tripatlas.com/new proudly features Cloudia Charters’ unique “Walking in Waikiki” column from a column from Waikiki News that takes you through the streets of Waikiki and paints a picture of what’s up-and-coming the neighbourhood of Honolulu in Oahu, Hawaii. Read past Walking in Waikiki Articles on tripatlas.com/new.
Sometimes I wonder if I’ll ever run out of things to write about. After all, Waikiki is little more than two miles long and just a few blocks deep. Then two guys show up in a junk boat. Not a Chinese junk, but a “boat” made out of junk. Nets filled with empty plastic bottles made for a buoyant raft, and the recycled cabin was from a small plane. The sea can play tricks on your mind, so the local press was politely dubious when the two sailors claimed that the kolohe (Hawaiian: “mischievous”) waves had switched the caps on many of the bottles keeping them afloat. But they made it, all the way from California to my own Ala Wai small boat harbor here in Waikiki. The most impressive thing about their craft was how UN-impressive it looked at dockside: just a floating raft of refuse captained by two. .
Dreamers? Adventurers? Nuts? I wanted to photo it for you, but they disassembled it before I could get up close! Running out of food mid-ocean the two were fortunate to link up (using radio and GPS) with Roz Savage who was rowing her own 23-foot boat from the continent to our shores. Roz had extra food but needed water so a trade was affected. The trash sailors beat her time by about a week. She was at sea (rowing!) for 99 days before rounding Diamond Head this week. Her first order of business? A shampoo! Both feats were said to draw attention to the deteriorating condition of our oceans, but if you ask me, they mostly highlighted our indomitably quixotic character. “I’m only human,” we whine. Then we cross the vast pacific on a giant trash bag. . .
The beach boys say that Waikiki always gets busy after an election. These are traditionally the quiet days: “shoulder season” between summer and winter vacations. Good deals abound. This year is even better than usual. Yes, airfares are higher, but hotel deals can really balance that out. Shop! CheapTickets.com says that Maui and our Oahu are tops for hotel savings right now. Getting any ideas? You could be here for Aloha Week September 13-20! A floral parade, featuring mounted “Pa’u Riders” in monarchy-era “Pa’u Gowns” (consisting of yards of colorful fabric fastened just so) accompanied by Paniola (Hawaiian cowboys) kicks off the public party on Saturday 13th. The riders are all local volunteers who proudly represent each of our main islands as “Queen of Maui,” “Queen of Kaua`i,” & etc. Covered in lei of flowers & vines that represent their isles (yes, the horses too!) they keep alive the royal tradition of mounted visits by Ali`i to their subjects and friends throughout the realm.
It was on just such a visit to a Big Island (Hawaii) ranch that Queen Lili`uokalani conceived her famous song: “Aloha Oe” (“Loving Farewell to You”) as she witnessed the lingering, heartfelt goodbye between one of her court ladies and a handsome paniola. The familiar melody of that song has come to embody the sweet heartbreak of parting for millions of people throughout the world for well over a hundred years “Aloha Oe, Aloha Oe. . . Until we meet again” (You’re hearing it right now aren’t you? I am). . .
After the parade something old will be new again! The Hapa Haole Hula & Music Festival will fill Kapiolani Park with the charming antique sights and sounds of Hawaiiana rendered in English. Think “Sweet Leilani” and “hula bula wicky wakky woo” and all that corny stuff grandma loved back in the old days. Genuine Hawaiian culture is now so re-established, that we can safely celebrate the old phony commercial stuff with smiling nostalgia. It should be a hoot!
And while we’re in Kapiolani Park, let’s continue along Diamond Head Road behind the crater to Kapiolani Community College (KCC) for the Saturday Farmers Market. This thing is now HUGE (for Honolulu). Local farmers bring amazing flowers, produce, and coffee, bakers bake, cooks create irresistible sights and smells, and lots of happy people float around on the wavy scent-lines just like cartoon characters. You will find combinations of food as unique as our polyglot population: beignets beside lumpia. Be there at 7am when the horn goes off for the best fresh coffee that ever opened your eyes to a perfect day. . . ]
Snorkeling heaven, otherwise known as Hanauma Bay, will be closed for some primping till the end of September, but the famous Blowhole is accessible again with refurbished parking and viewing areas in plenty of time for whale watching season! Just PLEASE don’t investigate the tidal geyser up close – it’s powerful & unpredictable. No matter how strong a swimmer you are, there are mid-ocean currents and conditions here that you haven’t encountered before anywhere else. Listen to the lifeguards and locals, really! Eskimos have numerous names for different qualities of snow, but did you know that Hawaiians have just as many names for the various breezes and winds in their native areas? They experienced, noticed, and knew every detail of their natural environment. We walk along life’s most gorgeous beach with a cell phone in our ear. . . Ah the benefits of civilization. Tip: turn it OFF ;-). . .
The Shorebird restaurant has (free!) local music at Friday’s lunchtime. Usually, it is the talented employees of the hotel themselves who serenade and dance for you. Cousins, aunties and friends often get up from their lunches to dance hula for the shear joy of it. It may be a commercial venue but the heartbeat is authentic! Wanna feel rich? Go to the International Marketplace in the center of Waikiki. This little warren of carts and shops is THE place to buy gifts for your pals back home in Indiana. There’s just SO much of it! Don’t wish you had bought that surfboard-clock or Tiki. You can ship it! Stop into the shady food court for affordable grinds (local for “food”) and recharge a while.
Toritos, a family owned Mexican place, is authentic and filling. Their “crazy burrito” will satisfy you all day. Hank’s Haute Dogs features Hawaiian, New York, Chicago, Kobe, lobster & alligator hot dogs (really!) while Babylon Café is a beacon to those who love Mediterranean fare. Some visitors eat here everyday of their vacations working their way around a world tour of food. Diamond Head Cove at 3045 Monsarrat Avenue <diamondheadcove.com> is the personal vision of a cool local guy whose name I’ve forgotten, but he knows all the farmers, so his produce is down-home best. He also surfs with all the fishermen, so his seafood is awesome, dude! Prepared meals, smoothies, and even kava, the slightly narcotic, traditional Polynesian tonic, are served here with a great vibe. Cove is tucked away in the sweet little Kapahulu neighborhood behind Diamond Head (local name: “Leahi” meaning “brow of the tuna” – just look at it ;-). . .
Afterwards you can cruise up to Leonard’s Bakery on Kapahulu avenue for the BEST melt-your-face malasadas (hot, chewy melty, golden, sweet, AMAZING Portuguese “donuts”) that people carry on their laps for a 10 hour flight because they’re that good! (Just ask cousin Stacy S. in Brooklyn). . .
How do you surf with no arms or legs? No, not the set-up for a tasteless joke, but what dozens of amazed beach goers asked themselves recently as 25-year-old Australian Nick Vujicic really, REALLY did just that. Nick told local contacts that he wanted to meet 18-year-old Kaua`i surfer Bethany Hamilton (who lost her left arm to a shark in 2003). Arrangements were arranged and then there they were, entering the surf together. After a tandem ride or two on Bethany’s board, Nick was pushed into a wave. . . And surfed! Must have been 50 feet – not bad at all for any beginner! The crowd cheered. Some folks stayed for the full two-hour session unable to pull themselves away. Finally, the sun began to set and the two friends rested in the sand. The expressions on their faces. . . well, words can’t even go there. From somewhere the sound of “slack key” guitars accompanies me towards home and I just feel so lucky. . . To be walking in Waikiki. . . ALOHA!
Want to enjoy more Waikiki “street” life with Cloudia? Check out her Hawaii “Taxi Cab” Novel: “Aloha Where You Like Go?” at Amazon.com or local bookstores.