The Aloha State of Mind

Around 7:45pm on Wednesday, May 23, we departed Tokyo's Narita Airport for the Aloha State. We arrived in Honolulu on May 23 at 9:00am... thanks to the International Date Line, we were able to enjoy one of the longest days of our lives.

As we rode the shuttle along the highway from the airport to our hotel, the Waikiki Beach Marriott, I mentioned, "this isn't really what I expected". Nicki had already visited Hawaii a couple times in the past, but it was my first time. My first impression was that Honolulu is much like any other city, with bustling highways, tall buildings, and business as usual. To see the picture perfect pristine Hawaii that is so popular on postcards, you have explore a little... and explore we did.

We checked into the hotel and thought for a split second about trying to get a nap in, since none of us really slept very well on the plane. In hindsight, it would have been a great idea, but we were in Hawaii and only had a short time to see and do everything. When our luggage was settled, we slipped into our swimsuits and flip-flops and stepped out onto our private lanai, which overlooked both Waikiki Beach and Diamond Head (the famous volcano crater that is the backdrop of most Waikiki Beach pictures). After taking in the view, we decided to stroll along Waikiki Beach to relax and to get a few necessities, like sunscreen, snacks, and beach towels. Day 1 was fairly relaxing and we planned it that way to minimize the dreaded jet lag, which eventually hit us like a ton of bricks anyway.

Early the next morning, we woke up and hauled our tired bodies down to the hotel's tour bus lounge, to wait for our shuttle to the USS Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor. We knew that it would be a somber must-see experience, so we thought it would be best to visit the famous World War II site early in our vacation. Since we have already visited Hiroshima during our Japan Years tour, we thought that seeing the Arizona Memorial would help "close the loop" for us. What amazed us the most was the diversity of tourists from around the world that paid respects to the site: Aussies, Germans, Japanese, Chinese and Koreans - and probably others that we missed. I guess the attack at Pearl Harbor is one of those moments in history that affected people worldwide.

The Arizona Memorial is a wonderful tribute. It begins with a video explaining the events leading up to 07 December 1941, the attack itself, and the repercussions of the attack in the years that followed. Then, we took a ferry ride over to the memorial. Along the way, we got a view of the USS Bowfin, a retired and decorated submarine that served the US well during the war, and the USS Missouri, which is most famously known as the site where the Japanese emperor signed the declaration of surrender at the end of WWII. So much history in such a small area.

On Thursday night, we made plans to attend a traditional Hawaiian Luau. We'd heard that some of the hotel's luaus were overpriced, but had heard good things about what the Hale Koa has to offer. The Hale Koa (which is Hawaiian for "House of the Warrior") is an Armed Forces Recreation Center, one of a few hotels around the world that is paid for by funds collected from the MWR (morale, welfare, recreation) offices internal to the military, not from taxpayer dollars. As such, these facilities are only open to active duty military, retirees, Dept of Defense civilians, and dependents. As DoD civilians, we are fortunate enough to qualify. Generally, the Hale Koa is booked year-round, so getting reservations is tough. But even if you aren't staying there, you can use the resources there if you're eligible.

The luau at the Hale Koa is great. Great food. Great entertainment. Great price. It starts with a warm-up act singing traditional Hawaiian songs and some modern songs while playing guitar and ukulele, while guests relax with drinks on the grass lawn under rows of palm trees with cold drinks in hand. From there, we watched the guest of honor (the cooked pig) be unearthed from the ground, while they explained to us the history behind the luau and how the pig is cooked. Then we got to enjoy the feast of fresh tropical fruits, pork, and poi, while we were entertained with traditional dance and song.

Friday was our day to see the island. We made plans to rent a car in the lobby of the Marriott, but we found that since it was Memorial Day weekend, all of the rentals were booked. So once again, we called our friends at the Hale Koa and found that there were a few rentals left through them. So we rented a "mid-sized car", which turned out to be a PT Cruiser (very fun).

We started our drive heading along the southeast coast of the island towards Hanauma Bay, a volcanic crater with a wall that opens up to the ocean, which created a safe habitat for all kinds of tropical fish and plant life. I'm glad that we got to Hanauma Bay early. It got crowded quickly. We got a little bit of snorkeling in, but left pretty quickly to continue our drive around the island. From there , we headed the coastal route up to the North Shore. A group of friendlies at the luau had recommended we stop for lunch at Giovanni's Roadside Shrimp Truck for lunch. We did and it was fantastic. A mound of jumbo shrimp, chunks of garlic, and two heaping piles of rice crowded the plate. Our taste buds were in heaven.

After lunch, we continued driving up the coast until we got to some of the famous beaches of the North Shore, including Sunset Beach (and nearby Banzai Pipeline), Waimea Beach, and Haleiwa. Winter is the best time to see that side of the island, famous for the big waves and crazy surfers. In the summer, the surf is flat, but the views are still spectacular. Just outside of Haleiwa, we cut back down through the middle of the island and headed back south. Along the way, we stopped at the Dole Plantation... mmm... pineapples.

The drive lasted a little longer than we expected, so Nicki was a little disappointed that she wouldn't be able to get some shopping done that afternoon as planned, but we made a mental note to get it done later. When we finally got back to Waikiki, turned in the rental car, and got back to the hotel, we were done for the day.

Saturday, we decided to climb famous Diamond Head, the popular volcanic crater a stone's throw from Waikiki. We heard it was a relatively short hike to the peak, and since Josh is so used to walking around Japan, we thought we'd give it a go with him in tow. As it turned out, all the way up and down the trail, we heard kids from ages 6-15 complaining about how tough a hike it was, how hot it was, how miserable it was. Josh, on the other hand, was the perfect hiker. It wasn't until we were at the very bottom of the trail again before he asked to be carried. The view from Diamond Head is breathtaking. You can see straight across the island, with Waikiki Beach in the foreground and all kinds of views all around. When we got to the base of the crater again, we rewarded ourselves with some Hawaiian shave ice.

Josh did such a good job on Diamond Head that we left the lunch decision up to him. Not surprisingly, he was in the mood for "fishies and rice", which is Josh-speak for sashimi, his favorite food on the planet. Sushi restaurants are everywhere in Oahu, so finding one nearby wasn't a problem. We all ate our fill - Josh had 4-5 plates of salmon sashimi - and then we experienced some sticker shock. Our dinner came close to about $60. We were definitely not in Japan anymore! Here in the Land of the Rising Sun, plates of salmon sashimi generally run about $1-2 per plate. It was more than double at this Hawaiian sushi place. But the food was excellent and they even had a few items on the menu that mixed the Japanese tradition sushi items with local Hawaiian flavors. Delicious!

Saturday afternoon, Nicki rewarded herself with a massage from the hotel's spa. During her relaxation time, Josh and I hit the hotel pool. Josh is really into swimming these days, which is good because he will be taking swim lessons this summer. When the massage was over, we all headed to Waikiki Beach again. Nicki and Josh sat on the shore and I rented a surfboard from one of the hourly rental spots right on the beach. The surf was no more than waist to shoulder high, but that was perfect considering that I hadn't paddled out since leaving San Diego over a year and a half ago. One of my favorite moments on the trip happened on that surfboard. I happened to glance back to see if I could spot Nicki and Josh on the shore, and when I did, I noticed a full-shaped rainbow circling straight over our hotel and shooting off into the distant ocean waters. What a time to not have my camera with me!

Sunday was our catch-all day for anything we missed in the previous days. We started out at the Aloha Bowl flea market, after taking TheBus (Oahu's public bus system) for a tour hour ride through Honolulu. The tour books all said that the flea market was a "must see", but it turned out to be rows and rows of pretty much the same stuff. Great deals, yes, like 10 shirts for $20. But how many shirts can a guy get away with wearing that all say "Hawaii Lifeguard" on them. Nicki did come away with some Red Hawaiian Sea Salt and some pineapple-coconut jam spread, both locally made. After sitting on TheBus for two hours on our way to the market, we opted for a little more expensive but well deserved shuttle ride back towards Waikiki.

The shuttle bus let us off at Ala Moana Center, one of the more popular shopping centers on Oahu. We stopped at a few standard American-style stores to see if we could find any cheap clothes for Josh, with little luck. Then we stopped by the Hilo Hattie store and loaded up on all kinds of Hawaiian gear. Josh and I even found matching Hawaiian Aloha shirts. After shopping for a few hours, we headed back to Waikiki Beach to spend our last night relaxing on the beach and watching the sunset.

Pictures are up in our Gallery, dated 6/20/2007.