Have you ever thought what if you could live the same day again? What would you do? The good news – it is possible, with a guarantee that it will not be the same! The bad news – for only one day and you cannot choose.
All it takes is to board an evening flight from Tokyo to Honolulu, and you will land on the morning of the same day, i.e. in yesterday, which gives you a chance to live it again differently. All this happens because of crossing the International Date Line.
Traditional Lei – Hawaiian greeting.
Hawaii is a very popular destination among Japanese, as I was told, mainly because they do not need to use English or any other foreign language. All information is available in Japanese and majority of staff at hotels, tours or elsewhere will speak at least some level of Japanese, if not fluently.
Waikiki beach, Honolulu
I do not have to tell you that Hawaii is popular for beaches, surfing, other water sports, Hawaii Five-0 TV series (still filming, hang out around Hilton in Waikiki and maybe you will get to see some action), and… shopping. Waikiki trolley has a so called pink line, dedicated to shopping destinations, and believe me, there is always a queue to get on board!
Waikiki beach, Honolulu.
However, there are many more things you can do if you found yourself in Honolulu, for instance, visit Pearl Harbor, climb to Diamond Head Crater nearby, visit historic downtown or even a museum! I’ve heard from several people that Honolulu Museum of Art is really impressive, and will definitely check it out next time.
Diamond Head Surf Lookout
Diamond Head, Honolulu and Waikiki beach in the distance.
One thing that became my personal discovery was ‘Iolani Palace, or the Royal Palace of the two last Hawaiian monarchs – King Kalākaua, and later, Queen Lili’uokalani. Believe it or not, King Kalākaua was a very educated and widely traveled man, and his palace was the first royal palace ever to have electricity in the late 19th century (even before the Buckingham Palace!). He spoke several languages, traveled around the world (literally), personally met Thomas Edison, and any European royalty could have envied his beautifully decorated palace. Imagine that back in late 19th century all bedrooms had adjacent bathrooms, with flush toilets, bath tubs and… something very similar to rainfall shower heads we know today!
‘Iolani (Royal) Palace, Honolulu
Music room @ ‘Iolani Palace.
One trip is always too short and not enough, thus, here is another tip to make sure you come back. If you received Lei flower greeting upon arrival (make sure, you hint someone to arrange one for you), cover the flowers in wet paper towels, put in a plastic bag and keep in the fridge. This will guarantee they are fresh any time you take them out. As your trip approaches the end, go to one of several piers, make a wish and toss your lei to the ocean.
Sunset at Waikiki beach, Honolulu.
Of course, try not to choose the one with most surfers around! They say, if it comes back to you, you will return to the islands one day…
Shall we meet there next time?
Sunset over Waikiki beach, Honolulu.
P.s. be careful what you wish for, as it may come true!
Aloha means more than just “hello” and “goodbye”, in Hawaiian language it also means affection, peace, compassion and mercy.