September 4th, 2009 – September 8th, 2009
Today and the prior four days have been pretty nice. Sun, sand, and the splendor of warm ocean waters leaves an almost therapudic resonance in my mind. A waltz through the botanical gardens offered a bonding with the true nature of Hawai’i, yet while the achieved sunburn stings to the touch, at equal times it is almost delighting. Hence, do not heed this as a cue of masochism, but rather a common “no pain, no gain” phenomenon. The burn is like a trophy of coastal lounging and paradisal escape – similar to sending off a postcard in the mail. Frankly, it is superb to see the redness form into a golden tan – something I haven’t had in years.
Thus far, we have encountered one day of sub-par weather. Despite inaccurate, computer-generated forecastings, it has been very warm, less humid, and overall sunny and comfortable since then. We spent yesterday morning at Pearl Harbor where we visited the U.S.S. Arizona memorial. It was amazing to see drops of oil continue to constantly surface upon the ocean waters since the sinking of the battleship 67 years ago. It is almost eerie…
Completing our viewing of the memorial, the family and I set forth towards urban powerhouse and tropical paradise Waikiki. Finding public parking is not only a nightmare, but also expensive as well. Thereafter, we enjoyed the priciest lunch ever at The Grand Hawaiian. Seriously… A $19 “Big Island Cobb Salad”!… At least it was healthy. But it was still amazing. We were seated in shade directly next to the powder-like white sand beach with an impecable view of the breathtakingly clear and aqua-tinted ocean, with the bonus of infinite people-watching.
So, we finally found ourselves some real estate on the beach, rolled out our towels, buttered up in suntan lotion, and eased into the treasured waters of Waikiki with an emotional ecstasy. It was epic, and all that was missing was a Corona. The soft, sandy bottom was very shallow and extended outwards a good distance, allowing the hundreds of suim-suited bodies to bathe without the crowd. After much relished suntanning, we changed into dry clothes and hit the streets of this thriving city. The main tourist and hotel-row area reminded me of the Las Vegas Strip, sans the horrid dinginess, dirty prostitution, and suspicious pick-pocketers. It was golden. We decided to stride through the International Marketplace, where we cruised around looking at all the different things we could buy. We also saw the Apple Store of Waikiki, the largest Apple location I have seen so far. I can’t imagine how they could have enough stuff to fill that place. The standard stores, for example Brigeport Village, already seem too large in size. It was like putting everything that location has to sell into a place three times as big. Pointless?
Anyway… Am enjoying it all, although I am very excited to getting back to 24 Hour Fitness next week, and then moving into the new apartment in Corvallis thereafter.
Corona = 4
Mojito = 1
Bud Lite w/ Lime = 1
Posted from my iPhone 3G
