Aloha means hello and goodbye

Aloha means hello and good bye.  Last week we said “aloha” (goodbye) to Hawaii, and I had a great time.  After a rough start with our transfers from the airport to the hotel, we were all very pleasantly surprised when we got to our rooms.  Our room, at the Marriott Waikiki beach Hotel, was very nice and when we opened our drapes we looked out on a beautiful ocean view of Waikiki beach.  Our first dinner in Hawaii was at the Cheeseburger in Paradise restaurant about a block away from the hotel.  I had a taste of the islands with the Cheeseburger Island Style hamburger.  It was delicious. 
Our first excursion began bright and early the next morning.  We all began a tour around the the island of Oahu that ended at the Polynesian Cultural Center.  I felt the tour of the island could have been a little better.  Our guide was a little difficult to hear.  She really didn’t speak up loud enough to keep our attention.  We arrived at the PCC about mid-day and we sought out a food truck to have lunch.  The Polynesian Cultural Center is an open air immersive experience in the various Polynesian cultures.  We arrived in time to see a canoe pageant.  We enjoyed the demonstrations of island dances and performances.  We continued exploring the different villages.  We caught a performance of a traditional Tahitian wedding ceremony, a hilarious drum performance in the village of Tonga, and a personal demonstration of husking and harvesting coconut oil. 
Our dinner was a traditional luau with roasted in the ground kalua pork, poi, and tropical fruits.  It was served buffet style and the food was plentiful and delicious.  During the dinner we were entertained with different Polynesian dances and performances including a fire twirler.
The main event of the evening was the performance of the “Breath of Life”.  An extravaganza of Polynesian dance and storytelling.  As described in their promotional literature “ It is a Pacific isle saga of birth and death, love and family, triumph and tragedy.”  After the performance we found our way back to our van and guide for our return trip to the Marriott.