A New Perspective outside Waikiki

[schlomo]

A New Perspective outside Waikiki

Until recently, my wife and I (snow birds from North Carolina) had never visited Koko Head Botanical Gardens in the summer. The main attraction for us at other times of the year was the cactus section featuring a variety of small mushroom-shaped runts interspersed within mammoth phantasmagorically contorted cacti that provided a stark background to the lush Koko Head Mountain Crater.

But just before all parks and gardens were closed because of the huge spike in COVID-19 cases, my wife and I ventured into Koko Head Botanical Gardens during the first week of August. What a change! The thickets of Plumeria trees, sparsely bloomed at other times of the year, had a kaleidoscopic efflorescence of white, maroon, and yellow flowers. It was a luxurious wonderland.

When we trekked up to the cacti, there were no surprises. But the once verdant mountains were significantly different. They looked dreary (only a smidgeon of rain had fallen in the summer) and bleak, and blackened, almost like the volcanic rocks that punctuate the shoreline. It was an eerie sight, stunningly forbidding.

On our way back, we encountered more people than we had even seen before in our visits. Some wore masks, some didn’t. There was lots of room to bypass everyone. But as we approached the exit, a group of unmasked people blocked the way: a little girl and three women. A lithesome young lady was so enamored of the scenery and of herself that she coaxed one of the other women to take her photo in front of every Plumeria tree nearby. Throughout all of her poses, the vain young woman slowly and seductively adjusted her hair and the straps of her top. My wife and I patiently waited until the group scattered on different paths.

Despite the delay at the end of our trip, my wife and I were delighted that we finally had a chance to see the metamorphosis of Koko Head Botanical Gardens and the Koko Head Mountain Crater.

While the temperature changes in Oahu are within a ten-degree range throughout the year, the variations of scenery can be dramatic. Vive la difference!

[schlomo]

Additional detail about the young lady on the trail:

But even more revealing, for every picture, she bent over (she was wearing short shorts), rummaged in her designer bag to pull out 6 inch stiletto heels, ceremoniously put them on, hobbled on the precarious stony, rutted path, and arranged herself for more wannabe celebrity photo shots : go figure! My wife and I patiently waited until the group finally disbanded.