Honolulu

As we cruised almost due north from Bora Bora to the Hawaiian Islands, little did we know that back in California our 24 year-old son's appendix had burst while we were in Tahiti. He had instructed his girlfriend and sisters to NOT contact us, because, he determined, there was nothing we could do.

However, he didn't realize that we had purchased Access America Travel Insurance, which would have paid for us to fly home from either Tahiti or Bora Bora to attend to him. Jay ended up staying in the hospital a few days to recover from his operation, and when he finally let us know about the operation the day before we arrived in Honolulu, he was getting ready to go home.

We had mixed feelings about not knowing, but in retrospect I must admit he allowed us to enjoy our time in French Polyesia and the four sea days to Hawaii, so we have to thank him for that. I've talked a lot about sea days on this trip already, but let me reiterate that the entertainment was terrific and we were never bored. My favorite guest act was String Fever, a violin and cello duo that combines clever musical arrangements and jokes into highly entertaining shows. Julie's favorite act was a virtuoso string quartet from Eastern Europe that played chamber music in the atrium most evenings. The cast of the production show in the Princess Theater was also excellent.

Nonetheless, when we arrived in Honolulu, we were happy to go ashore. We boarded a oublic bus to Waikiki Beach, and a steady flow of passengers continued arriving after we were seated, filling the center aisle and delaying our departure. We should have taken a taxi instead, but we were committed...or at least unable to get out with the people jammed in like sardines.

Before going to the beach, we went to the International Marketplace across the street to replace my sunglasses that broke the day before. The prices in Hawaii are so modest compared to Australia, New Zealand and French Polynesia, that many passengers did a lot of shopping there, as evidenced by the bags they carried back onboard. We are never big souvenir shoppers, however, and soon we were on the sand of Waikiki Beach.

Waikiki Beach is too crowded with people who, like me, would not be confused with the attractive models in magazines and movies. There's no snorkeling, and you'd even have to paddle out a couple hundred yards if you wanted to surf the gentle waves. Still, the water was warm beneath the sunny sky, and we enjoyed our stay on the historically scenic beach.

For lunch, we went to Duke's, which seems to be in the process of some kind of name merger with Hula Grill, a Maui restaurant owned by the same company. The waiter recommended a dark local draft beer, which proved to be quite good, as were the fish tacos and cheeseburger in paradise.

In the late afternoon, the patio outside Duke's becomes a music venue, and the band sounded great.

By the way, the ska music on the video is dedicated to our son Jay, who made this day in Honolulu possible by putting our minds at ease about his condition.