Day 1 History and Fun

 

We are spending 4 days here on Oahu, before heading to the island of Hawaii. Last night we arrived at our hotel, the Embassy Suites in Waikiki, about 7pm. We were all tired, having been up and at 'em since early morning, and after getting settled in, it was now 8:30 Hawaiian time (1:30 am St Louis time), and we were looking for some grub. The area is a compact, bustling metropolis rivaling any large city on the mainland. I was shocked at the number of people milling about. The shops and restaurants were overflowing with activity, like ants pouring out of an unattended picnic basket. Oh and these shops are nothing to sneeze at, not little tourist trap souvenir shops, no it's more like Rodeo Drive! Chanel, Faragamo, Coach, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, etc. I wouldn't even want to guess the value of merchandise lined up in the window displays. It's very cosmopolitan, and the architecture of this area is more Asian inspired than Polynesian. It's also a mecca for Japanese tourists. I felt like I'd actually stepped into Tokyo or even Vancouver, British Columbia rather than the Hawaii of the 1960's Hawaii Five-O, or Elvis' Blue Hawaii.  Their are hoardes of young, 20-something Japanese with tons of money to burn and they are dressed in the lastest fashions parading along the sidewalks as if they were models on a catwalk. They reminded me of people who are out to see and be seen. And of course, like any large city, less than 1 mile away there is a park filled with homeless and the down and out, claiming their little patch of shelter under an eery Banyan tree. I guess things are universal no matter where you go. After our little foray for food, we finally got to bed around 10 pm and it didn't take too long to fall asleep, despite all the noise as the traffic and city sounds echoed through the canyon of high rises. 

Sunrise in the city

At this point, I was kind of feeling overwhelmed (and maybe homesick), wondering how we would ever have fun in this crazy, busy place, but I think my opinion was clouded by my exhaustion. I woke up at 6 am feeling refreshed, stepped out on our balcony and saw the majestic mountains covered with billowing clouds and mist, just as the sun began to illuminate the day.  We had an awesome breakfast here at the hotel.  They have a buffet and omelets cooked to order, for free, so we loaded up and made our way out to get some culture.  I mentioned in an earlier post that we have been studying Hawaiian history.  I found a really great Hawaiian history textbook at the library and we have learned all about King Kamehameha, Queen Liliuokalani, the struggles between keeping the Hawaiian royal rule and the annexing and eventual statehood of Hawaii, and the sugar and pineapple plantations.  But, the first order of business was to get the kids' picture in front of the capitol building.  Honolulu is the 38th capital we have visited now.  The capitol building is one of the oddest, most modern, and un-capitol-like that we've seen.  It is a very modern structure and not all that attractive at first glance.  I guessed it was probably built late '50's, early '60's and we read it was built in 1969.  However, after exploring a little more, it is actually a pretty cool structure.  Each side had a reflecting pool along the length of the building and the center of the interior, the rotunda area was open air, like a courtyard.

State Capitol Building - Honolulu, Hawaii

 

Hawaii State Capitol with reflecting pool



 



Iolani Palace

The capitol is right behind Hawaii's Royal Palace called the Iolani Palace, built by King Kalakaua around 1880.  It is the only palace that ever housed ruling royalty in America.  It is in the American Florentine syle and very ornate, and one that I'd like to spend some time in.  It had electricity four years before the White House.  After King Kalakaua's death, his sister Queen Liliuokalani lived there.  She was the last monarch of Hawaii and her story is very interesting and worth studying.
Next it was on to the King Kamehameha 1 statue (dedicated in 1883) in front of the Aliiolani Hale government building. That is a landmark that I've seen in pictures and movies and it is clearly a symbol of Hawaii itself.

King Kamehameha I

There were other chapels and churches in the area, so many amazing buildings with different architectural appeal.  I was in heaven with all the history, but I was alone, as the rest of my family dragged their feet, rolled their eyes, and  August, the baseball obsessed, found several round nut-like fruit that fell all over the grounds of the palace and began pitching to his dad.  I tried to convince them of their good fortune in experiencing these historic places where 132 year old ghosts of politicos past, echoed through the breeze, but they were having none of it.  Next time I'll just make them read the dry text and give them a test.  It would certainly be cheaper!  Maybe some day when they get ancient like me, they will think back on this experience.  More likely they will daydream about the time they were in the courtyard of the government building swinging from the banyan tree root vines like monkeys!  Que sera sera.  


Monkey in the Banyan Tree

Next stop on our agenda was  Pearl Harbor to pick up our tickets for Friday's tour, and then tour the Dole Pineapple Plantation in Wahiawa, with a jaunt to the North Shore to round out the day.  The North Shore announcement was a hit...they were really excited about seeing the surfers and maybe even a shark or two, since everyone knows sharks like to eat surfers. ha  We arrived at the the Dole Plantation, which is a working plantation and very touristy.  Think Grant's Farm meets Cracker Barrel.  We visited the gift shop filled with the t-shirts, jewelry, dolls, pearl hawkers (you know, spend $50 bucks and find an oyster with your very own pearl in it),  and any and everything Dole....Dole hats, shirts, can openers, dried pineapple, plates, etc.  Then there were the artisan tables, and these people were artists!  Watches, rings, necklaces, and bracelets other jewelry carved, sanded, and polished to a sheen like the sea glass on the beach, the likes I have never seen before.  Also artists specializing in alabaster shell sun catchers and earrings.  They looked as beautiful as any stained glass piece.  There was a nice cafe that was not terribly expensive and  had really good food.  I got the teriyaki chicken plate, which I enjoyed and was feeling quite satisfied, that is until I noticed the free range chickens roaming the grounds.  Then I kind of wondered if I ate someone's brother or cousin.  By the way, chickens roam everywhere, it's alot like Guatemala  in that respect.  We boarded

The Pineapple Express

 the narrated train that took us out through the pineapple fields.  They still plant and harvest by hand and it takes a good planter one day to plant a half an acre, which equals 10,000 plants!  We saw pineapple fields, cocoa, coffee, banana, and breadfruit trees.  We capped off the tour with a dish of pineapple whip (which is pineapple soft serve on a bed of pineapple chunks).  Very exotic, very good, very pineappley!  
Finally, we made our way through the interior of the island to the North Shore.  The town of Haleiwa is a quaint little town full of souvenir shops and surf shacks. There is also the Liliuokalani Protestant Church and graveyard, est 1883

Lililuokalani Protestant Church

and a really interesting concrete arched bridge built in 1921.  I loved it there.  

Surf shack

We saw a few surfers, but not like the kids had hoped, since it's not quite big wave season.  No sharks or shark attacks either, but there is always another day for that.  The shore is lined with quite a bit of lava rock with beaches scattered in and around.  Those lava rock beds form little tidal pools.  John, of course, found a miniature hermit crab and a very tiny regular (for lack of the proper term) crab, both of which crawled around and explored every inch of his hand.  Paul found a strange looking starfish creature that actually looks like a purple sand dollar with anenome-like underside (I need to research and find out what they are....hmm that sounds like a research essay assignment for the students at Brandt Academy) . 

Sand dollar thingy

Aha, I finally found out what it is....a helmet urchin.  They are tough little suckers (literally, and hard to pry off of the rock). 

North Shore treasures


 
 
 
 
 
 
   
It was an awesome day! No longer feeling homesick, but still overwhelmed by the shear majesty of this land.  The mountains are exotic and breathtaking as they reach up into the clouds and down into the ocean.  They are covered with a mist and lush greenery and surely must  look like the elusive, mythical Shangri la. 

Shangri La????

I will say, that while the natural geographical imprints are stunning, I can't say the same for the human imprints.  I have never seen a beach community, or any community that resembles ghetto like it does here.  Everywhere we drove, whether it be in the urban areas outside of the Waikiki beach area, or along the coastal highways, the homes are derelict little shacks.  While it was refreshing not to find McMansions blocking the view and vying for envy from the passersby, it was a little disconcerting.  If I squint my eyes, the romantic in me could call it quaint, bohemian, and an exercise in non-matertialism, but the cynic in me could say it was a case of the underprivileged, working class who eek out their living by serving the tourists similar to Mexico, the Carribean, and other impoverished exotic tourist destinations.  But honestly, I think I'm going to go with my romantic view and believe that these folks know that the real beauty and worth is found in their outside surroundings and not what they own.  Also, if today is the norm, they are the most friendly and kind group of people, who speak with an accent that has it's own melody. 
Tomorrow is another day filled with adventure....I can't wait to see what it holds.