We are now fully vaccinated and ready for travel. We have waited the required 10 days after our second dose of the Pfizer vaccine, tested negative on our PCR test and are now finally ready to vacation in Hawaii.

For this time period, we were originally scheduled to travel to Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Java, Borneo and Bali. But, that part of the world shut down international travel, so we sought an alternative vacation adventure. We have not been to Hawaii for over 30 years, so we were looking forward to seeing the changes and get some sun.

Cuenca, Ecuador has been getting colder each year, and the months from June through August are always the coldest months. Evelyn worked in downtown Honolulu for a few months in the 80s, and we went scuba diving on all of the Hawaiian islands in the 70s, so we have many fond memories. As we approached Oahu, we saw it from the air (bottom row), noting how tightly packed the populated areas are as well as appreciating the turquoise color of the tropical waters.

As we started to drive around the island, we kept seeing the British flag (above) everywhere. Being confused, we asked a local, and were chagrined to learn that this is the Hawaiin state flag… not the British flag…

The tradewinds around the island are strong and constant, so many of the flags are in the tattered state seen here.

Whenever we travel, one aspect we enjoy is checking out the real estate market in the area. We decided to investigate the market in Oahu, so we spent a few days seeing single family detached homes and condos. One of the condos had a window washer outside, on the 33rd floor (top). Others had fantastic views of the docks surrounding the Honolulu area.