Nato's & Petunia's Hawaii Trip (6/18-23/2001)

It was about time that we went on a trip.  Hawaii was pretty nice with the weather always in the low 80's.  We stayed at the Honolulu Prince hotel right in the heart of Waikiki and basically toured all over the island for about 5 days.  The pix above is the top of Hanauma Bay where we could snorkle and mingle with the fish.  Over the last decade or so the ecosystem has degenerated due to all the tourists.  One should check out Shark's Cove on the North side of the island.  The first day we checked out Waikiki and the beaches nearby such as the Waikiki beach park and also went to the Ala Moana shopping center for some Zippy's Chili. In the afternoon, near the Hyatt, we saw the Polynesian Cuture Center entertainers performing a routine (see below).  A nice gig.  We eventually went to the PCC later week.

Dances of many cultures

This was a view of one of the beaches that we sat at.  A busy look at downtown Waikiki from the beach side (below)

The second day we checked out the Iolani Palace located just on the outskirts of downtown Waikiki.  This palace was the goto place in the late 1800's.  It's a two story mansion with the artifacts pretty much intact except for a few rooms. Each room has a story and it looks like it's in good shape.  Unfortunately, no photos were allowed, so here's a snapshot of the front entrance if you were invited to a gig here....

After  lunch we went to the Aloha Tower (I see we're moving West) and checked out the scene there.  Chinatown was also nearby and we got a chance to eat at a local chop suey joint.  Cleanliness was never a forte for some of these places, but the pan fried noodles were very tasty.  The Aloha Tower pix is on the next page  by the way...