My Hawaiian Vacay : Day Eight

The most difficult thing I did today was two loads of laundry in the hotel laundromat...adjacent to the pool. All day in my bathing suit, the sun, a cool refreshing beverage, and a book. Finished the biography of Cornelia Fort that I purchased at the Pacific Aviation Museum the other day.

Cornelia Fort (1919-1943) was one of the first female Army pilots, but prior to her assignment to the WAFS, she was in the air over Pearl Harbor ( as a flight instructor) on December 7, 1941 when the Japanese attacked. She dodged the bullets from a Japanese plane intent on destroying the airstrip, taking the controls from her student pilot and landing them safely while Pearl Harbor was under siege. There is an exhibit at the museum featuring the women pilots who ferried planes from factory to airfields during WW2. Cornelia is a fascinating female figure of history and I've thoroughly enjoyed Rob Simbecks bio, 'Daughter of the Air.'

The search for a decent meal under a $100 dollars consumes most of our afternoon once Paul returns from work. On one of my trips downtown on the bus, I spied an Asian restaurant that had a line out the door of waiting customers...always a good sign. And it's a few blocks off the Waikiki strip, which usually means less expensive prices.

MarukameUDON; Chinese noodles, made fresh right before your eyes. A variety of broth, sauces, fresh veggies, and crunchy tempura. Bingo! Another dinner under $20; and it was cafeteria style, so no tipping.

We strolled back through Kings Plaza only to find a Farmers Market in progress with every conceivable kind of freshly prepared Asian food! Fresh fruit, tapioca, salads, veggies, and desserts....oh the desserts!

The custard type Hawaiian cake is densely sweet...we chose coconut and passion fruit. The Hawaiian donut, called malasadas, is heavenly confection dusted w sugar and some stuffed with flavored crime....I chose mango creme. We had the custard cake for dessert...saving the malasadas to accompany tomorrow's rich Kona coffee.

I'm partial to the native food we have had thus far...its fresh, sweet, and richly flavorful. I've also developed a fondness for the hotels Mai Tai Punch

When I return home I'm going to expect a cabana boy to serve me Mai Tai punch, someone to make my bed each morning and make sure the toilet paper has that nice little point on it.

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