It has actually been 10 days since we left Oahu, where we had a four day stopover between California and Samoa. Arriving in tropical, volcanic Hawaii was wonderful. I was glad to be a passenger as we drove north to our Airbnb, https://www.airbnb.com taking in the views of tropical blue surf on one side, with the lush, volcanic mountains in multiple shades of green on the left.
Our first night we walked a few minutes to a beach to cool off with a night swim. The next morning we checked out snorkel equipment shops and met up with Karen and John VanTine, our dear friend Kari’s parents who have lived in Hawaii for the past 15 or so years. They helped us understand a little more about the island, and how to pronounce some of the names we were sabotaging! How cool to connect with friends around the world.
Snorkeling at Shark’s Cove was up next. I never tire of seeing tropical fish that look as though their painter had such fun coming up with the multitude of colors, shapes and expressions on these fish!
Next day, the purchase of a couple new polarized masks to replace a leaky one and an old torn one, learning one should never buy a mask on line. Instead, try it on for a good seal by placing it on face, inhaling through nose and make sure you can’t pull it away from your face.
We supported the tourist industry at the Polynesian Cultural Center, enjoying a show of dancing, story telling, fire throwing, drumming, and singing from the Polynesian islands of Hawaii, Tahiti, Fiji, Samoa, New Zealand (also Aotearoa), Tonga, and Easter Island (also called Rapa Nui). The dancing by the men was remarkably strong and from the women, remarkably beautiful.
With Ella and Helen both being vegan we are always on the search for good vegetarian restaurants. We found the The Beet Box Cafe, our best restaurant discovery yet, https://www.thebeetboxcafe.com where we fueled ourselves for the hour drive to the Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor.
In (my) summary, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor in hopes that America would give up their interests and expansion in the Pacific, which Japan saw as a threat. Japan wanted to continue their imperial expansion in the South Pacific for its natural resources such as oil, mineral and steel. The US selected Pearl Harbor as a prime location for establishing military protection and establishing influence in the Pacific. The US Congress placed restrictions on doing business in Japan when Japan showed efforts to dominate China. Japan responded with the Pearl Harbor attack.
The US Naval ship Arizona was one of 18 ships (5 of those were battle ships) that were bombed on December 7, 1941. Radar was in its early development, so when the announcement came that a squadron of planes was flying towards Pearl Harbor, the commanding chief determined it was our own fighter jets expected back from a practice mission. No one was ready for the bombing that ensued, where 2,043 people died and 1,178 were wounded. The men on the Arizona were killed instantly due to the massive amounts of gunpowder on the ship. Human remains could not be identified due to there being no DNA testing at the time, so now the boat’s remnants make a large burial site on the ocean, in essence. In fact, some sailors who originally survived the Pearl Harbor bombing chose upon their death to have their ashes placed in a tomb in the ship’s wreck so they could lie to rest with their deceased comrades.
We drove quite a bit that last day, finding a good spot on the west coast of Oahu to watch the sunset, first checking out the popular Kaneana Caves. Then a long drive back to Honolulu to enjoy the great food at Down to Earth Grocery (kind of like Whole Foods, with better vegan options). Boarding Alaskan Airlines at 1:30 am was hot and tiring, but well worth it when we arrived in welcoming Samoa just 5 hours later.
A few shots from our last day in Oahu…
Strout Family Year of Travel 