Today I did something very few people will ever get to do: Visit the USS Arizona Memorial, also known to most people as the ship that was hit during the Pearl Harbor attacks on December 7th, 1941.
It was very moving.
Standing is a white building built over where the ship once stood, a memorial for those who died while protecting their country. The feeling was almost over-whelming at times, this massive building with open walls, beckoning you to reach out to it and understand its importance, its meaning, and the many, many, many soldiers who died to keep America free.
Getting to the memorial was a bit of a mess. Me and my friend wound up, thanks to Goggle Maps, walking on a bridge that was part of a naval base. We wound up having to turn back and walk an extra half-mile.
We went to a swap meet at Aloha Stadium here on Oahu in Ewa. If you ever get to come to this wonderful island, I HIGHLY recommend do all your gift shopping here. Personally, I wished I bought more, and I think I'll head back there tomorrow to do just that.
My favorite highlight was seeing something that I wanted to witness my entire time here: Someone carving an actual Tiki statue. It was incredible! There he was, wood carving tools in hand, creating a new statue of one of the Tiki Gods. His name is Soane Vehikite and he is AMAZING! They're working on a new site, and when it goes up, I will spread the word to the mainland!
We went to a sushi place called Kuru Kuru Sushi located right past Pearl Harbor. It was one of those places with an automated food trays so that the food passes around the entire restaurant. I wound up having a few shrimp things, and something the combined rice and salmon.
The ocean is still amazing and wonderful down here, inspiring beauty and aw at nothing more than a glance. You can literally walk the length of a football field into the ocean without having to swim! The only problem? Rocks. Lots of them. There are some great places without them, and other places where you don't know when they will just go away.
A few odd tidbits: There is a Ferrari Store. It does exist. A Ferrari Bike costs $4000. There's an "Animation Gallery" as well that sells limited-edition Disney Cels, paintings, and statues.
I also had the privilege of finally trying out a long-board skateboard today! Nice thick rubber wheels, a really smooth deck... I think I need to get one one of these days! Don't know how I would get the deck home from here, honestly...
The Arts and Culture in this state is astounding! I feel inspire to create at every turn!
That's about it. Photos exist, they are coming, but for now they reside entirely on my computer.
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