Oahu: Day 6 The Afternoon

After we visited the Pearl Harbor memorial we went to the Punchbowl AKA the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. It was a beautiful cemetery with a monument with the fallen soldiers names on concrete blocks lining the steps. You can see them in the picture below on the right hand side. When we walked up all those steps we may or may not have sang the theme from Rocky.

Looking from the top of the steps back out toward the ocean you can see Diamond Head and Honolulu. 

Behind me you can see inside the main building. It has tile murals depicting key battles in all the Pacific wars. 

A picture of Ilise taking a picture of me taking a picture of her.

Another view of Honolulu.

Jim's back was hurting so he took the opportunity to stretch while he and Robert looked at the murals.

Deep thoughts.....

I love seeing the flag. It inspires me.

There was a little chapel here too. It was beautiful and multi-denominational. 

This memorial isn't as visited as Pearl Harbor but was just as moving.

Yes. More flags. 

There were beautiful flowers everywhere. I didn't take as many pictures of them as I should have. They were stunning.

After this we found some dinner and headed for the airport. It is a 7 hour flight and we HATED every minute of it. But it is how you get to paradise so it is a sacrifice I am willing to make. I can't wait to go back. Hawaii, you have captivated me heart and soul.

Oahu: Day 6 AKA the Last Day Part 1

On our last day we visited the Pearl Harbor Memorial.

We rode the ferry out to the memorial. This is a pic of the oil that leaks out of the hull (2-9 quarts a day).

There is a sacred feeling here. Like a cemetery. There are bodies interred here...their final resting place. 

There is a sadness that we could feel. If you look at Jim's face in the following pictures, you can tell he wasn't just feeling the sad. 

The names of the brave soldiers that lost their lives are carved on the wall at the end of the memorial. It feels like a chapel, reverent and sacred. 

I couldn't help but wonder if I was the only one that left there feeling more patriotic than when I came in. The sacrifice of our military members never ceases to amaze me. They and their families give so much.

I love this guy. He has a big heart. This was really a hard visit for him. 

Angry eyes. He had a hard time concealing his emotions.

The gun turrets still stick out of the water.

Dear Lord

Lest I continue

My complacent way

Help me to remember

Somehow out there

A man died for me today.

As long as there be war

Then I must

Ask and answer

Am I worth dying for?

–Prayer Eleanor Roosevelt kept in her wallet during WWII

That prayer on this wall at the memorial hit us hard. A brave question...Are we worth dying for?

This is a photo from the internet. I like how you can see the outline of the ship the USS Arizona under the water. The boat at the bottom of the picture is the ferry that brings visitors out to the memorial. You can see the gun turret and the flag that I took pictures of. The end of the white building at the top of the picture is where the chapel with all the names is. 

This was a great way to start our last day in Oahu.

Oahu: Day 5 Part 2

 After we snorkeled at Hanauma Bay we stopped for some pizza (because we were craving some good food) and then headed back to our house. On our way we decided to detour at The Valley of the Temples. 

Located near Kaneohe, the park is dominated by a majestic Byodo-In Temple. The temple is a replica of the magnificent 900-year-old Byodo-In Temple of Equality in Japan. The original stands in Uji on the outskirts of Kyoto. The Oahu replica was built in 1968 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the arrival of the first Japanese immigrant to Hawaii. (credit Hawaii.com) 

 The three ton temple bell is supposed to help in meditation but I found it to be too loud.

 That is the meditation hut. It is really peaceful. There are cemetery grounds surrounding the temple. It is quiet and peaceful.

 Japanese carp. EW.

There was a giant Buddha in the center of the chapel. People can light incense to help their prayers reach heaven. 

I was so impressed by the towering pines. I love that we have pine trees AND palm trees in the same day.

 Beautiful flowers and foliage.

 The clouds sitting on the mountains made me feel like I was back at home in Utah.

 My crazy post-snorkel hair.

 One giant pine cone in the center of those leaves?

 We found fruit!!

 The next two pics belong on the Pearl Harbor post. Before we left  the North Shore area we stopped at the BYU-Hawaii campus to shop at their bookstore.

 I liked these trees....more flowers than leaves!! Pines, palms and flowers...this place has it all!!

Oahu: Day 5

We spent Sunday at Hanauma Bay. There is a spectacular reef there. It's an old crater that has made the perfect protected area for snorkeling.

In this pic, that stuff you see that looks like it's scum on top of the water is actually the reef under the water. If you look really hard you can see the tiny people too. We had to walk down the paved trail (or for $1 you can ride the tram down. It cost $1.50 to ride up the hill! On a side note....Jim and I walked both directions!)

It was a really big beach so it didn't feel super crowded. I was getting worse at snorkeling at this point. Any amount of water in my mask and I hit the panic button HARD. I felt bad for Jim. He loves it and wanted to be in the water the whole time. But I wanted to sit in the sun.

I did go in the water enough to get a few pics.It's hard to get a good underwater shot when you can't see through your mask very well. But I'll show you some of the pictures that worked out.

Don't ask me to name them all. You know that kind of detail slips my mind!

 I do know that this guy is a spiny sea urchin. Cute, right??!!??

 I loved the colors on this guy. He was the biggest and brightest fish we saw.

 He came really close to the camera!

 Angel fish...like on Finding Nemo.

 We were too big to swim through the hole. Not that I would have, me being a chicken and all. I think Jim and Robert would have liked to.

 Just a hole. In the coral. On the bottom of the sea. Could be a song.

 I tried to post this pic first. But blogger is being picky this morning. Here is an aerial shot of Hanuama Bay. This island is full of surprises. I want to go back!! 

 After a while Jim started to feel the burn (I am laughing as I type that. Burn. Not Bern.) We went away from the water a bit to find some shade for my fair skinned man.

 We set ourselves under a palm tree near a grassy area. We could hear screeching and carrying on from behind the tall grass. City girl wanted to pack up and move back to the beach but tough guy was loving his shade. So we watched a couple weasels (yes...weasels) run from the cover of the grass to the trash can in search of something to eat. ICK and gross.

Luckily I found a better view and diverted my attention to less disturbing matters. Paradise. Blue skies. Warm ocean breezes. It was heavenly.

 I loved this beach. It was beautiful and I would definitely go back.

What you can't see behind my left knee is the offending trash can the weasels had staked out. But other than that this view was perfect. I was made for the ocean!