Shopping in Hawaii

Shopping in Hawaii: This year we started with the Swap Meet! After an hour-and-fifteen minute bus ride (56 stops!) we spent two hours trying to collect all the souvenirs we wanted to buy. It was hot. There was very little food or drink. Everything tended to look alike after awhile. Careful examination was necessary to find the things made in Hawaii, not China. I bought Red Dirt t-shirts for Matt, Veda and the kids, a sarong for me, a silver ring with sea turtles and a plumeria blossom, a Hawaiian quilt turtle pillow cover. I should have bought Hawaiian print reversible tote bags, because I never saw them anywhere else. Marylin bought silver jewelry for her kids. We took the $5 shuttle back to the hotel instead of The Bus.

Fabric Stores: we went to two -- the variety of Hawaiian prints and Japanese fabrics was incredible. I bought a few bits to use on my cards. I was looking for a miniature version of the sarong prints -- didn't find any. Big Island: Just about everything in the art museum/shop at Hawaiian Volcanoes National Park was out of my price range, but I did get a calendar. I could have dropped a fortune at the Orchid Nursery, but only bought one plumeria stalk thingy, which I hope will grow for me. The airport shop in Hilo was uncharacteristically cheap, so we indulged in more earrings!  Waikiki has every imaginable high-end retailer, from Ferrari to Prada, but only the cookie and candy places offered free samples! Art Gallery near our hotel offered Artists in Residence every evening -- fascinating to meet the people behind the paintings, sculptures, etc. I bought a cheaper but not knock-of version of a jellyfish in glass sculpture, and some note cards, at the hotel store, and a gorgeous locally designed t-shirt.

ABC Stores: the go-to place on Waikiki. They're only allowed there, there is one literally on every block, and they have no real competition. We bought an underwater camera (still haven't developed the pictures from last years underwater film), breakfast goodies on alternative days, liquor and soft drinks to supplement the $12 Moana Terrace cocktails, tote bags, chocolate macademia nuts and coconut M&M's, a few items of jewelry and a t-shirt we should have gotten at the swap meet. 

Next time: Shop for swimsuits, more museum shops, a farmer's market (we saw them advertised, but never caught up with one), more organized visit to the Swap Meet.