We spent 48 hours in Honolulu, to break up our travel to Korea. Our ambitious touring plans quickly gave way to a day at the beach and the pool – a better choice for antsy kids weary from sitting in planes and cars. (Cool as they may be, the battleships must wait for another day.)
I seem to find myself on Oahu about once a decade. My goodness, has that place changed. With each visit there seem to be more high-rises in the city and homes on the hills. Even our hotel – where I stayed in ’92 – is at least twice as large as I remember. It now has not one but TWO Starbucks (were these even a thing in ’92?), along with the ever-important Lappert’s ice cream shop, ABC stores, Whalers, and myriad other shops and overpriced cafes. Good times in a tourist trap. Albeit, a beautiful tourist trap.
The kids played nice in the pool for awhile with an Australian boy. It made me happy to think that this venture will allow them to meet and play with kids from all over the world. I always love to see the little ways in which people the world over are alike. When the Aussie kid ever-so-gently pushed Connery into the water, his mother leapt up to chastise him and apologize. Aaron and I laughed, because all of his friends back home have done this at least once. “We raise ’em rough in Australia,” she sighed. I could well have said the same of Arizona.
