Another Day In Paradise

We decided to go to Pearl Harbor today. I am glad we did, but unfortunately jet lag caught up with our typically pleasant little fella. So, I didn't feel like we had the experience we could have/ should have had. It was still quite sobering to think about how many people gave their lives on December 7, 1941. So many of them are entombed in the ships that still lay below the surface of the water. Don and I also wondered what the (many) Japanese tourists who were visiting the memorial felt. Were they coming to pay their respects? Was it as meaningful for them as it was for us Americans? Did they come with resentment? Or did they just visit because it is listed on the places to see while in Hawaii? We will never know.

The monument to all of the submariners who lost their lives during WWII, flag at half staff in honor of Ted Kennedy

Price's first boat ride. On our way to visit USS Arizona Memorial.

The USS Arizona Memorial, honoring the 1000+ men who lost their lives when Pearl Harbor was attacked.

Gun turret from USS Arizona

View of USS Arizona from the memorial

Oil leaking from USS Arizona

Tired Baby

On the travelogue side of this- it was worth a visit. The website and many other places with information about Pearl Harbor, tell you that you can plan on waiting up to 3 hours to be admitted, especially in peak season. We did not wait that long, but it was crowded. We picked up our tickets around 10:00 for the 11:15 group. There is no charge to visit the USS Arizona Memorial (which includes a short film and then a boat ride to-from the memorial itself). You can also tour a submarine and the USS Missouri, but there is a charge for those tours. Since we had Price, we decided just to do the Arizona Memorial. You cannot bring bags of ANY type into the facility, so plan ahead. Strollers are permitted until you get to the theatre and boat, you can leave the stroller (unattended) while in the theater and at the memorial. We did this and had no problems.

After Pearl Harbor, we grabbed some Jack in the Box for lunch and ate it in the car while Price napped. We headed back to our cabin and enjoyed another relaxing afternoon of beach time and relaxing.

Tomorrow, we head to Guam!!