A Weekend, a Convertable, and a Parade

Friday

I've been in Hawaii for a little over six weeks now and last weekend it was time to get out of Laie and enjoy the island. So we decided to rent a car to do some shopping. We were blessed to be able to take advantage of a weekend promotion that cut the cost in half, we only paid $62 for three days. When I picked up the car Friday morning I was expecting a Chevy Aveo but was upgraded to a 2009 Ford Mustang convertable--could life get any better? I picked up the car in Kaneohe and went shopping. I was pretty proud of myself for not getting too lost in Pearl City as I searched for Sam's Club--they built it underneath a strip mall--who knew? Mapquest took me to a Navy base and they were kind enough to give me the correct directions. I wonder how many lost souls they redirect each week. $600.00 later I am hoping that we have enough supplies to last us 3 months--whew I am still in sticker shock!

Saturday

Saturday we put the top down on the car and headed for Honolulu. We did not have any particular destination but wanted to see the Kuhio Day parade at 4:00 p.m. in Waikiki. We had several hours to go wherever our desires led us. We ended up in China Town and what a place it is--think Anthony Bourdain's "No Reservations" cable show on the Travel Channel--open air markets with fruit, veggies, meat, fish, herbs, spices, and packages of things with titles and instructions in Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese (Dana where are you when we need you? :o). The experience was both wonderful and sometimes gross--after all would you eat unrefrigerated meat and fish? And what is that stuff anyway? Do people really eat that. . .?

Lunch was at the most unusual food court you can image, even the numbers on the clock in the outdoor seating area were in Chinese characters. We opted for Korean since Lee could communicate with his rusty Korean language skills. The vendor was wonderful and most helpful as we chose our meal. I wonder if we received special service as Lee talked to the lady behind the counter because they took the time to cook several things fresh for us. The food was wonderful and we will return again to expand our horizons. I am doubtful that I will ever be as adventurous as Lee when it comes to food, but I will try a few new things now and then.

On our way out of China Town we saw four pigs going into a store. Now that's something you just don't see everyday at Walmart. Earlier in the morning we had seen a roasted suckling pig ready for pick up in one store it looked delicious--and should be for the price tag of $250.00. I imagine these pigs are too big for such glory, but I know that they will show up in various parts and pieces very soon for the pleasure of those who know how to cook such things.

We traveled on to Waikiki and made it with about an hour to spare before they closed the road for the parade. We didn't want to pay to park the car so we headed up to Kapiolani Park to park close to the Honolulu Zoo. We have gotten used to walking so we took our time and walked past the Art on the Fence show that happens by the Zoo every weekend and proceeded to wander along Kalakua Boulevard to find the perfect place to watch the parade. Honolulu and Waikiki now have many amazing bronze statues as you walk through hotels, at the zoo, in the parks, and along the beach. The one to the left is of a boy surfing with a seal. There is a Hawaiian legend to go with it but I did not write it down and now my memory fails me.

We decided to stop walking at a statue of Prince Kuhio, which had long plumeria leis drapped around his neck. There was a delightful man, dressed in a white aloha shirt, sitting behind the statue answering questions and encouraging people to attend the free concert in the park after the parade. Little did we know what an important part he was to play throughout the parade. We sat on a piece of grass next to the curb not too far from the Prince Kuhio statue and we were so happy we chose to do that because we were at the center of the action throughout the parade. About 30 minutes prior to the parade several handsome Hawaiian men, dressed in dark suits came to stand by the statue. They each held in their arms capes and they looked very official. It turned out that they were the Royal Court for the celebration. Throughout the parade each group marching by stopped in front of the Royal Court and greeted them with Hawaiian chants. The chants were answered by two people the man in the white aloha shirt and a lady in red print muumuu. The man answered any man chanting and the woman answered any woman chanting. After the chanting each unit offered a lei, usually malie, to a member of the Royal Court to put on or near the statue of Prince Kuhio. By the end of the parade the smell of maile was filling the air many feet away from the statue.

After the parade we grabbed a bite to eat and walked back to Kapiolani Park to listen to the concert. We passed another bronze statue, this one of Queen Kapioloani. We were treated to a performance by a locally famous female falsetto singer, Amy Hanailii, with her father, brother, husband and her daughter's hula halau. It was a wonderful night under the stars.

Sunday

Sunday was our last day to have the car and I must confess the temptation to drive the car proved to be too much for us. Lee's justification for the drive was to personally deliver our rent check to our landlord on the opposite side of the island. We traveled with the top down to the Makaha side of the island and back. And we ended the day by watching the sun go down at Sunset Beach.

All Things Come to an End--on Monday

The next morning I regretfully returned the car to Enterprise, but it is nice to know that we can do it again sometime in the next three months when our supplies run low.