Another taste of Hawaii... Honolulu

We arrived in Honolulu on Wednesday morning.  I ate my breakfast out on the deck and looked out at yet another beautiful sunrise, over a city I’d have the privilege of exploring for the next two days.  I got an early start and headed off to my trip to Pearl Harbor memorial where I spent most of my morning.  This was an unforgettable experience.  Seeing the parts of the ship just beneath the surface of the water made it very real to me and it was even more moving to see all the names of the people who died written on the wall at the memorial.  Although it was a deeply saddening experience, I knew it was important to take the time to remember those who lost their lives in the attack.  After our tour, our bus driver brought us to the national cemetery which overlooks the entire city.  He also took us to visit some other historical sites in downtown Honolulu.

After I got back from Pearl Harbor I met my friends at Waikiki beach and went on another boat ride, which may or may not have been called a “booze cruise.”  I figured I did my historical deed of the day so it would be okay to have some typical college fun.  The captain let us take turns driving the boat and we were out on the water just as the sun was setting so it was beautiful.

That night I made the decision that we would go out for a delicious meal since I was pretty disappointed with the food I’d had at the lu’au earlier in the week.  So, I orchestrated my own field trip to a place called Duke’s which is located right on the water.  We ate delicious food, listened to a great live musician, and we were sitting in grass huts under the stars—it was much better than the lu’au in my opinion.

The next morning we went out for breakfast in Waikiki and our outdoor table happened to be overlooking a courtyard where more live music and dance was being performed.  It was a great way to start the day.  We also happened to be sitting across the street from Godiva and next door to Coach.  Downtown Waikiki has incredible shopping.  The street along the beach is filled with every upscale store you could imagine.  Every time I peeked in a window, I had to keep reminding myself of the bargaining opportunities I would have later in China and Vietnam.  Regardless, who wants to shop when there’s a beautiful beach to swim at across the street?  So that’s exactly what I did, until we had to be back on the ship again. And I’ll continue to be at sea for 12 days until we get to Japan on February 9th!