Travel Letters: Hawaii, 1933

but in three hours managed to pack two bags to stay here and the last to take with us. Also putting coats and suits in moth proof bags and the rest of the things in moth balls we thought of Jean, and I mothed everything as she does.

I love your letters and tell Jean to write about Patch & the cats etc.

Loads of love from us both to all of you and extra to you -

Catharine

{Top left, hand written in red: '13'} Hanalei, Kauai Hawaiian, Islands, Sunday, Nov, 19, 1933

Dearest Mother

I'm afraid you will have a long wait between my last letter and this one, but I did send a card in between, yesterday, which I hope you get. There is so much to tell you now that I hardly know where to begin but I'll tell you about Kauai first so you will have an idea of where we are and what we are doing.

{Left margin, pencil: 'X'} Pete had written over to a Mr Saubom? here at Hanalei who was recommended as having cottages for rent. otherwise there was only a rather expensive hotel to stay at. Mr Saubom? wrote a nice letter but we decided it would be better to come over and see the cottages before deciding definitely and if they weren't ready we could go for one night to the expensive hotel in [?]. We got a [?] on the Inter Island boat which is something like the [Ro...land] boat only more modern and then spent all moring Thursday packing.

2. and then drive the car down to be put aboard in the afternoon. We had supper at the Moana with Guy Davenf? at the manager and then he drove us down to the boat. You would have had a fit over our leaving. Guy being manager as always being asked this and asked that and its a minute more there and a minute more there. We got a boy and had the luggage put into the back of the car, eleven pieces, two bags for Pete, two black ones for me, the tiny one, a duffel bag each. Two sketch boxes and a box of panells and a straw basket with bathing suits and a hat in a paper bag. When we were ready Pete went in to get Guy and he had disappeared someone thoughf he had gone up the street. The boat left at nine o'clock sharp and it was then 8.20 and several miles to go. However we thought of you and said 8.30 was plenty of time. At 8.30 Pete went along the street to look and I began having visions of rushing for the gang plank our arms full of bags and bundles. We loaded some more and finally saw Guy wandering towards us very slowly, evidently thinking there was plenty of time and of course there really was, he didn't say anything for he was being good

{Left top corner, hand written in red: '13'} 3 enough to drive us way down , but we did get a little inpatient when he saw a cunning dog and started playing with it. However we soon started and luckily I saw a clock "twenty to nine" which I read aloud and Guy decided not to drive around Honolulu to show us the buildings at night. We really were in plenty of time and found we had a nice state room and everything was fine. It was a pretty sight looking out of the harbour, passing the "Lurline" again in port, all lighted up and the Asama {Right margin, pencil: 'X'} Maru in too, the Empress of Canada, a C.P.R boat from the Orient was first coming in.

We woke at quarter to six next morning, Friday, the sun was about to rise and we were entering the harbour of Nawiliwili. It doesn't take long to dress here. One wears so little and we were having breakfast on the boat soon after docking. We piked the bags into the car which was already off the boat, and started for Lihue. We were going to stop and leave our stuff at the Hotel and originally had planned to eat breakfast there but we'd had it on the boat (it was included in the fare. though unfortunately we didn't know it until after we'd finished, or we might have

4 eaten more) and it seemed silly to unload the stuff if the cottage was ready. So we filled up with gas and started for the other side of the Island. Its about 35 miles to Hanalei and is easy to do in an hour and a half. It was a beautiful drive, cool and fresh at seven in the morning. There are several stores in Lihue, one general store which has everything and lots of little Chinese and Japanese stores too. The other little places we came through had perhaps one or two Chinese or Japanese places but that was all. They did have schools though. Most of the land is planted in sugar cane or pineapple and then there is quite a bit of rice, mostly {Left margin, handwritten pencil: 'X'} over here at Hanalei. The sugar cane was a lovely sight. It is a beautiful light green and the fields are tremendous going part way up the mountains. They are all practically all irrigated. It takes 18 months for most varieties to ripen, though some can be cut in 10 or 12 months or 14 months. However it only flowers in November and after it flowers it doesn't grow any more cane. So if the crop hasn't formed the cane by November they cut it back to get it over the flowering period. Some crops after they are harvested