Took in a lovely Hockney exhibition at the Honolulu Museum of Art, filled with the artist’s humanity. Bonus: Hokusai prints from his final (1839) series, One Hundred Poems Told by the Nurse, a small sample from James Michener’s gift of thousands of significant Japanese prints.
Category: USA
Luxury Lite
We enjoyed this lunchtime view from the beach bar at the Royal Hawaiian, sharing an order of pupus. You don’t have to stay in spendy hotels to enjoy their public spaces! Afterwards, we picked up a creamy dessert from a nearby Japanese konbini to enjoy with tea back at our VRBO.
Remembering the Pacific War
Visited the Battleship Missouri, the ship where Japan surrendered, ending World War II. My friend Dave’s father served on a sister ship, and his story tracks much of the Pacific War. He was an electrician, so we signed up for a small-group engineering tour. I was impressed by the sheer size of the vessel and the enormous network of electrical cables.
Sweet Start
Every morning, breakfast begins with ripe Hawaiian bananas and papaya. Dwight has a knack for letting them reach perfect ripeness before serving them. Since these fruits are delicate and don’t travel well, they’re a special treat only in Hawaii.
Impermanence
The weather went from no prospect of rain to heavy rain when I took a transit bus up a mountain, through a tunnel, and down the other side. Without a jacket I got soaked, accepted getting wet is temporary, and walked to a non-practicing Buddhist temple. It didn’t have all the features or atmosphere of a practicing temple, but the location was lovely.
They Paved Paradise
Visited Foster Botanical Garden via city bus, where we encountered some rare trees, including one species extinct in the wild. Joni Mitchell’s song “Big Yellow Taxi,” based on a trip to Honolulu, references Foster Garden in the lines, “They took all the trees, and put ’em in a tree museum / And charged the people a dollar and a half just to see ’em.”
Echos of the Alhambra
Visited Shangri-La, the former home of tobacco heiress Doris Duke, which is now a museum showcasing rare and beautiful Islamic art and architecture. At times I was transported to the grandeur of the Alhambra. Tickets go fast, so I booked this visit the day tickets became available a few weeks ago.
Connections
After a two-hour walk around the base of Diamond Head, and a shared mahi mahi sandwich and IPAs (not shared) at the beach bar at the Royal Hawaiian, we took this picture with Diamond Head in the background in roughly the same position as a photo with Dwight’s mom over 20 years ago. We then stopped at a Japanese konbini to pick up a creamy dessert for later.
Transience
As we walked along the oceanfront, a wedding was winding down. On our return, not a single petal remained, as if the tide had swept away all traces of celebration.
The Way Things Were
Honolulu gets busy with all the tourists (us included). But there are still plenty of quiet spots to hide away, like the halls of the 1927 Royal Hawaiian Hotel. Its quiet corners are perfect for a slow morning coffee or sunset pupus.