Once again, we are up bright and early. Our plan is to beat the afternoon rain and capture some sunny photos. Dennis was ready before I was and headed down to Waikiki Beach. The water was filled with surfers (some probably catching some waves before they head to work). He wanted to photograph an iconic statue near the water’s edge. The statue honors Duke Paoa Kahanamoku, also known as the Father of International Surfing. Part of the sculpture includes a surfboard and the statue is adorned with fresh leis left by tourists.Before leaving the hotel we enjoy a great buffet breakfast that comes with our cruise package. When seated in the restaurant, we look around the room and note that we are the only non-Asians in the room. Seriously. We also appear to be the only guests speaking English. For those of you who have not visited Hawaii, it is well visited by Asians. It is 3,800 miles to Japan and the weather is significantly better so it is not a surprise. The breakfast buffet contained the American regulars…eggs, bacon, sausage, pancakes, etc. but it also had an equal array of Asian food that we might see at dinner…rice, salmon with the skin intact, misco soup, cabbage type dishes and more. So interesting… Of course Hawaii is part of the Pacific Rim and so its strong Asian influence is easily explained.
We leave the hotel with our rental car and head to the state capitol building. We easily find an underground parking lot. That part was a cinch but we then realize that we need quarters. Hmmmm….problem. We have a couple, but we need enough for a two hours. We find a hallway nearby that we think might lead to the building entrance above the underground parking structure. We ask for some directions and are at a loss until a wonderful state worker comes to our rescue. She explains that she always keeps quarters in her desk, as the parking tickets are $70 (by the way, jaywalking tickets are $130!). We follow her to her corner office with a view where she locates the coins. Dennis gives her two, dollar bills in exchange and as he does that I noti
ce that she is wearing a Guinness shirt. Talk about casual Friday! lol
After feeding the meter, we trek off to the capitol building. The structure looks nothing like a
typical capitol building. Rather, it looks like an office structure, surrounded by a lovely water pool. Once we entered the building area, we found that the center of the building is open to the sky, capitalizing on the always-beautiful weather. We capture photos of surrounding statues and then attempt to photograph the senate and house of representative chambers. Our efforts are thwarted, as both chambers were sealed shut due to the upcoming November elections. Apparently, the chambers are transformed into ballot counting areas and cannot be accessed by any 
employee or elected official.
Next, we find the ‘Iolani Palace, the only state residence of royalty in the US. It was built for King Kamehameha and was also the home of his sister, Queen Lili’uokalani. The advocates of a Republic for Hawaii deposed her in 1893, and the palace became the seat of the Hawaiian government. It is a stunning restored edifice. There is a grand statue of the King in front of the Supreme Court building. 
Lots of school groups were 
visiting all of the buildings, listening to tour guides sharing Hawaiian history. The Hawaiian coat of arms adorns the wrought iron gates. Also in the area was the Washington Place. It is now a museum but once was the home of Queen Lili’uokalani.
A visit to Honolulu wouldn’t be complete without a visit to Chinatown. We learned that it is only five to ten minutes away from the capital area so we decided to hoof it. After a few minutes, we noticed that the street signs changed from English to Chinese. The streets were 
lined with fruits 
and vegetables that northerners would love. Bananas, star fruit, papaya, pineapple, along with exotic vegetables including roots, shoots and squash type vegetables. Stepping inside we found all kinds of seafood and meats for the customer to select. Rapid exchanges in languages unknown to us were heard. The products were priced but not identified. I asked 
the employees the names of some of the vegetables. They politely responded, but I couldn’t understand a word. The displays made wonderful photos. We looked at the time and realized that we would need to hustle to make it back 
to the parking spot, lest we be “blessed” with a parking ticket. Phew! We made it…within one minute of our car turning into a pumpkin.
Once we left the parking lot we head towards the National Cemetery of the Pacific, also known as Punchbowl. It is actually located in an old volcano! It was known by early Hawaiians as Puowaina or “Hill of Sacrifice”. The cemetery sits well above the city of Honolulu and is dedicated to 35,000 soldiers whose bodies were never recovered during World War II, the Korean Conflict and the Vietnam War. It is a gloriously beautiful place with a breathtaking memorial. Porticos, dedicated to the many areas 
of the Pacific Theater of World War II, flank the memorial. There were incredible maps that looked liked paintings, depicting the numerous fronts. If you have ever watched the History Channel and watched the countless programs on the War, many of these maps look familiar. Engraved in the portico walls are the many military locations including Guam, Wake, Midway, etc. Although my Dad served in the European Theater, I was moved nonetheless. Dennis’ Dad was stationed on Tinian (the Mariannas) and his uncle flew on what would later be known as the Enola Gay and so this monument is important. Behind the memorial is a small non-denominational chapel adorned with flowers.
Once we explored the cemetery that pays homage to those who made the supreme sacrifice for 
our country, filled with unmarked graves, we were told by a worker that the best view of Honolulu was located near the Punchbowl. We parked the car and climbed a steep hill, only to be rewarded by a breathtaking view of the city and surrounding ocean. There were also some great views of the homes built in the mountainside. 
We left the cemetery and decided to visit the Hawaii Maritime Center, a couple miles away. The center has areas for commercial shipping vessels as well as an area where old ships are moored. Additionally, 
there are piers for the numerous cruise ships that visit the Hawaiian Islands. In harbor today was a 
Holland America cruise ship. The center also has an open air shopping and eating area. One of the neatest spots is the Aloha tower, a 184-foot structure that 
takes visitors ten stories above the harbor area. The vistas were fantastic and we enjoyed a 360-degree view of Honolulu and the harbor.
It started to rain as we descended the tower and we hustled to keep our cameras dry as we walked back to the car. We headed back to the hotel to relax and gear up for our last morning in Honolulu and the seven day cruise we on which we will be embarking tomorrow. You can see the itinerary we will be following. Yeah!
After feeding the meter, we trek off to the capitol building. The structure looks nothing like a
typical capitol building. Rather, it looks like an office structure, surrounded by a lovely water pool. Once we entered the building area, we found that the center of the building is open to the sky, capitalizing on the always-beautiful weather. We capture photos of surrounding statues and then attempt to photograph the senate and house of representative chambers. Our efforts are thwarted, as both chambers were sealed shut due to the upcoming November elections. Apparently, the chambers are transformed into ballot counting areas and cannot be accessed by any 
employee or elected official.
Next, we find the ‘Iolani Palace, the only state residence of royalty in the US. It was built for King Kamehameha and was also the home of his sister, Queen Lili’uokalani. The advocates of a Republic for Hawaii deposed her in 1893, and the palace became the seat of the Hawaiian government. It is a stunning restored edifice. There is a grand statue of the King in front of the Supreme Court building. 
Lots of school groups were 
visiting all of the buildings, listening to tour guides sharing Hawaiian history. The Hawaiian coat of arms adorns the wrought iron gates. Also in the area was the Washington Place. It is now a museum but once was the home of Queen Lili’uokalani.
A visit to Honolulu wouldn’t be complete without a visit to Chinatown. We learned that it is only five to ten minutes away from the capital area so we decided to hoof it. After a few minutes, we noticed that the street signs changed from English to Chinese. The streets were 
lined with fruits 
and vegetables that northerners would love. Bananas, star fruit, papaya, pineapple, along with exotic vegetables including roots, shoots and squash type vegetables. Stepping inside we found all kinds of seafood and meats for the customer to select. Rapid exchanges in languages unknown to us were heard. The products were priced but not identified. I asked 
the employees the names of some of the vegetables. They politely responded, but I couldn’t understand a word. The displays made wonderful photos. We looked at the time and realized that we would need to hustle to make it back 
to the parking spot, lest we be “blessed” with a parking ticket. Phew! We made it…within one minute of our car turning into a pumpkin.
Once we left the parking lot we head towards the National Cemetery of the Pacific, also known as Punchbowl. It is actually located in an old volcano! It was known by early Hawaiians as Puowaina or “Hill of Sacrifice”. The cemetery sits well above the city of Honolulu and is dedicated to 35,000 soldiers whose bodies were never recovered during World War II, the Korean Conflict and the Vietnam War. It is a gloriously beautiful place with a breathtaking memorial. Porticos, dedicated to the many areas 
of the Pacific Theater of World War II, flank the memorial. There were incredible maps that looked liked paintings, depicting the numerous fronts. If you have ever watched the History Channel and watched the countless programs on the War, many of these maps look familiar. Engraved in the portico walls are the many military locations including Guam, Wake, Midway, etc. Although my Dad served in the European Theater, I was moved nonetheless. Dennis’ Dad was stationed on Tinian (the Mariannas) and his uncle flew on what would later be known as the Enola Gay and so this monument is important. Behind the memorial is a small non-denominational chapel adorned with flowers.
Once we explored the cemetery that pays homage to those who made the supreme sacrifice for 
our country, filled with unmarked graves, we were told by a worker that the best view of Honolulu was located near the Punchbowl. We parked the car and climbed a steep hill, only to be rewarded by a breathtaking view of the city and surrounding ocean. There were also some great views of the homes built in the mountainside. 
We left the cemetery and decided to visit the Hawaii Maritime Center, a couple miles away. The center has areas for commercial shipping vessels as well as an area where old ships are moored. Additionally, 
there are piers for the numerous cruise ships that visit the Hawaiian Islands. In harbor today was a 
Holland America cruise ship. The center also has an open air shopping and eating area. One of the neatest spots is the Aloha tower, a 184-foot structure that 
takes visitors ten stories above the harbor area. The vistas were fantastic and we enjoyed a 360-degree view of Honolulu and the harbor.
It started to rain as we descended the tower and we hustled to keep our cameras dry as we walked back to the car. We headed back to the hotel to relax and gear up for our last morning in Honolulu and the seven day cruise we on which we will be embarking tomorrow. You can see the itinerary we will be following. Yeah!
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