The day has come. Our bags are packed, and we leave for the airport in a couple hours. A casualty of our trip is my sandals. One of them completely fell apart last night on our way to dinner. The sole departed. That gives me a little more room in my suitcase, though!

We have a final breakfast at the Beach Club. I am really going to miss their fluffy scrambled eggs and dried papaya trail mix. Lisa, Aria and I will take one more spin in the water before changing clothes and catching a cab.

Gary and Sara watch Aria in the pool while Lisa and I spend our time in the ocean. As we get out of the water for the last time, we continue a tradition we have practiced for years, gifting our inflatable devices to someone else rather than throwing them in the garbage. A family visiting from Australia are now the grateful owners of a raft and inner tube, which will be appreciated for floating around in the surf.

We traveled from the airport to Waikiki on the Nimitz Highway a week ago. Today we’re taking the H-1 back. (Yes, it’s an interstate freeway. Insert jokes here.) It’s a little faster, but traffic is heavy getting to the on-ramp. The entrance to the freeway heading west (Ewa) here always makes me laugh. The short on-ramp is a residential street at the corner of Alexander and Metcalf.

We’re at the airport really early. There is time to browse the shops and fill out a survey for the Hawaii Tourism Authority. They love to know how long visitors have stayed and how much they’ve spent. The outdoor cultural gardens are also nice to walk through before flying in a pressurized tube for hours.

I hope the Hawaii Diaries have been interesting to read, as we’ve enjoyed our trip quite a bit. The highlight for me was the visit to Iolani Palace, which is something I’ve never done before. I also shot video while we were on Oahu. At some point I’ll put something together and post it on my Vimeo page, perhaps once the weather has changed on the mainland and sunshine is hard to come by. Mahalo nui loa for reading! Kauai next year…?

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It is our last full day in Hawaii. The rest of the family is going to Sea Life Park in Waimanalo, but I’m staying at the hotel to do final shopping and hang out at the beach. Got some reading and swimming to do!

Today is the 181st birthday of Queen Lili’uokalani. Celebrations took place at Iolani Palace yesterday. I’ve been working on her beautiful song, Aloha Oe, on my ukulele and hope to post a video when we get back to the mainland.

Speaking of royalty, when Aria was born we gave her the Hawaiian middle name of Ka’iulani, minus the okina, in honor of the princess known for her intelligence, beauty and determination. Princess Ka’iulani was heir to the throne during Queen Lili’uokalani’s reign. After the monarchy was overthrown by American businessmen, the princess visited the United States, making speeches and appearances in an attempt to restore the kingdom, but Hawaii was eventually annexed by the U.S.

The princess owned an estate in Waikiki — Ainahau — where a bronze statue now resides in a small park named Princess Ka’iulani Triangle. I’m taking Aria down there this afternoon to get some pictures. We’ve also got family portraits scheduled at the hotel when everyone returns.

I’ve promised Aria shave ice after dinner. We had some earlier in our trip, but the place making it didn’t put on enough syrup, so a third of the way through, Aria ran into unflavored ice. We’ll get that rectified tonight!

I always feel a little melancholy on the last night of our trips here, but it means we’ve found a place we love and have to return, just like honu. Aria has taken a real liking to Hawaii, and I hope it becomes a special place to her. There is time now for a bit more reading and people watching on the hotel’s lanai before turning in. Aloha po.

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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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