It was 43 years ago that my Army buddy Steve Sawyer convinced me to go to Hawaii and spend a week there with him at his dad’s place at Pearl Harbor. On a trip from Pearl to Waikiki Steve’s brother asked a couple of girls in the car next to us if they were lost…they were.
The rest, is history, and I may tell the full story someday for those who haven’t heard it, but for now suffice it to say Waikiki has a warm spot in our hearts.
Honolulu was our longest stop in the islands and Ilene and I decided we’d take a couple of backpacks and hang out on the beach at the Hale Koa Hotel for the day. The Hale Koa was built after the Vietnam war and is restricted to active duty and retired military personnel.
Sitting right on Waikiki beach its grassy lawns adjacent to the hotel and Fort DeRussy make a great place to lay out and relax. The hotel also boasts several restaurants, a Post Exchange, several bars (including one on the beach) and a swimming pool.
On our way to the Hale Koa, we stopped by ʻIolani Palace hoping to see the only palace on US soil. Unfortunately we got there too late for the guided tours and too early for the unguided tours. So it was back to Uber and off to the Hale Koa. We’ll come back to the palace next time we go to Oahu.
We spent most of the day lying on the beach soaking up the sun that seemed to allude us on the cruise out. Since it was a weekend families were out in force but we were pleasantly surprised that the beach wasn’t too crowded.
After a suitable time on the beach for our first day in the sun in Hawaii it was time for lunch at the Hale Koa beach bar. Back in 2001 Mark, my brother, took us to the Hale Koa for what he and Carol said was the best luau on the island. He failed to mention it was also the best Mai Tai as well.
So it was Mai Tai’s for me and Pina Coladas for Ilene while we sat munching on the bar food and watching the tourists and locals go by. Life doesn’t get much better than this!
With happy tummies from lunch and the adult beverages it was off to the museum at Battery Randolph at Fort DeRussy. The Army has turned the old coastal gun battery into a small museum about the defense of the Oahu and is a great way to spend an hour or so learning about the growth of the military presence in the islands.
Upstairs is a display honoring the islanders who have received the Medal of Honor and on the roof was an AH-1G Cobra gunship. I flew G models in training and these were the models used in Vietnam. It was nice seeing an old friend at the museum but now every aircraft I’ve ever flown is in a museum…what can that mean?
We got back to the Hale Koa, changed back into street clothes and headed upstairs to the bar just in time for happy hour. We had plenty of time before the ship departed so what the heck!
Lesson learned. Next time we take this cruise we’ll book a room at the Hale Koa so we can shower and have a place to drop off bags, etc.
But we WILL be back.
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