Oahu - Shangri-la - Doris Duke's Honolulu Mansion, now a museum full of Islamic Art

Our visit to the Honolulu Museum of Art reminded me that Doris Duke's mansion in Honolulu is now open to the public, with strict limits on the number and times of visitors to help preserve the house and its collections. Turns out the tours are managed by the HMA. Eureka! We traveled by small tour bus across Honolulu to the stunning spot below Diamond Head on the rocky coast.

Duke developed a lifelong love of both Islamic Art and Hawaii on her first honeymoon in the 1930s. She soon built Shangri-la and continued to visit here until the end of her life in the 1990s. For more on D.D. and Shangri-la see:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doris_Duke

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shangri_La_(Doris_Duke)

HMA entrance

Banyan Tree

Shangri-la's Entry Courtyard

Terrific tour guide meets us at the entrance of the house

Doris's bedroom wing overlooking the pool.  

Sadly, the interior  with the stunning tile bath is not part of the tour! See the Shangri-la web site.

Maui Whale Watching

A fluke of a lifetime, eh?

Granville friends, please note our caps!

STUPENDOUS! 

The morning we spent with the Pacific Whale Foundation out of Ma’alaea Harbor (between east and west Maui) was the absolute peak experience of our time on Maui. 

Young marine biologists had eager and complete answers to everyone's questions...AND they were cute. 

Once we got out into the middle of the bay and the captain cut the engine, we lost count of how many whales we saw. Though by law no one is allowed to approach the whales closer than 100 yards, if the vessels turn off their engines and drift quietly, the whales frequently come closer than 100 yards on their own. This is called getting mugged by a whale, and trust me, it's a thrilling experience.   

Humpback whales migrate here every winter from Alaska, some to give birth, and others to mate. Declared endangered in the 1970s, by which time their numbers were down to about 800, the species has recovered to above 20,000 today. For more information on these fascinating creatures see:
http://www.pacificwhale.org/sites/pacificwhale.org/files/Humpback-Whale-Guide.pdf

Slapping their tails

Spouting

Kids holding a microphone under water so we could hear the whales singing

A group of competitive males jostling each other to attract female attention (what ELSE?)

Maui Scenes

Five nights on Maui is NEVER enough, and even mostly rainy weather didn't dampen our delight in the place. The ambience is quite different than Oahu, and though this island is "developing" quickly, there's still a feel of a smaller, quieter place. We love to get in the car and drive around...all the entertainment we need!
Stumbled upon Keawala'i Church beside the sea in Makena along the southwest coast of Maui...perfectly peaceful and beautiful.

Moose McGilliguddy's for famous Maui onion rings!

The road to Lahaina (above) and the centuries old Banyan tree in the city square (below)

The waves were unusually high all during our visit, up to 50 feet on the north shore of Oahu. Here are a few shots of surfers and para-sailors on Maui.

At the entrance to our hotel (above), and our lanai with stunning sunsets later in the week,
when the gorgeous weather returned (below).