It was wonderful to return to Honolulu today. It is a place we have been to many times and always loved, but we have not been back here for about fifteen years. This is far too long a time. In this time, some things have changed and other things have remained the same. The large shopping centre, Ala Moana, is three times the size I remember in the past. I believe it is the third biggest shopping centre in the U.S.A. It has been completely modernized, with large malls lining the three-block complex. I did some shopping here in the morning and Bill used Starbucks to get some free computer time for his business. We then spent some time swimming and enjoying the pleasant temperature and sunshine on Waikiki beach. For nostalgic reasons, we returned to the Halekulani hotel in the evening to enjoy cocktails and the Hawaiian music and dance. The same lady, Kahoe, is still dancing there and looks no different to when we first saw her 30 years ago. She told us she started dancing at the Halekulani 33 years ago. When we mentioned that the band had changed, she said “Just me and the tree remain.” The tree is a magical backdrop to her dancing which is done in the courtyard with the sea in the background. As we sipped cocktails and enjoyed the peaceful sounds of the local music, we watched the sunset cruises, the sailing ships and the outrigger canoes out on the waters off Waikiki beach where they go each night to watch the sunset. The grey volcanic Diamond Head could be seen close by. This is just the most magical setting of anywhere I have ever been. We took four other people from the ship with us. They were at a loss of what to do for the evening, and thought it was just the most magical evening. We ended up eating there, but we did manage to arrive on board before the 9.30 p.m. “all on board time.” We then continued our evening on the top deck with the sail away party. As you would expect, it was an Hawaiian sail away party where people came in the bright floral Hawaiian shirts, and the $1 leis purchased at the A.B.C. shops all over Hawaii. One of the ninety year old ladies, Terri, from Auckland came in a pink mumu with a pink and white lei crowning her white hair. She looked fabulous and danced the night away. She is a real inspiration. At the other end of the scale, the eleven and twelve year old sisters came in grass skirts with leis around their ankles and with their hair braided. They looked wonderful. I do not want to leave it another 15 years before returning to Hawaii. We are now on our way to Tahiti. (Barbara)
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