USA - Hawaii - Oahu, Waikiki

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Aloha!

Tuesday 25^th September (my second of 2012!) – Honolulu and Waikiki

We had a bumpy landing at Honolulu but at least we’d made it from Fiji! The USA immigration line up was REALLY slow but once at the counter I went through really quickly and didn’t need to do all the usual finger prints jazz, I wonder if it’s because they have recent information for me, they only asked a few nice questions. Our bags were already off the carousel by the time we got to baggage claim. I headed outside and found the Roberts Hawaii shuttle I’d booked and we had a nice ride into Waikiki (saw a mixer truck as soon as we left the airport…already have a USA mixer photo though). The driver pointed out interesting places and told us a little about Hawaii on the way in. We passed the big pink hospital which serves most of the pacific islands. I learned in Fiji that many people needing surgery will fly to Honolulu for it, I’d seen a poorly boy get onto the plane in Kiritmati and had thought he might be on his way to the hospital, and on passing the American woman with him I found that was true, she was saying how hard it was to have to hand him over to the next carer once he’d got used to her. The (interesting!) facts I learned were that 98%!o(MISSING)f the supplies that come into Hawaii come by sea, there are only 14 letters in the Hawaiian alphabet, there are no 7-11 stores in Waikiki (it’s all ABC stores) and the Aloha Tower was built in 1926. Honolulu looked ok, all very American. The houses were built up over the hills, the palm trees were VERY tall and VERY thin and some were shaped like palm trees! There were 2 huge cruise ships in the harbour, plus loads of posh and we passed Chinatown, lots of smart shops, Macys, limos and fire hydrants. There was a lot of traffic and people driving around on motorbikes without helmets. The leaves were all pretty colours like the rest of the Pacific.

We made 3 stop offs before they dropped me in Waikiki outside ‘Stay Waikiki’, a really nice budget hotel. It was a bit more expensive than I’d normally pay for a hostel but figured it would be good to help Jonny get into the swing of things because we had bunk beds! The check in time is 4pm but because the room was free they checked me in straight away. I was so happy with the room, it was small but the bunk beds had proper sheets and a duvet, there was a TV and Wifi and we were only a block from the beach; I could see the ocean through the buildings from the balcony! I quickly changed and headed to the beach… I’d already spent the 25^th September on the beach in Fiji and now I was spending it in Hawaii – I’m very lucky. There was such a lot going on, it was packed full of umbrellas and sun loungers and the sea was full of surfers, paddle boarders and people doing all sorts of activities. The waves near the shore weren’t too big but further out they were a bit bigger and there was a nice walled area that created a sort of sea swimming pool.

I went to ABC to pick up some supplies and then went in search of a SIM card, there are no mobile phone stores in Waikiki (it’s so touristy) and the girl at ABC told me to get the bus to the Ala Moana shopping centre. I went to wait for the bus and got completely confused because none of them, or the ‘trolleys’ (like open buses) would stop for me. In the end I realised it was because I wasn’t Asian. And I’m not joking; it seems the Japanese Tourist Board privately charter trolleys for Japanese tourists… as soon as one did stop for me (the open to anyone Pink Line) they told me it was $2 and I had to have exact change… which I didn’t. So I had to go back to ABC to get change then back to the trolley stop and wait for ages for the right trolley to come along. I eventually got on the Pink Line and had a lovely ride to Ala Moana. The trolley driver was so bright and cheery, talking to us through her headset over the loudspeakers as we went along. The trolley is all open at the sides so there was a nice breeze coming in.

We pulled up at Ala Moana which is a very smart shopping centre; it’s all stone and very post. I spent ages trying to find AT&T and eventually found out it was downstairs in Sears. Once there I had to wait for AGES for them to work through the ticket system and then it was very frustrating to find out how terrible the prepay phone deals are. You have to pay to receive calls! We eventually found the most suitable package and I headed off for something to eat and the lovely trolley ride back into Waikiki. I headed back to the beach for a sleep which didn’t go well as there was some sort of protest outside of the Hyatt hotel (about worker’s pay and conditions) and then it started to rain… not very heavily but enough to be uncomfortable. It did create the prettiest rainbow though. I headed back to Stay to do some washing and then settled down to wait for Jonny Hale (my good friend from home who fancied a holiday) to arrive! He rocked up at about 8pm and it was lovely to see him, is always funny seeing someone from home somewhere different! Jonny had a quick change and then we headed out for dinner and to catch up on the village news. We ended up at the Hard Rock Café which was nice although they weren’t very friendly; they were quite rude to Jonny for not having ID on him. There was a really good band playing. I had a Pina Colada, had had one at around the same time on the same day in Fiji. We walked back to the hotel through all the shops along the main avenue which again is very smart… it doesn’t look real though… almost too perfect. There were pretty fire lights all along the avenue. We were both tired out that night after our journeys!

Wednesday 26^th September – Waikiki and Pearl Harbor

The weather didn’t look too great today so we decided to go to Pearl Harbor. We got our free hotel breakfast and headed to the bus stop… we had to wait a while again for the right one. On the bus we bumped into the honeymooners I’d sat next to on the plane from Fiji, such a coincidence! The bus ride took AGES! It seemed to stop every 50 metres and we had to stand most of the way because we got up for the older people… I nearly sat on someone at one point because the bus flew around the corner so quickly, she didn’t look impressed. We eventually turned up at the Pacific National Monument and USS Arizona Memorial which includes the USS Utah, USS Oklahoma, Ford Island, Battleship Row mooring quays for F6, F7 and F8 and 6 Chief Petty Officer bungalows on Ford Island (I may have missed some, sorry). We headed in and after checking in our bags (no bags allowed, just cameras out of cases) booked in a time slot for the visit to the USS Arizona Memorial (it was free) and as we had an hours wait we decided to do the audio tour of the museum. It was so well down, very informative and insightful. The attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941 was the start of 4 years of great land and sea battles as the USA entered World War II, the site also includes the USS Missouri on which the Japanese formally signed their surrender on 2/9/1945. There were 2390 deaths on the day, including 49 civilians who died mostly from friendly fire as people tried desperately to fend off the Japanese attack. The museum talks through the ‘Road to War’ and how Japan wanted to claim many territories that Western powers held in Asia and knew they needed to knock out the USA to do so. This followed the legacy left by World War I and the economic depression. In response to Japanese aggression in Asia the USA moved the Pacific Fleet to Pearl Harbor and Japan planned a massive operation across the Pacific during 1941 and 1942; Pearl Harbor was one part of that. The USA was prepared for a ground attack but never expected one by air. On the 6 December 1941 President Roosevelt wrote to the Japanese Emperor after hosting a visit to the USA and pleaded for a resolution to mounting terror. But, at 7.55am on 7 December 1941 the 1^st wave of attack started, followed by the 2^nd wave an hour later. It was all over by 9.55am. The Japanese planes were spotted on the radar prior to the attack but it was assumed they were friendly aircraft due in from California; it’s one of the biggest ‘What If?’ questions in history. During the 2 hours of attack the Japanese had sunk or destroyed 21 vessels, including 8 battleships. There were 1177 lives lost on the USS Arizona alone. In the following weeks and months the loyalty of Japanese immigrants were questioned and there were fears of espionage, it disrupted lives as many were interred; many Japanese volunteered to fight for the USA. A quote from President Roosevelt is displayed which I felt was really strong ‘<em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Those who have long enjoyed such privileges as we enjoy forget in time that men have died to win them’. We walked around the memorial gardens that overlook the harbour, it’s so peaceful now. A displayed poem that the First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt carried around with her during the way also resonated with me ‘<em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dear Lord, Lest I Continue, My Complacent Way, Help me to remember, Somewhere out there, a man died for me today, As long as there be war, I then must, Ask and answer, Am I worth dying for’. And then a simple but so important quote from a survivor ‘<em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I will never forget’. The Remembrance Circle commemorates everyone affected and it’s important to remember that the attack was across Oahu, not just Pearl Harbor.

We moved on to the theatre for the start of our USS Arizona tour. The USS Arizona Memorial honours all members of the Armed Forces who gave their lives and was erected in 1962 over the sunken USS Arizona which was blown apart by bombs. We started by watching a moving and informative 20 minute film which I found very profound. 1177 perished and 900 men are still entombed in the hull. We were out of the theatre and onto the boat for the transfer to the memorial; we were reminded we were in a sacred place so to be respectful. We disembarked the boat and entered the bright white open memorial. The USA flag was proudly raised above it, it felt like a memorial. You can look down into the wreckage; some is visible above the water. There are still droplets of oil seeping from the wreckage and loved ones of those who died have been known to say it’s the tears of the men still entombed. The Tree of Life symbol is prominent throughout the site and is situated alongside the memorial wall which lists all those who died. It was a very reflective 15 minutes… have we really learned anything?

We were transferred back to land and our next stop was the USS Bowfin submarine (which survived 9 War Patrols) which I was keen to visit because I’ve always wanted to go on a submarine. We took another audio tour and boarded the beck; it was so long and narrow. We headed down the hatch and into the torpedo room which also had beds; we passed through the officers cabin where only the captain had his own room (complete with important gauges above his beds) and through to the control room (I’m so annoyed that I didn’t see the periscope). It was so tight and narrow; I think the crew of submarines are amazing for being able to handle it. They had an example menu in the main crews mess and there were ‘pigs in blankets’ on there! We headed back up top and Jonny sat on the big machine guns which had very strong binoculars on them. The audio tour told us that if the signal to ‘dive’ was given, the crew had 60 seconds to get off the deck and back inside the hatch.

Once we’d finished at the USS Bowfin we did consider going to the USS Missouri (to see where the Japanese surrender was signed) but it was getting late so we headed back to the bus stop… It was all very random again; I think Honolulu needs a better system. You had to practically stand on the road to be sure the buses stopped. The bus ride back didn’t seem to last so long because I fell asleep for most of it!

Back in Waikiki we stopped at a bar for a quick drink then headed to the ‘Top of Waikiki’, a revolving sunset restaurant that Jonny wanted to go to. It was a good call; there were great views of the city and the ocean. It revolved at a reasonable pace and if you got up it could be hard to find your way back to your table! We had a nice dinner and then headed back to get changed before going for a drink in Kelly’s, the Irish bar on Lewers St. There was a great band playing and we got chatting to a group of old timer rugby boys who were from Brisbane (I keep meeting people from Brisbane…maybe it’s telling me something…)! They even had a Story Bridge Hotel stubby holder! One of them took me off dancing to Irish jig music (which was great fun… the only downside was that people were smoking inside…it is banned in Hawaii but the law is written so the individual gets the fine…so some pubs turn a blind eye) and then we moved onto another bar together which was showing Buffy on the TV. I was bit tired by then so headed home for a sleep.

Thursday 27^th September - Waikiki

We spent the day on the beach! I was happy lying on the sand but Jonny wasn’t so keen so hired a sun lounger which turned out to be a wise move because we were watching the waves coming closer and closer (I was playing wave roulette again!). Jonny had to shout to me to get up at one point and it got the end of the towel. But, I still stayed there (with my head towards the sea as well) until Jonny said “this one might get you Rach!” so I jumped up with my bag as the wave completely covered my towel! It was quite funny! We stayed on the beach later but I seemed to attract the waves (they kept coming that bit further up the beach just where I was!) so we moved up onto the grassy area and luckily I had a sarong with me lie on as my towel was soaked! Jonny headed off for a wander and I watched some people having an almighty row in a car. I then got a migraine and had to go back to the room where I slept all afternoon, what a waste! I eventually got myself up and did more washing and got packed (we were taking a flight to Maui the next day) and we ordered takeaway pizza and watched X Factor whilst I studied late into the night!

Lots of love… next up the beautiful island of Maui.

Xx



NOTE: I use these updates to capture my memories and share what I'm doing on my travels with friends, family and anyone who’s interested enough to read. The views are my own and I try my best to ensure any information I share is fair and accurate but I do sometimes get things wrong. I welcome any feedback so I can make improvements and corrections for future readers. Thank you.

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