Aloha Paradise!

We enjoyed one last day in Paradise, otherwise known at Hawaii, yesterday. We have had some great times here. I love the slower pace, the chance to relax and enjoy nature, the polynesian laid back attitude, and the beauty of the place. It is time to go home and get back to normal life, but we will carry with us some wonderful memories. I know we will come back. We must. This place is a part of me now and so it will always be calling me back.

As we prepare for the long flight home, I am will post some pictures of flowers and scenery that I have photographed this past week.

Aloha!

LDS Temple in Laie

One of the beautiful places we've seen here in Hawaii is the LDS temple. It is white and pristine and is set in absolutely beautiful grounds. What a view! We toured the visitors center and enjoyed it very much. It was informative and comfortable and welcoming. The missionaries working there are so nice. They told us more about the Laie area. Apparently it is 70% LDS (Mormon). There used to be almost nothing out here, until the Polynesian Cultural Center was built. Now it is a huge draw for tourists. Tour buses drive to and from the Polynesian Cultural Center for people to visit the temple. You can't go inside unless you are a member of the church in good standing, since it is used for sacred ordinances, but you can wander around and enjoy the peaceful, beautiful grounds. Around one side there is a big unusual tree. I don't remember what it is called, but it is awesome.

Polynesian Cultural Center

Yesterday afternoon and evening we were able to go to the Polynesian Cultural Center here in Laie. It was wonderful. It has a very interesting history. It was established by the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormons) to provide a place for the local people to work. Next to the PCC is BYU Hawaii and lots of their students work there.

It is a great place to see many polynesian cultures in action. There are clusters of villages and displays all over the grounds. You can watch dancers, drummers, crafters, and lots of other things. The grounds are beautiful. Green grounds, lots of tropical trees and flowers, and waterfalls, and water ways with canoes and rafts going to and fro. The people are so friendly and helpful. We watched performances and demonstrations in Tonga, Samoa, Fiji, Hawaii, etc. In the evening we went in to see the big colorful show they put on at night. It was fascinating and so much fun. By the time we left, I felt like we had been exposed to the best the islands have to offer. It was wonderful.

Turtle Bay Resort

We have really been enjoying our stay at turtle bay resort. It is wonderful. The rooms are comfortable and the outdoor facilities are luxurious. We have spent time at both the pool and out on the beautiful beach. The beach wasn't very crowded and there is lots of white sand, palm trees and blue water. We relaxed on the beach in the shade of a palm tree. I took pictures of the palm trees up above with the sun shining through. It was fun to go out a ways in the bay and see the fish. I even saw a sea turtle swimming by. I tried to go out on the outcrop of coral, but it was rough going so I gave up and came back to the beach. We spent some time out by the beautiful pool too. It has a wonderful waterfall that really adds to the tropical atmosphere. The view of the pool and the ocean, so close together, is breathtaking! I walked all around the resort and took pictures of both beaches (one on each side of the resort). One of the beaches was kind of rocky and the waves seemed a little rougher so I didn't venture out into the water. There are condos that you can rent as part of the resort that I think I might have to try next time I come. We went to the Polynesian Cultural Center this afternoon and evening too, but I will write about that in my next post.

Traveling on the King Kamehameha Highway

Yesterday we spent more time on the beach, but in the morning we went souvenir shopping. We heard about a great place to buy them. Sellers set up hundreds of souvenir stands all around the parking stadium at the University. It costs 50 cents to get in and then you can shop till you drop. It was so fun. We didn't even begin to see it all. There were t-shirts, and beach outfits, lots of jewelry, and about everything else you could think of. It was pretty reasonable too. We bought some t-shirts to take home to everyone. I bought a pear necklace, and a beautiful crystal pineapple. I would have loved to buy more, but lets face it, anything I buy I have to fit in my suitcases.

Today we changed our location to Turtle Bay Resort. We drove down the King Kamehameha High way to Laie. It was absolutely beautiful! The sharp, tall mountains jutting up suddenly to one side and the miles of pristine white beaches and palm trees on the other. I'm posting some great pictures from our drive. I took about a hundred. I just couldn't stop snapping pictures!

Sun, Surf, Sand

Today was fun. We have been traveling around enjoying the view of the ocean. We spent some time relaxing on the beach. White sand, clear blue water, sun, surf...what more could you ask? We went swimming too. The waves didn't look all that strong, but for awhile they knocked me over every time they got close to me. I learned to judge when they would hit and jump up and ride over them. I got a couple of good mouthfuls of salty water before I got it down. I went out deeper and it was easier than it was where the waves were rolling hard onto the beach. After our swim we enjoyed just resting in the shade of some palm trees and watching the other swimmers. I'm not a sunbather. It is too hard on my skin, but I loved the view and the breeze!

Pearl Harbor

We visited Pearl Harbor today. It was well worth the visit. We drove out to Pearl Harbor and after finally finding a place to park we made our way to the entrance. We had to get tickets and then wait a long time for our turn to go. We went through the museum displays while we waited. Seeing the actual artifacts of the sailors and read the words of the letters they last mailed home was so sad. One letter of a mom anxiously waiting for word from her son really got to me. He died on December 7th.

I was amazed to see some Japanese sailors touring the site. At one point they were standing so that I could see the white memorial off in the distance behind them. It seems so ironic that the first time I ever saw the Arizona memorial I was looking at it past Japanese sailors. We finally got in line and got to start the tour. The first thing we saw was a film about the bombing of Pearl Harbor. It really sets the mood before you get to go see the memorial. We loaded onto the ferry and took our seats. I enjoyed the ocean breeze as it blew in my face on the way across the harbor. When we got there we climbed stairs onto the Memorial and we just quietly walked around. The wall of names is very sobering. Then to stand and look down at the rusting hulk of the Arizona is awesome. It is hard to take it in, that you are looking at an actual ship, in which the remains of many sailors are forever at rest. I think the thing that made it really seem real to me was the rising oil. The day before the bombing of Pearl Harbor the Arizona had had it's oil tanks filled. That oil is slowly leaking out. You can just sit and watch that oil slowly come to the surface, little bubbles of it that rise slowly and hit the surface and then slowly float away. Oil that would have been used by that ship to sail the sea, is now just rising and floating away. I placed a picture of the oil at the end of the Pearl Harbor post.

I am so sad to think of those young men that died so horrible. I honor them. I think of them and I'm so glad we have this special memorial to always remember them.