Aloha from the Gathering Place
8/26-8/28
The first day felt like one of the longest days ever; we were awake for an interminable time (22 hours), but it was eleven hours on planes that really extended it. We woke up at 4:30 ET to take the shuttle to the airport. After breakfast, we got on the plane to Los Angeles. I watched Captain Marvel and played some games on the seat screen. We got lunch in LA and then got on the plane to Honolulu. I watched the Sound of Music and Antman. O’ahu was distinctive from what I expected. It was much bigger; you couldn’t even tell you were on an island most of the time. There were a lot of mountains that were so tall and almost out of proportion. We were met at the airport by my great-aunt and cousin, Aunt Cheryl and Josh. They brought us some exquisite leis; they were imaginatively made. We drove our rental car to our rental, the Pineapple Surf Shack in Waianaé. After getting settled and unpacked, we walked to the beach. I was kind of just expecting a beach like the ones in the Atlantic, but with clearer water. I put on a borrowed snorkel mask and got in the water. There were big rocks all along the bottom and the fish!!! It was like a miniature coral reef, three yards from the shore. There were fish of many vibrant colors, like the flat ones you see in aquariums. The coral was interesting, resembling a drawing of a brain, but purple and gray. There were some huge sea urchins, the size of volleyballs, and some decorator crabs. After swimming and exploring for about an hour, we walked back to the house and showered. Dinner was at the Beach House, by 604. We walked on the beach until sunset and went to bed.
The next morning, we got breakfast at the Lighter Side. Jackson will be sure to mention his churro waffles, deep-fried and coated in cinnamon sugar. I got banana fosters pancakes. We did a hike up Gorilla Mountain. At the top, we could see the whole of the valley, full of houses, and just barely see Kapolei on the southwest corner of the island. I noticed that on the small houses that filled the valley, there were many solar panels. All the mountains looked like a scene from Moana, with the ripples down the side like lava flow. Back at the house, we put bathing suits on and grabbed masks and snorkel gear before heading to the same beach as yesterday, Aki’s Beach. At the beach, I put on the snorkel, along with flippers, since they made it easier to float, and got right in. The rocks had shifted overnight, so the landscape underwater was different. There were less fish, since it was rougher, but still impressive. I went in to take the flippers off and Jackson was just then getting in. There was a turtle not three yards from him and when Mom pointed it out, he jumped. It was really cool, but when it swam away, it was kind of reluctant to get back in the water. I knew it wasn’t going to hurt or bother us, but it was startling to see something so large in the water. Dad went into the water with us to find the turtle. While we were out in the water looking for it, it crawled up on the beach and fell asleep. The green sea turtle looked exactly like all the pictures I’d seen, more brown than green with a round shell. Two more turtles showed up and I spent probably two hours snorkeling, seeking a glimpse from underwater. I probably got four looks at it from different angles. We drove by the Pineapple Shack before going to a rental place. We got three stand-up paddleboards. We wheeled them on a cart to Pokai Bay nearby. A lady told us that there had been something large in the bay earlier that day; the lifeguard hadn’t known whether it was a manta ray or a shark. We looked around, saw that lifeguards were letting people in the water, and figured everything was fine. Paddleboarding was really peaceful and relaxing. Mom saw a massive manta ray go under her board. I saw a smaller one; it looked like a rippling blob with a tail. We returned the boards, returned to our accommodations, and showered. We went to dinner at the Monkeypod Kitchen with Aunt Cheryl, Uncle Dave (her husband), and Josh. I really enjoyed reconnecting with my family; I had never met Josh before and it had been at least three years since I’d seen Aunt Cheryl and Uncle Dave. I got saimin, a traditional Hawaiian noodle dish, kind of like Japanese ramen and Chinese mein. It was flavorful and had an interesting texture.
The next day was our day on the South side of the island. We got up in the morning and drove to Pearl Harbor, stopping for breakfast along the way. I’m rather nervous about writing about Pearl Harbor because I don’t think I can do the place or the people justice, but here goes. The first thing we did was the USS Arizona Memorial. For those of you who don’t know, the USS Arizona was a battleship stationed in Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. A bomb hit the gunpowder store and blew a hole in the ship, as well as setting fire to it. Out of 1,512 officers, sailors, and marines assigned to the ship, only 335 survived the Gibraltar of the Pacific. Some of these were off the ship when it was hit, on liberty, training, or special duty, but many of these survivors were aboard the Arizona during the attack. Since 1941, many of those men have returned to be interred with their shipmates. Survivors of the Arizona have the option of being buried within the remains of their ship. Only five such survivors are still alive and forty-three have since returned, in death. Only survivors of the Arizona can be buried there; survivors of Pearl Harbor may have their ashes scattered across Pearl Harbor. The actual memorial was closed for construction, but our boat went by the memorial and we could see the wreckage peeking out of the water. We also drove by the USS Missouri, where the peace treaty with Japan was signed, ending World War Two.The tour guide’s presentation on our boat was exceptionally compelling. We went through some exhibits and then left Pearl Harbor. I wasn’t expecting to enjoy Pearl Harbor or the Arizona very much, but it was a very stirring experience. It’s fairly disappointing that so many people don’t know much about Pearl Harbor or the USS Arizona. Going there, especially on the Arizona tour, would open numerous people’s minds to the horrors of war and how it should be a last resort. Politicians in particular should visit Pearl Harbor, hopefully to give them some perspective into the fact that actual lives will be lost in the event of war. I know it sounds obvious, but I believe that it would be hard to comprehend that any one person, much less yourself, could have so much control over who lives and dies. We got lunch at Restaurant 604, who owned the Beach House where we went the first night. It was right on Aiea Bay, next to Pearl Harbor. I got an Island Cobb salad with chicken that had a really good dressing on it. We dropped Dad and Jackson off at the Navy Marine Golf Course where Uncle Dave works as the golf professional. Uncle Dave gave me some poke to try (basically sushi, but just the fish part). It was enjoyable, with a very distinctive teriyaki and garlic flavor. We drove with Aunt Cheryl and Ashley (Josh’s sister) to Likeke Falls. We hiked up to the bottom of the falls. There was a cobblestone path that we followed part of the way to the waterfall that led all the way up to Kaniakapupu Ruins, the ruins of the summer palace of King Kamehameha and Queen Kalama of the Kingdom of Hawaii. We turned off the road to get to the bottom of the waterfall. After I got wet and cooled down by sitting under the falls, I climbed up a ways. It was fairly secluded, with just a few other people there. It was gorgeous and authentic; it didn’t feel staged or taken over. It felt like I was actually in the wild, in a way that national parks will never feel: genuine. After we hiked down, we drove back to Aunt Cheryl and Ashley’s house. We talked while I sat with Hope (hop-ay), their dog. I played outside with her some and then we went back to the golf course to pick up Jackson and Dad. We ate snacks at the place for dinner, repacked, and went to bed.
“Just feel the Magic in the air and the power in the breeze, feel the energy of the plants, the bushes and the trees, let yourself be surrounded by nature at it’s best, calm yourself, focus and let Magic do the rest.”