Day 15 - Final Day and Flight Home

Today started earlier than I had wanted it to; awake before 6:00 and up by 7.  Didn't sleep overly well, but enough to get over being tired.  After showering, we sat around in the room, working on our journals, watching the morning news, and generally doing nothing.  We finally decided we should finish our packing, and evening out the weight in our suitcases.  We had to check out by noon, but we were ready to go by 10.  There wasn't really anything we wanted to do, so we continued to sit around and stay cool in the air conditioned room.

About 11:15, I went down to get the trolley for our suitcases.  It took a while to get the elevator to stop at our floor, but the trolley was just outside the doors when I reached the lobby.  So, back up to the room, load things up, do a final check for anything we may have left, and then back down to the lobby to check out.

That process went pretty smoothly.  They didn't charge us for one of the day's parking, even though I corrected him on the number of days we had parked.  

Oahu Oasis

Our Hotel - 5th Floor Room

The lobby was interesting.  It was open air, with only a roof to keep any rain off.  There were no outside walls, although it was quite private from the street due to a high wall at the street, a high wall/fence at the back, and the building walls around the lobby.  This was the first time we had seen this sort of lobby, and with the temperatures and humidity, it must have been tough working there.  Good thing the wind was blowing a bit to keep things a little cooler.  Perhaps they get used to it, but we found it hot and humid.

Diamondhead Beach

Once they brought our car around, we loaded the suitcases into the trunk, and left.  We didn't know where to go, so we took a drive out to Diamondhead again.  This time, there were some empty parking spaces, so we were able to stop and view the waves crashing in on the beach, and watch some of the surfers riding the big waves in as far as they could.

Diamondhead Surf

We continued on, following the coastline as best we could.  After leaving the hill above Diamondhead, we got down to sea level again and continued following the shoreline in an easterly direction.  We first drove through a very expensive looking area with huge houses on the beach.  This area clearly looked like the more affluent folks in Honolulu/Waikiki lived there.

We came to a community that was called Hawaii Kai (at least that was the name on a number of signs we saw).  We hadn't eaten yet so decided to stop in at a restaurant for lunch.  The place was called Zippys, and it seemed to be a regular sort of place.  Both of us had the clubhouse sandwich which was very good.

Then off we went.  We wanted to continue heading east, but we couldn't get back onto the highway going that direction because there was construction which closed off a lane and they wouldn't let us turn left.  So, after driving around, trying to find a way to get to somewhere we could turn to go the other direction, we decided to just head towards the airport.  I seems that rush hour starts fairly early on that freeway, and we got into some slow-going, bumper-to-bumper traffic.

It was still quite early (about 2:30), so we turned off the GPS and just drove the freeway for a while, before turning off and looking for a gas station. Well,... that was and adventure.  We had no idea where we were (it was a residential area)and we just followed the road, looking for a turn that looked like it may take us to a gas station area.

Rainbow but no Rain

About 45 minutes into this adventure, we decided to go back the way we had come, and try a different direction.  It turns out we should have made the first turn to the left when we got to a light, rather than go straight ahead.  We went down that road for a short while and things started looking more commercial.  We rounded a corner and there was a gas station right there.  Unfortunately, we were in the wrong lane, and could not turn in.  I figured we would find another, but no such luck, so we pulled over and used the GPS to locate something.  She led us to a place where one must have been, but now it is under construction for a new freeway entrance, it appears.  We turned back, and within 10 minutes found a station and filled up.

Even though we had lots of time, we were tired of just driving around wasting time, so we decided to head to the airport to turn the car in.  We got there about 5:00, turned the car in, and caught their shuttle over to the Westjet terminal.  Because they don't open for check-in until 3 hours before flight time, we had to sit outside (the airport is open air, too) in the shade and wait - reading and talking.

Others on our flight were in the same boat, so they started arriving early, too.  It appeared that a number of them were on the same ship as we had been, and they had decided to spend a further 4 days on Oahu, the same as us.

They opened the check-in a bit early, and we got checked in.  We figured it would be cooler, once inside and through security.  Nay, Nay.  It was open air, too, and still hot.  We continued to sweat.

Then, we moved on to look for our gate.  As we got close, I could see that this area was enclosed, and hoped for air conditioning.  This area was air conditioned, so it was quite a relief.  However, they had it turned down quite low, and because we were hot and sweaty, with damp clothes, we got cold, so had to pull out our sweatshirts.  Strange, being too hot one minute, and then getting too cold a short while later.

We couldn't go into our boarding lounge because there was an Air Canada flight getting ready to leave from the same gate, so we went and had a Stone Cold Creamery ice cream, while we waited.  The Air Canada jet left, but we still weren't allowed to go into the lounge until the attendants came and checked our passports and boarding passes to let us in.

Then it was a wait (about an hour) for our plane to get in.  It arrived at about 9:15 (don't know where from) and I assume people got off (we didn't see them).  We were allowed to start boarding at 9:45, and were finally ready to take off, and were in the air by 10:20, expecting to arrive in Vancouver at 7:10.

It is uncomfortable flying at that time, but we had upgraded our seats to ones with more leg room, so at least we had enough room.  I had selected the first row, but the arms didn't raise so we asked if we could move to row 2 (nobody was there).  They let us do that, and we were considerable more comfortable than we would have been in the regular seats.

Going to stay in Abbotsford tonight, and drive home tomorrow, so this is the last installment in the blog for this trip.  We had a great time, the time went by quickly, but we are ready to be home where things are a little bit cooler, and we can sleep in our own bed.

Well, didn't get the blog update done as I had indicated above.  We are now home (got here yesterday afternoon), have unpacked, and are trying to get ourselves adjusted to this "cold temperature".  It actually feels quite good.  I think this should be our last trip for a while, but who knows.

Day 14 - Flea Market and Bubba Gump's

Aloha Stadium

We're getting tired so don't want to do a lot of walking today, but Dawn had seen advertisements for the Flea Market at the Aloha Stadium, so we felt we had to go there. We had driven by the stadium each of the other trips, so likely could have found it without the GPS, but I dutifully punched it in. Strangely, she took us to the same place, but used a different route. We came from the other side, but drove right past the gate where we entered the Pearl Harbor site yesterday.

Flea Market

It cost us $1 each to get in, but the parking was free. It took a while to find a parking spot, but all the way around the stadium was the row of vendors. Lots of the stalls looked alike, and had similar things, but there were a few things that looked pretty interesting.

More Flea Market

One of the shops sold huge cinnamon buns, so I had to make sure we came back to that location before we left. We walked much of the way around the stadium, looking for things of interest, and then on the way back, we purchased some of the things that had caught our eye. After that, it was time to depart.

Corner View of Palace

Our next stop was to look for the Royal Palace. We did find it, but initially couldn't find a place to park. So, around we went until suddenly there were 2 open parking spaces, just outside the gates. We got out, took a few photos, walked around the outside of the palace, but weren't prepared to spend a lot of time walking on a tour. We likely should have, but my foot and legs were bothering me, and Dawn was very hot, so we decided to move on.

Royal Palace

We hadn't eaten today, and not much yesterday, so decided we would eat at a restaurant for lunch. When I asked the GPS for restaurants, we didn't know anything about them, so instead, looked for a shopping center. We found one that was not too far away and went there. It appeared to be in a fairly well-off part of town, and when we walked in, we decided to give Bubba Gump Shrimp Company a try. I had a BLT-Shrimp salad, and Dawn had Fish Tacos. They were both pretty good, but they should have been for the price we paid. Actually, it was fun to go there.

King Kamehameha

Then we decided to head back to our room to watch the Wild Card game between San Francisco and Pittsburgh. It was pretty much a whitewash for San Francisco (8-0), so wasn't much to watch. Not nearly as exciting as last night's game

After the game, we decided to listen to the Blazers game on the internet. Now isn't that lovely. The boys won 3-1 and we heard it all. Now we have listened to games from Waikiki and from Fort Lauderdale. I wonder which one is farther away from Kamloops?

Royal Judiciary Building

We were going to go out and eat at the Irish Pub, but after the cinnamon bun, we weren't hungry, so decided to just get some munchies from the store down the street. Then it was back to the room and kick back for the evening.

Day 13 - Pearl Harbor and Diamondhead

We were up about 7:30 and got showered.  We weren't in any hurry to leave, so sat around until after 10:00.  We worked on our journals, watched the news, drank coffee, and generally stayed cool.  Part of what we were doing was planning our day.  Finally, we decided to visit the Pearl Harbor monument.

Pearl Harbor Entrance

When we left the hotel, we punched in Pearl Harbor Memorial, and off we went. Well, once we got there, the GPS took us to the entrance to the Military Base.  There was a very nice young woman who called me Sir, and seemed quite friendly.  However, she wouldn't let us in.  Apparently, GPS's indicate that people are to go there, but that is not really the place.  She said she got this all the time, and directed us to turn around and go to the next light before turning.  It worked, and we finally got there.

The entrance was much like the Kennedy Space Center, with large parking lots, clean grounds, and lots of directions.  We had to do some thinking and figuring out where to go, and then went to ask an employee about how to do things there.  She sent us to get tickets to the Arizona Memorial first, because that one is free, but there are limited tickets available, and when you get the tickets, you are given a time to go.

Walking to the Missouri

Looking Toward the Stern

Our time was 1:45, so the next stop was to the ticket booth for visiting the Missouri battleship.  This one required a shuttle to get to it, and we had to go back to the Military Base to get there.  Once there, we could board the ship (was it ever huge) and get guided tours.  There were quite a few stairs to get onto the ship, which was a bit of a problem for Dawn (she always worries about holding up those who are behind us).

Looking Toward the Bow

The first stop on the tour was towards the bow of the ship.  We stopped under the huge 16 inch guns so she could tell us about the history of this amazing vessel.  She also spoke about the strength of the guns on this ship.  It was re-fitted to add more modern equipment for "Desert Storm" - tomahawk missles and air conditioning were two of them.  Apparently the first shots fired in that war were from this ship, as a decoy as to where the actual attack was going to take place.

Then it was on to the deck where the Japanese surrender took place, and we learned about this ceremony.  It was quite interesting, and the politics of it were something else.  We were given a few minutes to look around, and view the quarters of the Admiral - very fancy and much bigger than our cabin aboard our cruise ship.

Then it was time to climb some more steps.  Dawn declined to continue, but told me to go ahead.  We moved to the "fantail", towards the stern of the ship, where she talked about a few other things about this ship.  While she was talking, off in the mountains behind her there was a big lightning bolt and a long roll of thunder.  She said this was very rare in Hawaii.  We heard later that there were monumental rains in the mountains that day, but nothing where we were.  Then, she pointed out where we could go down into the interior of the ship.  We were on our own for that, so I took a few photos from the stern area, and then went inside.

Baking Donuts

It was really interesting to see the mess and galley, walk down the hallways, and see various offices.  I was able to see some of the sleeping racks of the enlisted men.  They were small bunks, in crowded corridors.  It must have been very hot and smelly most of the time.

Dental Chairs

The farther I moved towards the bow of the ship, there were tons of these sleeping areas.  Then, the rooms started to get larger, with single beds and desks inside.  I assumed these were for some of the officers.  There were classrooms, places to watch TV, a dentist's office (two dental chairs in there) where they took care of the teeth of the men on board, and a machine shop.

Officers Mess

Then we came to a sign that said "Officer Country" and if the men wanted to go there, they had to have an appointment or a good reason.  These were much better rooms.  They had their own galley (smaller, but well equipped), and then into the mess.  Here the tables had tablecloths, the chairs were individual and looked to be far more comfortable than the enlisted men's chairs, and it was a fairly large room.  I think I would have wanted to be a Senior Officer, rather than an enlisted Seaman.

After that, it was back out to the deck to find Dawn.  She had gone up another level, and when I came out on deck, she was right above me.  We had a laugh and I joined her.  By this time, it was getting close to when we had to board the shuttle to go back for our tour of the Arizona Monument.  I had wanted to go up onto the bridge to have a look, but didn't think I had enough time, so we left.

It turns out that there would have been enough time.  I had the wrong time that we needed to be back on the shuttle.  However, we were hungry (no breakfast) and thirsty, so went to the snack bar.  Things didn't look too great there (mostly pre-made sandwiches, bagged snacks, and drinks), so we just got an ice cream bar and some water.

After we finished those, we moved toward where we had to board the boat to get to the Arizona memorial.  There was a museum on the way, so we went in.  It was more an exhibit of photos and maps than a museum, but we walked through much of it.  One part was the American side, another part was the Japanese side, so it was interesting to read how the Americans were prepared, and how the Japanese got around those preparations.

Then, we went across to wait for the Arizona Memorial tour.  First, there was a 15 minute movie to give the background and history of the Pearl Harbor attack.  There were lots of photos showing the carnage, and it was quite a solemn beginning to this trip across the bay to the memorial.

Arizona Memorial

Arizona Gun Turret and Oil Slick

Then, we boarded the ferry (along with 200 or so other folks) and went across to the memorial (a 5 minute trip).  Once there, we went inside.  It was very plain and very well done, built across the sunken hull of the Battleship Arizona.  Through the openings, we could see some of the outline of the ship, where the turret of one of the big guns was sticking up through the water, and an oil slick which was still leaking from the ship.  There was also a listing of the men who were lost in the ship that day, but it must have been having some updating work done, as half of it was behind tarps.  An interesting practice is that members of the Arizona who were not killed that day, had their ashes interred inside the ship, after their death, if they wished.

After that, it was back to shore, into our car, and we decided to drive to Diamondhead.  That was an interesting drive, but easy for the GPS.  There were lots of different places we could have gone to, none of them looking like they were beaches, so we punched in a Memorial Park.  Well, she got us there, although we thought she was off because it looked like we were in a residential area.  Then, as we rounded a corner, there was a turn to go into the park, which we took.

Looking Down from Diamondhead

It was a narrow winding road that went up the hill.  Then we went through a tunnel, and there was another park that didn't look to exciting, although we could have gotten out and climber another 1000 feet to a viewing area up there.  Nope, we decided not to go, so turned around and headed back down.  Just after we exited the tunnel, there was a viewing area, so we pulled in to look down on the breakers coming in to the beach.  It was quite spectacular to see, but it was hot so we just took a couple photos and moved on.

Lifeguard Station

We decided to continue on the way we were going when we arrived, and got into some very expensive looking places (the cars parked outside the fences were Mercedes type cars).  When we could see between the houses, the view was amazing.  Huge breakers coming in on the beach.  The farther we went, the closer we got to the water, and the waves looked pretty big.  We came to a park where we finally found a place to park, and we walked over to the beach area.  There were certainly lots of people lying in the sun, but it was too hot for us, so we took a few photos and then continued on.  

It appeared that we were close to the beach at Waikiki and when we punched in our hotel, we were pretty close.  Amazing.

Middle School

By then, we were beat, so we went back to the hotel and took the rest of the evening off.  We watched the wildcard game between Oakland and Kansas City.  When we turned it on, Oakland was up 7-3, 

but the Royals kept coming back.  In extra innings, they finally won.  It was a pretty exciting game, and a real downer for Oakland.

eal downer for Oakland.