Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Pearl Harbor and USS Missouri and Waikiki
Today we got up at 3:30 am to catch the plane to Oahu to see Pearl Harbor. We got home around 8:00 pm...it was a long day but we really enjoyed it.
Pearl Harbor is a moving memorial to the soldiers who were killed on December 7, 1941. I would recommend getting the audio tour of this....there's a lot of history that I didn't know (surprise surprise) about this attack. After Pearl Harbor we went out to the USS Missouri where the truce ending WW II was signed.
The bus tour ended with some sight seeing through Honolulu and Waikiki Beach. Next time we come I think I would like to spend about three days in Waikiki. It's much more commercial than Maui but it has a really nice beach...it's more like Chicago if Chicago had an ocean. I would also like to see the other islands. Island hopping is fun.
Pearl Harbor is a moving memorial to the soldiers who were killed on December 7, 1941. I would recommend getting the audio tour of this....there's a lot of history that I didn't know (surprise surprise) about this attack. After Pearl Harbor we went out to the USS Missouri where the truce ending WW II was signed.
The bus tour ended with some sight seeing through Honolulu and Waikiki Beach. Next time we come I think I would like to spend about three days in Waikiki. It's much more commercial than Maui but it has a really nice beach...it's more like Chicago if Chicago had an ocean. I would also like to see the other islands. Island hopping is fun.
Sunday, April 13, 2008
The Road to Hana
I didn't find the road to Hana to be as bad as I had been lead to believe; the road from Hana to Kipahulu was, and the road back again along the cliff side of the mountain was a bit unnerving....other than that, it was great.
The road to Hana is a long (52 miles), narrow, winding road along the southeast coast of Maui. It takes you through lush rainforest, waterfalls, valleys, and beaches. According to one of the books at the condo, it's where Heaven meets Earth.
We started out in Pa'ia where we had breakfast at Cafe Mambo. They also packed us a lunch to eat along the way. The road actually starts around Huelo and ends in Kipahula.... ends there because an earthquake in 2006 blocked the road; otherwise, you could go all the way around. However, past Hana the road gets even narrower and a little scarier. Turning around at Hana wouldn't be a bad idea.
Along the way, there are places to pull over and take pictures and do some hiking. I didn't have good hiking shoes, just my flipflops, so we didn't get far along the trails. We tried one trail in Kipahula that was supposed to lead to a great waterfall, but the path was uphill with tree roots and rocks for most of it, but with my flipflops, we only went about a mile. Gary almost got arrested by a park ranger because he stopped the car to take pictures when he wasn't supposed to, but I guess he was just told to move along.
It's a very beautiful drive, and, as long as you have nerves of steel, you'll enjoy it. But bring good shoes and a rain jacket...it rained a bit in the rainforest.
Aloha
The road to Hana is a long (52 miles), narrow, winding road along the southeast coast of Maui. It takes you through lush rainforest, waterfalls, valleys, and beaches. According to one of the books at the condo, it's where Heaven meets Earth.
We started out in Pa'ia where we had breakfast at Cafe Mambo. They also packed us a lunch to eat along the way. The road actually starts around Huelo and ends in Kipahula.... ends there because an earthquake in 2006 blocked the road; otherwise, you could go all the way around. However, past Hana the road gets even narrower and a little scarier. Turning around at Hana wouldn't be a bad idea.
Along the way, there are places to pull over and take pictures and do some hiking. I didn't have good hiking shoes, just my flipflops, so we didn't get far along the trails. We tried one trail in Kipahula that was supposed to lead to a great waterfall, but the path was uphill with tree roots and rocks for most of it, but with my flipflops, we only went about a mile. Gary almost got arrested by a park ranger because he stopped the car to take pictures when he wasn't supposed to, but I guess he was just told to move along.
It's a very beautiful drive, and, as long as you have nerves of steel, you'll enjoy it. But bring good shoes and a rain jacket...it rained a bit in the rainforest.
Aloha
The Road to Hana....halfway there
we actually went beyond Hana...all the way to Kipahulu where these were taken
these last two were taken on the way back to the condo...somewhere around Pa'ia
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