is also the tech for sales made here. Because of that, he expects the uke to ship sooner than if I had purchased online or at the main North Shore location. The Ukulele Site is the gold standard for setup. Cosmetic issues are fixed, sharp edges of frets are shaved down and the action is set to preference. Good ukes are made to sound better. I’m just thrilled to have a high-quality instrument that came in under my budget — and with a case.

After returning to Waikiki I join Lisa and Aria in the water. Aria has embraced the ocean after a little trepidation. We’re heading to Duke’s for an early dinner late this afternoon. Lisa and I always look forward to visiting this place for a meal…or three. Love that hula pie!

After a long walk from central Waikiki to the Honolulu Zoo in the far east end and an afternoon in the water, Aria is toasted. The trade winds have eased up quite a bit since we’ve been here so the sticky heat has helped with fatigue. Aria is passed out at the table in Duke’s while the happy hour band plays on the deck below us at volume 11.

Aria will leave Hawaii with a couple of pearls. It’s my idea and it’s a gimmick, but she’s doing the routine where a customer picks an oyster from a bowl, the attendant opens it, and the customer gets to keep the pearl. The jewelry shops do this and then want the person to set it in a $300 gold necklace. We’ll just take the pearl, thanks. It’s a pink one. It was only $15 and they’ve let Aria choose another oyster for free. This one has a white pearl. I’ll keep them for now, and when she gets older she can decide how she’d like to add them to jewelry.

Lisa, Gary and I are headed toward the Hilton Hawaiian Village for their Friday night fireworks display. They do this 10 to 15 minute show all year, and it brings out quite a crowd. The walk is long for us, but that burns off dinner, which sadly did not include taro rolls. Duke’s used to serve them in their salad bar. I asked about that, and apparently they weren’t popular enough, so they switched to regular sourdough bread. Humph!

Tomorrow gets off to a mellow start and then Gary, Sara and I are going to Iolani Palace in downtown Honolulu. I’m really looking forward to that. Aloha po.

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