Lessons Learned in Hawaii

 

1. Breakfast is cheaper, but can be just as tasty and pretty if cooked and served inside your hotel room. We bought some mango jam at the swap meet and have been slapping it on to everything - toast, pancakes, etc.  

2. War is horribly devastating. Of course, I already knew that, but seeing the effects up close and personal at  Pearl Harbor was a very sobering reminder.  

There were Pearl Harbor survivors there to talk to, such an interesting conversation. 

The oil still seeping out of the U.S.S. Arizona 70 years later is one crazy thing to see.  

3.  Seeing the place where World War II ended on the Mighty Mo is #5,438 that I am so proud to live in Missouri.

 

4. I barely fit in the Navy's sleeping chambers.

5. Opa is a delicious fish. Especially when grilled.  If you go to Dukes on Waikiki, you should order it.  Duke's had an amazing view of the beach, a live Hawaiian band, and a wonderful atmosphere.  

6. There are crazy weird bird people even in Hawaii.

7. One CANNOT drive all around the island of Oahu.  So, when the Garmin says to turn around for 30 miles, you should listen to it, or else you will have to drive 30 miles back to where you came from.  

But, the views at the end of the road are worth the extra 2 hours in the car.

8. Caves are creepy, no matter where you find them.

9. Nothing tastes more fresh than a pineapple picked from the ground. (Dole Plantation)

Well, except for maybe pineapple ice cream.

10. Getting lost for the second time in one day is worth it, to find the place that makes the best coconut shrimp in the world (at Kahuku Grill in North Shore).  

 

11. Hawaiian dresses / shirts put everyone in a better mood, especially when going to a luau (Fia Fia Luau at Ko Olina).

12. Flower tattoos are kind of cool.  

But scorpion tattoos an your neck are way cooler.  

13. Coconuts don't taste very good fresh.  Please give me the kind in the bag that is shredded.

14. No matter how nice you ask, you can't take a Polynesian boy home as a souvenier.  

Darn.

15.  Making fire with sticks is not for the weak at heart.  

Neither is tree climbing.  Basically, I would have not survived very long if I had to rely on those skills.

16. There are very few things as beautiful as a Hawaiian sunset with your honey.

We have been going non-stop since we walked off the airplane.  I think today is going to be set aside for rest, relaxation, and sandcastle building.