Hawaii Honolulu Waikiki

We arrived in Hawaii a few days ago, ready to slow down, stop going to galleries and museums, and just enjoy a nice hotel overlooking the Pacific Ocean surrounded by palm trees and heavily forested craters of volcanoes. And this, pretty much, is what we've done since arriving.

Honolulu is hot. Yes, lots of hot gorgeous people, but it's really just hot. It is incredibly humid. Our first night out, we walked along the beach promenade at Waikiki and happened upon a little eatery that had outdoor dining as well as inside. But the humidity was such that it continuously morphed into rain. Heavy rain. And then it would stop. We moved inside on our third table move. The evenings are particularly challenging. Eating out is a big deal just to get there and back again dry. Seated at a table with just the effort of using utensils, your brow breaks into a sweat, your neck too, your sleeves stick to your arms, your shorts stick to your legs. In truth, I have always imagined hell not so much as a fiery furnace as a sauna. Honolulu is outrageously beautiful, but I could not live here.

We have swum in the ocean multiple times a day. It is a pale blue crystal colour, the colour of a larimar to be precise. It is warm, over 20 degrees C, but refreshing. Gentle waves that do not break until the shoreline just keep rolling through. You can swim or bob around in them for ages without getting cold. A volcanic crater up one end of the beach marks a particularly splendid view as you relax on the beach or in the water. Surfers on long boards paddle way way way out where there is a break. Some use wooden paddles. Duke Kahanamoku's name or image is everywhere. With these waves, I can see why he is the father of modern surfing.

I tried to write here, but I couldn't concentrate, so abandoned the effort. Not sure if it was Waikiki or the nature of a piece of truly awkward penmanship that I needed to fix that caused my inability to write. That still awaits me.

We have bought some clothes here and slept a lot. Our body clocks are all over the shop having been in so many different time zones. Eating out is a wonder here. They marry the inside with the outside so well. A roof, then no roof, then a roof again. Gas lit fire sticks everywhere, fairylights through the trees, and trees themselves allowed to grow through where a roof should have been. Great trees. Ancient trees. Ponds, waterfalls, comfy seats to just sit back and watch the water. Shops all round. It really leaves our indoor gargantuan shopping malls for dead.

If we ever get back here there is much more of Hawaii to see. I think you would need some time. The people are super friendly, "aloha" as a matter of course wherever you go.

Today is our last day here in Hawaii and also of our grand United States adventure. It will take some time to process. It seems forever ago that we landed in San Francisco and got a ride share from the airport.

A long flight to Sydney awaits us in the morning and it really then will be all over. Maybe one more footprint. Till next.Read more