Blogs from Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii, United States, North America - page 13

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North America » United States » Hawaii » Oahu » Honolulu November 6th 2011

This is probably our penultimate blog. After all our travelling, we definitely needed a holiday! San Francisco was getting cool, so we had to fly west across the Pacific to Honolulu for a few days of R&R. This also puts us at just 1 hour time difference from NZ, so we should be able to get over most of the jetlag before we get home. Apart from replenishing some worn-out clothes we have no plans for here, apart from just relaxing. But when in Hawaii you have to do as the locals do, i.e. surf. Our hotel is just 5 minutes from Waikiki Beach, the sea is warm and the surf is a moderate 2-3 feet, so we've hired boards and gone out a couple of times already. We're not suffering. Jackson's journal tells us that ... read more
Waikiki Beach
Waikiki Beach

North America » United States » Hawaii » Oahu » Honolulu October 17th 2011

Today our plan was to get up early, go to Pearl Harbor, then on into Waikiki to mess around until our sunset cruise on the Maita'i catamaran, and that's pretty much what we did. I did get up early enough to go to our beach and take some sunrise pictures while the others took showers and prepared for the day. There was a nice cooperative cloud over Manana Island (it's a state seabird sanctuary just offshore from Waimanalo). We went to Pearl Harbor in the morning (dealt with in ). After, we ended up going to a little conveyer sushi place near there where we ate all the sushi. Then we headed over to Waikiki. We had intended to have time to walk around and look at things, but true to form, we had pretty much ... read more
More Sunrise over Manana Island
(Most of) Us on the Maita'i Catamaran

North America » United States » Hawaii » Oahu » Honolulu October 17th 2011

When we were here five years ago, we went to Pearl Harbor to visit the USS Arizona memorial. Much has changed since were last were here. The entire visitors center is new; apparently last time, the exhibits and gift shop were housed in temporary tent-like buildings. I do not remember noticing this, but I do know that what's there now is completely different from what was. All, that is, except for the Arizona Memorial, which is the same as it was since it was dedicated in 1962. It is the same rusty hulk lying on the bottom of the harbor and the same tiny trickle of fuel leaking. The experience at Pearl Harbor, for me, pulls up the whole jumble of what I "know" about WWII, perceptions and misconceptions alike. I have had trouble in the ... read more
The Wall

North America » United States » Hawaii » Oahu » Honolulu October 17th 2011

Today is Anne's 17th birthday! She kicked off her celebration in the Central European time zone yesterday via a Skype call from her family in Schenefeld - noon Sunday our time, just after midnight Monday theirs. After countless grill-related near-catastrophes, we managed to grill SPAM®burgers and very strange bright red hot dogs which we served with Velveeta® Shells 'n' Cheese. Anne was not convinced by my claims that this is pretty much the same thing as Käsespätzle, even after I reassured her that I've had Käsespätzle. The sun fell down behind the mountains promptly at 6:30 PM, so we supped in the dark on the lanai and argued like geeks about how to order our sightseeing backlog. We settled on Pearl Harbor for early tomorrow (Monday) morning and since that's enough planning for an Agile vacation, ... read more

North America » United States » Hawaii » Oahu » Honolulu September 27th 2011

Sept 27 - Oct 1 2011 was the year I was going to go to China but I didn't want to leave Albert out and he really wanted to go to Hawaii. So Hawaii it is. China will have to wait until next year. This would be my second trip to Hawaii since I had gone on a senior trip in high school. A week in Oahu and Maui was really not enough time and I would have enjoyed a full week in Oahu. Oh well, next time. We got there a day early and had to book a room at the Hilton Haiwaiin Village instead of the hotel we originally booked. This is a huge resort with quite a few pools, shops and restaurants right on the beach in a great location. I am more ... read more
Pearl Harbor
USS Bowfin
USS Bowfin Submarine

North America » United States » Hawaii » Oahu » Honolulu August 24th 2011

Today was supposed to be a two parter, Pearl Harbour and the Polynesian Cultural Center. We arrived at Pearl by 8:30am. We went to the two new museums there and at 10:15 went on the boat to the Arizona Memorial. What a moving site. The oil is still bubbling after all of these years. Kathy heard a story that when the survivors of the Arizona or those who had been posted to it pass on they are cremated and buried with their ship mates. The legend is that once the last sailor passes and is buried the oil will stop rising to the surface. I for one would like to believe this is true. Military men and women share a special bond, especially those that lived through the war. When we got back to Pearl we ... read more

North America » United States » Hawaii » Oahu » Honolulu August 17th 2011

Today we are about to leave for our Honeymoon. We are visiting three Islands in Hawaii and then finishing off in Las Vegas. We ordered a taxi to pick us up at 5am to take us to Heathrow airport as we didn’t want to bother anyone in dropping us off. I had arranged for a minibus to pick us up in Hawaii to take us to our hotel. I had also purchased a SIM card for the USA so I could use my mobile phone without extortionate bills. We had a 19 hour journey to look forward to. Our flight departed at 10:25am GMT and we were going to stopover in Los Angeles in 12 hours with a 90 minute stopover. Then a five hour flight to Honolulu. We got to the airport and checked in. ... read more
Oahu Map
Hotel Room
Marina at Night

North America » United States » Hawaii » Oahu » Honolulu August 4th 2011

Haleiwa, Oahu, Hawaii, 4 août J'attendais cette visite avec impatience... On a tellement entendu parler de ce matin de décembre 1941 que la visite de Pearl Harbour était incontournable. Ce n'est pas tant les vestiges visibles de l'attaque japonaise (il ne reste en fait que les squelettes de quelques bateaux de guerre coulés dans la baie) que la sensation très forte de mettre un pied dans l'histoire qui nous impressionnent ici. Les expositions et les films présentés sur le site nous expliquent en détail ce qui s'est passé et le contexte général de l'entrée des États-Unis dans la Seconde Guerre mondiale. Une petite croisière nous mène sur l'épave du USS Arizona, sur lequel ont péri près de 1500 marins, et cette visite, empreinte de recueillement, reste un moment fort du circuit. Après cela, nous avons passé ... read more
Pearl Harbour, Oahu, Hawaii
Pearl Harbour, Oahu, Hawaii
Pearl Harbour, Oahu, Hawaii

North America » United States » Hawaii » Oahu » Honolulu July 16th 2011

Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii, 16 juillet Je viens tout juste d’arriver dans l’archipel d’Hawaii, quel contraste! Hier matin au pied d’un glacier et ce midi sous les palmiers… Wow! Mais un dernier mot sur l’Alaska et ses merveilles. Mon dernier arrêt en terre alaskaine, avant de revenir à Anchorage, était situé tout au bout de la Richardson Highway, sur les rives du Prince William Sound. La petite ville de Valdez s’y est incrustée avec ténacité dans un décor de rêve. Je retrouve encore une fois ce mariage unique entre mer et montagnes qui donne aux localités côtières ce charme si singulier et je repense du coup à Homer, à Seward, à Skagway et à Haines visitées précédemment. Mais Valdez présente un passé qui la démarque de toutes les autres, un passé marqué par les tragédies, les catastrophes ... read more
Valdez, Alaska
Valdez, Alaska
Valdez, Alaska

North America » United States » Hawaii » Oahu » Honolulu July 4th 2011

On this trip, it's important to travel light. I usually pack a little of everything in my bags, with the supposition that it's better to have too many things than too few. But this trip will involve lots of train travel and transfers between hotels. Italian city streets often feature uneven cobblestones, stairways and bridges...in other words, they're not ideal for hauling suitcases from one place to the next. I've told the girls, "One medium-sized rolling bag each!" Now I have to stick with the same rule, and I'm wondering how I am going to get all my stuff into one suitcase. I have a list of essential items (comfortable shoes), but I don't want to look too American! Italians generally dress relatively well, even in the heat of summer, so I have to pack things ... read more




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