Pearl Harbor
Starting the day right with breakfast at Egghead Cafe, a small and tucked away brunch scene in Kaka'ako, Downtown Honolulu.
Eggs Benedict
Chocolate Chip Pancakes
Chocolate Milk
Thanks to this Food & Drinks menu, I was able to deliberately choose which meal to order back when I was still in Cebu hehehe. Not really prepared. 😅
Getting there: The World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument, more commonly known as Pearl Harbor is a 20-minute drive or a 45-minute bus ride (City Express A) from Waikīkī or Ala Moana.
Tickets for Pearl Harbor Historic Sites are free of charge and are on a first-come, first-served basis. Aside from a tour around the park and historical museums, admission also includes a 20-minute documentary video introduction, a brief history of the fatal attack and a boat ride to the USS Arizona Memorial. Considering that tickets are at no cost, only 1,300 passes are available daily. Hence, booking online would be the best choice. However, there is a non-refundable convenience fee of $1.50. As for me, I wasn't able to book ahead of time, so when I arrived at around 10am, the earliest tour available was already 2pm.
The USS Bowfin Submarine Narrated Tour: $12.00
Self-guided audio tours are actually simple. You just have to follow a single path, input the numbers posted on designated areas as you walk along and a narrated voice will direct you to look for an object or machine and explains a brief history about it. It even tells you to watch your step or your head as you tread on noting that the interior of a submarine is so limited and narrow.
I believe these are steam-driven torpedo tubes inside the forward torpedo room.
Obligatory tourist photo with the Star-Spangled Banner. #wheninamerica 🇺🇸
Mooring quays through the eyes of a submarine.
The Gadsden Flag. Situated directly below the rattlesnake are the words 'DON'T TREAD ON ME'. It has been seen as a symbol for patriotism in America.
Exiting the submarine tour, I was met with ladies from Maui Divers Jewelry. I was told that my ticket comes with a pick-a-pearl. Basically, it's just selecting one oyster from a bed of mollusks to create a custom pearl jewelry along with a ritual Aloha blessing. Why not?
It takes 3 to 4 years for the pearl to form inside of the oyster. The inside of the shell is what makes the color of the pearl.
As the oyster was laid and opened before me, two pink pearls came out. And according to Hawaiian belief, the color pink signifies happiness and romance. 🙄 Now to make them wearable is the expensive part lol. Although piercing the pearl halfway is also free, the chain and the pendant to which the pearl will be pierced from is not. Costed me some $70.
An artist's perspective of the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service on the morn of December 7, 1941.
Over the next hours following the air strike, the Japanese forces coordinated attacks on US-occupied territories, including my beloved Philippines. 🇵🇭
Built on top of the sunken Battleship USS Arizona off the coast of Ford Island is the USS Arizona Memorial. Here lies the memory of the 1,177 sailors and marines who were on board the vessel and as well as other service members and civilians slain on that fatal day.
This is gun turret four. Survivors of USS Arizona have the right to rejoin their fallen shipmates through a solemn funeral ceremony together with a rifle salute. The cremated remains enclosed in an urn is then interred inside this open barbette.
A flock of tourists 🗺📷
President Franklin D. Roosevelt proclaimed December 7, 1941 "a date which will live in infamy" due to military strikes without a declaration of war or any explicit warnings.
Tip: Book online or arrive early for walk-in tickets. And while cameras, water bottles, cellphones or other items are welcome, bags however, are not allowed on site for security reasons.
xx
jairusmflores
