Day 6: Remembering Pearl Harbour, Remembering WWII

---

Wednesday, 14th January 2015

This morning, I took a bus from my hotel to the USS Arizona Memorial (aka Pearl Harbour) about 70 minutes away. Easily one of the highlights of my Hawaii trip, Pearl Harbour rose to fame following the Japanese attacks on 7th December 1941. My visit to Pearl Harbour was free of charge given that I only decided to explore the USS Arizona Memorial which was a short boat ride from the Visitor's Centre.

After watching a somewhat moving tribute at the theatre, we proceeded to the USS Arizona Memorial. Located at exactly the same spot where the vessel was sunk by the Japanese bombers, this was a white-washed building where great views of the bay could be had. At the far end of the memorial was a huge wall depicting the names of the servicemen who were killed on that fateful day - many of whom their bodies were never recovered.

Back at the Visitor's Centre, there was a really interesting exhibition containing numerous storyboards of the Second World War. When hunger strikes, I decided to purchase a hot dog from one of the food vendors on site. I was never a hot dog fan for health reasons but this was surprisingly delicious. For the rest of the day, I decided to forgo the rest of the paid attractions on site and headed back to Waikiki to visit the free US Army Museum.

All in all, this was a day of remembrance for me in Hawaii as I visited these fine military sites which bore the brunt of the Second World War!

---