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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.

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.

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.

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.

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.”

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.

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.

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.

Japan is on sale: the Yen is 30% off its February 2021 dollar price. I kept that thought in mind today when I paid in Yen for an all-Japan rail pass. The price jumped 70% last October, the first increase since it was introduced in the 1980’s. Japan’s hotels continue to be a bargain.

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.

Gave my HOLO transit card a workout, 4 buses, 2 trains, expertly guided by Google Maps. Rode the first phase of the Skyline LRT which opened last year.

Wandering the halls, I searched for remnants of the hotel’s old identity, now meticulously erased by last week’s rebranding, not even a shadow remaining. The hotel’s management had paid off a former US president so they could remove his name and brand from the building.

While Dwight nursed a cold, I walked out to fill my backpack. At Safeway I gazed in awe at the display of Spam. In the checkout line, the cashier broached the topic of Queen Camilla, prompting the ladies behind me to make disapproving noises. We all agreed we would prefer Queen Meghan for better giggles, but it might cause a rebellion.

View from our Honolulu apartment after a smooth flight from Minneapolis.

This evening we’ll be in Honolulu. The one-stop journey via Los Angeles saved a bundle of Delta SkyMiles compared to the non-stop. We’ll have lunch at LAX during a two-hour layover.

Packed bags, checked-in flights for tomorrow, and corralled plants await our departure. Dwight has consolidated the houseplants and hooked them up to the watering system. While he insists on manual control, albeit remotely via the Internet, cameras offer visual and auditory (pumps whirring) assurance of their well-being.