Day 1, Thursday, July 16--We arrived at Sky Harbor airport at 11:45 a.m. Is there anything more annoying these days than getting through an airport to get to the airplane? First, drag luggage through the airport, show ID to check bags. Second, walk to security and show ID and boarding pass, take of shoes, put carry-on bags and shoes and all other junk through the x-ray machine, and put shoes back on. Third, walk to the gate and wait and wait until it is time to board. Fourth, sit in the hot airplane for who-knows-how-long until the plane finally takes off.
The plane ride to Hawaii is about 6 hours. Gary, Sam and I were sitting together so if we slopped over on to each other's seats it didn't matter. I listened to a book on my ipod, Sam and Chris played video games, and everyone else read.
We landed, picked up our rental car, a Kia mini-van. Chris sat in the front to help with navigation, Stephen and I sat in the middle and Sam, Sam and April sat in the back. They said they liked it back there (I don't think so) because when Stephen and I rode back there we complained too much. We finally found Teddy's Better Burgers where we had supper. It was hot and humid. The only two days it was hot and humid were the first day and the last day. We stayed on the 12th floor of a condo at Waikiki.
Day 2--Friday, July 17--We had to be up bright and early to meet our tour bus at 6:00 a.m. for our 11-hour tour of the island. It was 9:00 Arizona time so it wasn't difficult to get up. Our tour driver informed us that the "w" in Hawaii is pronounced like a "v". In Arizona everything is in English and Spanish, in Hawaii, everything is in English and Japanese.
First on the agenda was the Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor. Before we went over to the memorial on the boat, we met a Pearl Harbor survivor. He is 92 years old. The Arizona sank in about 10 minutes because the Japanese used a special armor piercing bomb. All hands were buried with the ship. They asked us to speak quietly at the memorial, but it wasn't hard, when we thought about what happened there.
Our next stop was the Dole Plantation where we purchased a yummy pineapple whip.
We visited some beautiful beaches on the North Shore. Sam almost fell in. Laie Point has to be one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. I can't imagine how much houses by the beach cost. They have a magnificent view, but one wonders what are these places like during a bad storm.
There is an island off the North Shore called "Chinaman's Hat" because it looks like he fell into the ocean and all that is left is his hat. I did not make up the name. We also stopped at a macadamia nut farm, where, of course, we bought macadamia nuts. We then ate lunch at a place called "Honey's" named after Don Ho's mother. A koi pond was just outside the dining room. We fed them; they went nuts. We also saw a Hawaiian cardinal which only has a red head.
Next was one of my favorite stops of the day--Pali Point where the wind always blows. A huge battle was fought here when the king was trying to unite the islands. The other side was backed up at this cliff and 400 of them were pushed off the cliff in the ensuing battle.
We ended the tour at a place called "Sandy Beach." Does this look sandy to you?
Where did we eat out first night in Hawaii? Chili's of course. After stopping at a Korean Barbecue place and deciding that some of us really didn't want to eat things we couldn't identify (even if the place did come highly recommended), Stephen decided that we needed to go with the familiar. He says he really wanted to eat at the Korean Barbecue, but why did he keep saying "Chili's"? The world may never know.
Day 3-- Saturday, July 18-- Having the need for souvenirs, we decided to hit the flea market at the football stadium. After a while, the guys were bored with shopping and left April and I. They found coconuts for sale that had the coconut water still in them. Stephen found a hat. April and I bought t-shirts for people. Some things were good deals and some things weren't. I found I needed a professional bargainer with me because I didn't do such a good job.
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Where should you eat lunch in Hawaii? McDonald's of course. Sam felt the need for some familiar food. Nothing in Hawaii is very big or has very much parking. McDonald's was no different. Chris was led to believe that McDonald's had teriyaki burgers. It wasn't true. He was very disappointed. We were going to Hawaii's famous Bishop Museum, but they were having a special "farm day" and there were no parking places to be had, so we decided to visit downtown Honolulu, home of Iolani Palace.
The Iolani Palace was the home of the last king and queen of Hawaii. It is the only royal palace in the United States. The furnishings are mostly missing because when the United States got rid of the last queen, Queen Liluokalani, they were all sold. Too bad people don't have foresight. Anyway, Queen Liluokalani was convicted of treason for not giving up her throne in a timely manner. She was imprisoned in the bedroom at the palace for 8 months and not allowed to leave. While there, she spent her time composing music and making a beautiful quilt that is on display in the palace. Across the street is the statue of King Kamehameha, the first king of Hawaii.
While in downtown Honolulu, we drove through Chinatown. I have to say, we were not that impressed, so we did not stop. Our next stop was the Punchbowl National Cemetery. The cemetery was built in the crater of an old volcano, hence the name. I thought the way there was rather odd. We drove on a narrow road through a crowded neighborhood. The monument is very impressive. Shoot, the whole cemetery is very impressive. The monument includes a small chapel and maps of all the Pacific battles during WWII.
Day 4--Sunday, July 19--Sunday we attended the McCully Ward in the Honolulu Hawaii Stake. This building was constructed in 1961. It has a reflecting pool in front and a courtyard with lovely green plants. The chapel is shaped like a "T" with the podium being at the top of the T. I've never seen one like it. Gospel Doctrine was taught in 6 different languages--English, Spanish, Japanese, Chuukese, Marshallese, and Pohnpeian. The Relief Society met all together though. This ward was huge, compared to our small ward.
After lunch, we headed to Laie to see the temple. It is currently undergoing an extensive remodel and won't be completed until a year from now. The visitor's center was displaying the Mark Mabry photos of Christ. The sisters who work in the visitor's center have a unique uniform. The Laie temple has friezes around the top of the temple like the Mesa temple does. Each side represents a different dispensation. A smaller version of all the friezes is displayed in the visitor's center garden. I wish the Mesa temple had the same thing. It was really interesting to give them a closer look. Flowers in Hawaii are so beautiful, especially at the temple.
Day 5--Monday, July 20-- Monday morning we started off by visiting a Buddhist temple that is an exact replica of one in Japan. We all got to ring the bell of peace. It wasn't as peaceful as it could have been, however, some ground's keeper was using a leaf blower. The grounds were beautiful and the birds there would come right up to take food. We didn't burn any incense since we couldn't figure out how. A huge statue of Buddha resided inside of the temple.a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_zPIGQ8acfC0/Smy9nZQacnI/AAAAAAAAAJo/E8b8PHUExO8/s1600-h/IMG_0165.JPG">
Next on our agenda was the Polynesian Cultural Center. I didn't know what to expect, but it was really cool, kind of like a Polynesian Disneyland. We ate a delicious lunch of barbecued chicken and ribs. Houses from each island are displayed and there are also demonstrations of island life. Our favorite demonstration was from Samoa. A native showed us how to husk a coconut and get the meat out. He did this in a very amusing way, rather like a stand-up comic. We even saw a man climb a coconut tree. It was all very entertaining. At 5:30 we enjoyed a luau with a whole roasted pig and poi (which is like cold oatmeal). We enjoyed other native Hawaiian dishes and a show. After the luau was the BIG show. We enjoyed dances from every island and everyone's favorite were the fire dancers from Samoa.
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Day 6--Tuesday, July 21--We were all exhausted (except Gary and Sam S.) the next day. What would be next on our list? We chose Sea Life Park. It's a really, really small Sea World. We watched the dolphin show. Sea Life Park is the only place in the world with a whaphin (the child of a whale and a dolphin). The penguins were cute and the sea lions put on a good show. That was it. They have different animal encounters there like swimming with the dolphins and feeding the sea lions, but we didn't get reservations soon enough. It was okay, but not our favorite thing.
The Waikiki area at night is quite the happening place. There are street vendors and people who pretend they are statues. It is pretty amazing that they stay perfectly still and hardly breath.
Day 7--Wednesday, July 22--Thank goodness there is no photographic evidence this day ever happened. It started out well. Chris suggested that we go kayaking. A plan that Sam S. hardily agreed with. So at 8:10 we took a tour bus to Kailua Beach. April couldn't go kayaking and Sam didn't want to. The rest of us were shown how to paddle, hauled our kayaks down to the beach and put life jackets on. First of all, Stephen and Chris tipped their kayak over getting in. A big brown man who was standing beside me said he was scared. Gary and I got in our kayak and I tipped it over. Note: You have to sit very still and not lean either way. Sam was the expert since he had been kayaking many times before, so off he went.
Once Gary and I started paddling to our destination--Flat Island, a bird sanctuary--I started feeling really funny. Wait-- I knew that feeling--motion sickness. I barely made it over to the island and didn't see any birds because I was sitting on a rock trying to recover. One of the guides said to look at something stationary on the way back, like a mountain. Unfortunately, it didn't work, Gary was doing almost all the paddling and I was feeling miserable! Now I know a little bit how the Lehites felt when Laman and Lemuel took over the boat. It was only a 15 minute trip back, but it felt like forever. I almost made it. As we were approaching the beach, I lost my breakfast. As soon as we hit the beach I just sat there for a long time. I did manage to walk back to the kayak rental place and after a while could eat some pizza.
For the next couple of hours, we played on the beach. Up until this time, we all managed, with the help of tons of sunscreen, to avoid getting sunburned. Our lucky streak came to an end, even with sunscreen. Everyone but Sam S. got sunburned. He was smart and kept his shirt on. We got back to the condo and all hit the showers. I think perhaps that the reason the bathtub drained so slowly was because of all the sand that has built up over the months. Sam and Stephen tried to go on a hike to see a waterfall, but it rained so there was a flash flood warning and so no waterfall hike.
Day 8--Thursday, July 23--Our last day in paradise. We all wanted to return to Pearl Harbor and see the rest. The submarine Bowfin is docked at Pearl. It is a WWII submarine, and was the one that picked up George H.W. Bush after he was shot down. I admire the men who sailed on subs--cramped quarters underwater and no air conditioning so it was HOT. Showers every couple of weeks and tiny bunks, with some men even sleeping by the torpedos. The Bowfin was the only sub that lost no men.
Our next stop was the USS Missouri, the ship where the Japanese surrendered. A marker on the ship indicates the exact spot where the table sat. The Missouri was put back into action during the gulf war because of its accurate guns. It could sit off shore and hammer targets 300 miles away with pinpoint accuracy. The Missouri and the Arizona are docked bow to bow to represent the beginning and the end of the war.
Our final stop was the Pacific Air museum. There we found a Japanese zero (the kind of plane used to bomb Pearl Harbor). Other WWII era planes were displayed. We even saw the bi-wing plane that George H.W. Bush trained in.
After a dinner at Jimmy Buffet's (which, by the way, was really good), we did a little more shopping. Stephen, Sam, Chris and I walked across the street to the Apple store so Chris could say he had been in the one in New York City and Honolulu.
Our flight left at 10:55 p.m. Hawaiian time and landed in Phoenix at 7:55 a.m. I couldn't sleep in the airplane very well, so I went back to bed after we arrived home. I'm still a little discombobulated over the experience.
A FUN TIME WAS HAD BY ALL!!!
