Started the day by going to Pearl Harbor, located about an hour west of Waikiki. Steven had wanted to go there for years. Did you know that Hawaiians used to harvest oysters and clams in the harbor and thus the 'pearl' connection? I sure didn't.
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The only time you'll see Steven without his fanny pack, I bet, this trip.
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We’d read about the possibility of 3 plus hour wait times but luckily we were whisked right in, having divested ourselves of camera bag, my purse and Steven’s beloved fanny pack (more on that I am sure from him another time!). We both felt quite bereft without ‘our stuff’ and hoped it would be safe in the car while visiting the fabulous museum and Pearl Harbor sites. Normally one is told to take your valuables with you but here, we needed to leave them all in the car.
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The Tree of Life ‘inspires contemplation of healing,
peace and reconciliation
for all people and all races.’ The same design is
incorporated into the memorial itself.
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Our timed tickets started with a very well produced video of the major events that transpired leading up to the bombing of Pearl Harbor, and the massive destruction that ensued. Then a group of us were taken in a small Navy boat to the site of the USS Arizona Memorial, built in 1962 over the destroyed battleship.
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Navy ferry boat transporting visitors back to shore
from the USS Memorial. |
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| USS Missouri on the left and the USS Arizona Memorial on the right. |
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USS Missouri: 20 stories high and 3 football fields long;
nicknamed ‘Mighty Mo.’
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| USS Arizona Memorial, dedicated in 1962, floats above the ship that became a tomb. |
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| Vestiges of the original battleship above and below. |
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| We could see small amounts of oil rising to the surface as there are still over 500,000 gallons of oil left in the warship below. About 1 quart of oil is released per day. |
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These photos might be too rah rah for my Canadian family and friends
but they seemed perfectly apt in the moment.
Very moving at the stark white memorial for me was listening to an older volunteer recount in great detail what happened on that tragic day, December 7, 1941. |
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| Names of all those who died on board on 12/7/1941. This father was trying to explain what had happened so many years ago to his 4-5 year old daughter. They were there for a long time. |
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Since 1982, the
U.S. Navy has allowed survivors of the USS Arizona to be interred in the ship’s
wreckage upon their deaths. Following a full military funeral at the Arizona memorial, the cremated remains are
placed in an urn and then deposited by divers beneath one of the Arizona’s gun turrets. I found this to be especially moving knowing the survivors wished to be forever with their fellow comrades in arms.
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| The Tree of Life with the young girl and her endless patience. |
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USS Bowfin Submarine Museum: Located very near
the USS Arizona Memorial
and visible on our return from the Navy boat. |
Information from the Pearl Harbor
Visitors’ Center:
Zachary: Bet you knew that RADAR is an acronym for Radio
Detecting and Ranging, right?
The attack on Pearl Harbor sparked
widespread fear of sabotage and espionage but not a single confirmed case of
sabotage by the nearly 150,000 people of Japanese ancestry (40% of Hawaii’s
population was of Japanese descent) was ever proven. On 2/19/1942, President Roosevelt signed an
Executive Order which led to the internment of nearly 129,000 men, women and
children, two thirds of whom were American citizens.
Decided then to drive up the western side of the island to see how it looked compared to the other parts of Oahu we had seen yesterday. We were again amazed by the beautiful beaches, the number of beach parks, stunning ocean views and the lush, green gorgeous mountain ridges.
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| These photos are all from Kea'au Beach Park, located very close to the northern tip of Oahu on the western side. It had been rainy for the previous hour or so, so Steven understandably didn't feel like driving any further north. |
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We saw ridges/'mountains' like this all over the island. Unfortunately my camera
didn't pick up the dark, lush green that the hills/ridges actually were. They
reminded me of visiting Scotland some 40 years ago. Please don't tell me I am that old! |
Observations/surprises after just 2 days in Hawaii:
Lots of BBQ places all around the island.
Proliferation of heavy duty overhead electrical wires away from Honolulu and Waikiki (so much so it reminded us strongly of Cambodia).
Certainly NO ‘no shirts, no shoes, no service rule’ in much of the island even in fast food places and grocery stores, etc.
Bread products hideously expensive: $9.50 for 2 loaves of bread, $5 for 4 hoagie rolls, my daily fix of Little Debbie Brownies a staggering $3.50 each for a 6 pack instead of the labeled $1.79.
Beeping of car horns was almost non existent – oh, what peace and quiet (had read in the AAA tour book that horns can only be used in an emergency).
Beach parks, often with modern play structures too – Al, I thought of you here! – dotted every few miles around the island.
Quite a few signs up eschewing development and imploring people to support their beaches and communities.
We were both very shocked how terribly poor much of the island looked as we drove almost the entire way around it. So many of the homes we saw appeared to be lower economic class and many of them, little more than huts really. Many of the schools we saw, and we saw a lot of them too, looked like they occupied former military barracks.
I know that we were only there for 2 full days and didn’t see many subdivisions and no drop dead gorgeous homes that surely are located away from the coast roads BUT, what we saw was not at all what we anticipated.
Steven and I both wonder how the island of Oahu compares in these ways to the other Hawaiian islands. If you have been to others, I would love to know.
Thanks for the report. I think it's funny that "modern play structures" warrant a shout-out to me :) (but I know the conversation you're talking about)!
ReplyDeleteHope you're having a blast!
Hon,
DeleteSorry to just be seeing your comment now but better late than never, I hope! Actually the shout out about the playgrounds wasn't intended for you as you are and will always be Alexander to me, but was meant for fellow CKS/E resident Al Nemes who was similarly interested in replacing the two playgrounds we have in the neighborhood. XOXO, Mum
Had to go back and read YOUR posts on Oahu after your insightful comments on mine! I smiled at your several mentions in this and the other post about the no shoes, no shirts attire in many places. We were agog at times when we saw bikini-clad girls and guys in nothing but boardshorts in stores, at gas stations, etc.
ReplyDeleteOn a totally different topic, we also spent a half day at Pearl Harbor and found it sobering yet fascinating. Unfortunately, the dock over the USS Arizona is closed and it's not possible to go into the memorial these days. We still spent a long time watching films, listening to the audio program, and reading at all the exhibits.
As for the other islands, we only saw one other, but now that I really think about it, I would say it was not so overtly poor as Oahu was outside of the Honolulu area. The sad old structures on the north part of Oahu really did catch our eye from the start.
Lexie,
ReplyDeleteMy apologies also to you for not responding to your comments until now, Lexie. How sad that people are no longer able to land on the USS Arizona and see the mournful memorial as being there had a big impact for both of us. Glad to hear that you also had a similar response to the poor conditions we also witnessed while driving around much of Oahu. Unfortunately, it distorted my vision of what I'd always thought was the idyllic state of Hawaii.