HAWAII - A TASTE OF PARADISE

Where to start with Hawaii?  It was the most amazingly stunning place I have ever visited! But it got off to a very inauspicious start. 

Honolulu

Hawaii is certainly an area of contrasting weathers!  Excited to finally be in Hawaii, we dumped our bags in the beautiful Hyatt Centric Hotel  (complete with heated toilet seat) in central Honolulu and rushed out to see the world famous Waikiki Beach ... in the rain!

Fortunately the shower was short-lived and our 10 days in Hawaii more than exceeded our expectations. Honolulu itself is certainly a city of high rise hotels and designer shops, but once you get away from the main area to discover the rest of O'ahu, it is amazing.

Kualoa Ranch 

The first day we booked a trip to the Kualoa Ranch on a movie set tour.  But the ranch is so much more, and had we known, we could probably have spent a couple of days there.  There's horse riding, bike trails, quad bike experiences, Jurassic Park tours, as well as agriculture experiences - including the pineapple farm, and so much more. It also happens to be in a beautiful spot next to Kaneohe Bay.

Our open bus took us through our first sight of the stunning landscapes which are so awe-inspiring.     

Kualoa is a 4,000 acre private nature reserve as well as a working cattle ranch with more than 600 head of cattle, 120 horses and 200 sheep, stretching from the steep mountain cliffs to the sparkling waters of nearby Kaneohe Bay.

More than 70 major Hollywood productions have been filmed at the ranch, seen by more than a billion people worldwide since the 1950s.  These include the Jurassic Park movies, Lost, Godzilla, Jumanji and of course Pearl Harbour.  Many others have featured snippets filmed at the ranch, which has been in private hands since 1850, and is now owned by the eighth generation.  There are no private homes on the site - not even the owners' - who have also turned down more than a billion dollars to build a hotel complex.  Certainly well worth a visit, so check out the website for more information about all they have to offer.

Pearl Harbour

On our second day we had booked a trip taking in Pearl Harbour - the actual museum which also takes in the USS Bowfin, USS Missouri, SS Arizona and the air museum.  Being perfectly honest, I was disappointed with the main site.  It was very commercial - with gift shops selling merchandise from T-shirts to Christmas decorations - really???? While I totally accept that they have to raise money to keep the site in pristine condition, I felt some of the gifts were totally inappropriate for what is essentially a huge graveyard. Also insisting you have a smiling photo which was then printed onto a tacky faux newspaper was completely unacceptable.

And by the way, the ladies' bathroom was disgusting, even at 10.00am in the morning, with a huge queue of around 20 women waiting outside by 10.30.  

Rant over!  The accommodation in the submarine was a real eye-opener, and hard to believe that 70-80 men lived in such a tiny space., but all the "rooms" were compact and I would guess the servicemen had only the minimum of possessions.  What struck me was the lack of privacy - particularly in the bathroom areas.

USS Missouri

We stood on the deck of the huge USS Missouri, where the Japanese surrendered their involvement in WW2.  I love the stories of individuals which come to light following such dreadful circumstances.  We heard of the young 19-year old Japanese kamikaze pilot who crashed into the Missouri on 11 April 1945, causing minimal damage, but who was killed during the attack.  The commander of the ship, Captain William M Callaghan, declared that he was only doing what any one of them would have done - obeying orders, and directed that he was to have a full military funeral and burial at sea.  His remains were placed between a hastily sewn Japanese flag and he was committed to the deep, followed by a three-volley salute from the firing party.

USS Arizona

For me the most poignant part of the whole visit was to the USS Arizona.  We boarded a small shuttle boat out to the memorial, which is built over the sunken ruin of the ship.  Beneath the memorial is the broken hull bearing the remains of 900+ servicemen who perished during the seven minutes it took for the ship to sink.  Only part of the funnel remains above the water line and oil still leaks from the depths.  Inside the memorial, the names of those who died are featured on a large stone wall. For me, this was the epitome of what the site is all about - paying homage to those brave men who never stood a chance to escape.

I say this as the daughter of a British airman who also devoted his life to the service of his country.

Again, with my love of stories, the guard told us of one hapless young man who had gone ashore the previous night for an evening of fun, and either returned late or in a drunken state.  He was promptly sacked and told to collect his belongings and leave, which he did.  But then after the attack he watched from land and bravely saw a way to save one of his colleagues who had been on the ship, and subsequently went onto complete his naval career.

Lua Show

One of the things I wanted to do while in Hawaii was to go a real hula show. We took the advice of an on-site tour guide, but honestly, I don't think we got the best experience.  The show was excellent, and the food was just ok, but the site was a real disappointment, so please be careful and do more research if you want to attend a more traditional lua! We were told it was out in the country, so expected something rural, but it seemed to be an abandoned holiday camp.  Nevertheless, you make the most of it, and we have a fun evening, though nowhere in Hawaii that we came across seemed to cater for gluten-free food options needed by my daughter.

Our lua included the show, a beautiful lei, supper and several drinks vouchers - unless you wanted your drink in a pineapple, which we did, and which was extra! There was also a free towel each but we left those behind since our baggage was already overweight.

Talking of food - we always eat at a Hard Rock Cafe (daughter's favourite), but paid our first visit to the Cheesecake Factory which had been recommended.  Unfortunately we didn't have time or transport to visit the many more local eateries which we had read about, which probably would have given us better value for money and more natural choices.  We did however, find a small place called Banan, selling delicious concoctions of shaved coconut, ices, fruit and nuts, which we ate sitting on Waikiki Beach - one of those "pinch yourself" places that you can hardly believe you're there.  These delicious ices prompted us to try and find macadamia honey nut butter all over Hawaii - until we paid another quick visit as we were leaving and bought three jars of the stuff!

On one of our trips, our part-time young guide and driver was a marketing student, but a fountain of knowledge, who told us his favourite places to eat, interspersed with some of the fascinating history of the islands.  He finished off by taking us to the local tax office building - the exterior of which is actually used as Police headquarters in Hawaii Five O!

This blog post is rather longer than I had originally planned, so I have divided up our Hawaii adventure into this one featuring the mainland O'ahu, which I hope you have enjoyed, with and the next part of our mega-holiday which was on board the Pride of America Norwegian Cruise Line cruise ship.  More next week.

VIVA LAS VEGAS!

 

Las Vegas is an assault on the senses!  Previous followers may remember that I (Anne C) was on my way to Las Vegas six years ago when I was involved in an accident in New York which curtailed my holiday and I never made it to Vegas – which had long been on my bucket list.

Well finally I made it!  After several more postponements due to COVID, I combined my delayed visit with a mega holiday, accompanied by my daughter, to the United States.  Over the next few weeks, I will be detailing our three destinations and comparing our experiences.

The Hotel

But first – Las Vegas – apparently the most popular place in the world for visitors, with an estimated 42million people a year! It was hot, noisy and colourful to say the least.  We stayed at The Venetian – the second largest hotel in the world, with more than 7,000 rooms and 250 elevators, so it was easy to get lost until we got our bearings. The hotel itself is stunning, with shops, boutiques, restaurants, fast food and of course a faux Venetian canal.

The decor was traditional, with huge frescos, exotic pottery and an abundance of marble in the public rooms, while the bedrooms were much larger than average and the beds were super comfortable.  I would also like to transfer the bathroom into my own home, with its fabulous double sinks, make-up table, huge shower and deep bath.

But first on our list to do was a gondola ride.  I had been with Anne H previously to Venice but we had to share our gondola with others and the pictures were not great.  So, we pushed the boat out (pun intended!) and went on both the indoor gondola and outdoor gondola rides, where both gondoliers actually serenaded us as we meandered along the Venetian-inspired waterways fringed by “outdoor/indoor” cafes.

A visit along the Strip has to include a peek inside some of the fabulous hotels there, and of course, stopping along the way to see the $40million dancing fountains outside The Bellagio.  We saw them both during the day and at night, and it’s certainly one of the most popular attractions on the 4.2-mile Strip, which incidentally is not in Las Vegas, but lies within the boundaries of Paradise and Winchester.

However, the whole area was incredibly busy – maybe partly because the Billboard Awards took place while we were there – and it was difficult to walk without being confronted by girls dressed as showgirls or bare-chested hunks dressed as cowboys …. none of which are appearing in any current shows, and you are expected to tip generously if you stop to have your photograph taken with any of them.

The Grand Canyon

The absolute highlight of the trip was a helicopter flight over the Grand Canyon, Lake Mead and the Mojave Desert, landing in the Canyon and celebrating with a glass of fizz 300 feet above the Colorado River.  The Maverick Wind Dancer  (love the name and so topical!) flight had been recommended by friends and also by our travel agent, and was certainly one of those pinch yourself moments. We are both quite nervous flyers so our handsome pilot Adam was very gentle with us and we had a super smooth flight.

Lake Mead

Flying over Lake Mead, he pointed out the paler rim indicating the water level, but which has dropped so considerably that the experts estimate the water, currently at 26% of capacity follow a 20-year drought and which supplies 40 million people – will run dry in the next 30 years. It has also revealed three bodies which have been submerged for years – probably dumped there during the mob years.

Downtown Las Vegas

Talking of The Mob, we later took the hop on-hop off bus and stopped at The Mob Museum in downtown Las Vegas. It gave us a fascinating insight not just into the development of Las Vegas, but also of immigration and the rise of crime in America’s major cities at the turn of the last century.  Interestingly, the wall against which seven of Al Capone’s arch enemy, Irish gangster George “Bugs” Moran’s men, were gunned down has been taken apart and reconstructed as one of the exhibits – complete with bullet holes. No-one was ever prosecuted for the murders and Capone claimed to be in Florida at the time.

Hoover Dam

It is unsurprising that Vegas became almost a Disneyland for adults, given its history.  Originally a stopping place on the railroad between Utah and California during the gold rush, the young prospectors stopped here for refreshment and entertainment – particularly since gambling was illegal at the time in California. As gambling grew, it attracted the criminal elements from Chicago to New York. It was the building of the Hoover Dam in 1931 which led to the urbanisation of Las Vegas as young men were brought in to work on its construction.

At the same time, divorce laws were liberalised in Nevada, leading to "quickie divorces" and an anything goes culture in Las Vegas.  While the saying might well be "what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas", we're happy to share!

More than 20,000 people were hired to work on the dam, while the workers made plenty of use of the nearby bars and casinos.  As a result, they turned up to work either drunk or hungover, so they moved  them out of Vegas to nearby Boulder, which subsequently grew as a small town – and gambling was banned, which it still is to this day.

Having flown over The Hoover Dam on our helicopter flight, we decided to see it close up, and our excursion took us to a viewing platform, which runs alongside the busy US 93 Highway, and over the Mike O’Callaghan and Pat Tillman Bridge (respectively a former governor of Nevada and an American football player). 

Hoover Dam is as tall as a 60-story building and was the highest dam in the world when it was completed two years ahead of schedule in 1935. Each spillway, designed to let floodwaters pass without harming the dam itself, can handle the volume of water that flows over Niagara Falls, while the amount of concrete used in building it was enough to pave a road stretching from San Francisco to New York City. The amount of water in the lake, when full, could cover the whole state of Connecticut ten feet deep. Only a huge dam could stand up to the pressure of so much water.

Our tour also took us to a very odd “art installation” in the desert, which to be honest I found a waste of time.  This ridiculous piece of artwork, billed as “fun” was just a load of painted rocks, which have become a magnet for graffiti.

Created by Swiss artist Ugo Rondinone, “Seven Magic Mountains is an artwork of thresholds and crossings, of balanced marvels and excessive colours, of casting and gathering and the contrary air between the desert and the city lights”.  Just as well it’s free because I would want my money back if I had paid for it!

The previously-mentioned hop on - hop off tour took us up and around the Strip, pointing out many of the sights from famous movies, and celeb hang-outs from a bye-gone era.  I think the tour guide was an old movie buff, but was a mine of information. Vegas was initially promoted as a family resort, but it actually put off gamblers, and is now very firmly aimed at adults.

Of the 145 casinos, 30 hotels and 150,000 hotel rooms, all are owned by just two companies – MGM and Caesar’s.  Incidentally the MGM Grand Hotel, opened in 1993, had a Wizard of Oz theme (in keeping as a family attraction), which is why it is green – taking the idea from The Emerald City.

Freemont Street

The bus tour also took us to the Freemont area, but as this was during the day, we decided to take a cab down later during the evening when the area comes alive.  And it didn’t disappoint!  It’s rather like a hyper Times Square!  Street hawkers, performers and just the weird and wonderful give you plenty on which to feast your eyes if you enjoy people-watching. 

Of the original hotels, the Golden Nugget, was one of the largest gambling houses in Vegas back in the 60s and featured in Elvis’s film “Viva Las Vegas”, and in the James Bond’s “Diamonds are forever”. Elvis had a regular spot at the Westfield hotel, where he completed more than 800 live performances.

Iconic Vegas Sign

No visit to Vegas would be complete without a visit to the Vegas sign – which we did twice.  The first time was early morning to avoid the crowds – though there was still a queue, and the second time later in the evening, where a couple were actually saying their wedding vows as more people watched from yet another queue.

And to round up our visit, we booked to see Cirque du Soleil’s” Michael Jackson One” at the Mandalay Bay.  Having seen MJ live many years ago, it was interesting to see a hologram of his performance, which was very well done.  I was expecting more acrobatics from Cirque du Soleil, but it was mostly dancing and gymnastics with very little overhead performances, but still worth seeing. All shows are no longer than 90 minutes.  The reason for this was that while visitors are watching shows, they are not gambling – which apparently costs the casinos around $60,000 in lost revenue per night for every additional six minutes a performance runs!

Still there are plenty of restaurants to choose from.  My daughter always likes to visit Hard Rock Cafes wherever we travel – you’ll see we went to each one in the cities we visited! But we also found the Rainforest Café which was a trip down memory lane for us as we used to visit the restaurant in Manchester (now closed in the UK) when she was younger.

Did we see people behaving badly? Yes, a couple of times.  Obviously too much drink played a part in this and we saw a couple of girls inside our hotel throwing up in a very public place.  Another time we were queueing in Walgreens and someone (acting suspiciously) was asked to leave.  He threw a mega strop, pushed over a display stand and very aggressively got in the face of the poor (diminutive) girl who had asked him to go.

And would I go back?  I'm not a gambler - we had planned to have a lesson but never got round to it, so that part doesn't appeal to me.  I think it was a one-off ... I've wanted to go for so long, and I enjoyed it, but I doubt I will go return. We packed a lot into five days so maybe my next holidays will be a little more relaxed.

Final thoughts on Vegas:  It’s expensive ($65 for a small salad, a sandwich, two waters and two small strawberries dipped in chocolate at The Bellagio, but we had to do it!)  Fortunately, we didn’t feel like eating so much because of the heat, so just brunch and tea were ideal for us. We had tried to take in brunch at The Wynne which had also been recommended to us, but having queued for nearly two hours we hadn’t moved very far so we gave up.