Ke nono au, e kala mua mai, i keia manawa ho'i.

We moved from the Moana to the Royal Hawaiian...which is even nicer. After some initial drama with the front desk giving our suite away, and then "upgrading" us to one which not only had no ocean view, but also had an EMPTY BOTTLE OF CHAMPAGNE AND SOME HALF-EATEN CRACKERS SITTING ON A TABLE when we walked in.

Oh HELL no, that was just NOT going to do.

My traveling companion, who knows the director of cultural something or other for the Honolulu Starwood hotels, placed a call and had it fixed IMMEDIATELY. We ended up with this suite, which is probably the nicest one in the entire hotel outside their Presidential Suite. Again, because of the lens, I had to stand against the far wall and snap photos from 30 feet away:



We have a nice view of Diamond Head:


Macadamia nuts, banana bread, and guava juice are quite lovely as well. Is it really December 31? This Ohio native is so confuse. So, so confuse:


This is my traveling companion, who shall remain faceless and nameless for the time being:


The sun bathed the building in golden light, turning the pink a warm peach color:


Together, from our suite, we watched the last sunset of 2005. We both agreed it was one of the worst years of our entire lives, and welcomed this particular sunset quite eagerly:


As it slipped below the horizon, we made a pact to make 2006 nothing less than extraordinary.


It's a new years' resolution we both plan on keeping.


Goodbye, 2005. May my memory of you soften and sweeten over time.