Honolulu Day 2

Once again, we woke up at an unfeasibly early hour, due to the continual travelling West.  The plan today was to head out towards Pearl Harbor, and visit the USS Arizona memorial there.

After catching the shuttle from our hotel, we picked up our timed tickets.  We arrived at the memorial at 9:30, and were given 10:30 admission tickets - not too bad a wait, considering that it can get much longer later in the day.  After spending some time in the museum (and checking in practically all our possessions at left luggage for security reasons), 10:30 arrived.  The visit begins with a 25 minute movie which explains the background to the attack on Pearl Harbor, the events of the day, and the aftermath, in a slightly surprisingly non-jingoistic fashion.  There is then a boat trip out to the actual memorial, which has been built over the sunken hulk (and official US war grave) of the USS Arizona.  Even with all the tourists, it is a very moving place.

After this, we spent some time on board the USS Missouri, a preserved battleship dating back to 1944.  The final Japanese surrender was signed on board this ship in 1945, and she last saw action in the early 1990's in the first Gulf War.

In the evening, we ate in "Cheeseburgers in Paradise" - a slightly gimmicky restaurant that serves (you guessed it) cheeseburgers that bear little resemblance to those served in most fast food joints.