Honolulu was busy, and crowded (for Hawaii), and an actual city. I have to admit...after only ONE day on Kauai, I was not ready for traffic (even though Duane drove), and noise (it WAS a city, after all), and "busy-ness" (it WAS a city, after all).
We got to the rental car place and I was FREAKING out because I thought our reserved tickets for Pearl Harbor were for 9:30 and 10:00 (I couldn't get two reserved tickets for the same tour, even though I booked them online a week earlier). It was 9:20, and I was MAJORLY stressing about losing one of our reserved slots (10 minutes before the tour starts, they release your reserved tickets to the "general population").
LUCKILY, I had the wrong times (our were actually for 10:30 and 11:00...), and, even though I SPRINTED to the "will call" window to try to get our 9:30 tickets, it all worked out in the end. We were actually able to talk to a park ranger at the theater (where you watch the documentary to start the tour), and she exchanged one of our 10:30 tickets for another 11:00 ticket, so that we could go together.
Pearl Harbor is an amazing place. I can't IMAGINE what it was like, standing in the spot I did, on December 7th, 1941. The place is so serene...and quiet...and touristy now, that the horrors of that day just don't seem possible.
We toured the various museums, looked out on the U.S.S. Arizona memorial, watched the documentary, then took the ferry out to the memorial itself. Very serene, very somber, very unreal to think that the remains of 1,177 men lay below the platform on which we were walking.
After Pearl Harbor, we drove to Waikiki to look around. Again...really busy, lots of traffic, we were back in the city! We parked at a beach along the way and got a GREAT view of Diamondhead...
...then went further into Waikiki to find International Market Place...a hokey, touristy spot that's been around forever. It was a hoot!
After looking around (we didn't buy anything...still "souvenir-ed out" from the day before!), we looked for a place to eat a late lunch. SHAMEFUL ADMISSION NUMBER TWO...we found a California Pizza Kitchen, and, since it was Duane's birthday, and he wanted to go there, I agreed. Don't judge again...
We got a lovely table on the lanai, and had a very good meal...
After lunch, we walked around the area, and took a quick tour of the Royal Hawaiian Hotel....very pretty!
After walking around for awhile, we headed to the National Memorial Cemetary of the Pacific (the Punchbowl). Many people from the attack on Pearl Harbor are buried there, as well as veterans of other wars.
It was very serene, and somber, and quite beautiful...
After the Punchbowl, we got caught in a traffic jam (again...we were in a CITY!!), and eventually got to Pali Lookout...one of the places Duane remembers from a family trip decades ago. It was really beautiful up there!
Coconut Island...used as the "establishing shot" for "Gilligan's Island"!!
After Pali, we tried to hike a trail at Diamondhead, but got there just as they were closing things down for the night. We found a fun little farmer's market on the way back downtown and looked around, then headed to the Ala Moana Shopping Mall.
Duane said that the mall had changed A LOT since he was last there. It DEFINITELY went "upscale"...Gucci, Coach, Tiffany's. It was TOTALLY catering to the Japanese tourists who visit Oahu! I couldn't even afford to window shop there!
After the mall, we headed back to the airport, and flew back to Lihue. OF COURSE we had an entire day of sun and light breezes on Oahu...when we hit Kauai, it POURED! We were DRENCHED by the time we got to the rental car!
Oh well...as we kept reminding ourselves...rain on Kauai was WAAAAY better than snow in Minnesota!!!
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