Last 2 Days

We are nearing the end of what can only be described as an incredible 8 weeks. These last two days we have decided are for relaxing before our trip back to reality.
Our second last day we start out for a day by the beach. Peter had been to the beach a couple of times for a swim and scouted out a location for us to have a swim which suited Cheryl and I. As we walked to our location there was what looked like a canoeing carnival happening on part of the beach where we walked past.
As we walked we realised it was part of a Veteran's Carnival and it was situated on the beach behind the Army Museum and was well set up with tents and food to keep them going all day. It looked like they were having a great day even though it was a competition there was a lot of laughter coming from the returned servicemen and everyone involved. We found out later that it was part of a larger carnival called the Duke's Ocean Fest.

Our initial location was a lagoon which is fed from the ocean but there were a lot of stand up paddle boarders, peddle boats and other water activities so we weren't too keen. So we ventured just back a bit for a swim in the ocean. After hiring an umbrella and a couple of beach lounges we were set.
The water was gorgeous and we enjoyed a swim before retiring to the shade of the umbrella and watching the world go by. So relaxing.

After a couple of hours Peter and I ventured to a nearby hotel for lunch and a refreshing drink. It was very hot so after another swim we all made our way back to our hotel for a shower and a restful afternoon.

Peter and I went down to the beach to see if we could get some shots of the sunset. Unfortunately my battery ran out but I did manage to get a few shots. Another nice dinner at P F Changs and we were all set for our last day.

Last Day

Our last day dawned bright and sunny and we all had different items on our agendas to do so we had  breakfast together and then went off and did our things. For Peter and I it was a walk to the Duke's statue at the Main Beach to take a couple of photos. When we got to the beach there was a huge surfing carnival happening which as we found out was part of the Duke's Ocean Fest. We stopped for a bit, took some photos and then moved on as it was very hot.

We had a look at a couple of shops on the way home as Peter in his infinite wisdom of not packing too much had actually run out of clothes and he needed a nice shirt and shorts to go to our final night dinner.
Cheryl and John had some last minute shopping to do as well so we all spent time at the shops on our last day.

We made our way back to the hotel but not before a last stop at the ABC shop near the hotel to buy some lunch. The ABC shops are everywhere in Waikiki and by everywhere I literally mean on just about  every corner. Our guide on the Pearl Harbour day had some amusing interpretations on the ABC slogan. One was Always Bring Cash and another one was All Blocks Covered and the last one is particularly true. No two are the same as they all stock some items the same but overall they are all different.

We went back to the hotel and John and Cheryl had already arrived back and as it was very hot and steamy outside we decide to spend the rest of the day in the cool of the air conditioning. I don't think any of us wanted to be exhausted before our flight home the next day.

We decided we should have a nice dinner by the ocean for our last night and made our way to Orchids at Halekulani a beachside restaurant in a nearby hotel. A lovely setting for a lovely meal to end a fabulous holiday with lots of bucket list items ticked off.

Hawaii - Island Driving Day

Today we hired a car and drove around the island to get out of the busy city area for the day. We hired a convertible Mustang which was a very nice ride even though it was a bit cramped in the back for Cheryl. We set off in the morning traffic which by our standards in Australia aren't really too bad and our first task was to find a petrol station which was much easier said than done! On the way out of Waikiki we didn't really see one until we were past it, we finally pulled off the highway but still found it difficult and had a lovely scenic tour of one of the suburbs before we finally found one. On the way out of the town we saw 3 on the corners of an intersection, funny that when you are looking for something you can't find one but when you do find it suddenly there appears more!

Anyway we were on our way and not long we were out of the city and into some lovely little towns. We stopped at one which was an historic town called Hale'iwa for a coffee which was one of the best we have had on this trip and then had a look in one of the local shops selling handmade jewellery and crafts. We had a nice chat to the lady who ran the shop and contributed to the local economy by buying a couple of gifts. As we were driving with the top down we could feel the sun beating down on us so more blockout needed to be applied and also try and find a way to cover ourselves in the back of the car. A tough feat with the wind blowing and trying to keep our hats on as well.

The town was established in 1898 when a businessman named Benjamin Dillingham opened a hotel there. He also built a railway from Honolulu to Waialua along the west coast which opened in the same year and ended in front of his hotel. The area was known for it's sugar cane and  designated  an historic district  in 1984 which means that all new buildings must adhere to a design plan the reflects the architecture of the earlier sugar industry period.  a nice stop off on our road trip.

We continue on and our next stop is a lovely seaside spot with gorgeous views. As we stand on the beach wetting our feet we see a couple of turtles pop their heads up in the water. Fabulous to see them so close to shore.

We continued our drive and saw a sign for the Waimea Falls in the Waimea Valley, so we decided to have a look. Last time Cheryl and John were here the falls were closed so it was great to see that they were open today. We made our way in and saw that it looked like people had been swimming at the falls, so we went and asked and yes you can swim at the falls so we decided to pay the entry fee and go for a swim at the falls. It was about a 20 minute walk to the falls through a lovely botanical garden on the way to the falls filled with lots of interesting cultural information along the way. It was a very hot and steamy day so we were very thankful for the shade of some fabulous shade trees along the way.

We got to the falls and it was very crowded and one of the rules was that you had to wear a life jacket in the water which we were all a bit dubious about but no jacket no swim. We get our jackets from the lifeguard and made our way into the water. There were lots of rocks we needed to negotiate before making our way towards the falls. It was a lovely refreshing dip after the walk. we lolled around for a bit with Peter taking a few photos with the underwater camera which unfortunately didn't get much of an outing as we couldn't do the snorkel cruise we wanted to.

We made our way  back down the hill to the entrance and had a nice simple lunch before heading off again. Next stop was Sunset Beach which wasn't really signposted as such but we figured it out. This whole coast line is home to many of the surfing competitions that you see throughout the year but it was hard to imagine those pumping waves today as the water was lovely and calm, definitely my kind of swimming spot. A great first swim in the ocean here as we had been so busy that all of us apart from Peter hadn't been in the water as yet. The sun was beating down and I don't know how the people there could have stayed sitting in the sun with no shelter as it was intense.

Back to the car to continue our drive and the scenery was amazing, the coast on one side and these massive mountains on the other. We stopped at another well known location the Chinaman's Hat but Cheryl and I stayed in the car as we didn't want to cross the busy road. The time was starting to get away from us so we made our way back hem via the mountains and as is quite often the case there was nowhere to stop and take photos of these fantastic looking mountains.

Back home and what a fabulous day we had, if I ever go back to Hawaii it is definitely something I would do again as well as maybe visiting some of the other islands.

Hawaii - Part 2

Today the four of us split up to do separate things, Peter and I to Pearl Harbour and John and Cheryl factory outlet shopping as they had already been to Pearl Harbour the last time they were here.
Peter and I booked a tour as this was the easiest way to get to Pearl Harbour other than trying to find public transport there. We were met by our tour guide Joe at 8.30 in the morning and after making few more stops along the way we made our way to Pearl Harbour. Along the way Joe did a commentary about what we would be seeing and the history surrounding why Pearl Harbour was bombed. A stop at the Arizona visitors centre to drop off any bags visitors might have brought with them as there is a strict "no bags" policy which makes it difficult to carry anything with you. After that we are off to the Battleship Missouri

Joe drops us off at the memorial to the USS Oklahoma which was the only ship in Battleship Row in Pearl Harbour to sink. While it was salvaged it never went back into service and was stripped of guns and superstructure and sold. The memorial remembers the 429 sailors and marines lost on December 7 1941 using 429 marble poles with each of the serviceman's names on each pole.

After a quick donut supplied by our tour company we made our way to the Battleship Missouri. It is a commanding sight as it is very big and tall. It's nickname is Mighty Mo and while it wasn't part of the Pearl Harbour incident it did participate in the Pacific theatre of World War II in the battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa as well as in the Korean War. She was decommissioned in 1955 and mothballed until being reactivated and modernised in 1984 providing fire support in Operation Desert Storm before finally being decommissioned in 1992. In 1988 she was donated to the USS Missouri Memorial association and became a museum ship at Pearl Harbour. While it wasn't part of the attack on Pearl Harbour it played a significant role at the end of the war as it was on the deck of Mighty Mo that the surrender documents were signed.

I decided to do a guided tour while Peter chose to wander around on his own as is usual when we visit historic places. Our tour took us to 3 specific places on the battleship, firstly it was the forward deck where the guns loomed large overhead as our tour guide Brooke gave us some background on the ship, her size, her gun power and her theatres of war.

Our next location was the surrender deck upon the Missouri which was docked in Tokyo Bay on September 2 1945, where General Macarthur and the Japanese Foreign Minister Mamoru Shigemitsu, along with a number of other allied forces personnel including General Thomas Blamey from Australia signed the Instrument of Surrender documents that officially ended World War II.
There was a display of replica documents, photos of the day and a gold disc that marked the exact position of the table upon which the documents were signed.

An interesting  story from that day was about the table the documents were signed on. The original table was a mahogany (I think) table from the Captain's cabin but when it was put on deck and the documents laid out it was not big enough so they had to scour the ship looking for a big enough table and as with most naval vessels most things are bolted to the floor to prevent movement, so the only table that was big enough was a mess table from the enlisted men's mess, a portable fold up table which was hastily covered with a cloth to hide the unceremonious look of it. A most important document signed on the lowest level of naval servicemen which I feel is quite funny.

Our next location was the main deck where the story of a kamikaze Zero crashing onto the deck of the Missouri was told. The Zero crashed on the starboard side of the ship just below her main deck level which started a fire which was quickly put out and the ship suffered only minor damage but the remains of the young Japanese pilot were recovered on board the ship not far from one of the gun tubs. The crewmen wanted to hose the remains over the deck but the captain, Captain Callaghan decided the young Japanese pilot had done his job and with honour, so he should be given a military funeral even though he was the enemy. The following day he was buried at sea with military honours with a Japanese fly sewn by the sailors during the night. On the deck are footprints showing the positions of the chaplain, the bugler and the men who were in the guard of honour committing his body to the sea.

Many years later 3 volunteers at the USS Missouri researched the attack in the hope of identifying the unnamed pilot and his family. While it can't be an absolute certainty it is firmly believed that the pilot was Setsuo Ishino and a memorial service was held for him and the other pilots that died on that day was held in April 2001. The memorial service was also attended by Captain Callaghan's son himself a retired Navy Admiral.

After the tour finished I walked around below deck before meeting Peter ready to meet our guide Joe for a ride back to lunch before our tour of the Arizona Memorial site. We received our tour guide and an audio tour as the site is quite extensive but with the temperature being quite hot we only did the most important features.


The next part of our tour was to watch a film about the day Pearl Harbour was bombed to show how and why it happened, showing actual footage from the day. After this we were transported to a navy boat for our trip across Pearl Harbour to the Arizona Memorial. The memorial is built over the sunken wreckage of the USS Arizona which is the final resting place for many of the 1,177 crewmen killed on December 7 1941 in the bombing of Pearl Harbour. The memorial has three main parts, entry, assembly room and shrine and the moment I walked into the entry I felt a wave of sadness come over me as I knew the story and that what I was standing on was essentially a gravesite for all of those fallen soldiers. It is a very moving experience especially when you walk into the Shrine and see all the names of the crewmen who were lost that day.

Oil still leaks from the sunken battleship and the oil is sometimes referred to as the tears of the Arizona or "black tears". While we were there we saw some oil rise to the surface and indeed it does look like black tears.

Black tears from the Arizona

After about 15 minutes we are back on the boat and back to land to board our bus back to Waikiki. A short drive through the Veteran's cemetery and we are back home.

We meet John and Cheryl and they have shopped up a storm at the outlet mall so everyone has had a great day.

We make our way to dinner ready for another day in paradise tomorrow.

Hawaii here we come!

Another travelling day the second last of our trip which is winding down now to less than a week away from home. We flew to Hawaii and arrived after lunch and thankfully we were able to check in to our hotel straight away. We dumped our stuff and went in search of some lunch which was found at the Hard Rock Cafe. Very nice it was too. After a wander around and getting our bearings we spent the rest of the day sorting ourselves out.

As we had had a late lunch we went to the ABC store and got something light to have for dinner. The ABC stores are everywhere in Waikiki. You can't walk anywhere without one being closely. The stores stock everything you could possibly need and if one doesn't have it the next one will. It is a locally owned business and by the looks of it it does a roaring trade.

A quiet night and the day was done. we have spent a lot of time travelling over the last 8 weeks and it is now showing with all the on and off flights that we are getting tired.

Day 2

Cheryl and I decided we would go to the Ala Moana shopping centre for the morning. The boys did their own thing and I think they were happy with that. We wandered around and a lot of the stores weren't open even though it was after 9 o'clock. Anyway we made our way into Bloomingdale's and after a wander around we couldn't find anything that we wanted or that suited us. One of the things that I wanted to look at here in the States was Skechers as I was pretty sure they would be cheaper here. We found the Skechers shop and yep I was right a pair of shoes I  would pay $99 - $109 for in Australia were only $65. Cheryl also found a pair that she liked and she also saw a 50% of the second pair sign and it was on all the shoes in the store so with us buying a pair each and using that option I actually only ended up paying less than $50! What a bargain! If i had more room in my bag I might have bought more but I at least got one pair so I was happy. We went to Macy's and found quite a few bargains which was good because up until then we hadn't found any other than the Skechers.

A short stop for lunch and then onto the Swatch store where we both found nice watches which we bought. Another little stop for me was the Pandora shop where i bought my last Pandora for the trip.
A short bus ride and we were back home again.

Peter and been out for a walk and a swim while john had been doing the domestics of washing. That is how I spent the rest of my afternoon doing the domestics but it has been great this holiday as we haven't had to go searching for a laundromat like on the other big holidays we have done.

After a discussion about dinner we decided we would go to the Yardhouse near our accommodation and a nice dinner was had by all.  

Grand Canyon Day!

Another early start for us to do our flight over the Grand Canyon. This tour was the carrot for Peter to come to Las Vegas as he wasn't keen to come here.We are picked up from our hotel in a very swish tour bus complete with free water in a cooler between our seats. After a half hour drive we arrive at the heliport to go on our flight. The first thing we have to do is to get weighed as there is a limit for the helicopter. Thankfully we are all ok to go. With all the food we have been eating it was a relief.

We walk out onto the tarmac and have our photo taken by the helicopter before we get on. We are introduced to our pilot Mike "Mad Dog" Davis who is a real hoot when he starts his commentary. He was very knowledgeable about how the Grand Canyon was formed. I am not going to go into all the detail as it was so much but needless to say it was very good. Mad Dog had some fabulous music playing throughout the trip which really suited every aspect of the flight. Peter said he reminded him of Oddball from Kelly's Heroes (for those old enough to know the movie).

There are no words to describe how we felt when we came over the rise and the full view of the Grand Canyon came into view. It is absolutely gob smacking!!! It is everything you see in movies or on tv and that was one thing Mad Dog said before we began, take as many photos as you want but really there are thousands of photos of the Hoover Dam and the Grand Canyon on the internet, just sit back and enjoy the view. And for the most part that is what we did.

 

As we came round to where we landed it was a fabulous view. We landed on the West Rim and had our champagne breakfast and talked to Mad Dog about the area and what he has seen change in the time the flights have been coming in.

We took off and went back to the heliport and then back to our hotel. What a fabulous morning it was just spectacular and so worth every cent we paid. If anyone would like to see the whole experience we have it on dvd which we will be very eager to watch when we get home.

After lunch we went in search of an ATM which didn't charge like a wounded bull like the ones in the casino. We made our way across the road and found what we were looking for. The boys left Cheryl and I to wander around and I have got my days mixed up as this was the day I bought my Las Vegas Pandora not yesterday! See after 7 1/2 weeks the days all start to blend together. After a walk around it was back to our rooms and for me some blogging before our afternoon outing.

A late afternoon trip to old Las Vegas was next on our days agenda. We caught a taxi there and our first impressions weren't great. We started our visit with a couple of drinks at an Irish pub and watching the passing parade. We walked through the strip and wow what a difference a couple of decades have made to Vegas. Old Town las vegas felt a little bit seedy and not so pleasant as we walked through, nothing like the newer strip where were staying. It was something to see for sure but we didn't stay long.

We went back to our end of town and had dinner at P F Changs which was a lovely Chinese restaurant and then took some last night photos before finishing our packing ready to go to Hawaii the next day.