Islands are Small

We recently came back from a quick trip to Hawaii.  It's not what you think.  let me explain.  My niece (my sister Phyllis' daughter) got married on the main Island of Oahu.  Due to Gayle's school schedule, it was only for three days over the President's weekend.  It was the first time for Gayle to Hawaii, my third.  Jordan and I hiked the big Island in 2000 for boy scouts, and I stopped in the airport for two hours on my way to Japan in 83. 

Now we know a lot of people from Hawaii, and let it be known, they are not necessarily the best people to ask about visiting the Island.  They lived there, stay at relatives and don't act or think like tourists.  They are not great on addresses, directions or descriptions.  But they do get excited you are going.

Now we stayed in Waikiki (I still have not figured out if this is a city or part of Honolulu) in a hotel next to the International Market on the main drag (don't even think of asking me to pronounce or remember the street name). In the 3 days, we never saw Waikiki beach or touched the water.

You treat Hawaii like visiting another country.  It has its own culture, food and language.  Point in case, I brought along our GPS because I wasn't going to pay extra in my economy car rental.  Magellan does not use a Hawaiian voice, so when she reads out the street, it is unrecognizable.  The only thing I remember is "ding ding, turn here......"  People working in Waikiki apparently only know Waikiki, or at least that is what they say. 

The Island is only so big, but when you make a wrong turn, it is not easily correctable.  We were on our way back to Waikiki from Pearl Harbor, I somehow misunderstood the GPS and ended up on Highway H3.  No problem, i will just get off on the next exit and turn around.   Ten miles later, through what I was told when I returned to the mainland, be haunted land, ending up on the other side of the Island......

Hawaii is like Seattle, everyone says it is only 20 minutes away, on the complete other side of town........We criss crossed that city more times than I want to think about.

The swap meet at Aloha Stadium is not a swap meet, it is a huge, long conglomeration of farmers market type booths that circle the stadium,,,,,,,3 times, in concentric circles.

Pearl Harbor was worth the trip.  I  originally didn't think it was worth the time, but it had a impact on me in that it was the critical point of the Japanese American Experience.  Due to the attack, my parents and grand parents were evacuated to camps, my dad enlisted in the US Army as an interpreter, mom was deported back to Japan after the war, both met in Nagoya as part of the occupation, etc. 

The other neat thing was we got to see the Battle Ship Missouri and the exact spot where they Japan surrendered as well as the documents they signed. 

Hawaii is beautiful, the descriptions are accurate, but...........only to visit.  It is still as the original McGarrett would call it, the Rock.  Only so big, surrounded by water, clear blue water, but none the less endless water.
How many people can you fit on a rock?

We spent more time at Zippys, Long's Drugs, Sams Club/Walmart and Don Quijote than anywhere else.
Just a note, when entering Don Quijote in the GPS, it is spelled with a J and not a X. Let it be known that the only place to get the pink, non stick spam musubi makers is at Longs, in Hawaii (not available on line).