Saturday, September 30, 2006

Aloha II! (English version)

Since my hosts have kindly taken time off to show me around, I've seen quite a bit of the island of O'ahu this week. We drove up to the North Shore, seeing pineapple and coffee plantations on the way and going through the mountains with the help of a tunnel. It was good that we didn't plan that trip for the weekend - surf's up really big now, and traffic will be no fun. Then we drove over to the windward side of the island - I managed to get at least my feet wet, though the first contact with Pacific water was at Waikiki Beach in Honolulu at the beginning of the week.

After seeing that famous area, full of highrise hotels, crowds of tourists, and fancy shops with equally fancy prices, I was doubly thankful for the opportunity to stay here privately. A lovely residential area is much nicer! We did have cocktails at the beach bar of the Royal Hawaiian Hotel, just puttin' on the ritz for the fun of it. We also went to the museum, which was nice to see, though partially closed for renovation.

Today I went fabric shopping, an important priority! I'm bringing fabrics from each country to use for a quilt, and of course browsing those stores is much more fun than shopping at tourist traps! Besides, as a souvenir, fabric is perfect - unbreakable, fairly light, and non-bulky.

Two more days here, and I'll be packing for the next leg of the journey. That gives me time to work on a bit of a tan - I'm being very careful to use sunscreen and stay out of the sun during the middle hours of the day, so it won't go fast. That's definitely healthier and more comfortable!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Was the museum devoted to Hawaiian culture? And a history of the islands?

And what is Hawaiian fabric like--the patterns, that is?

You obviously are having too much fun and not enough blgging time to tell us all the pertinent details, my dear! ;)

RainbowCatcher said...

Yes and yes.

Hawaiian fabric patterns are just what you'd expect them to be - the florals that you see on Hawaiian shirts. However, there are also patchwork/quilt shops that have the kinds of fabrics I always look for, so I bought some of each.

Actually, my lack of blogging is more due to the fact that I'm relaxing, so there isn't really that much to tell about. I'm into the laid back Hawaiian spirit of things, I guess. I did go shopping for some souvenirs yesterday, and shall take some pictures of flowers today. Other than that, packing is on my schedule, and I fly out tonight.