Sooo many pictures!
We don't buy too many souveniers, we just take a LOT of pictures!
Punchbowl National Memorial Cemetary
of the Pacific
Looking down from the Memorial Hall
As we were heading back to the southeast side, I noticed on the map that there was a huge crater in the middle of Honolulu. I also noticed that it was a military cemetary. We were going to be driving right by it, so I told Tom I thought we should stop and see it. I'm glad we did. In the center of this huge crater is the cemetary, located on lovely, lush, landscaped grounds. It is really big, probably the biggest cemetary I've ever seen, although I'm sure Arlington has a much larger one.
Looking up at the Memorial Hall.
Off to the side of the steps are large square marble columns. Each column has the names of soldiers that were killed in different wars in the Pacific, whose remains were not recovered. There are a lot of names on those columns. Some document battles from WWII, some from the Korean conflict and some from Viet Nam. Spread all throughout the crater, on the greens, are rectangular grave markers for men who have passed that served in the armed forces. Some of the graves are from WWII, some are from present time. There are a lot of them.
Memorial Stone at the base of the steps.
Statue at the top of the steps.
I thought it was supposed to be Lady Liberty, but then I noticed the olive brance in her hand, and I think she must be a symbol of peace.
At the foot of the statue.
One thing about the Punchbowl is that in ancient times this land was used by the Hawaiians as a place of sacrificial ceremony. Today, it is the resting place of those who have given their lives as a sacrifice for our country, liberty and freedom.
Inside the Memorial Hall is a chapel. The opening of the chapel has these huge metal (I don't know if they are iron or copper) doors with inlaid glass. I think this one IS supposed to be the image of Liberty. I thought they were really neat looking.
Another glass image of Liberty.
The chapel inside the Memorial Hall.
This was posted right outside the chapel.
There are a lot of walking paths that meander through the gardens and around the many graves. One of the walking trails takes you up to the edge of the crater and there is a splendid view of Honolulu from there.
Palm trees and Honolulu with Diamond Head Crater in the distance.
It was a really hot day to be walking, but we're glad we got to see it.
After we left the Punchbowl, we went to Waikiki Beach.
Playing in the jungle trees at Kapiolani Park, near the zoo.
Just swinging in the vines.
Like the bunch of monkeys they are.
Kuhio Beach,
although I like to refer to it as Waikiki Beach. The actual Waikiki Beach is right next to it down the way. It all looks like the same beach to me.
We actually came here twice. Once on the drive around day and once on our last day there. On the last day, the older boys and I went shopping. Tom and Winston swam in the inlet. A rock wall was put up in the water to keep the strong waves out, so children could swim in the warm water and mild current. Beyond the rock barrier there are some decent waves that attract surfers. I think a lot of people learn to surf on this stretch of coastline, because of the easy surf. There are also some coral beds out beyond the rock wall that people can snorkel around. It's a very popular spot for tourists because you have the beach, snorkeling and surfing all right in one place. For that reason, you don't see as large a concentration of native Hawaiians here. It's largely world-wide tourists you see here.
Speaking of tourists...
...yeah, we definitely look like tourists.
Another view of the beach,
looking toward the 'real' Waikiki Beach.
A beach bum! Ha-ha!
Actually, there were fewer homeless people here this time around. When we first came to Waikiki three years ago, there were a lot of homeless people everywhere. We heard on the radio that the local government were offering the homeless free airline tickets home to the mainland. They just had to show proof of family to receive them, be of sound mind and have good hygiene. Probably so people could stand to sit the 7-hours next to them on the plane. I wonder if many of them took this opportunity.
Tom and Winston in front of a statue of Duke Kahanamoku
on Kuhio Beach in Waikiki.
He was a famous olympic swimmer, surfer and actor - said to be the father of modern surfing. His arms are outstretched in welcome to visitors of Waikiki where he was the original beach boy. You always see him with leis draped over his arms.
The International Market Place -
or as I like to call it, the Hawaiian Marketplace.
This is a fun place to shop. It's all outdoors, with each vendor marketing their wares from little grass and bamboo huts and carts. There are also mall-style shops in the buildings around it. Some of the stuff is way overpriced -and most probably not originated from Hawaii. But if you take your time and peruse carefully, you can find some really neat things for a bargain. I bought a sundress here for $15. I love it! The boys picked up a few things here as well. I think Preston got the best deals.
The historical Moana Surfrider Hotel, built in 1901
often referred to as the first lady of Waikiki.
Looking up one of the avenues from the beach.
This is the money shot...
...literally.
We were walking down the sidewalk and I saw a man with two parrots on his shoulders. I said "Look at the parrots, Winston!" The man turned around and walked over and proceeded to put the parrots on the boys shoulders and told me to take a picture. So I did. Then he said "That will be $5". WHAT?! Okay, so I'm a chump. I paid the $5. Tom just sat back and laughed. Winston said he was a little bit afraid the parrots were going to bite him. Oh well, It made a great picture, anyway.
Keaton found this little friend hanging around on the boulevard.
Anybody looking for car insurance? Hee-hee!
Speaking of car insurance - we got a rental car when we first got to Honolulu. They gave us a really nice souped up Chevy Malibu with a touch-screen stereo in it. Tom was a little dubious about driving that kind of car around. But the kicker was that when he was signing in for the car, the clerk talked him into the extra insurance for it. I thought something was up, because the lady clerk standing back had a smirk on her face. Anyway, we paid double the price that it was supposed to be just because we added the extra insurance. Later we found out that our own insurance would cover most things, and what they wouldn't cover, our credit card would cover the rest. So we didn't need the insurance anyway. We learned our lesson on that one.
I guess if we had to have extra coverage, Oahu would be the island to have it on. We were told before this trip that we shouldn't leave anything in the car that we didn't have to. Even just a grocery bag sitting on one of the seats was an invitation for someone to break your window and take it. We saw a LOT of broken windows on cars. Luckily, we didn't have that problem. But we were pretty careful about that.
Next stop, Pearl Harbor!
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