wharf rat

According to the map the whole Volcano National Park is now closed. Mandatory evacuations going on now.

Sorry cccole ... it IS snowing on the big island. Really! Up on the mountain. All you need is a poncho, an umbrella, and old shoes you don't mind getting wet and muddy...

Kauai is getting hammered again as I type. So much damage. Many roads washed out. Many homeless as houses just washed away. I don't think there is much for tourists there now. Even part of Oahu is a disaster area. And today will bring a foot of snow to the Big Island. On all islands avoid going into the water/ocean/streams if they are brown. All that dirty runoff from the mountains is not healthy. This batch of rain is the next 3 days and then a break and then another round next week.

Some of the best luau's are the ones given by the civic organizations, the schools and the churches. Real Hawaiian foods and entertainment. And very cheap. They welcome all to their luau. The tourist ones are (in my belief - are well, touristy and not real). Google / bing local luaus. There is a big one at a school this weekend.

For the Botanically inclined there is a great garden full of tropical and Asian trees and flowers 'close' to downtown Honolulu.... And a real treat this week is a blooming of one of their rare 'corpse plants'. A real treat indeed if you have never "seen" one. This garden only costs $5 and is well worth it. Foster Botanical Garden. Lots of 'cheap' and interesting things to do on Oahu that are accessible by bus or a bit of walking Also recommend the Waikiki Zoo and the Waikiki Aquarium.

True. Snorkeling is a skill that must be acquired. Staying in shallow water, not panicking when a wave hits you, understanding your limits and abilities, etc. Regardless of the type of mask you use. I personally would not use the full face mask. I will stick to old style. In Japan I even found a mask that has a eye prescription in the glass so you can see without your specs.

Sad year so far for Maui. 10 tourist deaths.

Here is an excellent news clip from Hawaii TV station

http://www.kitv.com/story/37389688/a-deadly-start-for-hawaii-drownings

That issue & other ones are reasons that Snorkle Bob’s rentals does not have them & more information is in the 2nd link.

 

“Wintner said the carbon dioxide buildup “is profound,” and that the masks fog up. His team of experts, whom he called real “water dogs,” said they felt claustrophobic with the masks”.

Agree with you. That is what I have read and heard .. I will stick with the old style.

Several people in Hawaii have died recently from using the new full face mask vs the snorkel kind. CO2 builds up in the mask from your breath and people are not aware they are getting woozey. If you snorkel please use the old style eye/nose mask + snorkel.

MKMC... There are no transfers any more on thebus. All day pass is only $5.50 and if you have a Medicare card it is only $2.00. Lots of buses to lots of places via thebus. Would not mess with a car, parking in many places is a "pain". Don't have to park the bus.

Just on the local Hawaii news. The Arizona Memorial will be open thru Monday but after that ??? they do not know. The Mo and the Pacific Aviation Museum are privately owned but the shuttle leaves from the AZ Memorial property.

I am also a sea day cruiser. I love the repositioning cruises with lots of sea days. Have been to most ports and love to just see the sea.........Best cruise I ever took was an 11 day cruise from Japan to Hawaii - NO ports.

Perhaps get the city bus to as close as you can get, then getting a taxi the rest of the way? It is a most beautiful place to see and spend some quiet time.

wharf rat - I live in Los Angeles and went downtown today to the flower market and several other areas for shopping. If I assumed that when there is a homeless person or assault in downtown L.A. I should not even think of going downtown I would be missing out on a lot. We walked by a couple blocks of homeless tents today and counted our blessings. I do not mean to imply that every homeless person in Honolulu/Waikiki is harmless, but to insinuate that every homeless person is a danger to you, is in my opinion, a tragic exaggeration.

 

I respect your opinion of Honolulu and Waikiki but mine differs a bit. When we eat in Waikiki we usually have extra food and ask our servers for boxes so that we can leave the food for those that are less fortunate. The wait staff is so nice and put in extra napkins and utensils.

 

And, I have read the account of the stabbing last night. It DID NOT occur in Chinatown. It occurred in Kalihi, and friends driving the victim to the hospital stopped in Chinatown and asked police for help. That is when emergency personnel in Honolulu became involved. Possibly there was another stabbing that you are referring to?

 

I respect you wanting to advise visitors to Honolulu and Waikiki of possible crime, but when we travel anywhere in the world we should all be vigilant and do our research of the areas we will be visiting. I wish you a Mele Kalikimaka me ka Hau'oli Makahiki Hou. Cherie

There are different "kinds" of homeless, those who are temporarily job less or house less but willing to get back on their feet and these people are OK to be around. And there are the chronics who have been that way for years, and even decades. Also vagrants, mentally ill people, druggies, alcoholics, and gang members such as M-13. These people are to be avoided when ever possible. Potential visitors can read the daily paper here., StarAdvertiser and see the articles in there. Big problems with many "groups" of people.

I was referring to a stabbing on Nuuanu St which is the edge of Chinatown (it is in the paper) and also the web site KITV - a local TV station. Did not know about the Kalihi one. THat is where Liliha Bakery is (coco puffs).

I have done several tours there and loved them. When LOST was being filmed they had a LOST tour. Many films have been made at the ranch. You can see the dino footprints from Jurassic Park. Highly recommend the movie tour.

I hope that all the positive responses to this thread will be taken into consideration as well as the negative response. Re Chinatown...if anyone is there on the first Friday of a month Chinatown as a "First Friday of the Month" event which is fun. It is festive with live entertainment available. If you go on "First Friday" make dinner reservations ahead of time. There can be long waits for walk-ins at many restaurants. Cherie

If you live in Hawaii read this morning paper. Another stabbing in that area last night about 6 pm. It is a very sketchy area. Not worth going to any more (1st Friday is the only exception).

I hope that all the positive responses to this thread will be taken into consideration as well as the negative response. Re Chinatown...if anyone is there on the first Friday of a month Chinatown as a "First Friday of the Month" event which is fun. It is festive with live entertainment available. If you go on "First Friday" make dinner reservations ahead of time. There can be long waits for walk-ins at many restaurants. Cherie

First Friday is indeed fun. Thousands of people are wandering the streets. Not so for the other 30 days of the month. More like sleeping in doorways, not eating in restaurants. A lot of police and guards are there on 1st Friday, not so on the other 30 days.

Wow! How times have changed since 2 years ago when DW and I last visited Honolulu. :eek: DW and I never had an issue with homeless, aggressive panhandlers, or overt drug activity around the Palace or Chinatown in 20+ years. And, we walked around in those areas day and night without fear of our safety.

But, we did notice the Waikiki area was getting just as bad. Overt street prostitutes, sex massage parlors, displays of public drunkenness, open drug selling, street crime, and locals and tourists generally behaving badly. :eek:

 

So, are you suggesting that the OP pass on a visit to Iolani Palace? And, Chinatown?

Mahalo.

Iolani Palace is OK, Chinatown is some 8 blocks away and is bad now. Hawaii has the worse homeless/vagrant problem in the US - per capita. Aggressive people all over the place now. Yes, Waikiki is getting bad again. There have been at least 3 stabbings in Chinatown recently. I used to shop there but no more. It is dirty and smells bad all the time. There are laws but most are not enforced by the police. The few shelters are full and those people do not want to go there anyway. But the Palace area - which is near the State Capital Building is OK. Just watch your belongings. Just be aware of your surroundings.

Quite frankly I would avoid going to Chinatown now (way too many homeless there now, and open drug activity), and avoid the Library across from the Palace (due to same reasons). Even the Palace grounds around the edges is sketchy now. And please do not offer any money to any of them.

Like other poster said , malasadas are great when they are warm and just made, but cold they are just sugery greasy balls of dough. Coco puffs are great cold.....

Those coco puffs are so yummy. Some Tourist buses go to the bakery where they are made and sold. Sometimes "Danno" on Hawaii 5 -0 brings them to work. Easy to get there by local bus. #13 bus stops real close.

Liliha Bakery Coco Puffs. So yummy......

I always put several empty bottles (with caps) in luggage and then filled them in the gym/jogging deck area daily.. Never failed to work....

There are strict regulations as the number of people who allowed to go to the summit every morning. It got way too crowded and way too popular. It is a very "tough" bike ride down. Only for experienced riders. And yes cold.

There still are a few stalls but the main International Market Place where they all were is now a very high class place with high class stores and restaurants. From your dock - which I assume is either Aloha Tower or the "Warehouse" pier you can easily get a city bus to Waikiki. Just walk out to the main road and get any bus that says Waikiki on it. Costs $5 for a day bus pass but if you have a Medicare card it is only $2 for the pass. Takes about 20 minutes to get there.....