Honolulu’s historic Chinatown is a 10 minute drive from our condo, but feels like another world. Evelyn has done some painting sessions there, but I had not seen it, so we decided to stroll through the area and see what shops are available.

There was a good variety of seafood available, some of it still alive and ready to be taken home for dinner. I was particularly intrigued by the live Geoduck, which I have not seen since we lived in Oregon in the 1970’s. Unfortunately, we had another stop planned for the afternoon, and I did not think the geoduck would survive the hot car that long. I will have to return in the future just to buy those and try them in a new recipe!

Chinatown is full of boutique restaurants, cafes, bars and art galleries, and is a very walkable neighborhood compared to the rest of Oahu. Chinatown hosts the First Friday art event, which is still trying to get back off the ground post Covid. While sitting at an outdoor restaurant, we felt we could have been in Thailand or Vietnam, with few English-speakers.

There were also many shops brimming with fruits and vegetables of various kinds — including Durian (lower-right), the fruit that is so smelly that it is banned from being taken on commercial flights.

When living on a tropical island, you quickly learn that there are some pests that are persistent, requiring the services of exterminators on a regular schedule. Sure enough, this little guy was seen on the floor of one of the seafood sections…