A hui hou Hawai'i - good-bye Hawai'i!

I love Uber. First, you always know the exact fare in advance - no need to watch the meter nervously ticking in traffic jams or detours of the driver. Second, fares changes depending on number of requests/time of the day, etc. and if you have time (like we had) you can pick the right moment on the app and get a cheap transfer. Third, drivers are usually interesting people. This evening we had a Navy soldier from Oregon, stationed at Pearl Harbor, who is earning some pocket money as a driver on the side. He has already put in ten years of service and plans for another ten till retirement.
Of course, we arrived early at Honolulu Airport, at around 8 pm for a 10:50 pm departure for LAX. Being so used to the hectic and grumpiness in other airports, it's so relaxed, friendly, airy here, no crazy hustling and bustling. Helps a lot.

Our last day on Hawai'i we spent lazily on the beach. Would be a nice custom, by the way, to spend each Sunday on a different beach,,,



In the morning we had cleverly calculated the weight of our check-in luggage and tried hard to let our carry-on luggage let look light and manageable. It was a bit of a strategic challenge to check out in beachwear, leave the luggage, get beach towels from the hotel ,,, and spend the afternoon at Waikiki Beach. Dressed "properly" in the hotel restroom in the evening after luggage pick-up, but before we had our last delicious pizza at Maui Brewing. All worked out well and we were really grateful for this great hotel and the friendliness of employees there. Free drinks, coffee, wifi and a roomy, comfy lounge,,,

Well, Waikiki Beach is more of a shallow large crowded pool than a romantic beach - with the exception of sunset. Though we enjoyed the ocean our main occupation was to watch people. Boy, how has it come to that absolute ignorance of aesthetics, this self-centeredness, this mobile-phone-addiction? Sometimes got the feeling, young people 1., don't communicate anymore directly, and, 2nd, they don't care about their surroundings, landscapes, people, etc., just are focused on themselves and their looks. Am I getting old?

Waikiki seems to be one of three "gomorrahs" in the U.S. - the others being New Orleans and Las Vegas. Where else in the U.S.A. Americans would walk the streets wet in their bikinis or go to a restaurant in beachwear?

That was it, headed for Arizona now. We hope to be back again next year. Honolulu/Waikiki is fine for two days, but would love to spend more time on Big Island and - new - on Molokai'i, perhaps also explore the northern part of Oahu.