The Wandering Koi

On the way out:

We finally saw Denali… on the flight out of Alaska. We just needed to get above the clouds. But it counts, right?

A Step into the Past

We arrived in Honolulu. Mrs. Koi lived in Honolulu for a short time after college, so this was somewhat of a homecoming. We spent a little time tracking down familiar landmarks.

The Royal Palace was closed by the time we reached it, but we did get to walk through the state capital building and see the Father Damien statue (which is an interesting story if you don’t know it).

With the increased options for using points, our accommodations were suddenly less rustic. The view from our hotel room (below) was really nice.

But I have to admit that after 6 weeks in Canada and Alaska, I personally found the noise and activity of Waikiki Beach overwhelming. It took a day or two to acclimate, not to mention to the temperature difference.

We learned about Hawaiian culture and the monarchy at the Bishop Museum. There was also fascinating information about the colonization of Polynesia. As well as some great Lego displays.

We also visited Pearl Harbor and the USS Arizona Monument.

The museums and video on shore at the park are also worth some time, although we had not acclimated to the heat yet, which limited how much time Little Koi was able to tolerate reading about events of WWII.

We also took a ukulele lesson (super fun!), made orchid leis, and splurged on some Chinese food.

We only stayed a few nights in Waikiki, but we had a great time before moving on to Maui.

P.S. – although it was hot that day, the Chinese garden at the Honolulu airport was a nice place to look around while waiting for a flight. If I remember correctly, there were also Japanese and native gardens.