Hawaii! Day 1

We made it to Hawaii yesterday and I'm already in love. The weather is amazing, warm and sunny. Perfect. I'd be perfectly happy just lounging on the beach all day for the next week.

I figure there are certain things we do need to visit though, seeing how we did spend 15 hours traveling here (see "eating on the go"). So, the first place we stopped was Pearl Harbor. If you haven't been, it is incredibly sad, but also so interesting to see. There are a few exhibits and so many photos of the attacks. There is one photo that was actually staged after some Sailors had just shot down one of the Japanese bombers. It's so hard to imagine being there and having the thought to take pictures. It's amazing that people did to be able to share that day in history with future generations.

We also went to see the USS Arizona Memorial, which is a must. It is one of the ships that was sunk during the attack. The ship had just refueled the day prior, so it is slowly leaking oil into the water and you can see the oil spots floating above the wreck. It's a beautiful memorial. You have to get there very early to get tickets for the tour, though. We got there 20 minutes after they had opened and already our tour was 4 hours later and they were completely booked less than an hour later. It is worth it to get there early.

Afterward we checked out the 'Ualaka'a Trail and view point, which you could see all of Honolulu from and it was breathtaking! The water looked crystal clear, even up so high. The trail was a dirt path, and there were all these crazy looking trees I've never seen before.  The pictures don't even do them any justice. There was also a rooster hiding somewhere in the trees who had a lot to say. We only went about a mile, because people weren't lying when they said you need bug spray. We were being eaten alive! 

I think the best part so far about Hawaii is how active everyone is. We have seen so many people running, skateboarding, carrying surfboards, heading to the beach. I love being surrounded by active people because it makes me want to be more active. We're probably going to go check out the beach for ourselves before heading to dinner. Aloha!