Tuesday, August 21, 2012

From Waikiki to Wailea: Oahu Part 1

Even though we got off to a rough start, the rest of our time in Oahu went off without a hitch. Waking up in paradise everyday definitely helped! With less than a week to spend in Oahu, we wanted to explore as much as we could so our days were packed full of activities. We both had things we were looking forward to: Mr. Warbs really wanted to go to Pearl Harbor and I really wanted to go on a LOST tour. Completely different right? We were able to do both and then some!

Pearl Harbor and USS Missouri

Everybody always says if you ever go to Oahu, you just have to visit Pearl Harbor. It's true. Once you get to the USS Arizona, there's just a change in the atmosphere. Reverence probably is the closest word I can use to describe looking at all the names on the wall. Reverence and humility.

You can't bring anything except a camera into the memorial. No exceptions!



A shot of oil leaking from parts of the USS Arizona that they couldn't get to.

 The anchor behind us was blown off the Arizona and landed 200 yard away.

I think we took more than 100 photos on the USS Missouri alone, Mr. Warbs and I really explored every available inch of the ship. I slammed by shin on a metal ladder going below deck. I like to think a little part of me is still on board!





We were able to book a tour that included Pearl Harbor, USS Missouri and the other attractions at Ford Island and a city tour. Our fantastic tour guide gave us great tips on places to eat and where to shop. The whole tour lasted 6 hours! We had just enough energy to grab dinner before crashing back at the hotel. But it was a very fun day.

 LOST Tour

Like I mentioned above, the thing I was looking forward to most was the LOST tour. I was a huge fan of the show and cried real tears (I'm not a cryer) when the show ended. So I had big expectations for the whole experience, which unfortunately were not met. Damn, that was a high maintenance sentence wasn't it? My expectations were probably unfair because the show did end two years ago. Even though we got to see the locations the show was shot at, most of the sets were no longer up so it was kind of bittersweet.


 Chinaman's hat - not shown in LOST









Me making my "meh" face.

Was the tour fun? Absolutely. All of the sites were cool and the views were amazing. But, I think I would have enjoyed myself if I could have seen the sites while filming was still going on. Obviously. So in my opinion, if you're going on the tour, go for the scenery and don't place too much stock in recognizing all of the show sites.

Up next, more fun in Oahu!