This is a day that has lasted for 40 hours thanks to the International Dateline. It started with an early rise as I took Matthew to the stations – I then made a “to do” list – it included the packing etc. but also some gardening and exciting house things (cleaning etc.), all done by 10.30am. I felt incredibly energetic!
Finally picked up Marie – parked the car at the station for Matthew to pick up later, and off to the airport. Uneventful trip through Customs and onto the plane.
Jetstar had some amusing announcements: “ According to U.S. Federal Law, passengers on planes bound for the U.S. are not allowed to congregate in any area, especially outside the LABORATORIES”. This was later amended to Lavatories. (Even so, congregating outside the “Lavatories” is the only way to get to use them!)
And: “Passengers are requested to stay in their own seats to aid the weight distribution on the plane”. Did they secretly weigh us? And, do I want to be on a plane that is so fragile that it can be upended by passenger movement?
I slept poorly but eventually we arrived in Honolulu and Customs & Immigration went smoothly. Taxi to hotel, where I slept most of the day.
We booked a tour to go and see the “Arizona”, which is one of the ships sank at Pearl Harbour. Our guide was Pedro who informed us: “ The Japanese Plan didn’t work. All they did was awaken the Sleeping Giant and World War 2 began”. Hey, hadn’t it already been going for 2 years by then????
The “Arizona was a very moving experience tho. The ship is still there, visible under the water. A structure has been built over it – perpendicular to the ship. You walk through this structure and look down at the ship. We threw flowers in over the ship – Frangipanis. 1177 people lost their lives there (some survivors have opted to have their ashes interred there too). It is quite simple and very moving – the Americans may involve themselves in far too many wars, but they certainly know how to do monuments!!
Later we went onto the battleship “Missouri”. This is the ship on which the end of World War 2 was signed. For this we had a new guide – Conrad. He was ex-airforce and he talked incessantly about the guns and the fire-power, with boyish glee and enthusiasm. “How cool is that?” he’d say as he told us how many missiles could be launched at Baghdad or Kuwait City. “By the time the people knew the missile had been launched they’d all be dead” he’d say. I had to suspend my horror of it all. “How many civilians don’t get to have the rest of their lives?” I wanted to ask. Then we went upstairs and looked at the very spot where the Japanese signed their surrender. Then the group photo – with the giant guns in the background. Hopefully the only time in my life I’ll ever be in the same photo as a gun!
Late afternoon. I met a man at the Honolulu canal who was feeding fish and we got talking. He told me he’d never married and he used to travel with his Mum till she died in 2005. He told me “She was the best mother I ever had”. This is what I love about travel – you get to meet quirky people that you’d never meet in the ordinary course of your life!
