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Tuesday, January
22nd, 2002 |
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10:37 am - Hawaii - Day 3
We started the evening last night having drinks and listening to a Hawaiian
trio under the stars on the beach. This was at a spot that is part of the
Halekulani Hotel that calls itself House Without a Key. While listening to the
trio of singers that played electric guitar, stand-up bass and steel guitar I
realized how similar the Hawaiian music they were playing was to Western music.
By that I mean the old time country/western style music of yodelers and some of
the more esoteric renderings of singers such as Gene Autry and Tex Ritter. I
think the steel guitar is what links the two for the most part, but the use of
falsetto and smooth harmonies is strikingly similar. Some of the songs we heard
could easily have been sung by the Sons of the Pioneers.
Afterwards,
we dined at a nearby restaurant called Orchids which is also a part of the
Halekulani Hotel. We both started with delicious Lobster chowder with fresh
palm hearts. Beth enjoyed her Chef's special fish with macadamia nuts (forgot
the name, but it was similar to swordfish) while I dug into a charbroiled herb
crusted Opakapaka. The richness of the meal precluded dessert although we we're
certainly tempted.
By the way, yesterday's weather was just perfect throughout. Not a drop of rain
(at least in our Waikiki area) and temperatures hovering near 80 with very low
humidity.
Today's plans shift a bit as Beth has found out that she isn't required to
attend the full day of meetings and will be finished by noon. So between then
and 6:00 PM, I'm planning on driving us up the southern Oahu coast to some of
the scenic lookouts and perhaps stopping in the Diamond Head crater for look
see.
5:05 pm - Day 3 (Con't)
With
the top down on the convertible, we drove east on Kalakua Avenue to Monsarrat
and then into the Diamond Head crater thinking we might take a hike up Diamond
Head itself. Time limitations (it looked like at least an hour up and an hour
back down) caused us to decide that we would prefer to spend our time looking
at some of the scenic views along the highways along south and east Oahu. And
what spectacular scenic views they turned out to be. We wound our way around
Kalanianaole Highway headed towards Hanauma Bay. Unfortunately, the only time
that the state underwater park and beach park is closed is, you guessed it,
every Tuesday.
We
stopped to snap a few pictures at the breath-taking Molokai and Lanai lookouts
and the equally dramatic Blowhole Lookout. The winding highway and the striking
scenery are at least as impressive (and sometimes as frightening) as the drive
along Highway 1 in California. We followed Kalanianaole through east Oahu until
we reached the Kalanianaole Pali Highway and thought it might be interesting to
cross back across the mountain range to Honolulu and Waikiki. We unfortunately
passed the Pali lookout, but saw some spectacular mountain views along the way.
Ascending through some cloud cover, we put the top up on the car as some
raindrops started dotting the windshield.
Back in Waikiki we took a quick snack at the lovely outdoor Mai Tai bar at the
Royal Hawaiian. We then grabbed some towels and plunged in to the blue-green
Pacific where Beth managed to conduct a little MPI 
business
with some acquaintances who were also enjoying the salty water. I tread
carefully having noticed earlier that the beautiful white sand beaches of
Waikiki quickly turn to rock and coral as you get further out into the surf.
Foot protection is a good idea if you plan to move very far out from the beach.
The MPI closing ceremonies are tonight so I'm grabbing a quick shower and
slipping into the new Hawaii shirt Beth picked up for me earlier this week.
Don't have to worry about transportation as the events take place right here in
the Sheraton Waikiki.