It was an early morning wake-up call (7 am) as we had a very full day ahead of us. I really wanted to go to Pearl Harbor and after some research it was a $36 cab ride each way and then it cost $10 minimum to get into the visitor center (and we wanted to go out to the USS Arizona memorial as well…so looking closer to $20ish each) I found a tour that included transportation, a brief tour of Honolulu and the full access to Pearl Harbor Memorial for $40 each – best deal by far.
The memorial was very humbling and moving. I know that Pearl Harbor is what sparked the USA into WWII and inevabiliy changed history as we know it, but to be immersed in the timeline of what lead up to Pearl Harbor and see every detail was very powerful. The memorial is very well done and has three parts, before, during and after. I did not take many pictures as I did not think it was very appropriate…but did take some of the memorial and then the grounds around the visitor center. It was upsetting to me to see families smiling in pictures with the memorial in the background and in front of monuments, I just did not feel that was respectful – so you will not see any pictures of me smiling or selfies with the monuments.
There is still oil leaking from the battleship. It is said it will leak until all the people who served on the Arizona return “home”
This is a great quote…
We were very honored to be there the same month as Pearl Harbor Day.
After our time at Pearl Harbor we got back on the bus and had a brief tour of Honolulu.
Behind Derek is where Obama was “supposedly” born.
It was perfect timing as the tour ended (around 12:30) our room at the Marriott Resort and Spa was ready! I was able to cash in my hard earned points from this Spring on two nights at this Resort (plus of course the resort fee). The thing that ended up really bothering me is that these hotels are not resorts, I did not see anything that warranted a fee. They even have a list of all the things you get for the fee…two chocolate covered macadamia nuts were top on the list (you can image how the rest of the list goes). We did however get upgraded to an Ocean View which was nice.
After settling in we did not waste a second and were off to find lunch. Having the Food Network Food App installed (my favorite) we looked at the options. The Food App shows you everywhere the Food Network has been in your location. We decided on The Rainbow Drive Inn – it said it was fast food for locals and it was on Diners, Dives and Drive-Ins (Triple Ds).
The food was AMAZING and very reasonably priced. I had the Shoyun Chicken and Derek has the Loco Moco Plate (what Vince had on the show). After lunch we walked back along the beach and by the Zoo. The trees in Hawaii are stunning – these trees have long branches that also grown roots to stabilize the branch….very very cool
We grabbed some local beer at one of the 59 ABCs stores in Waikiki Beach and headed back to the room to enjoy the view and then hit the pool for the sunset.
It was much cooler than I expected – so the hot tub was very welcomed. Also, my back was killing me as I decided to get a duffel bag for this trip and I did not want to “waste” weight on wheels – so I am carrying a 50lb bag on my back – HORRIBLE decision. The other thing I will come to regret (or I should say lesson learned) is that I just cannot pack an outfit for everyday (or actually 2 outfits for everyday) I need to pack clothes that can be re-used, washed and that are light. I have a lot to learn on how to pack the best way.
After relaxing we headed out to a late dinner one of the coolest places I have ever been!! The Japan Village Walk is a huge market that has stands of different kinds of food and it is open everyday! We walked through and I wished we had an entire day in the market so I could eat at many different places. I settled on a bowl of spicy chicken and Derek had a bowl as well. It felt like we were teleported to Japan as I did not hear anyone speaking English and the food was simply amazing.
We saw the table next to us with a smoking dessert that we had to try. It tasted like fruit loops but it was the coolest thing to eat – we had way too much fun with it!
One the walk home we stopped by Cheeseburger in Paradise to find out what came first, the song or the restaurant. It was definitely the song and I side with Jimmy Buffet – but we enjoyed the nightcap. What a great full day. Looking forward to seeing the rest of the Island tomorrow!
Postcards to Iowa 