ようこそホノルルへ　その１
Welcome to Honolulu! Part 1

ホノルル滞在の楽しみ方･･････自然の中に身を置きたいあなたに～

花
お食事に、お買い物に行く時でも、"花"をテーマに歩いてみましょう。するとどうでしょう、市内・賑やかな通り、ショッピングセンター・ホテル敷地内など、あちこちに色鮮やかな各種の花が目に留まります。
あなたは、何種類、何色の花に出会えたでしょう？
デジカメを持って、花に注目して、思い出に撮り続けてみるのも楽しいもの。花を楽しむには（4月から5月にかけて咲き始め）6月がベストシーズン、ハワイの冬の1月にはエンジェルトランペットが待っています。この花のおとぎ話をご存知ですか？誰も起きていない早朝、エンジェル達が花摘みに集まって、この花をトランペットにして奏でるのだそうです。本屋さんに立ち寄って、ハワイの花の本を求めれば、撮り溜めた写真の花が何だったのか、よく分かります！！

原生林ハイキング
ホテルロビーで目に留まる現地ツアーパンフレットを手に取り、積極的に参加なさってみるのもいいですよ。一例ですが、Oahu Nature Tours より。ホテルツアーカウンターで、パンフレットを広げて、ご希望のツアーを申し込みます。長袖・長ズボンの歩きやすい服装、スニーカーで待っていると、集合時間に迎えが来てくれ、ハイキング用のヤッケ、デイバッグを貸してくれます。ドライバーさんは目的地に着くと、生物学・地質学に達者な気のいいガイドさんに。（解説は英語ですが、いい勉強にもなりますね！）
原生林ハイキングの中で、市内ではお目にかかれない、ハワイ原種の目の覚めるような色彩の植物や、生物に直面した時の新鮮な感動がいつまでも心に残ります。途中で虹を見ることが出来たら、ラッキーです！自然からの贈り物、嬉しいですね。

ダイアモンドヘッド
ツアーで行くのも良いのですが、身の安全を意識して、自分でプランを練って挑戦も！アラモアナショッピングセンター山側のバス停から2ドルで58番の The Busに乗り、車窓から景色を辿って、ダイアモンドヘッド登山道入り口で下車。ここから、本来の登山道入り口までは、アスファルトの道を歩くこと、トンネルをくぐって、30分余。タクシーやトロリー、レンタカーでの方達は、ここまで上がって来て、駐車場へ。 その先のゲートで1ドルの入場料を払い、いよいよスタートです。平坦な舗装ルートを進むと、ごつごつと岩肌の道がしばらく続き、背後眼下に緩やかな景色が広がります。進行方向には急勾配の階段が2箇所、これを制覇すると、360度の展望エリアです。海・山・空のどの景色も雄大で色のコントラストが素晴らしい！又ワイキキ方面のアングル、ビーチ沿いのホテル群の眺めは優美です。しばらくsea breezeに当たってリフレッシュ。気に入った景色を脳裏に焼きつけ、出会った人達と挨拶を交わし、会話を楽しみ、シャッターを交代で押し、一期一会の瞬間に、感謝を覚えます。
帰路は、足に負担がかからぬ様に気をつけて・・・往路登りは、初めてでまだかまだかと思ったけれど、帰りはあっという間に路線バスのバス停に到着。気持の良い達成感が味わえます。半日あれば大丈夫、でも、手応充分です。飛行機の窓から、ホテルのテラスから、ビーチから眺めるダイヤモンドヘッドもありますが、折角でしたら、実際に登ってみると、格別な思い出に！

いかがでしたか？現地の自然と対話が、身近に出来るホノルル滞在、満喫なさって下さいね。そうは言っても、旅先です、無理はなさらず、お気をつけながら・・・

Welcome to Honolulu! Part 1
Things to do in Honolulu・・・・・・Getting close to nature

Watching for flowers
Watch for vividly flowering trees as you go downtown. You will see many of them almost everywhere in the city; at shopping malls, hotels, and on the sides of the main street. Count flowers you see and photograph them for the good memory of your trip. Flowers usually open from April through May, and reach the peak of their blooming season in June. Yet some can be seen also in winter. In January, Angel's Trumpet blooms. Do you know the story about the trumpet-shaped lovely flowers? Angels visit gardens in the early morning to pick flowers, and play music by trumpeting the flowers. If you do not know the names of flowers you see, I recommend you go to bookstores and buy a book about flowers in Hawaii, so that you will know what the names of the flowers were.

Exploring the native rainforest
There are a number of companies that provide nature tour services. Check with your hotel concierge to see some tour pamphlets, and choose the best tour for you. I joined a tour offered by Oahu Nature Tours. To join the tour, you need to make reservations in advance at your hotel. Wear long sleeve shirts, long pants and comfortable walking shoes. The tour guides will drive the van, pick you up at your hotel, and lend you a parka and a daypack. They are friendly, knowledgeable, and well acquainted with the biological and geologic information about the location visited. The guides narrate only in English, so it will be a good English lesson! My heart leapt up when I saw vividly colored unique plants and wild animals that I would never be able to see in downtown Honolulu.　The tour made a great impression on me, and I still remember the joy I felt during the tour. It is lucky if you see rainbow! It is a great joy to feel the blessings of nature.

Climbing to the top of Diamond Head
To hike to the top of Diamond Head, joining a tour is one idea, but the finest way will be to hike with a well-planned safe itinerary. To reach the entrance of Diamond Head, a bus ride is easy. I paid 2 dollars and took The Bus 58 from Ala Moana Shopping Center. The city buses will let you off at the entrance of Diamond Head. From the drop-off point, you will need to do some 30-minute walk on a concrete road and go through a tunnel to reach where the trail begins. Visitors can also drive up to the parking lot near the point where the trail begins. One-dollar entrance fee is required at the gate for those who walked in. Now let's start the hike. The paved trail starts out gently, and then becomes rugged. You can get good views of crater if you see behind yourself on your way. After a considerable climb, then you have to climb steep stairs that are followed by another steep ones. Once you finish all the stairs, however, you will find yourself standing in the place where you will see a spectacular 360-degree view. The sweeping views of ocean, mountain, and sky are magnificent, and the contrast of colors is breathtakingly beautiful. The view of hotels standing high above along Waikiki beach is graceful. At the top, you may find nice cool breeze and feel refreshed. I enjoyed talking with other hikers, took turns taking pictures, and cherished every precious moment with each of them. Pay attention to your posture while descending so that you will reduce the burden on your knees. On my way up to the top, I felt like I would not reach the top forever. The time passed quickly, though, when I went down the trail to the bus stop. A half-day is enough to go up and down, but the hike was challenging. I felt a great sense of achievement after finishing my hike.
You can see Diamond Head from your flight, from the terrace of your hotel, or from the beach. However, I would recommend that you climb Diamond Head with your own feet. The climb was one of the most impressive experiences that I have ever had.

I hope my column will help you to plan your Honolulu vacation. In Honolulu, you will have many opportunities to get close to nature. Please take care of yourself, and have a nice stay in Honolulu.