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I must apologize for the delay in continuing with this travelogue. There was a brief interruption as we left for Rome on the 26th of July, and although I had hoped I could work on it during this 15 day vacation, it turned out that due to unreliable Internet access at our Bed & Breakfast in Rome, and not wanting to pay for the expensive Internet access onboard the Celebrity Silhouette, I was not able to keep the chapters coming. So, here is the next installment.

We have completed our tour around the island of Oahu, with Suelyn as our travelguide. Now we are on our way back to the Hale Koa, but first we make a brief pit stop back at Rick's & Suelyn's home, allowing me the opportunity to take some photographs that I neglected to do on our first day there. Rick has really put a lot of work into modernizing an older home, and he has excellent taste.

This is sort of on the border between the living room and the entry, or more like an enclosed lanai.
Rick if my interpretation is totally wrong. Your dad might have said journalistic license. ;o)

With the large windows and doors onto the patio, it is so bright and cheerful, but I guess it's more of a living
room than my enclosed lanai interpretation. In any case, it really works as a very warm and comfortable space.

The kitchen is large and functional, and he has one of those wine coolers which I have always wanted,
but never had the opportunity to purchase. Now our apartment in Buenos Aires is just too small for one.

The back yard is large, and very artistically landscaped. One could actually practice putting here.

The apartment built above the garage is a perfect solution for where Suelyn would live following Jerry's death.
Here she will be able to spend much more time with her grandson, and with Rick as well. They initially had
problems with getting approval from the planning commission I believe. The commission was convinced that
it was going to be used as a rental, and I guess the property is not zoned for that. At least that is my simple
interpretation from what I recall Suelyn telling me in emails of a couple of years ago. I'm glad they finally
got the approval they needed, because the finished product is a beautiful addition.

We left there and Suelyn took us back to the Hale Koa. It was a wonderful day spent with her, and she was a perfect host and travel guide. I hope that we can reciprocate if she ever finds that she would like to make a trip to Buenos Aires.

Back in Waikiki we decided to go to the Royal Hawaiian for what we remembered to be the best Mai Tai in the Islands, and yes, the camera always comes out when they serve our drinks. I've got to stop doing that, because some people are getting the idea that all we do on vacation is drink. Believe me, that's not true. ;o) Honest!

And yes, one of these Mai Tai drinks is mine. We recalled that 20 some years ago when we came to the
Royal Hawaiian, they made the very best Mai Tai in town. Times have either changed, or my recollection
is not as accurate as it should be. These were pretty good, but for some reason the service was terrible.
For me, that always puts a sour note on the experience. If old and grumpy seems to fits for you, that's OK.
However, a redeeming happenstance is that the bill was mysteriously lost, and it has not showed up on my
credit card statement. The bill, including appetizer, was $77.49 and thank you very much Royal Hawaiian.

Is this paradise, or what? I love the Hawaiian Islands, and if I gave it a chance I might even be able to live
here. But my gut tells me that it wouldn't last long. My home is Buenos Aires, and will probably always be.
At least that is my story for now, and I'm sticking with it. Just visiting the islands is enough for now.

We felt a little hungry by now, so we decided to order the appetizer combo, which
consisted of octopus, shrimp and tuna. It looks wonderful, and tasted fantastic.

The Royal Hawaiian has not changed much over the years, as it still retains the distinctive "pink" color.

As for the history leading up to the Royal Hawaiian Hotel, the development of a hotel was proposed by Captain William Matson, of the Matson Navigation Company, to provide steamer travel to America's wealthiest families en route to Hawaii. Matson purchased the Moana mansion, fronting the Ainahau royal estate. It was christened the Moana Hotel, and opened in 1901 as the first hotel in Waikiki With its overwhelming success, Matson planned and built the Royal Hawaiian Hotel which opened in 1927. The hotel was sold, along with the rest of Matson's hotels in Hawaii, to the Sheraton Corporation in 1959. The image of the "Pink Lady" (as it had become known) has been maintained over the years. It is truly a landmark which holds many fond memories, not only for us, but for U.S. submariners who used it for rest and relaxation during World War II, during which time it was closed to tourists.

As you can see, Pete & I really enjoyed our return visit, even though the Mai Tai was not as we had remembered it.

I don't recall where we had dinner this night, but it was excellent. Believe it or not, these were just the appetizers.

The next day we drove to the Polynesian Cultural Center and spent much of the day enjoying the various cultures of Polynesia, New Zealand and Hawai'i. We had arrived at 11:45, and were told that the lunch area would be closing at 1:00, so that was our first stop.

There was an amazing array of tropical dishes, with exotic and succulent fruits, and the fish and pork were excellent.

The dining area was large and mostly empty when we arrived, but nearly full but the time we had finished.

The first island group we visited was that of Tonga. However, I've nearly reached the magic 5 MB limit, so I will continue with photos of Tonga in the next chapter.