We arrived in Hawaii on a sunny evening on December 2, with the temperature in the lower 80's and humidity at a stifling level. Our Santa Barbara friend, Janette, who was also on the island (she grew up here), chauffeured us from the airport to our elegant studio apartment in the heart of residential Kailua. She handed us a bag of luscious local fruit - mangoes, papayas and bananas -the special variety that are thick and short called apple bananas. The tropics in midwinter! Plumeria scented air, swaying palms, bright flowers of ginger plants in the garden at our apartment's entrance - my brain instantly fell into vacation mode.
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| Kailua Beach at Sunrise |
We awoke at sunrise on our first morning and marched through the elegant neighborhood down to Kailua Beach. The sand, powdery and white and the water, a thrilling turquoise, gave me goosebumps. Especially because the volcanic landscape around the crescent shaped beach was unspoiled. Here, on the windward coast of Oahu there were no high rise resorts. Beyond the reef we could see huge waves breaking over the wall of coral. At this early hour the air temperature was perfect. We removed our sandals, feet sinking into soft sand, a sensation that would be worth paying money for. Many locals were on the beach walking their dogs, their friendly smiles and greetings offering a reassurance of a blissful last phase of our time away from home.
We acquired Holo cards and hopped on a bus to Honolulu on our first Saturday. We rode through the Pali Pass, awestruck by the scenery. Vertical volcanic flanks and deep, lush valleys. Neighborhoods tucked into valley folds, dense vegetation from ample rain, and the ocean visible even from the heart of the island. We strolled through the Chinatown part of downtown, absorbing the authentic exoticism in which we were immersed. Too bad we couldn't go wild stocking up on produce from the open market stalls. The stores were entertaining too with their unbelievable inventory of Asian culinary items.
From Chinatown we hopped on a bus to Waikiki, where we whiled away much of the day. It was so different to what I'd experienced back in Jan 2020. A fraction of the tourists. No vivacious Asian tour groups. Quiet streets. Empty restaurants. At the International Marketplace we gawked at the enormous banyan tree and admired paintings of the island's landscape at a gallery.
The weather changed abruptly two days after our arrival. An epic storm system rolled over the archipelago. Rain pelted down for days. Hawaii was no paradise as gusty winds, cool temperatures, a rough ocean and power losses greeted us. The governor issued a warning about high bacteria levels in the ocean making it unsafe to go into the water. Due to flood watches, fallen palm fronds, tree limbs, etc we were stuck indoors. The two beaches near us - Kailua Beach and Lanikai Beach - have a reputation for being the prettiest ones on Oahu. The sand is white, powdery, soft and the water normally turquoise and calm. But during and after the storms that had made national news, the water turned brown and rough.
Car rental in these pandemic times had become a challenge. Agencies faced a dual hardship, first due to a lack of business when nobody was traveling in 2020 and then, when travel resumed in early 2021, they had to deal with a greatly reduced inventory due to fewer cars manufactured at factories. When we looked into car rental for our Hawaii trip the prices that came up were shocking. Then, through the Kayak website, we discovered Turo, an online car rental agency where individuals rent out their private cars at budget rates. While in Kailua we rented a car multiple times from private individuals who lived near our Airbnb apartment.
On our first driving excursion, when the sky finally had more blue than grey, we explored the southern part of Oahu. On the Makapuu Lighthouse trail - incredibly popular on a Saturday morning - we trudged up the steep incline for stupendous views. Continuing south, Koko Head, the highest peak on the island, dominated the landscape. We stopped at Sandy Beach to wash off the mud that stuck to our shoes from the hike. After a rugged coastal stretch we arrived at the KCC farmers market at the foot of Diamond Head.
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| Koko Head Crater |
We stocked up on local produce - tropical fruits, okra, eggplant and green beans - before continuing west, through Honolulu and onto the Pali highway back to Kailua.
On another day we drove on the impressive H3 highway which took us through a stunning tunnel. Then we looped up to the North Shore, hung out at the peaceful Haleiwa Beach Park, continued on to Sunset Beach for a stroll and to check out the famous towering waves, and made one more stop at Turtle Bay Resort. A spectacular setting for the lone 5 star resort at this untamed part of the island. Though the ocean here was rough in the winter months, there were pools created by reefs that were perfect for swimming. The lobby area of the resort was huge with inviting lounge areas, a bar and a café, all facing the ocean.
Heading east to the windward side on the north shore coastal road - the Kamehameha Highway - the scenery was constantly entertaining. Calm bays fringed by mangrove swamps gave way to rough ocean. We drove past shrimp trucks, fruit stands, small towns, and parks.
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| North Shore, Oahu |
A week later we were back at Turtle Bay Resort to dine at the upmarket restaurant owned by Roy Yamaguchi, Hawaii’s most well-known chef. Its location, right on the beach, guaranteed an experience to savor. We arrived in the middle of the afternoon to enjoy the public park and beaches adjacent to the resort. Just before dinner we strolled through the landscaped section of the resort. A bench on a point begged to be sat on. We gazed at the vast expanse of choppy blue water below us. Suddenly a humpback whale breached. A spellbinding moment. Seconds later it emerged from the water again. And again.
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| Maitai at Turtle Bay |
The memory of that outing lingered and on Christmas Day we returned to Turtle Bay where the variety of ways to while away time ensured a great day. We spent a fair amount of time just sitting on our beach chairs eating, reading and watching the surf. The air temperature was beautifully mild. After lunch we went on a gentle hike, following the trail along the coast, to the northernmost point of Oahu. From here we headed inland, into a pine forest before looping back to the coast. Late afternoon we went into the natural pool for a swim. By then the air temperature had dropped to the point that we were chilled in the water. until we got home and under a hot shower!
On the weekend after Christmas we drove to the westernmost part of the north shore and hiked the Ka'ena Point trail. Because of the intense heat that guaranteed a migraine for me we couldn't do the full trail. Most disappointing. However, every time we looked at the ocean we saw whales in action. Such a joy! The scenery, too, was just so stunning.
On the drive back to Kailua from Ka'ena we had a memorable meal experience at a vegetarian Indian restaurant called Maharaja's in a funky town just past the Dole Plantation. It was a humble, informal place, buffet style, allowing for choice and quantity and you paid by weight. Though they'd run out of their best items when we had arrived at 6:00, the food was delicious - flavorful, but not hot. The owner told us the chef was Bengali. "Better to come at lunch time when everything is still fresh and plentiful," she advised.
We enjoyed this authentic, non-tourist piece of the island.
While weekends were for excursions around the island, on weekdays we spent much of the day in the apartment engaged in our individual projects. I did a lot of reading. I went on a Damon Galgut kick after reading The Promise for which the author had recently won the Booker Prize. I admired his writing style. Also, his post-apartheid themes and South African settings were of particular interest to me.
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| Lanikai Beach |
Late afternoon we donned bathing suits and strolled to Kailua Beach most days. Sometimes we went further - to Lanikai Beach which was always much calmer. Even though we were on these beaches every day we were always struck by the overwhelming beauty. Early in December the afternoons were blustery and windsurfers made for a colorful sight on the water. Later in the month, the weather stabilized, the water grew calmer and the beaches became quite crowded. Much of the beach was in shade at that time of day, allowing for enjoyable long walks which ended in a refreshing dip in the calm water. On our walk back to the apartment the Pali would take on compelling shades as the sun disappeared.
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| Sunset from a fine Italian Restaurant near Waikiki Beach |
A month of immersion in such intense natural beauty was truly a privilege. Especially during a pandemic.
Omicron
Covid news all December was dominated by the Omicron variant. One scientist compared the pandemic to a game of Snakes and Ladders. With the Delta variant we landed on a snake and had to go back in our progress. In early December nobody could tell what square Omicron landed on.
For the first half of December 2021 we anxiously observed what the new "scariant" was unleashing in South Africa. Their positivity rate hit 34%. Their daily case numbers doubled every 3 days, though the reported counts didn't reflect reality. Infectious diseases experts interviewed on South African news stations compared the surge to a tornado sweeping across the country. A significant percentage of the population were either asymptomatic or experienced mild symptoms and never bothered to get tested. Apart from urging mask wearing and avoiding crowded indoor spaces, no restrictions were imposed by the government. The country's health experts projected hope as they observed a different landscape to previous variant driven surges. Hospitalizations were low, symptoms were mild, ICU's weren't in demand. Their initial assessments were holding true. The experts pointed to high seroprevalence in the population to explain the phenomenon. Over 70% of South Africans had been previously infected by the coronavirus. A third of the population was fully vaccinated.
In mid-December when South Africa reached its omicron peak, the variant had penetrated every country in the world, despite travel bans to southern African countries. Europe was in the grips of a winter Delta spike. In the US covid cases were rising too, driven by the Delta variant. Once omicron entered the scene everyone held their breath. In South Africa delta was pretty much nonexistent. As Christmas approached and South Africa began a steep descent in covid numbers, it became clear that omicron would wipe out delta. Meanwhile, hospitals were still treating patients sickened by the delta variant. Exasperatingly, everyone could be infected by the new version of the coronavirus.
By early January much of the world was in the grips of omicron. Even Australia was struggling with eye-popping new daily cases. France, Italy and the UK were reporting over 200,000 new daily cases. The US breached a million new daily cases. The consequences were different in this wave. Now there was a shortage of personnel everywhere - in health care settings, services, all industries. Airlines had to cancel flights due to the large number of covid infected crew. Broadway shows were cancelled. Stores endured supply shortages. Hospitals were short staffed. Nevertheless, life appeared normal. Lockdowns and stay at home orders belonged to 2020. Government intervention was to urge vaccination, masking, testing when symptomatic, promising better supplies of rapid home test kits and beefing up hospital resources.
Despite the heavy prevalence of the disease we were undoubtedly in a new stage of the pandemic. Everyone felt sure the January crisis would be short-lived. South Africa's 4th wave was described by a heath official as an "ice-pick". Other countries hoped for the same. We kept hearing about endemicity as the pandemic's end game. And Omicron, a hyper transmissible variant, was perhaps a gift, that hastened the process. In the game of Snakes and Ladders, we may have landed on a ladder!
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