Hawaii with Don Ho

About two years after my husband passed away, Ann said to me, “Mom, I remember, as a child, you were always saying to Dad, `I would like to take a cruise to the Caribbean or go to Hawaii', but you never went on a big trip. Dick and I would like to make your dream come true. We are planning a trip to Hawaii. If you would like to go just let us know within ten days because we will have to buy plane tickets and make reservations.” I called Ann and told her that I would love to go with them to Hawaii. They were happy to hear that.

On October 12, 1976, they drove to Closter and put their car in my garage. Carmela took us to Newark Airport and saw us off. Of course, I prayed from the minute we left until we came back. We didn't even have to climb steps to get into the airplane. We just went to a waiting room and when they said we could board the plane we just walked down a long corridor and it took us right into the plane. This was my first time in an airplane. I was a little scared. I tried to be brave, because I didn't want Ann or Dick to feel sorry they took me along. We went in a 707 on American Airlines. We were sitting together, there were three seats on each side. We had the front seat right near the bar and bathroom. When the airplane first went up my ears were ringing. Ann said, “Put chewing gum or candy in your mouth, it will help.” I was glad all three of us sat together.

I told the stewardess I had sugar diabetes so she gave me special food. She said I was taking the flight very well for my first time on an airplane. They served drinks, gave us good meals, and magazines to read.

We had a lovely view from our window. It is fantastic to see all the white clouds and mountains for miles and miles below. We stopped over in San Francisco for 45 minutes to get fuel and change crews. It was terribly hot in San Francisco. We got back on the plane and went straight to Hawaii over the Pacific Ocean. It was a smooth trip. The airplane was just fine. The stewardesses were sociable. I hadn't drunk any liquor or anything else. One of the stewardesses said, “Madam, you must be dry, not drinking for such a long time. Let me get you a glass of 7-up.” I said, “Yes, please.” My throat felt much better after drinking the 7-up.

We arrived in Hawaii about 9:00 p.m. Hawaii time. The airport was lovely. When we got out of the plane, Hawaiian boys and girls came to meet us. They put a lei around my neck. The boys put them around the women's necks and the girls around the men's necks. A photographer took pictures while this was going on. The next day we saw the picture at our hotel. I bought mine.

At first I was surprised, the place looked like New York City with its high buildings and busy streets. A bus picked us up and took us to our hotel. The hotel is owned by Sheraton and is called Princess Kaiuhani. It is in the heart of Waikiki. We had beautiful rooms with a balcony. When I sat there I could see the streets and houses on the side of the mountains. They made beautiful views. I was tired so I went to bed. Ann and Dick went out and walked around.

October 13, 1976, was our first day in Hawaii. In the morning we got up and went for breakfast. We went exploring the pool and the area around it. Then we went across the street to see the Pacific Ocean. When we came back to the hotel we all gathered in a room where tour guides told us what was going on: when and where and how to get there.

Hawaii has many beautiful restaurants of all nationalities. There are night clubs, gift shops and plenty of tours. You keep going all day and all night. We usually had lunch at a nice restaurant right near the hotel, called the Colonial. I was careful as possible of what I ate on account of my sugar diabetes. I usually had lettuce, a few wedges of tomatoes and cottage cheese for lunch. We would have a full meal at night.

After lunch we got on a bus and we rode around to see different places. We saw the hut that Stevenson lived in while he wrote his books. It had only the mere comforts of life. It was a quiet place. The scenery around it was very peaceful. The Salvation Army organization owns an orphanage not far from Stevenson's hut. We saw the cemetery where thousands of American boys are buried. They were captured by the Japanese in Iwo Jima. The memorial in the cemetery is huge. It is sad to see how many of our boys gave their lives for our country.

At 7:30 p.m. we got on a different bus and went to a Hawaiian restaurant for dinner. The food was mostly Polynesian; it was good. Then we saw a show at 9:00 p.m. The show was in a nightclub called Don Ho. We had cocktails. The show was terrific. During the show all the grandmothers were called to the stage. I went on the stage; we all had gowns on. Don Ho looked us over and picked me to go up front with him. He kissed me and can he kiss! Then we did a little act. He asked me to put my hands in his pockets. Then he asked everyone to clap. Of course, I tried to clap my hands on his thighs. He looked at me and said, “I did not ask you to clap.” Everyone roared. Then he said to me, “Don't take anything out of my pockets when you take your hands out.”

I answered, “Your pockets are empty.”

Then he whispered, “Don't ever be afraid to get on a stage. You are good.”

I was given a bottle of champagne for being chosen to stand with Don Ho. I was thrilled about being chosen. Ann and Dick were very excited about the whole thing. I gave Dick the bottle of champagne. A photographer took a picture of Don Ho kissing me. Dick paid for the picture. I shall treasure it. We didn't get back to the hotel until two in the morning. I felt as though I was a night owl.

On October 14, we got up and went to breakfast. Dick and Ann went to play tennis. I stayed at the hotel. I put on my bathing suit and went to sit at the pool in the sun. I went in the water several times. The sun felt good on my body. I also started to read a book. Dick and Ann came back in time for lunch. After lunch we got on a bus that took us to a boat basin. We got on a big boat. The boat had drinks and food you could buy. The boat trip was about one hour. A tour guide talked all about Pearl Harbor. We saw all the places the war was fought. A large memorial was built right in the ocean where the ships were sunk and all our men died. It is very sad to see all the destruction of war. About 4:00 p.m. we got back to the hotel. We took showers and rested a while, then we got dressed and went for supper, mostly Oriental food. I ordered broiled squab and a vegetable salad. It was very tasty. Not far from the restaurant there was a very big shopping center called Kings Alley. Ann bought gifts to take home. I did a little shopping, then my feet started to hurt, so we went back to the hotel. We got back about 10:30 p.m. and went to bed. It is wonderful and a pleasure to write down the happy times I'm having from day to day.

One of the mornings Dick left at 7:30 a.m. to go on a cruise to tour a different island. Ann and I went for breakfast. Then we went to Kings Alley to do more gift shopping. Well, I have never before seen such beautiful shops. Ann bought a lovely Hawaiian dress and one for her eight-year-old daughter, a shirt for her son John, and many more gifts for the rest of the children. When we finished shopping, Ann and I went back to the hotel, freshened up and had a delightful lunch. We put on our bathing suits and went into the pool. Later, we went to the Pacific Ocean beach and lay in the sand for about two hours. It was very restful. Dick came back from his tour at about 7:00 p.m. He said he had had a nice day. We walked to a place called Fishermen's Market for dinner. It is a fancy restaurant. I had swordfish, Ann and Dick had Polynesian food. It was a long walk back to the hotel so we took a taxi.

Once a year they celebrate with bands and different dancing acts, right on the street. They build stands all along the streets; some streets are closed for the affair. There was a parade on from early morning. We watched the parade. The floats were beautiful; they were all made with real flowers. The costumes the people wore were fantastic. All kinds of organizations were represented. The Lions Club was in the parade with many lovely horses and riders.

On October 16, after a restful night, we got up and went for breakfast. Ann and Dick went to play tennis again. I went to sit around the pool in my bathing suit, enjoying the sun and reading a book called King of the Gypsies, a very interesting book. Ann and Dick came back in time to have lunch. Then we all went on a bus to take a tour of a Polynesian center. It took us an hour and a half to get there. We saw small villages and how the Hawaiian people really lived. The center is a reminder of the old ways. The Polynesians really used to live in homes made of grass. The center is preserved, it is the best way they can show people how they used to live. They gave a show in the river on long boats. On these long boats men and women did dances of their gone-by days. They did the Hula dances, their outfits were very lovely. The women were pretty. The boats kept going back and forth in the river while the dances were going on. We sat on the grass along side of the river. The grounds are kept very clean. We then boarded a small open bus. The bus stopped here and there to show us spots of interest. We stopped to see a beautiful Mormon temple. We went in one building. A man told us all about the Mormons. They were good to the natives and many of them had become Mormons. The inside of the temple was very nice. The Mormons built a large university. Anyone who is part Mormon can go there for $500, room and board. The students come from anywhere in the United States. They claim they are helping the young people out.

We all went to a large restaurant and had a Polynesian supper. It was very good. After supper we went to a show that was out of this world. The setting was outside. We all sat on chairs in a place with a covered top. The scenery was fantastic, so beautiful it is hard to explain. They danced, sang, and did all different acts in Polynesian, Japanese, Philippine, and Chinese. We were all taken by the beauty of it all. We got back to the hotel about 11:30 p.m., tired, but very happy. Dick and Ann were wonderful, helping me around. I could never have done it if I were alone.

On October 17, we went to breakfast about 9:30 a.m. Dick rented a car. We went to mass and took communion at a very nice church. On our way out I bought a little book showing pictures of the extraordinary windows in the church and chapel. The book also told all about the church. After mass we went shopping for some pictures to take home for gifts. There was an out-of-doors art show all along a road. I bought four beautiful water color paintings. Ann chose a small oil painting. We went to lunch and then Dick drove us to see a pineapple grove. They had acres and acres of pineapples. They gave us a drink of pineapple juice; it was sweet and tasty. They also had a gift shop there. I bought some pineapples made out of wood for decorations. I gave some as gifts. We also got to see how the people lived in villages; it was much different than in the city. We rode around to see wild flowers and plants. We took an open bus to see many beautiful waterfalls. We had supper, went to the hotel to shower and went to bed. We had to start on our next tour at 5:30 a.m. on October 18.

It was difficult to get up at 4:30 a.m., wash up, get dressed and walk to get a bus at 5:30 a.m. We rode to an airport and got on an airplane called King Hawaii from the Aloha Company. We arrived in Kauai about 7:00 a.m. We all went for breakfast in a big restaurant. Then we got on a bus. It took us through the villages that were built in very deep country. The houses are made of wood and built on stilts, so when the floods come they won't flood their homes. The people are plain but very courteous. We went to a country market where they sold gifts. The people there call us cousins because Hawaii is part of the United States. They are happy people. We went to see volcanoes. Two have erupted recently, one in 1969 and the other in 1974. They are really something to see. The ground is jet black earth for miles and miles around in every direction. Everything is charred and burnt. Nothing will be able to grow there for many years. We picked up a few pieces of volcanic rock to take home as souveniers. They are very light weight. I had read about volcanoes but I never dreamed they looked the way they do. We had lunch near the volcano sights. After lunch we went back to the bus. After one hour of travel we got on another small plane; we were on the plane about 45 minutes. We arrived at another small island. They don't allow high rise buildings on this island, just one high rise is there. The hotels are four stories high. Every island is full of industries, the sugar and pineapple industries are first on the list. The buildings are very modern looking. We stayed in Honolulu. It is more like New York City, only it is full of beautiful palm trees. Honolulu is the capital of Hawaii.

After all this we took a boat ride on a river. The scenery was lovely along the shore. There were singers and dancers on the boat for our enjoyment. We anchored and guides took us around to see all the different landmarks. In the forest there is a place where people sometimes have their weddings. They believe if they get married there they will be blessed with good luck. It really is beautiful in this natural setting. When we got on the boat to go back downstream, another boat arrived. It had a bride and groom, bridesmaids and the whole wedding party. They had come from Japan to have their wedding here. Too bad we couldn't see the ceremony. After the boat ride back we went to a fancy restaurant and had a delicious supper. We met several people and said hello. Everyone was nice to one another. We were all there for the same reason, to enjoy ourselves. At seven that night we went to an outdoor show. The show was outstanding. They danced many dances from different countries. We could see the actors coming down along the mountainside with torches in their hands. You would have to see it to believe it. We boarded a bus again and went to the airport to get on a small plane to go back to Honolulu. It was a wonderful day, full of sights and surprises.

The next day we mostly walked around the hotel and said good bye to many friends we had made. We took many pictures while in Hawaii, so we shall never forget the lovely trip. At 4:30 we got on a bus and went to the airport. We got on the air-plane at 7:00 p.m. We flew for five hours, then the plane landed in San Francisco to refuel and change hosts; this time they were young men. We got back on the plane and got our regular front seat. The flight was six hours. It is a long and tiring ride. I didn't sleep too much. We arrived at Newark Airport at noon. Carmela was there right on time to pick us up.

When we arrived it was raining and cold. We felt like turning around and going back to the beautiful weather in Honolulu. Carmela had a lunch ready for us at my house. Ann and Dick had lunch, stayed a while and then they were anxious to get home to their six children. They had hired a woman to stay at their home while they were away. I thank Ann and Dick for helping my dream come true. I shall cherish this memory forever. All my children were glad to see me back.