The Zaandam sailed into the port of Honolulu before 6am under very cloudy skies. The Captain had said yesterday that he would turning the ship around and docking portside at Pier 2, not at The Aloha Tower where we sometimes go. Although the island of Oahu is not the largest island in Hawaii, it is the most populated. It is home to the state's capital with a busy downtown and business district. And we must mention that due to the recent federal government shutdown, many historic sites and National Parks will be closed. There is no lack of dining venues, entertainment, and Hawaiian culture.
A must see is Waikiki Beach, a 2 mile crescent-shaped beach with white sand and whole lot of folks enjoying the unrelenting sun. Nearby Ala Moana Beach Park is accessible to all, as are all of the state's beaches. Honolulu is also home to the state's largest shopping center called Ala Moana Hawaii's Center. It is home to 350 plus stores and restaurants, so if you cannot find it here, you will find it nowhere. And without the convenient map that is available, it is quite easy to get lost.
We stayed onboard long after some of the tour groups left. But once the veranda cleaning took place on our deck, we figured it was time to go. That was about 10am. It was going to be a warm day to say the least, and from the looks of the street puddles, it must have rained through the night. That is pretty normal, and we know it helps cool off the natives as well as visitors.
One of the first things we noticed walking Ala Moana Blvd was the lack of chickens running around. Normally two blocks from Pier 2, we always see hens with chicks around the car dealerships and park grounds along the way. Today there were none. We did spot a few homeless people with their cooking pots on the sidewalk. Perhaps that's where the chickens ended up….in a pot.
Kewalo Basin, a small boat harbor, was the first tourist area we passed. Boats of all types were there to take the folks fishing, snorkeling, or to the balloon rides. One thing we noticed was rather amusing. This particular harbor was full of floating plastic bottles and all sorts of debris. However, there were signs on the kiosks to please use biodegradable sun screen and apply it across the street away from the boats. Seeing the floating trash was more of an issue for us. But how do we know how much the sun lotions affect the corals? After passing the basin, we entered the green grounds of the Ala Moana Beach Park. It is always a pleasure walking under the massive trees of ficus, sausage and baobab giants. The odd-looking baobabs or bottle trees, have been imported from Africa many years ago. And the sausage trees are not indigenous either, but they sure do well here. And the best thing is they add lots of shade on this long walk. We hate to admit it, but there is a big homeless population here and this park seems to harbor many of them.
We finally made it past the huge modern shopping mall and on the way to the dozens of hotels near Waikiki Beach. One of the largest resort complex is the Hawaiian Hilton, where we happened to stay for a few days before a cruise we did years ago. Even back then, it was an expensive way to go, although the sailing to Tahiti was short compared to what we do these days. Walking through the hotel grounds, we made our way to Waikiki Beach to see hundreds of sunburning families taking in the rays. The smarter ones were in the warm water, and the most smart ones were in the massive swimming pool. Actually, it was better to see the beach-goers that had rented tents and lounges to enjoy the heat and water without burning like a crispy critter.
Taking photos all of the way, we headed towards Ft. DeRussy and the Hawaii Army Museum. Just as we suspected, there was a poster on the window announcing the closure due to the government shutdown. All was not lost, since the city workers were in the process of re-paving the parking lot. From here, we made our way down side streets to the Hard Rock Café located near Luxury Row and the high end stores.
It was sure nice to make our way up to the second level with a view of the shoppers down below. There was a slight breeze, but the beer helped cool us off. Not all that hungry, we ordered one starter of three Tupelo-fried chicken sliders. Of course, we had room for a dessert of their delicious apple cobbler with a scoop of creamy ice cream. We did stop in the shop on our way out, but it was too busy with customers, we decided we could live without more t-shirts from here. The city t's in most of the HRC's do not change every year, so we end up with a lot of doubles.
It was still very hot, so by the time we reached the Hawaiian Hilton, we made a decision to take a taxi back to the pier. The ship's brochures give approximate mileage to these sites, but we think they are off quite a bit. Riding back in a nice vehicle with air-conditioning today was really nice.
Back at the terminal, one of us set off the x-ray check . It always does for one reason or another. I was padded down and wanded and something turned up in my pocket. To everyone's surprise, it turned out to be the two cough drops I put in there. Go figure…. Nothing metal, just waxed paper-like wrappings. Then as we were on our way to the gangway, Captain Smit happened to walk off of the ship. Perfect timing as we were glad to thank him and wish him a safe flight home tomorrow. We asked him why the ship had to be docked portside. The answer was a boat drill with the tenderboats, and painting. In addition, he added that he turned the ship around to face the bay, so if there was a sudden tsunami coming from Japan, for instance, he could get out of here really fast. Good to know. Although he admitted this is his favorite part of the world, he was happy to go home to the Netherlands and his family.
Back in our room by 4pm, we noticed the air-conditioning was not working well. Our room was up to 80 degrees. We have noticed this since leaving San Diego. Keeping the drapes closed and the thermostat down as low as it goes, did not seem to help. Will have to report this in hopes that they can fix it. Bet we are not the only ones to notice this.
The dining room seemed to be at least 10 degrees cooler, leaving us to think that the air has been directed to the public areas. It was the same on the Amsterdam when we sailed that sister ship. Dinner was fairly light with a bowl of chicken soup and one wedge salad. Mains were Kalbi ribs cut really thin with a pile of rice, and one rigatoni with meatballs. Desserts were a panna cotta and a small plate of sliced pineapple. Both refreshing.
There was entertainment with Elliot Finkel and Dave Konig, a pianist and a comedian…..what a combo.
Tomorrow will be day 2 in Honolulu. Hope it cools down a bit.
Bill & Mary Ann
