Chinatown

Some of the activities we had planned or wanted to include have been derailed by Covid closures or restrictions, so we are having to be a bit more creative with our time. Today we visited Honolulu's Chinatown area.

We began at Foster Botanical Garden, which has little to do with China, but everything to do with preserving rare tropical plants and trees, especially those that are endangered in their natural habitat. We saw Bodi, Kapok, Tropical Almond, a whole bunch of different Palm trees, including the Loulu Palm, which is the only one actually native to Hawaii. 

We got a look at Taro plants, Macadamia Nut trees, Breadfruit, and Black Pepper, among many others. There was also a conservatory full of orchids and other tropical flowers, and a "butterfly garden" of flowers designed to attract (you guessed it) butterflies.

We found the garden so pleasant that, when we had finished our self-guided tour, we found a bench and read our books awhile in the shade of Brazilian nut tree.

After that respite, we left our car parked in a shady corner of the Garden's free lot and set out on foot to explore Chinatown. First stop was the Juan Yin Temple, a Buddhist sanctuary practically on the grounds of the Botanical Garden. It looked very similar to Buddhist temples in China, and was very active, with lots of incense burning and several people around engaged in prayers.

The rest of Chinatown gets two kinds of reviews on the tourist websites: Raves about how unique it is, and warnings of how dangerous it is. We found neither to be true. It's just a lot like China, with market stalls selling fresh vegetables, meats, and other stuff, a lot of people milling around, and yes, the occasional homeless panhandler. If one has never been to Asia, it probably seems very unique, and maybe even a bit scary to North Americans who haven't been in a Third World setting.

We got take-out from a very authentic little hole-in-the-wall Chinese restaurant that Mary had read about. It was hidden on a back street, but we found it by asking directions from a shopkeeper. The food was quite good. We would have eaten in, but it seemed rather close quarters. There were eleven people in the place, and the tables were crammed together in a space about the size of our bathroom at home. Even with a Covid vaccination, it seemed a bit much. Especially when everyone had masks off to eat.

After eating, we drove a short distance to National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. This national military cemetery is located in an extinct volcanic crater known as "The Punchbowl." It is on the opposite side of the city from Diamond Head, and possibly almost as tall. The view from here is pretty spectacular, looking across the city and Waikiki toward Diamond Head. The cemetery is quite large, and a bit unusual for a military cemetery, because the stones are all flat, in ground, rather than the usual upright white stones.

We spent a quiet afternoon at the condo and ate in, since we'd already had a big lunch. Our evening walk was along the Ala Was Promenade -- a walkway along a canal, the purpose of which we have not determined. It was a beautiful evening to be out in the fresh air.