Day 2 - February 3, 2008

Still feeling East Coast time, we woke up today before 8:00 am. Since it was pretty cloudy outside, we decided that today would be the day we go see the Pearl Harbor Memorial. It is true that Hawaii has a lot of rainbows. Since there are so many sunshowers during the days, we saw quite a few rainbows crossing the mountains and hills in the distance. Because we didn’t rent a car, we had to take a $50 cab each way to the Memorial. Our driver on the way there said that Aloha Stadium, where the University of Hawaii football team plays and where they have the Pro Bowl, is within walking distance from Pearl Harbor. While the tour was free, they had some crazy rule about not allowing bags of any kind inside, so Steph had to check her bag for $3.00. It seemed like a pretty good trick by the National Parks Services, as we were not told this rule beforehand and I would imagine that every woman carries a purse of some kind. Since it was crowded, we had to wait a little before our tour could begin, but the visitor’s center had a lot of information and exhibits to look at. At 10:30, we went in to see a video about the history behind the Japanese attacks on Pearl Harbor that lasted about 20 minutes, then we took a ferry out to the USS Arizona Memorial. The Memorial consists of a structure built literally on top of where the sunken ship lays. They said that over 900 of the more than 1,100 men who died on the Arizona remain entombed inside the ship. I think the most moving part of this visit was the fact that in the water above the Arizona, you could still see oil rising from the ship. And as we first looked out the windows near the entrance of the Memorial building, there was a distinct oil smell in the air that was unavoidable. When we got back to Waikiki, we booked a luau for tomorrow that looks like it will be a lot of fun. We then tried to find a sportsbar to watch the Super Bowl, as it was approaching 12:30 (5:30 EST) and the game was beginning in about an hour. It was strange to have an important sporting event so early in the day, but I guess it’s just normal to Hawaiians. We tried 2 bars that were recommended to us by the hotel and both had standing room only. One place gave us a pager to take in case a table opened up, but it never went off and we didn’t bring it back. We’re not planning on bring it back either, unless our table is ever ready. Down the block, we found a Senor Frogs and had no trouble getting seated. It was a little busy when we got there, but filled up as the game went on. This guy was coming around with thin balloons that are usually used for balloon animals and made everyone sweet balloon hats. Steph was heated that the Pats lost. She was so mad that she forgot her $200 sunglasses there. After the game, we decided that it was time to go to the beach, so we went down there for about 30-45 minutes. The water was beautiful, and even in the late afternoon it was still pretty warm. One of the best parts was swimming in the ocean and seeing the green mountains that were pretty close off the shore. We then relaxed around the room for a little and went to dinner after 8:00. We went to a place that had been recommended to us the night before, and this one seemed to be what we were looking for, as a place that had a real Hawaiian vibe to it. Also, this restaurant had pina coladas served in coconuts, something that we had been looking for since we first arrived. The coconuts were fake, but at this point, we decided to take what we could get. It’s pretty funny that the only place that asked for ID so far was one of the bars that we didn’t even end up staying in because it was too busy. All the other restaurants and bars would just take our drink order and then the waiter would say “You guys are 21, right?” No one really seemed to care whether we were telling the truth or not. And some places didn’t even ask at all. That was about it for today, as we both started to get pretty tired by the end of dinner. I think Steph almost fell asleep on the walk back to the hotel. The jetlag get annoying at nighttime, but it definitely makes it easier to get up early in the morning.