Waikiki beach is fairly unspectacular. There's quite a slope to the beach due to considerable wave action. Once in waist deep water you come across lots of rocks. (For my info only)

 Aside from Elenka, and a few pious others, many of us remember our younger days when we'd flop into bed at three or four in the morning after drinking pails of beer and then have to wake up by seven or so to get ready for work. The head would have that empty cotton batten feel to it; the mouth like a bird had nested in it; the legs all rubbery and weak. Being at sea in rough conditions – except for the nest-in-mouth – isn't too far different...

Ellen and I flew with Jim and Mary non-stop to Honolulu. The following morning we flew to Kauai, stayed at a nice semi-detached type place and did the craziest damn walk up mountain. An airplane was flying around way below where we stood, atop the bloody thing. From there we flew to the Big Island. This is where we stayed at the artist's house, outside the town of Volcano, that was covered in windows. The house, which was relatively new, was like an echo ch...