pilgrims: 2009

Our friends Mel and Mim, our hosts in Hawaii - they were both colleagues of Phil's at Uni of Canberra many years ago but have kept in touch.

A lovely welcome lei.

The beach near Mel and Mim's and the spot for our daily swim - a blissful 26deg in the water.

We spent a great evening at the Sheraton listening to these guys sing local songs.

The clouds never lifted form the tops of these mountains behind Mel and Mim's the whole week.

A local twist on eco lodge accommodation.

No visit to Hawaii would be complete withou a visit to Waikiki - yes it is VERY touristy but still a great place for a drink and a spot of people watching. Notice the tip of Diamond Head in the background - we climbed it later in the week.

Visiting the American War cemetry with Mim.

Spent a couple of hours in the Art Gallery - lovely collection of impressionists and some Dale Chihully glass - the only negative - we got a $50 parking fine while we were there - we obeyed the sign that said ' max 2 hours' but didn't read the one that said 'clearway after 4pm' - luckily the policeman was still on the phone ordering the towtruck when we turned up otherwise we would have been in for an even bigger shock.

Looking down from the top of Diamond Head - quite a climb but weel worth it.

Great snorkelling at Huanan Bay.

Visiting Pearl Harbour breaks your heart - the thought of the bodies of all those young men still below the waves.

At the Dole pineapple plantation.

This is a photo for Christy and Andy who LOVE hibiscus and manage to grow quite a few indoors in England - they don't thrive quite like these though.

We spent several hours at the Polynesian Village which showcases the arts and crafts of about 10 different countries of the Pacific region - a really enjoyable experience and the gardens are just delightful.

This girl is from Mongolia - hard to imagine a bigger cultural leap - not to mention the change in climate. All the staff at the Village are also students at the adjacent Mormon Uni and will return to their home countries once they graduate.

This is the old pedal organ in the chapel in the Polynesian Village - my mother will recognise it instantly - she played one for MANY years at the Banyo bapist Church in Brisbane and I slept/played/yelled next to the pedals form when I was 2 weeks old.

The main reason for visiting Los Angeles was to visit Phil's grandson Alex who has been studying guitar there for the past year. He is an amazingly skilful and musical guitarist. This is a very poor picture ( late evening) of the house he shares with 2 other lads - just 2 blocks off Hollywood Blvd - great location and really interesting place - it would be fabulous if it was restored but then students would never be able to afford it!!

The cafe where we went to listen to Alex's gig.

Dontown LA has been transformed since I was last there almost 40 years ago - then it was very seedy and felt quite threatening. So many modern buildings now but a few old remants as well but generally well kept and it feels safe.