Lunch and Diamond Head

Yesterday I met Klaus at the Royal Hawaiian hotel just before noon. We found a pretty elegant place that he had heard about and I bought us lunch. We discussed all sorts of things and enjoyed each other's company. At 3 PM it was time to say good bye. I told him that he is a good man. He knows that he can keep track of me via his friend who can access my blog. If I make it to Ecuador I will get him that Montecristi Panama hat that he has wanted for so long.

I then got on the bicycle and pushed on to to Diamond Head for a visit. The road passed through a tunnel through the side of the crater and led to the entry booth where I paid the $1.00 fee. The height of the crater varies: lower on the windward side, higher on the leeward side. The walk to the highest part of the crater took 20 minutes of brisk and strenuous walking, and included a walk through a pedestrian tunnel. The effort was worth the prize: 360 degree views. I could see past Pearl Harbor.

Diamond Head has history. It got its name from the early mistaken belief that some of the rocks were diamonds. It was once a military base with concrete observation posts whose remnants can be seen today. I saw no evidence of heavy gun emplacements.

The third photo from the top has the Ala Wai Boat Harbor in its center. Pachuca is 2/3 up the outermost set of slips, near the break water.

The fifth photo looks over the crater to Koko head.

The lower photos are of the elegant Royal Hawaiian Hotel.