Pearl Harbor, United States

Today we visited Pearl Harbor. Wow! What an incredible journey through history. It was both awesome and humbling at the same time.

We got up at 5am to catch our shuttle there so that we could join the queue for tickets to the USS Arizona Memorial. We were fortunate enough to be on the first boat (7.30am), allowing us to have the memorial to ourselves. This is a must do for anyone visiting Hawaii. The sunken ship lays just below the surface and is the final resting place for over 900 men who went down with her. Out of respect, the memorial does not touch the ship and instead floats on pontoons above her, silently standing guard as a sentry. The ship loses about a quart of oil every day, along with fuel that has been slowly seeping out of her too. Because of this, the water surrounding the memorial is covered in a rainbow coloured fuel slick with the occasional black oil spot creating what appers to be the "tears" of those she holds entombed. A very moving place for pensive reflection about the day that war came to America.

The USS Missouri was the next stop and she is massive! This decommissioned ship was built during World War 2 and she was the location for General Douglas MacArthur officially accepting Japan's surrender in Tokyo Bay & thus ending the war in the Pacific. She is the last remaining US battleship and was even recommissioned to serve in the Gulf War because of the precision and range of her weapons. She is now moored permanently in Pearl Harbor, fittingly, beside the USS Arizona.

We also toured the Valour in the Pacific aircraft museum, USS Bowfin (submarine) and the general war museums located throughout the facility. A very big morning!

We were back at the hotel by 2pm and lazing by the pool sipping cocktails...as you do on holidays 😊. By 6pm we had mustered enough energy to take a short walk to Ala Moana Shopping Centre and spent the next 3 or 4 hours between these stores and Ross' Dress for Less (Angie's new favourite store - kind of like Trade Secret). Some of the stores are open until 1am most nights! A shoppers paradise!Read more