|
|
Waikiki, Hawaii, United States
An early alarm call woke me up abruptly, possibly similar to how the sailors on the U.S.S. Arizona were woken up on December 7th 1941, as Japan bombed Pearl Harbour! Pearl Harbour is about five miles to the west of Honolulu, and is home to the Arizona Memorial, a permanent memorial sat right above the sunken U.S.S. Arizona war ship.
I caught a bus from a block away from the hotel and sat back as the Waikiki hotels passed by the window. The trip to Pearl Harbour took about an hour and fifteen minutes. I could tell that this was the destination for a fair few of the other passengers as well. Downtown Honolulu passed by, which as I reported yesterday isn’t the most desirable place on earth to find yourself!
Suburban sprawl eventually led to a larger highway on which I saw a sign for Pearl Harbour. A couple of miles down the road the bus pulled into a large car park overlooking a large lake, which would become the harbour.
In 1941 the US Navy had a large fleet of ships stationed at Pearl Harbour. They were keeping an eye on the Japanese and looking after US interests in the Pacific islands. Whilst being prepared for a possible attack by Japan, and drilled to combat it, when the attack came the Americans were caught right off guard. The attack by Japan launched America head first into World War II. American will say their involvement ultimately was the critical element in the allies victory, which might possibly be true, hence this event and location is significant in the modern history of the human race. Without Pearl Harbour ironically we might not be living in a free world.
Tickets for the Arizona Memorial (the key visitor thing at Pearl Harbour) are free, which is excellent. You do need to arrive and collect one, and apparently at busy times there can be quite a wait, but to see something so significant in America’s recent history is worth the wait. As it was I collected my ticket and had to wait no more than ten minutes for the next group to be waved in.
First up a very good movie was shown to everyone in a cinema style setup. This gave background information on Pearl Harbour, including the reason for having the warships there. It told the story of that fateful morning in December 1941, showing lots of footage of the incident. I could feel the emotion elsewhere in the building, clearly this is on par with 9/11 in terms of emotional distress for Americans. Pre September 11th Pearl Harbour was the biggest single attack on American soil in history.
The room was silent and people looked saddened. I followed people out of the door and into the morning sun, waiting for us was a small boat to take us to the memorial itself. This is an interesting looking construction directly above the sunken warship. Inside is a list of all those who lost their lives on the ship on that day, most of them are still entombed in the ship below.
We got about fifteen minutes to stand and think of those beneath us. From the memorial you can look out and see a few bits of the warship that stick out above the water. It all looks very rusty. Down below I could make out a bigger outline of the boat. Spookily there are drips of oil still seeping out of the vessel, 67 years on! These are clearly visible on the surface of the water. People have called them the black tears of the U.S.S. Arizona.
After a suitable wait a queue began to form for the trip back to land. The atmosphere was subdued. Whilst not being American I was able to sense the tragedy and act accordingly. Lots of the tourists seemed to be Japanese. I wondered how they felt. Knowing that it was one of their leaders who gave the orders to attack this port, and cause the death of over two thousand Americans.
Back on land I read up on the other attractions at Pearl Harbour. Available to look at was the U.S.S. Missouri, sister ship to the U.S.S. Arizona and location where World War II officially ended with the Japanese surrender. I took the opportunity to buy some souvenirs (read postcards!) from the gift shop. Again larger things were available, but my bags are already fully packed and space is of a premium.
After lunch in their café I opted not to go on to the U.S.S. Missouri, as this cost the best part of $20, money that would be better spent elsewhere. There was also an air museum, which looked interesting, but again I resisted the urge and kept the dollars in my pocket.
Back in Waikiki I began the job of packing all my bags for the trip to Fiji tomorrow. That will bring to an end nearly three months in America. I’ve been able to visit the key cities that I set out to visit, sample American life, get into American football and attempt to understand the American psyche. I will return to the USA, but for a holiday, in Las Vegas perhaps. I’d definitely not want to live here. Their lack of a universal healthcare system, obviously distorted wealth, and focus on the ‘American dream’ has created a country one would like to get away from, not move to.
from: http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/olinorwell/1/1265645478/tpod.html
Related posts:
- Things to do in Honolulu, Hawaii — Waikiki, HI
Things to do in Honolulu, Hawaii – Waikiki, HI Waikiki, HI When you are... - The Longest Day — Waikiki, HI
The Longest Day – Waikiki, HI Waikiki, HI Where I stayed Ohanawaikikiwest Honolulu(aka. Ohana... - Expeditioning through the adorable pearl – New Yo — New York, United States
Expeditioning through the adorable pearl – New Yo – New York, United States New... - Coffs Harbour GP Super Clinic to Provide Better Health Services
Coffs Harbour residents will soon have better access to GPs and allied health professionals following... - Blown away by Sydney Harbour. — Sydney, Australia
Blown away by Sydney Harbour. – Sydney, Australia Sydney, Australia During my visit to...
