Dateline
Honolulu, 3/29/2001 -- Did you know that the only royal palace on American
soil is in Honolulu? The Iolani Palace was built by King David Kalakaua
and completed in 1882. It had electricity before the White House or
Buckingham Palace; however, it cost $360,000 and nearly bankrupted the
Hawaiian people. Its charm continues to delight nearly 100, 000 visitors
a year who don paper booties to trod the royal floors without damaging
them. If you loved "Hawaii 5-0" on television, you'll
recognize the palace, as well as the Ilikai Hotel where cameras zoomed in on
Jack Lord scowling from the rooftop, and especially the Aloha Tower.
The
10-story Aloha Tower was once the tallest building in Honolulu. When is
was built in 1927, it functioned as the "control" tower for ship
traffic in Honolulu Harbor. It's a great vantage point to view the city,
all of Waikiki, and Diamond Head beyond.
What a wonderful way to
arrive in Hawaii... as one should, on a ship from the mainland.
And
what an arrival and welcome the passengers of the Statendam received.
Honolulu may just appear
to be another big city but it's so much more than that.
The spirit of Aloha
pervades all aspects of island life and infuses visitors with a sense of peace
and welcome.
No matter how Statendam's
passengers spent the day... maybe at the Polynesian Cultural Center or basking
on Waikiki, one of the most famous beaches in the world. A climb to the
top Diamond Head? (Sure! I've done it twice.) Some surely
visited the North Shore, where the Banzai Pipeline is exciting when
"surf's up!" And many no doubt paid homage to the
fallen sailors aboard the Arizona at Pearl Harbor's somber tribute to their
sacrifice or visited the scenic yet sobering Punchbowl National Cemetery.
All
visitors are welcomed with the spirit of Aloha...
It's said that when you
depart, if you toss a lei from your ship and it drifts toward Diamond Head
that you will return -- we hope the Statendam's passengers were fortunate to
see theirs predict a future visit.
ALOHA!
