RONBO'S HAWAII VACATION: R & I OF DOWNTOWN HONOLULU

Hawaii State Capitol Building -- Caesar's Palace In The Pacific

One block away the venue belongs to Christ and Peace

Memorial at the State Capitol Building to a hero-priest who took good care of the out cast lepers in the 19th century - and died a martyr's death when the terrible disease killed him.

Open Interior of the Hawaii State Capitol Building

Looking up from the same spot in center of the Hawaii State Capitol Building

The Downtown Honolulu view from the rear of the Hawaii State Capitol Building

Statute of the last Queen of Hawaii

Another downtown Honolulu view

The ʻIolani Palace was the royal residence of the rulers of the Kingdom of Hawaii beginning with Kamehameha III under the Kamehameha Dynasty and ending with Queen Liliʻuokalani under the Kalākaua Dynasty, founded by her brother, King David Kalākaua. Wikipedia

Another view of the Ioliani Palace

Tale of Two Palaces History Tour - Iolani and Queen Emmas Summer Palaces

Reviewed by: Sandra, Sydney , 2014/01/05

We found this tour very, very interesting. We learnt much about the history of the Hawaiian Royal family from our guide. Queen Emma's Summer Palace was really beautiful and well looked after. I was surprised at the amount of artifacts and original furniture that had been collected. The Iolani Palace was also really interesting. The Palace (inside and out) is really beautiful and there is so much that can be learned of the history of the Royal family and you can imagine what it would have been like when the Kings and Queens ruled the islands. I particularly liked the room where Queen Lili'uokalani's quilt is kept. We thoroughly enjoyed this tour and would recommend it to anyone visiting the islands.

Queen Emmas Summer Palace and later the television Office of "Hawaii 5.0"

The sign explains the history of the only palace in the American Republic

The bandstand for the palace grounds that and city view of Downtown Honolulu

Palace guardhouse - today it's the starting point for tours and a movie explaining the 100 year history of the Hawaiian monarchy, which was overthrown in 1893 by American settlers and adventurers. The Hawaiian Republic lasted only until 1898, when Hawaii became a U.S. Territory. This arrangement lasted until Hawaiian statehood in 1959 as the 50th and final star on Old Glory.

Cruise ship piers near downtown Honolulu where most visitors and immigrants to Hawaii landed before aviation became prime people movers to and from the four corners of the Earth.

Old time shipping available for tours

Upscale shopping mall at the cruise ship piers, where the tourist with American Express Gold Card can buy all the toys and clothes needed for a Hawaiian vacation in style

Main cruise ship terminal in downtown Honolulu with clock tower in late January, 2016 - the temperature in the high 70s under clear blue skies - of all the places in the world I've visited in my life of 60 plus years in Europe, Asia, and North America - Hawaii has the best climate of them all.

The people? The good, bad and ugly just like any place on this planet. Yes, there is war in Paradise - Hawaii of old has a bloody history of barbarian butchery and tranny - and modern Hawaii was where WW II started for the United States with the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. Today Hawaii is a prime romantic vacation destination for the Japanese couples, who frequently marry on Waikiki Beach.

My late father - (1926-1989) a U.S. Navy veteran who fought the Japanese Empire in the Pacific for four years would have been most unhappy had he went on vacation with me to Honolulu. I still have a color picture of my handsome, young and tall sailor father that was taken just before Pearl Harbor in 1941 walking down a palm tree lined Honolulu street in his white uniform and I can hear him saying, "Damn Japs are everywhere here! WHO WON THE WAR? I was on the U.S.S. Yorktown! The damn Japs sunk us at Midway! I lost shipmates. I come back to Hawaii and its crawling with Jap bastards!"

The new high rise of downtown - my father's old soldier, sailor and marine Honolulu of cheap dive bars, knife fights between G.I.s in dark alleys, and the whorehouses of "From Here To Eternity" are gone with the wind and seen only in the movies.

Walking towards Chinatown with its old buildings where a million dark conspiracies have been launched in over a century of its existence.

CHINATOWN HONOLULU

Chinatown, my Chinatown
When the lights are low
Hearts that know no other land
Drifting to and fro

Dreamy, dreamy Chinatown
Almond eyes of brown
Hearts are light and lights are bright
In dreamy Chinatown

Chinatown, my Chinatown
When the lights are low
Hearts that know no other land
Drifting to and fro

Dreamy, dreamy Chinatown
Almond eyes so brown
Hearts are light and lights are bright
In dreamy Chinatown

Chinatown, my Chinatown
When the lights are low
Hearts that know no other land
Drifting to and fro

Dreamy, dreamy Chinatown
Almond eyes of brown
Hearts are light and lights are bright
In dreamy Chinatown

Hawaiian history - first came the fearless sailors and their families from the South Pacific. No one is sure where they came from about 2,000? 1,500? 1,000? years ago. Anyhow, they hit the beach at Waikiki and one shabby fat seaman turns to another shabby skinny sailor and says, "Gilligan, this is the last time I go on a three hour harbor cruise with you!" He looks up at Diamond Head and continues, "Do you where we are, first mate? It sure as hell ain't Tahiti, Bora Bora, or Moorea!" Gilligan replies in injured defense, "But Skipper, you were the captain of our boat and dead drunk in your cabin when the storm drove us off course!" The Skipper takes off his cap and hits Gilligan over the head. Mr. Howell walks over before blows land and notes, "Gentlemen, Lovey and I have decided to end our tour here and we demand full refund on the cruise from hell." Before the Skipper can reply that he spent the cruise money on rum and whores, the Professor yells, "Water, WATER! I have discovered WATER on this desert island! WE ARE SAVED!"

The rest is history, but the Chinese do finally show up and the first one yells to the Hawaiians who can't understand him, "I declare myself mayor of Chinatown! I demand only 10% of everything you make fishing, farming and at the market in a year. In return, I won't tell the Emperor of China where you folks are located, so he can't tax you 50% of your yearly income! WHAT A DEAL!"

More Honolulu Chinatown, which is not all that different from Chinatown San Francisco - Chinatown Seattle, Chinatown - Chinatown New York City, etc. Rule Number One: Never go to Chinatown after dark...nothing good happens there after sunset.

A Chinese character writing Chinese characters

China - the world's old continuous civilization - loves flowers

The Chinese are often called, "The Jews of the Far East" because of their success at capitalism and wealth creation even under the most oppressive of regimes.

Another nice thing about Hawaii - I didn't meet a single Muslim - and they love the pig...to eat, that is.

Waikiki Beach in Late January, 2016 - some kind of NFL thingy going on over there

The boys at the pier looking at the girls in the water.

Looking towards my Hotel way down the street from the fishing pier.

This was pretty neat what the brain trust did to Waikiki Beach years ago - They build this seawall across the best part of the beach that breaks the waves and formed the nice swimmers pool on the right of the picture. The EPA would not allow this to be done today, but it stays because of the "grandfather clause" and the bribe given to the EPA chief to leave it the hell alone!