Why Hawaii?!

Why do you always go to Hawaii to escape from the cold? my husband asks me. There are other warm places that aren't that far away..

He's right: It is a long way to fly. I don't enjoy sitting cramped in a plane for 12 hours (more or less) - the time it takes to get from eastern Ontario to the middle of the Pacific.  

But until now, this hasn't been a deterrent, only a slight inconvenience outweighed by the things I really enjoy.

My generation grew up fascinated by the Polynesian culture: we enjoyed movies about the South Pacific. (My mother even tried to learn to play Hawaiian guitar.)

 

Hawaii is warm and beautiful... And Hawaiians speak English! (If I spoke Spanish, maybe Cuba would have more appeal.)

I've never felt unsafe in Honolulu. People are friendly. There are fun things to do. (Free workshops in lei making and introductory ukelele classes for beginners are two activities we did this visit.)

Most of the time we are outdoors walking, exploring Waikiki beach and the downtown core.

Hawaii has an interesting history - though some parts are sad.








 

Two of my favorite times of the day are sunrise and sunset, when I sit outdoors on the balcony (without a coat or hat), listening to waking birds  beginning to chirp - and later settling down for the night.

The food is familiar...

What more could a snow bird ask for?!