Pearl Harbour

The morning begins with a magnificent view of Waikiki. After a quick breakfast, we stroll along the beach once more before we can pick up the rental car at 11:00. For the first time, I am driving a hybrid, of all places, in the country of V8 engines and open exhaust systems. The first destination is Pearl Harbour, where we visit the memorial of the USS Arizona. On December 7, 1941, Japan attacked the USA, bombers sank many ships at the Pearl Harbor outpost. The Arizona was destroyed by a direct hit on the ammunition depot, and 1,107 crew members died when the ship sank. Today, the wreck is a memorial and is accessible to the public only for a short visit. After a brief orientation, a shuttle takes us and about 50 other visitors to the site of the sinking. Parts of the structures still protrude from the water, and oil droplets from the wreck create rainbow-colored spots on the surface. We silently disembark from the tender; it was a very impressive visit. We continue to the west coast of the island, where we take a walk by the sea near a small lighthouse. Later, we shop for groceries at a festively decorated Walmart before slowly heading back to the hotel due to traffic.