Day 8: Honolulu City Lights

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Friday, 16th January 2015

After catching the Waikiki sunrise in the morning, I was off to the city of Honolulu for the better part of the day. The Bus took a while to travel on the narrow roads, pausing at most stops along the way. It was probably 30 minutes later before I alighted at the nearest bus stop for the Aloha Tower.

This was one place that was largely forgotten by tourism as many shop fronts were hoarded up for re-development. After checking with the security guards on the correct route to the Tower, I was soon making my way up to the top via the only old school elevator where fine (free) views of Honolulu City could be had.

The itinerary for the rest of the afternoon covered the chief sights of the city - the King Kamehameha V Judiciary History Center featuring an interesting court room scene and exhibits of yesteryears. An outdoor concert was held at the nearby Iolani Palace during the time I visited. The rest of the palace was declared off-limits unless you purchased a ticket from the reception even though I was free to roam around the expansive space dotted with pavilions and castle structures.

I also took some pictures at the US Post Office Building and Café Julia at YWCA. The huge crown of the giant trees outside the Hawaii State Art Museum proved to be a bigger attraction where I spent some brief moments at the sprawling building.

Back to Waikiki, I took a late lunch at the 24-hour Wailana Coffee House. Food wasn't the most fantastic but the old school atmosphere and friendly folks were the main attractions. The huge buffet portions were good enough to last me beyond dinner time.

While my short stay in Hawaii did not allow time to venture beyond the island of Oahu, I had my fair share of history, beaches and volcanoes during my brief encounter. It worked well for me for the most part as many places were free for visitors to enjoy. I had wanted to visit Hawaii for a while now but this was hampered by the long distance from Singapore. The excursion from San Francisco was probably my best chance ever!

At the end of my Hawaiian encounter and fully recovered from my jet-lag, I was ready to embrace the rest of my USA West Coast trip with renewed energies and confidence.

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