Hawaii day 6

July 29

We went down to breakfast this morning to find scrambled eggs, pancakes, bacon, Portuguese sausage (what makes it Portuguese I don't know) , sweetened breakfast cereals, pineapple juice, milk coffee, toast ... and white rice. Many (perhaps it's fair to say most) of the hotel's guests are the "white rice" crowd. Razelle and I sat at a table with a view out the window and watched as passersby passed by.

Back in our room we considered what we'd like to do with ourselves this fine Friday before the evening arrived. We were scheduled to be the dinner guests of Donald Armstrong, the president of Congregation Sof Maarav, the Masorti Synagogue in Honolulu, and Sandy his wife at their home on the north shore of the island. We charted a course that would get us out of Honolulu and enable us to enjoy other parts of Oahu. But first, we stopped at a florist shop that was conveniently located nearby. Razelle purchased a lovely bouquet of native Hawaiian flowers to bring to our hosts. The florist added a large jar of water to stand the bouquet in because we said it would be several hours before we reached the Armstrong's home. I called Sandy to see if she might be home so we could drop the flowers off before we drove too far. No answer, so I left a message. While we were driving toward the Dole pineapple plantation she returned our call. We could bring the flowers to her home.

I turned the car around and we drove up and over the mountain behind Honolulu. The topography is absolutely breathtaking! Its sharpness contrasts dramatically with the gentleness of the big island's terrain. A wall of a mountain loomed before us and the highway punched right through it in a tunnel. Out the other side the sweeping vista of a picturesque blue bay opened up. I can understand why people would want to live here on this side of the island (more than I understand why they'd want to live in Honolulu).

As we approached Kailua, Razelle asked me to find a restroom. We came to a 7-Eleven. It had no public restroom. They suggested Razelle go to the hospital to find a bathroom. I couldn't get there easily with the instructions they gave Razelle so we next tried a KFC. They also had none. Each time we stopped Razelle's distress level increased. The third stop was a gas station/mini store. Razelle went in with her crutch this time, but was again told no; but now she broke down and cried out of acute distress and frightened the clerk into opening their private toilet to her. The clerk offered to call 9-1-1 for Razelle. Razelle was amazed that there were no restrooms around. The clerk said all the tourists hang out down by the beach, where public restrooms are located. She said Razelle was the first tourist who'd ever shown up at her store looking for a bathroom.

We dropped off the flowers at the Armstrong's home; then, considering where we were on Oahu, we decided to skip the Dole plantation and go instead to the Polynesian Culture Center. The road along the north shore to this attraction is not long, but the speed zone of 35 mph most of the way made getting there a time-consuming drive. The drive was along very beautiful real estate, and we took in the vistas and enjoyed the views.

  
 We reached the Polynesian Culture Center with only an hour available before we needed to drive back at the same slow speed without being late. An hour would not have done this place justice, so we didn't pay to go in. Near here we found a road-side fruit stand. I bought a pineapple for the Saturday pot-luck lunch at the synagogue while Razelle looked at the handicrafts being sold here. I hoped it was a good pineapple.

We made it back to the Armstrong's with time to spare and the opportunity to change clothes for Shabbat. Sandy immediately made us feel welcome. We chatted while she finished the final preparations of the meal. I helped her pick a papaya off her tree. Her husband Donald showed me around his garden of a backyard. He also has a few egg-laying chickens and some exotic pets in aquaria. Donald and I are such kindred spirits! Like me, when he and Sandy travel, they visit botanical gardens. Two other couples were invited this evening. Peter, who was a past president of the synagogue, and is an ex-marine, came with his wife Genevieve. Roger and Cindy are visiting from California. They had been to Maui and told of a horse-riding trip they took there, during which one of the riders in their party had been injured. It was quite a story!

The evening and the company were wonderful. Razelle was very moved to have travelled this far and found such nice people. We learned a lot about what a Jewish existence in Hawaii entails. It's a shame we couldn't spend more time with these nice people. They made such a good impression on us, and gave us the impression we had done the same for them. Sandy was so thrilled to have Israelis in her home. We hope some day we can reciprocate when Donald and Sandy visit Israel next.