We arrived in Honolulu and docked adjacent to the iconic Aloha Tower at ten a.m.  The ship was quickly cleared by customs, and disembarkation was easy since it was via gangplank and not tender.  

As carefully as I’d planned for the trip, I still managed to forget a couple of things.  So, our first stop was at the conveniently located WalMart . . . . just two blocks from the ship.  As we waited to cross the street, an ambulance carrying the critically ill patient announced its presence with a siren and sped toward the hospital.  The humidity and heat soon had me dripping with perspiration.  We trekked back to the ship with our diet tonic water, distilled water (for my cPap machine) and the vitamin supplements we’d forgotten to pack.  Thankfully the prices weren’t as bad as we expected.
After re-hydrating with iced tea, we set out to explore a bit. 

What looks like it used to be a shopping center is now the Aloha Tower Marketplace and home to Hawaii Pacific University as well as The Old Spaghetti Factory, Gordon Biersch, Nashville, Pier 9 by Sam Choy, Hooters, and a Barnes and Noble College Store that is open to the public.  We opted for Hooters because it was open air and had a nice view.  The sign that said, “Caution . . . Blondes Thinking,”  made perfect sense once our server took our order.  She was sweet, pretty and well endowed, but not the brightest bulb.  

We were entertained by the industrious pigeon!

Aloha Tower is a welcoming sight at all hours.

We enjoyed dinner in the lido followed with entertainment by Nathan Samuelson, a very talented young trumpet player.   We enjoyed the evening view of Aloha Tower.  Walking in the heat sapped our energy and we were ready for bed early!