Well when I was last here I was preparing myself for a little trip to Oahu, Hawaii. Our weather was still on the miserable side and I wanted to get away for a break from the cold. What better place than Hawaii where the temperatures are alway mild?
I was travelling alone so it was a bit frightening, but it was something I wanted to do for myself. Just the thought of having my time and thoughts to myself on the tropical islands was exciting.
I arrived last Wednesday morning at the Honolulu airport. Guess what I arrived to? More rain and cold! 
Well I was here and had to stick this out. I checked into my hotel and settled in.
The first thing I discovered as I unpacked was that my camera was broken. The lense wouldn’t open. Without that I knew I couldn’t get any decent photos. (Insert sad face here)
I bought a couple of disposable cameras the next morning and trudged off to the Honolulu Zoo. I’ll have to wait a day or so to post photos of the zoo, I dropped the disposable camera off to have the pictures developed at Longs yesterday.
I did a lot of walking while in Waikiki. It’s a pretty safe place to visit, or I tend to look through rose-colored glasses and just think it’s safe. 
One of the first places I visited was the International Market Place which was located nearly next to my hotel. You can buy all your souvineers from t-shirts to pearls there and it’s a good place for people watching.
I walked all over that town and back again. It would have been more fun if it wasn’t raining!
I had planned to take the bus, Hawaii has some good public transportation but when it came down to it, I was too nervous to ride the bus so I walked.
On Friday a friend of mine who lives there surprised me and came by to pick me up for dinner. Before we went to dinner though he took me up this long windy road through the rainforest. It was so beautiful up there. I couldn’t take pictures during the ride because it was raining so hard but we did see a couple of wild pigs along the way. My friend’s car is a convertible Mini-Cooper and it was fun to ride in.
Once at the top of the hill there was a lookout where I could get photos of the city below.
It was just about sunset by then and it was so pretty even through the clouds and the rain.
That’s looking down into Waikiki and the Punchbowl with Diamond Head in the background.
We ate out at a pizza place in Waikiki and it was great to see my friend again. We met years ago online and have been close friends ever since.
I had bought a new Canon digital camera that morning. It’s very easy to use and the photo clarity and size are the same as my larger Canon that was giving me problems. The new camera is one of those very small Canon Powershot Digital Elph’s. I was so glad I finally broke down and bought the new camera, I wouldn’t have been happy just using a disposable camera.
The next day Paul came to get me earlier and we headed out to see some nifty sites. One was the Byodo-In Temple in Oahu. It was just beautiful and situated within a cemetary.
Just before you get to the temple itself, there’s a large temple gong outside. When you ring it, it’s supposed to bring good luck.
Inside the temple is a beautiful carved Buddha. The last carved Buddha was made 900 years ago, I guess they don’t carve Buddhas often.
While on my frequent walks, I’d often pass the Duke Kahanamoku statue in Waikiki. The beach is just behind the statue and a nice place for photos.
As soon as the sun broke through, the sun-bathers came out in droves.
This is a view of the hotels from the beach. The pink hotel is the famous Royal Hawaiian Hotel built in 1927. 
It’s now dwarfed by the large Waikiki hotels but still as beautiful as when it was first built.
The next day Paul came to pick me up again to show me some of the great sites of Oahu. He’s lived there for a year and a half while still keeping his home in New York. Paul’s family comes to visit often or he’ll fly back there to be with them.
The first beach we visited was Shark’s Cove along the North Shore of Oahu. It’s a place he often goes for snorkeling. The water was too cold for me but I did wade in a bit.
From there we drove over to Turtle Beach. The large sea turtles often come up onto the shore to bask in the sun but we only saw a few as they’d poke their heads above the water.
On Sunday we set off for the swap meet held in the parking lot of the Aloha Stadium.
I did manage to get a photo of Paul while we wandered through the huge swapmeet.
Here’s Paul’s little Mini-Cooper. It was fun to ride in and being a convertible, it was also how I got my tan.
The trip was fun and I’d eagerly go back again. I was so glad to see Paul once more and he showed me places I probably wouldn’t have gotten to myself.
Just before I came home, the weather here reached 90 degrees. Of course when I return home, it’s dropped drastically and is down to the 60’s again.
