Debut

Well, we have been home now for two full weeks. All of the editing is done and the DVD burned. Label has been designed as has the cover. The final title is "7 Days In Hawaii", how appropriate. The grand first showing was to my son , daughter and her boyfriend. They really enjoyed having the 7 days, six hours of videotape condensed into a one hour DVD. It moves along at a fairly fast clip and covers most of the highlights and exciting points of the trip. Pretty good effort if I do say so. We then did a showing last night to one of Renee's friends, and she seemed to like it as well. A few more showings coming up.

My daughter Caitlin just arrived home from Toronto after winning the Gold Medal in the Canadian Championships for Synchronized Skating. So now with a Canadian Champion in the family, she will have to watch the DVD and pass judgement on it as well.

It was a really fun trip, and with the snow falling outside for the first time this winter, it makes me want to be back in Hawaii all that much more.

Home - Now The Work Begins

Started yesterday editing the six hours of video tape we shot in Hawaii. After two days of working on the editing, I have Day 1 into a semblance of the finalized form. I still have to trim it down some, but I have 90 minutes of Day 1 tape, whittled down to a 16 minute presentation complete with music.

I will try and cut day 1 down to 10 minutes, but a more realistic goal will be to produce a 14 minute segment. A couple of days will be much longer, such as the Polynesian Cultural Center, but I am shooting for producing a 60 minute DVD. I may allow myself the luxury of two hours though, now that I have a dual-layer DVD burner.

Reflections and Musings

Reflections and Musings

Here I am back at home now and have been for a day. It is rather cold out today, and while I normally don’t feel the cold, I am today. I guess, I just got used to the nice warm temperatures in Hawaii. I have already been staring at the Waikiki Web Cam and wishing I was there.

I’m busily downloading the six digital tapes worth of video that we shot, to start the process of editing out a DVD of our experiences in Hawaii. I thought while I was waiting for Tape Number 4 to download I would offer up some recommendations.

TRAVEL

Harmony Air treated us very well. Their fares are reasonably priced and the service is great. The flight crew were very helpful in every aspect and very friendly. The food we had on both flights was surprisingly good. Crepes for breakfast on the way there and a nice stuffed chicken breast on the way back.

HOTEL

We stayed at the Aqua Aloha Surf. This is rated as a 2.5 star hotel, but I think the rating is low. In my opinion, the hotel should be rated much higher than this. It is great! We were very happy staying here and would not hesitate to go back again. Granted it does not have the amenities such as restaurants etc., but the staff were very friendly and helpful. The hotel is clean and the room very comfortable. There is free high speed internet access in the room and free high speed wireless access in the lobby. There is a small security safe in the room for a small fee of $2.50 a day. The room is equipped with a coffee maker, fridge and microwave. Included in the price is what is listed as a free Continental Breakfast. It consisted of a muffin, yoghurt and tropical juice. The muffin was small and tasty and I normally do not like muffins. The juice was very good. Yoghurt, I can’t comment on as I hate the stuff. It is a good snack to start off the day, and then we usually went to Starbucks after for our coffee. All in all, I can highly recommend Aqua Aloha Surf. Now, granted we had an upgraded room on the tenth floor, overlooking the canal, so I am unable to comment on any other rooms. But, ours was great!

RESTAURANTS

Without doubt the best food we had on the trip was the food included in our Ambassador Package at the Polynesian Cultural Centre. We had a nice rib dinner at Tony Roma’s and their cocktails were the best that we had. A little pricey, but then again, it was cheaper than the Tony Roma’s here at home. We also had pizza in a little sports bar down the street from our place, again a little pricey, but the pizza was great. The place we ate at the most was called Perry’s Smorgy. Great food served buffet style and lunch is $7.95 while dinner is $9.95. Very reasonable prices and you cannot help but walk away full. Contrary to popular belief, you can eat inexpensively in Hawaii.

SNACK FOOD

A snack bar on the beach, right near the web cam served good nachos and even better shave ice. The best shave ice I had though was from the vendor at the bottom of Diamond Head mountain. That may just have been because I was hot, tired and sweaty after the hike. Best hot dogs around were at the USS Bowfin submarine museaum. They even include a bag of chips in the price, a reasonable $2.50 for jumbo dogs.

TOURS

Best tour without doubt was the Polynesian Cultural Centre. It is a full ten hour day and you still don’t have time to see everything. They do have a three day return policy on all tickets. If you return within three days, you get in free. The city bus will get you back there for only $2.00 and a 2 hour ride. Our charter bus took 90 minutes. I would recommend the Ambassador Package. It is the most expensive, but very well worth the price.

Pearl Harbour and the Arizona Memorial are must sees. We got a package tour which included, The USS Arizona Memorial, The USS Missouri and a tour of the Punchbowl cemetery. There is another tour which includes the Bowfin submarine museaum as well. This enables one to see where World War II started for the States and where it ended for the world. Be aware that security on the base is high. Pearl Harbour is still an active military base, so you cannot bring bags with you and there are areas you cannot photograph.

The most spectacular and least expensive is the hike up Diamond Head. Go early or it gets way too crowded. Take water with you as there is nothing at the top. The trip cost $2.00 on the city bus and $1.00 to get into the park. The hike is up to you.

TRANSPORTATION

The city bus, called appropriately enough The Bus is inexpensive at $2.00 and will take you virtually anywhere on the island. Taxis are expensive and the taxi company is just called The Cab. Our most popular mode of transport was on foot. The Waikiki portion of Honolulu is easily accessible on foot to get anywhere.

BEACH

What can I say, Waikiki Beach is one of the most famous beaches in the entire world. Miles and miles of sand, warm water, surf and spectacular views.

NIGHT LIFE AND ENTERTAINMENT

Neither Renee and I are night clubbers, so I can’t comment on the clubs, although there are lots of places to go. There is a lot of entertainment available free, including street performers, hula shows, movies on the beach and sightseeing. The Waikiki area is actually busier after dark. We were told, do your tours and beach time during the day and do your shopping at night. Everything is open and there were more people on the street at night than during the day.

GROCERIES ETC

The Pantry is about the only grocery store that I saw, but the prices are high. ABC Stores are everywhere and the prices are pretty good. One of our tour guides said that ABC stands for “All Blocks Covered” or “Always Bring Cash”. All blocks covered sounds about right, as you can’t seem to walk more than a block without seeing an ABC store. International Marketplace and Duke’s Alley are about the best places to shop for souveniers. There are hundreds of shops and everyone will dicker on price.

That’s about all that I can offer up for now.

Strawberry Shave Ice - MMM MMM Good

Trees In The Market

Some of the trees that the International Marketplace is built near, around, under and in

Renee In Duke's Alley

A Long Road Home

We woke up to cloudy skies this morning, but it was warm and muggy. Not too comfy putting on long pants. A check of the internet for weather in Vancouver though, sounds like it may be snowing at home for the first time this winter. What a contrast that will be, sunny skies and 80 degrees to snow and freezing temperatures.

We were awake very early this morning, 5:30 AM in my case. Getting a bit of the travel anxiety blues. At 8:00 AM we headed out for one last walk down to Starbucks for coffee, a quick trip into International Marketplace and then back to the hotel to meet our shuttle for a 9:15 AM pickup.

The shuttle arrived right on time, and we are underway to the airport. Both of us are sad to be leaving. There were not too many other pickups along the way, so we arrived at the airport at about 10:45 and then started the long process of security checks and boarding.

We had our passports checked immediately when the Harmony Gate opened. Then we had them checked again at the check in counter. We were initially slated for row 24, but they offered us an upgrade to row 8 which is next to an emergency exit. It will be great for me with my long legs.

Then we headed for airport security, a bit of a shock. Again passports and boarding passes were checked, and then all pockets emptied, the laptop pulled out of its case and shoes taken off. My camera bag loaded with its myriad of electronics had to go through the X-Ray scanner twice, and then was physically searched. The bullet in my neck did not set off the metal detector this time, although it did on the way down.

After clearing screening, we headed for Gate 9. A lucky number for me as I have always liked the number 9 and have worn it almost my entire life while playing baseball and hockey. The walk to gate 9 seemed to take forever, and felt like it was halfway back to Waikiki. On the way we stopped for breakfast. Breakfast of Champions, Burger King Whoppers, Fries and Cokes.

One more stop before the gates and that was to the Duty Free shop. 32 oz bottle of Bacardi rum cost $12.00. The same bottle at home is over $30.00, hmmm can you say price gouging by our Canadian Government and their exorbitant tax schedule? Oh well, I guess we have to pay the pensions of all those forcibly retired Liberal politicians. Too bad we can’t get back the $32,000,000 they stole from us hardworking taxpayers. Well, ok, I used to work and not all that long ago either.

That said, I can’t think of another country I’d like to live in, or one I would be as proud to call home. There seemed to be one Snafu at the gate, one couple was being held up and going through a whole new security check. Eventually we got inside, and now we are just waiting for our boarding call and to pick up our duty free.

Finally we boarded the plane and set for departure. Just as they were about to push the plane back, there was a delay as the door had to be reopened. Apparently, not enough drinking water had been taken on board, so we had to wait twenty minutes. That done, we finally were underway.

The seats we ended up with were right by the emergency exit. Great for stretching ones legs out, however, there were no windows to look out of except for a two inch round porthole. The seats themselves were narrower than normal and the dinner trays were next to unusable. The takeoff was very smooth, and we climbed quickly to 35,000 feet for our flight home.

Dinner was served and it was very nice. There was complimentary wine with dinner as well. The in-flight movies featured Two for the Money, which I had seen before and another titled Duma that I had never heard of. It was a South African film about a boy who adopts a cheetah cub. The movie was very good, and we enjoyed it immensely.

Finally, after only 5.5 hours we were on final approach to Vancouver. Needless to say, our eventful landing in Hawaii was on our minds as we approached. This time, it was so smooth; we were on the ground before I knew we were even ready to be. A quick trip through customs, grab the luggage and go pick up the truck. Hoooeee, is it ever cold, and here I am in light pants and a Hawaiian shirt. Not used to this, after a week in the sun. We had just a wonderful time and would go back in a heartbeat.

Everybody's Gone Surfin, Surfin USA

Duck Tours

Lunchtime

The Last Full Day

Holy cow, who would have thought it, the trip is almost over. We have had an absolutely marvelous time here, plenty of adventures, good food and fun. Numerous pictures, six hours of video and a lot of memories that will last a lifetime.

Today we hit the beach again. The sun was shining brightly this morning and it was hot! We stayed a few hours and waded in the water a bit. We didn’t go swimming though as there were signs and red flags up all over the place advising to stay out of the water, as there was a jellyfish warning in effect.

These are apparently the Box Jellyfish, which pack a very painful sting. Several people, including children were stung while we were there. The lifeguard advised us that the sting can be treated with vinegar and lasts about an hour.

After the beach we went for pizza for lunch and Renee had a beer while I had a Strawberry Daiquiri. From there we went to the International Marketplace again. Picked up a couple of more gifts, and we were looking for another Hawaiian shirt for me. Possibly a yellow shirt to go with the red one and the blue one. Renee found a nice red Aloha tank top for herself.

Saw the fellow from Duck Tours again, his picture is shown in an earlier article. It’s hilarious; he drives around in an amphibious military vehicle called a duck. The driver is dress in bathing suit, lifejacket, flying helmet, goggles and snorkel. There is comical music playing that he accompanies with duck calls and whistles.

Afterwards, we came back to the room to recharge a bit and begin to start packing; darn we don’t want to go. We were unsuccessful finding another Hawaiian shirt, but we will try again this evening.

The Last Night

Rather uneventful evening. We spent it just walking around Waikiki and made one final trip through International Marketplace. Not wanting a big dinner, we just went to KFC just up the street from our hotel.

We were back in the hotel by 9:00 PM to start the process of packing our bags. Once that was done we watched TV for awhile, getting immersed in a new TV show on Discovery Channel, called Cash Cab.

Burned all of the photos we took, as well of most of the text from this BLOG onto a DVD and then made a second copy of it. I have one, Renee has one and the set is all on the laptop. One set will make it through safely that way. Plus Renee will have her own copies of the photos to print as she wishes.

Lights out at eleven, and we were both so exhausted, it was right to sleep.

Emergency Warning

Well, we got a bit of a shock this evening. We were sitting around the room, contemplating what to do for dinner tonight. We were watching TV and could see numerous lightning flashes outside. They appeared to be distant over the mountains and so we thought nothing of it, other than a spectacular light show.

Suddenly on the TV, we heard an alarm tone. It was the warning bell of the Emergency Broadcast System. It was not a test either. First time in my life I have heard an alarm tone like that. The US Weather Bureau has issued a flash flood warning for Oahu, Waikiki, Honolulu Airport and Honolulu. The alert said to head for higher ground now. Since we are on the tenth floor, we should be safe here.

It has called into question our plans for a visit to Hanauma Bay tomorrow and may even call into question our departure on Thursday as well. However, as I am typing this the flash flood warning has just been lifted. We even managed to get our dinner in as well. A nice pizza and a Chi-Chi.

Tom On The Beach

Renee On The Beach

Day 6

Here we are, most of the way through our trip. It's hard to believe. We have nothing in particular planned for the day, just a kick back and relax kind of day. The weather is not cooperating too well. When we woke up at 7:00, it was very cloudy and a little drizzly, still warm though. The original plan was to go to Hanauma Bay today and then onto Sandy Beach. Unfortunately, Hanauma Bay is closed on Tuesdays, and with the weather the way it is, we may just do that tomorrow, our last full day on the islands.

Today we may do a little more souvenier and gift shopping. A trip to Starbucks is definitely in order as well. We have taken hundreds of photos so far, thank goodness for digital. Fill up a memory card, download it to the laptop and burn it on a CD.

I am going to have lots to do once we get home as well. We have shot almost 6 hous of digital video so far, and I will need to review every minute of it to edit it down to a much shorter DVD of our trip. Hmmm, come to think of it, I will need to get a CD of Hawaiian music to dub into my production.

We started out with the clouds in the sky, and headed to Starbucks for coffee and cinnamon bun. From there it was a wander through Duke’s Alley, which is similar to International Village, but even less expensive. Did some shopping, and managed to buy a couple of gifts. Tried my hand at dickering as well and got the price down to less than half. Sometimes all it takes is to look at something and just walk away. Renee looked at a Tiki shaped bottle opener one day, and the price started out at $8.00. As she walked away, the price dropped to $6.00, then $4.00 and finally to $3.00 all without saying a word.

As we left Duke’s Alley, the sun came shining brightly through. We wandered right down to Waikiki Beach and I am happy to report, we finally touched the Pacific Ocean. I just waded around up to about my upper thighs. Renee was much more adventurous and went for a swim. We continued walking all the way along the beach, stopping along the way for photos and video ops. Renee reported the swim as, “the best ocean swim I have ever had”. “The water was warm, the salt made floating easy and the waves were exciting”. “There colour of the water was beautiful emerald green, the sand felt so good on my toes, it made me want to hula”.

From the beach we wandered along, very slowly as my feet and calves are still so sore and flip flops are not fun against blistered toes. We stopped at Perry’s Smorgy for lunch and then went back to the hotel, just as the clouds rolled back in and the heavens opened up into a tropical downpour.

The Elvis Tree

Renee and I posed next to the tree where Elvis Presley sng a love song, during filming of Blue Hawaii

Maori War Canoe

One Of The Many Waterfalls On Site

Aotearoa aka New Zealand Performers

Two Of The Dancers

"Nick" Our Tour Guide

Polynesian Cultural Centre

Polynesian Cultural Centre

We just got back from an absolutely fabulous day. It was cloudy with intermittent rain today, but I think that may have been a bit of a blessing. It was still pretty hot, so I can’t imagine walking the center on a hot sunny day.

It seemed to both of us when we booked the tour, that 10 hours was going to be a horrendously long time to spend there, but it was so fun and interesting, the time flew by. I would HIGHLY recommend this tour to anyone coming to Hawaii. Book the Ambassador Package; it is the most expensive but highly worth the cost.

A little history, the Polynesian Cultural Centre was opened in 1963 as part of the Brigham Young University – Hawaii. All of the kids, who work there, come from the countries that they represent, and are attending university there. All their tuition is paid by money earned at the Polynesian Cultural Centre.

Our initial guide for the bus ride was a fellow from New Zealand, whose name is so long it was just shortened to “Main”. He kept up a running commentary on the way up, and was tremendously funny and entertaining. The 90 minute bus ride just flew by. He pointed out the site and lagoon that Gilligan’s Island was filmed. He showed us where the hit TV series Lost is filmed, parts of Jurassic Park and even the movie Tears of the Sun.

Upon our arrival we were met by our tour guide for the day, a young Australian fellow named Nick. He was very friendly, helpful and knowledgeable. He took us around to various village sites such as New Zealand, Tonga, Hawaii, Fiji, Samoa, and Tahiti.

There we were treated to a series of entertaining shows and exhibits. Each of the performers in these small shows was extremely talented and funny. The fellow from the Hawaii exhibit gave a demonstration of all of the musical instruments of the Hawaiian Islands, and even gave a very good Elvis Presley impersonation. The fellow from Tonga gave a demonstration of some of the everyday things that tribesman used to do, such as making fire by rubbing sticks together, opening a coconut with a sharp stick, and even producing coconut milk from the pulp. He was also very talented and funny.

One of the more hilarious productions involved a demonstration of drumming, where they selected three members of the audience to participate. The fellow from Utah was very good with the drums. The fellow from Chicago was quite funny, at one point breaking into a version of Who Let the Dogs Out when he could not figure out the native chanting. The hit of the show was a young fellow from Japan. He followed along quite well with the drumming, and the language differences made for some interesting twists.

During one of the walk arounds, Nick pointed out the spot where during the filming of Blue Hawaii, Elvis Presley sat and sang a love song. Each member of our tour group got a chance to sit on a rock beside the bent palm tree and have their photo taken. We also did the same, and the photo is posted above, titled the Elvis Tree.

After the tour portion was over, we went to dinner. Some opted for a traditional Hawaiian Luau, complete with roasted pig and poi. We however chose dinner in the Ambassador dining room, which consisted of a buffet dinner. This buffet was absolutely incredible, featuring the likes of prime rib, Alaska King Crab legs, jumbo sized shrimp, sushi, and numerous other fare. My lord we were stuffed when we left there.

On to the highlight show of the evening, and it was even more incredible, featuring dancers from all the represented nations and finishing with a spectacular finale of fire walking and spinning. Absolutely amazing. It was an amazing ending to an amazing day. We only walked 7.3 KM today, but I literally have no skin left on two of my toes from blistering.

Back on the bus for the 90 minute trip back. Not nearly as entertaining, but everyone was so exhausted and full of food that half the bus was asleep in the first five minutes.

The Duke

After seeing The Duke so often on the Waikiki Web Cam, we went to see the statue the first day we arrived. We also waved at the web cam to everyone back home who was watching and waiting.

Waikiki Beach

Street Character

The Day Continues

As if we didn’t get enough walking during the Diamond Head climb. We took a brief rest this afternoon and then headed down to the beach. Our intention was to wade in the water. Instead we ended up booking a tour of the Polynesian Cultural Centre, complete with Luau tomorrow. There won’t be any updates during the day tomorrow as this is slated as a ten hour day, ending at about 10:30 PM HST.

Anyway, here we are four full days in Hawaii and we have not even touched the Pacific Ocean yet, let alone gone swimming, snorkeling or surfing. Yeah right! Me surfing, ain’t gonna happen. I have enough trouble standing up on dry land, let alone on a floating, moving surfboard.

We got down to Waikiki beach, and began to watch the surfers and boogie-boarders and flat out forgot all about wading in the ocean. We grabbed a spot of lunch and then headed back to the room to rest a bit. At this point we have logged 10.38 KM today walking. I think we are averaging about 10 KM per day walking. Oh well, it will keep the legs in shape for when I get back on the hockey rink next Sunday morning.

I’m sure we will end up walking some more this evening.

Diamond Head From The Beach

View From The Top 2

View From The Top

99 Step Staircase On The Way Down

The First Lava Tunnel

Mountain Climbing Hawaiian Style

Today is day four of our Hawaiian vacation, and the day we have chosen to climb Diamond Head Mountain. Diamond Head is actually an extinct volcano, so what we are actually going to climb is the wall of the crater itself.

We left the hotel at about 8:30 AM. It is cloudy and a little cooler than it has been. Just the right temperature for our mountain trek. But, before we do that it is a stop at Starbucks for some life sustaining nectar of the gods.

After the needed nourishment, we met up with our Sherpa guide, for the trek to the base of the mountain. In his spare time, our Sherpa guide doubles as a Honolulu city bus driver. The trek expedition, took us to the base of the mountain and base camp one. Our supplies secured safely in my backpack, we set out for base camp two.

After a lengthy and steady climb, our grueling 10 minute climb ended at the second base camp and a stop at the porta-potty there to unload the coffee from earlier. From here the expedition started out for base camp three. Our trek took us through a huge lava tunnel that was big enough to drive a bus through.

Arriving at base camp three, we were met by two Hawaiian ladies who took our $1.00 admission fee into the park itself. After exchanging our money and receiving last minute instructions, we set out on the final push to the summit.

It seems today that we are not the only expeditions on the mountain, as there was a Japanese team, a Chinese team, a Korean team and the US Team as well. We appeared to be the only Canadian contingent present.

The climb started as a gentle slope, and quickly got into the more treacherous and steep terrain. Climbers were all over the place and began to bunch up dangerously. We reached the first lava tube, which seemed to stretch forever. It was dark and hot, with curious and somewhat dangerous odors present. We became very badly bunched up and were trapped in the tube for quite some time. The temperature was rising drastically.

Finally we broke through into the daylight and the cooling breeze from the distant ocean was a welcome relief. Now it was through a series of switchbacks over cooled lava worn down by the feet of a multitude of trekkers. Then we hit the first mountain staircase, built many years ago. It was a total of 70 steps going up at almost a 75 degree angle. Reaching the top of those stairs put us into another lava tube.

Again the many trekkers began to bunch up and we stalled about halfway through the tube. Claustrophobia among members of some expeditions was beginning to take its toll. Finally another breakthrough into the mountain air, and yet another mountain staircase. This one had a total of 99 steps and went up at about an 80 degree angle.

At the top of the staircase we entered a concrete bunker built during World War II for Hawaiian coastal defense. Up a spiral staircase of 45 more steps, straight up and we emerged into the bunker itself, overlooking Waikiki. To get to the top of the crater itself, we had to wedge ourselves through the gun portal to the outside. No easy feat when you have the flexibility of your average 2x4. Finally we emerged on the top of the mountain, victorious in our trek. We have successfully scaled one of the highest peaks in Oahu.

Marilyn Monroe Lives

Magnum T.G.

Eatin and Shoppin

After recharging our batteries for a few hours in the room, it was time for dinner. Funny, though we have been here only 2.5 days but it feels longer, and we haven’t even been in the water yet. We walked down the street to a great restaurant called Perry’s Smorgy. $9.95 all you can eat. The price is great, the location even better, all open air, and the food was very good. The open air concept is really neat as we had little birds fly in and make themselves guests.

After dinner we went strolling around through some of the other hotels. All hotels in Honolulu are publicly accessible. Basically that means even if you are not staying there, you are welcome to come in, look around and even make use of the facilities they have to offer. As if we didn’t do enough walking at Pearl Harbour today. We finished up with a total of 9.78 KM.

Renee got a beautiful hand carved wooden mask, while I picked up a couple of traditional Hawaiian Hula Shirts. We are just having the greatest time.

Site of The End of World War II

Pounding Pearl Pavement – The USS Missouri

Climbing on board a specially cleared and authorized trolley, we made the trip across the Ford Island Bridge, onto Ford Island. This is the area of the base where the officers are quartered. There is no photography of any kind permitted while onboard the trolley or on the bridge.

Once over to the dock where the Missouri is moored, cameras are again permitted. The USS Missouri was not at Pearl Harbour during the attack, but was being built in Jan 1941 in New York. However the Missouri was a very important ship, in that the unconditional surrender of Japan, took place on its deck.

The USS Missouri was decommissioned and sat for years in the Navy Yards in Bremerton, Washington. It was brought back into service and refitted for the first Gulf War. It was later again decommissioned and eventually towed to Pearl Harbour as its final mooring place.

The tour of the ship is impressive. It is over 800 feet long and over 100 feet wide and its entire deck is made out of Teak Wood, overtop of steel plate and armour plate. This was done to keep below decks somewhat cooler in the days before air conditioning. It was at one time the flagship of the American fleet. It is no less impressive now, although some of its armaments have been removed. The Nine huge guns are still there though.

Scaling to the very top of the Missouri would leave you twenty stories in the air. However the highest point tourists are permitted is to the flying bridge, which offers a panoramic view of the entire harbor.

Despite the massive size of the ship, crew quarters inside are very cramped. During the Gulf War the ship had 4 bunks stacked atop each other which leaves barely room to roll over. During World War II however, there were up to 7 bunks stacked atop each other.

The ship is attended to by numerous volunteers who are very friendly and informative, and they work hard to keep the ship in good condition. After the ship it was over to the base of the USS Bowfin, which was the last operating diesel powered submarine. There was not enough time to go aboard, but, the commissary there serves some of the best hot dogs around.

After a quick lunch it was on to a quick tour of the Punchbowl National Military cemetery. There is a massive set of stairs, 70 to be exact, one stair for each battle fought in the Pacific in World War II. At the top is a large wall with a statue of an angel, which has been seen numerous times during the opening credits of the old TV cop show, Hawaii Five-O. All in all a very moving and impressive tour.

Memorial Wall

Oil Slick From Arizona

Pounding Pearl Pavement – The USS Arizona Memorial

Darn I hate early mornings. Getting up at 5 AM in Hawaii seems just so uncivilized. There did seem to be a lot of people out and about though. Had to get up this early to get organized to meet our shuttle for the Pearl Harbour tour.

We zipped down to the strip to grab a quick McDonald’s breakfast of egg McMuffins and then hurried back to the pick up spot. Of course the shuttle is running on Hawaiian time and while it was supposed to arrive at 6:15, it was much closer to 6:30. Finally we are on board and underway. Barbara our tour guide kept up a running commentary enroute and pointed out various sights along the way.

We arrived at Pearl Harbour, the Arizona Memorial Centre at about 6:45, but it doesn’t open till 7:00. Even at this early hour there were several hundred people in line ahead of us. Once the doors opened though, the line moved quickly. As Pearl Harbour is still an active military base there are a lot of restrictions in effect. For example you cannot carry any purses, back-packs, fanny packs etc onto the site. There are certain places you cannot take photos and risk having your camera confiscated if you do. Most placesthough you can shoot to your hearts content. I think I took close to 140 stills plus video.

We wandered around the grounds for about a half hour until it was our turn to go out on the motor launch to the Arizona Memorial. We saw a short 20 min film, narrated by Stockard Channing, about the events leading up to, and the attack on Pearl Harbour on Dec 7, 1941. Aboard the launch, we motored across glass smooth water to the stark, white memorial over top of the USS Arizona. This is my second visit to the memorial, and Renee’s first. It left a lump in my throat as we approached and entered the memorial.

Looking over the side you see the rusting remains of the USS Arizona which lies where it was sunk so many years ago. There is the rainbow sheen of oil on the water, which still bubbles up from the huge ship below. Many people were tossing flowers clipped from lei’s into the water. The purple and white flowers lending a contrasting tone to the many oil slicks. It was a very moving sight.

Into the anteroom at the end and there is a huge white wall, with over 1,100 names inscribed on it, a tribute to the sailors who were trapped and died on board the Arizona. Back on board the motor launch and steaming away from the memorial, there is a muted silence among the passengers, the only sound, that of the powerful engines.

Back on dry land there were several survivors of the Arizona around the base ready and willing to offer conversation, autographs and assistance. This is all done on a voluntary basis to honour their lost shipmates, one of them advised me. An incredible sacrifice.

Delicious

Big Mama's Hug

Proof Of Travel Part 2

Proof Of Travel

Human Statue Part 2 After Moving

Human Statue Part 1

Wandering Waikiki Part 2

After our rest and a Corona in the room, we headed over to Tony Roma’s for a big beef rib feast. Ribs and a couple of Chi-Chi’s later, our second funny incident of the day occurred. I had given instructions to my kids and other family members back home, that in an emergency, they could reach me on my cell phone. But, it had to be a dire emergency, like someone dying.

So here we are eating dinner, when sure enough my cell phone rings. Scared hell out of me, especially since it was on call display as a “blocked” number. I answered the phone expecting to hear the worst. However, it was my former Sergeant, Gord Haddon calling to get together for coffee. I explained I would like to, but that I was in Honolulu at Tony Roma’s. Gord didn’t believe me. He said, Tony Roma’s that’s just down on Commercial Drive, how about if I meet you there.

I couldn’t convince him that I was sitting in Hawaii because as he said, I called you on your cell, it shouldn’t work. It does though, with roaming built in. Anyway, we took a series of photos, to prove where we were. One in the restaurant holding up a package with a US Flag on it, another standing beside a Honolulu Patrol car and still another in front of the Honolulu Police Station, Waikiki sub-station.

After getting the photos, we wandered along the beach and caught some street entertainers. One guy all dressed in gold and painted the same color, sitting looking like a statue, that is until he moved and scared a little girl.

We saw a hula show on the beach and then watched the Hari-Krishnas dancing down the street. After that we headed back to the hotel to get some rest. We walked just under 11 kilometres today. Really early 5 o’clock AM wakeup tomorrow for our tour of Pearl Harbour.

Working On The "BLOG"

Would This Be a "Smarter Car"

Tiki Tom

Renee Meets A Friend

Wandering Waikiki

Today we started out to go to Pearl Harbour by bus, until we found out it was a two hour trip on the city bus. Plus it was getting fairly late in the morning, and apparently the later you go, the more lineups there are. So we booked a package tour for tomorrow morning at 6:00 AM. Pretty good deal too. It gives us transportation to Pearl, boat cruise to the Arizona, and a tour of the USS Missouri, where World War II was officially ended. The battleship Missouri had been decommissioned and then was refitted and put back in service for the first Gulf War and then retired to Pearl.

While we were wandering the streets, I had to admit that even I got taken in by one of the street vendors, although I didn’t know he was at the time. He was walking down the sidewalk with a Cockatoo and a Parrot in either hand. He stopped to let Renee hold one while I took pictures and then offered to let me hold the other while he took a photo of us. Then charged us $10 for it. Oh well, it was an experience and the photo looks good.

We bought some snacks and things to keep in the room, and some essentials for the fridge, like Corona and limes, bottled water and Powerade. A funny and flattering incident occurred today while buying the beer. I got carded (asked for ID) to buy the beer. Now granted, the poster said that they card anyone who appears to be under the age of thirty. Still very flattering since I am almost 51 and have retired from policing. She can ask me for ID anytime. We even got the request on video.

After doing so, we quickly discovered that we were without a bottle opener, so it was over to the souvenier shop where Renee bought a pineapple shaped bottle opener. It was a lifesaver, now we can have our properly chilled Coronas while sitting on the lanai (Hawaiian for porch), well, at least we could, if we weren’t on the 10^th floor and I wasn’t scared to death of heights.

Back in the hotel for a short rest and then maybe down to the beach for a swim.

Renee In The Lobby