Tag: Pearl Harbor

Hawaii-Pearl Harbor

When visiting Hawaii most people think of lush tropical trees and white sandy beaches. After all, Hawaii is the perfect spot for relaxing and sipping fruity drinks. However, there is one somber tourist spot that should not be missed. It is the memorial at Pearl Harbor.

Pearl Harbor was once known only for its ample supply of pearl oysters. No one would have ever dreamed that this harbor would become the reason that the United States entered into World War II. Sadly today it is known only for the infamous attacks that happened December 7, 1941, when wave Japanese planes flew over an attacked an unsuspecting sleeping army. Over 1.5 million people visit the USS Arizona memorial yearly. Tourists of all kinds stop here to remember the lives lost on that fateful morning so long ago.

2335 US soldiers died during the attack on Pearl Harbor. Roughly half of those killed were aboard the USS Arizona. The giant ship was bombed and sank in less than ten minutes trapping over a thousand men on board. Today, the ship lies exactly where it sank and is a giant tomb. The bodies aboard the ship were never recovered. A memorial was erected and floats directly on top of the ship. The ship still leaks oil into the harbor in small amounts that have been said to be black tears.

The mood at the memorial is somber even today over sixty years after the attack. The park does a nice job of filtering the average number of 4500 guests through the memorial daily. Upon arrival to the memorial you are given a ticket and told when your entry to the movie theater will be. The time of year of your visit determines your wait time. During the summer months when crowds are at their highest you may have to wait a couple of hours. But, there is plenty to occupy your time. There is a museum that contains memorabilia such as letters from soldiers to loved ones and uniforms. The museum also has photos of Japanese planes as well as map showing the destruction of the harbor.

There is also a World War II submarine located at the memorial site. The USS Bowfin Museum and Park are worth taking a stroll through. They have kept the submarine intact and you can see pretty much how the men lived in the submarine. You can actually walk through the submarine. Be forewarned, this is not an activity for Closter phobic people, the ship’s quarters are very tight.

Once the wait is over the tour through the memorial runs fairly quickly. They show a movie that lasts about twenty minutes. It shows exactly what happened that early morning in December all those years ago, complete with video footage. Once the movie is over you will take a short boat ride out to the actual memorial. When the ferry arrives, you will walk all the way to the back of the memorial where there is a wall listing the names of all who died that day.

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Hawaii- The Perfect Vacation for Families

Hawaii, translated from the ancient Hawaiian language should mean paradise, because that’s what it is. Hawaii has a climate that varies only several degrees in temperature year round and the sun always shines. The rainy season is in January, but it isn’t so rainy that it deters visitors. In fact, winter is one of the most popular times of year to visit Hawaii. This is probably because it is cold and dreary just about everywhere else in the United States. Hawaii makes for the perfect getaway for Californians because it is only about a three hour flight.

Hawaii makes for a great family vacation because of the wide variety of activities or no activity at all. (if laying on a perfect sandy beach is your thing) All of the islands offer a variety of family friendly activities. Such as swimming or surfing on one of Hawaii’s amazing beaches. Wakiki is a family friendly beach located on the island of Ohau. The waves are long and shallow offering a good family atmosphere. Wakiki is a good place for beginners to learn to surf because the waves or not so treacherous. Because Honolulu is a big city, you can even find fast food to satisfy those hungry youngsters.

While on Ohau, be sure not to miss the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor. This memorial is both powerful and sorrowful. After watching a brief movie depicting the horrific attack on Pearl Harbor, visitors will take a short ferry ride out too the memorial. The memorial actually floats on top of the sunken ship. Once you get off the ferry, you can walk back to the wall that lists the name of every person that died that dreaded day in December.

Ohau is also home to the Wakiki Aquarium, the Honolulu zoo, and the Sea life park. The park has a 300,000 gallon tank, where you can see sharks, rays and thousands of reef fish. You can even swim with the dolphins here. The kid’s will love the dolphins.

The island of Maui hosts the Maui Ocean Center, which is the largest tropical aquarium in the United States. Maui is also a good place to windsurf, and has tons of different waterfalls. The resort area of Ka’anapali is located on the western coast of Maui, and is home to the island’s best golf courses. This is where you will find the large high-rise resorts. They have plenty of pools for the kids to swim in. The beach here, however, is not quite as kid friendly as Wakiki Beach. The rip currents can be strong and Maui is much windier that Honolulu. The calmer beach at Kihei, might be a little more kid friendly.

If horsebacking riding is more your style, you should visit either the North Shore of Ohau, or the big island of Hawaii or Kaua’i. Of course, don’t forget the Luau. Luaus make for great family fun and can be found on any of the Hawaiian islands. The fire eaters and beautiful Polynesian dancers are sure to impress kids of all ages. Whatever your idea of family fun, Hawaii is sure to please.

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Hawaii- A Brief History of Culture

The beginning of a Hawaiian kingdom started in 1809 after the fall of king Kamehameha. The new king moved to Honolulu to take control of the trade that was going on. Honolulu was the perfect place because it was centrally located. In the 1830’s sugar plantations were established and Honolulu became a booming city, bars and brothels alike were opened. In 1845 Honolulu officially replaced Maui as the capital of the Kingdom of Hawaii. Because of increasing western influence, Hawaii, and most importantly Pearl Harbor, officially became a US territory in 1898. There were several arguments, failed bills and lots of political red tape that kept Hawaii from becoming a U.S. state.

The gateway to allowing Hawaii to become an official state was tourism. Pan American Airlines flew the first passenger flights from the mainland to Hawaii in 1936. This led to mass tourism. After the Korean War and the attacks on Pearl Harbor, it became imminent to make Hawaii an official state. Hawaii was declared the 50th state on August 21, 1959.

In the 1970’s the Hawaiian culture had a resurgence of pride and heritage awareness. The ancient Hawaiian language had all but disappeared and a huge westernization had spread across the state. In the seventies the original Hawaiian language was reintroduced back into preschools and became an important part of the heritage again Thanks to the Disney movie Lilo and Stitch we all know that ohana means family. Today the language is taught at the University of Hawaii as well.

The luau is also another important part of Hawaiian culture. Luaus have been with the culture for hundreds of years. The word luau really just means a party or a celebration. This is the way that friends and family honor each other on special occasions. Today there are two types of Luaus. The first is like the original way, just a gathering of family and friends, and is the only authentic type. They are private, and unless you have local connections, it is unlikely that tourists would be invited to such an event. The second type of Luau is commercial. It’s the type that we tourists would frequent. They are heavily choreographed and can be quite entertaining. The luau usually has a buffet of some sort of roasted pig as the entre accompanied by rice and of course pineapple. These luaus are also complete with hula dancers for the guys and Polynesian dancers for the ladies viewing pleasure. There is plenty of entertainment to go around, especially when you add an open bar to the mix.

The merry monarch festival was founded in 1971. It is a hula festival; in fact it is the largest hula festival in the world. It features thousands of dancers and honors the long time Hawaiian tradition of hula dancing. The festival takes place in March or April and draws huge crowds. It is located in Hilo on the big island of Hawaii and is a weeklong cultural event.

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