23. Island Wrap-up

Now that the trip is complete, it’s hard to think how those days went by so quickly. We did get to visit the Iolani Palace on our last free day, and then walked across the street to the Municipal Building where the King Kamehameha statue stands as one of the familiar landmarks of Honolulu. Since being home, we have enjoyed watching the “Hawaii 50” television program for its spectacular scenery, and the memories of having just seen many of those sights in recent days. The tour of the Palace was bittersweet as we reflected on the last days of the Hawaiian monarchy. The palace displayed many advanced features for the time period of the late-1800s, such as electricity. We also realized how so many international heads of state had visited the Palace while recognizing the legitimacy of the Hawaiian Kingdom, prior to the annexation of the territory by the United States, and the abolishment of the Kingdom, along with much of the ancient Hawaiian culture. Fortunately, there has been a resurgence of appreciation of the Hawaiian culture and many of the art forms, including their language, that are finding their way back into modern cultural awareness. The friendliness of the locals, and the spirit of aloha, is the most dominant characteristic I found in our movement around the two islands we visited. A sense of OHANA – loosely translated as family – permeates so much of the life of the people, especially those who retain a kinship with the ancient Hawaiian ancestry. That spirit was captured beautifully by one of the locals who said, “We try to make room for everybody.” My response was that the world would be a saner and safer place, if everyone could live like that! After our short visit back in Honolulu, and a last dinner overlooking Waikiki Beach at sunset, we made our way to Los Angeles, where we stayed for 2 nights, awaiting our final return flights to Richmond. It was good to begin to make the body clock adjustment to mainland time, recognizing that we still had another 3 hour differential to account for once back in Virginia. From our Manhattan Beach hotel, we drove down the Pacific Coast Highway to Redondo Beach and Palos Verdes, which seems like something we do whenever we have time in this part of Southern California. The weather was anything but tropical, as Fall was already in the air. The ocean was not inviting, and I found the need to buy a jacket, since I had not thought about such a need as we planned for our tropical adventure before leaving. We returned to our favorite Mexican restaurant, Pancho’s, in Manhattan Beach, and enjoyed our last vacation dinner before our return on Thursday. Our final travel day was uneventful, as we flew to Chicago, then to Richmond, and were home before midnight. The trip was fantastic, but the old saying is true, there is no place like home. It’s good to get to sleep in our own bed again. Thanks for following along. So long for now.