Hawaii Vacation - Day 5: Dole Plantation, Waimea Falls

This was the first morning that Kai did not wake up in time for us to go see the sunrise. I think we are finally adjusting to the 5-hour time difference.

On this day, we headed up north to see a different part of Oahu. We started out by driving through the center part of the island and went to the Dole Plantation in Wahiawa. Although Hawaii is no longer the king of global pineapple production, the Dole Plantation draws many tourists who can get a taste of the area's pineapple legacy.

Upon walking around the grounds, we came across a vendor who made fresh sugarcane juice.

She put the canes through a juicing machine that poured out the fresh juice.

Kai had his with fresh mint leaves, while my wife had hers with fresh ginger. Both were sweet and tasty.

Next we went to the Pineapple Garden Maze, which was recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's largest maze.

Covering 100,000 square feet, the maze is made of hibiscus plants.

The goal is not only to make it out, but also to find the 8 secret stations throughout.

We were able to complete it in about an hour, and then rewarded ourselves with Dole Whip, a pineapple-flavored soft serve ice cream. We had ours topped with fresh pineapples which were sweet and oh so delicious.

After that, we took the Pineapple Express Train Tour which took us around the plantation.

We saw many crops, including pineapples, of course.

We had lunch in Wahiawa with my dad's sister-in-law. I had not seen her in many years so it was good to see her again. The area where she lives is near where my dad grew up. On this trip, I wanted to connect back to my dad's youth in Hawaii, and seeing old family and friends are a part of that.

After our visit, the three of us headed up to the North Shore of Oahu. This is a more laid-back part of the island (especially compared to Waikiki) and is very famous for surfing. We wanted to go to one of the beaches but our first stop was Waimea Valley, where you can walk 3/4 of a mile through the valley to the falls at the end. It was a hot day and the hike seemed longer than it was. We were glad to have the opportunity to swim in the water beneath the falls.

Kai especially liked going right up to the falls. We learned that if you try to swim to the falls straight on, you cannot make it as the current will push you back. But if you approach it from the side, you can get right to the falls. In the next photo you see my wife and Kai right at the base next to the falls.

And here you see my wife plunging into the water crashing down.

And afterward, waving to me with Kai to he left.

I also went under the falls with Kai.

And the next photo shows Kai right under the falls.

Kai just loved this! He went back under the falls again and again, even after my wife, and then I, had gotten out of the water. After all the time at the falls, Kai was satisfied that he had gotten enough water time for the day and we decided not to go to the beach.

In the parking lot, we saw a peacock just hanging around. You see a lot of interesting birds in parking lots in Hawaii; first chickens, now a peacock.

For dinner, we went to a seafood restaurant in Haleiwa. Kai had a seafood soup to start with (along with a steak).

My wife and I had fish; hers was grilled and mine was steamed.

For dessert, our waiter recommended the following - macadamia nut ice cream surrounded with pineapples, strawberries, and blueberries, and topped with burnt caramel. It took awhile to come out, and I got antsy as we were hoping to have seen the sunset after dinner. But it tasted so good that it was worth it!

My wife said it was her favorite dinner on the trip so far.

So, we had a nice time up at the North Shore, but did not see as much as we want to so we may go back before we leave Oahu.

Hawaii Vacation - Day 4: Pearl Harbor, and Visiting Old Friends

Kai was up early again and wanted to see the sunrise. After rain washed out the sunrise the day before, we checked out the skies before heading out. It was cloudy and a bit foreboding, but we went to the beach anyway.

From shortly before sunrise, the clouds above turned orange and looked beautiful, especially with the birds flying in the foreground.

But we still weren't sure if the clouds in the horizon would block our view of the sunrise.

But at the right moment, they lifted just enough to give us this wonderful sight.

Kai mostly enjoyed just splashing around in the water.

Our big activity on this day would be to visit Pearl Harbor, famous, of course, as the site of the Japanese attack on December 7, 1941 that propelled the U.S. into World War II.

The day before, I had gone online at 7:00 am to secure next day tickets to visit the USS Arizona Memorial, the primary reason to visit the harbor. Tickets are very limited so you have to go online precisely at 7:00. Our time slot for the Arizona was at 2 pm, but we went to the harbor in the morning to see other sites.

We started with a tour of the battleship Missouri, where the Japanese surrendered to bring World War II to an end.

The turrets you see in the above photo are able to shoot missiles on enemy targets 23 miles away.

We learned all about the occasion when the Missouri was parked in Tokyo Harbor and welcomed the Japanese officials on board for the official surrender. The Japanese expected to be executed, and were surprised when General McArthur gave a short, poignant speech that looked forward, and was not vengeful.

It is my earnest hope, and indeed the hope of all mankind, that from this solemn occasion a better world shall emerge out of the blood and carnage of the past -- a world founded upon faith and understanding, a world dedicated to the dignity of man and the fulfillment of his most cherished wish for freedom, tolerance, and justice.

It was very interesting to see the "inside" portions of the ship. We walked end to end and saw the mess hall, officer' quarters, post office, galley, and where most of the shipmen slept.

It was another hot, humid day so we enjoyed the shave ice as a break from the heat. (Though this shave ice was not nearly as tasty as the ones we had in Kailua).

After seeing the Missouri, we toured the Bowfin submarine. The Bowfin was nicknamed "Pearl Harbor Avenger" as it sunk 44 enemy ships, the most of any sub.

As with the Missouri, it was interesting to see the inside of the sub.

Unlike the massive battleship, space was at a premium in the sub.

Kai seemed to enjoy it.

Finally, in the afternoon, we went to the USS Arizona Memorial. The Arizona was the first battleship sunk on December 7, going down only minutes after the attack began. 1,177 of the 1,512 crewmen on board at the time were killed.

The Memorial straddles the sunken hull of the battleship without touching it.

The shrine at the far end is a marble wall that bears the names of all those killed on the Arizona.

Oil leaking from the sunken battleship can still be seen rising from the wreckage to the water's surface. This oil is referred to as "the tears of the Arizona."

So, at Pearl Harbor, we saw the bookends of World War II: where the war started for the U.S., and the Missouri where it came to an end.

After leaving Pearl Harbor, we drove to the leeward (west) side of the island to visit old friends of my parents. They took us to the beach at Ko'olina. The beach there is protected by manmade rocks that form lagoons and make the water calm and easy to swim. The water is crystal clear and near the rocks, we were able to see fish. We didn't stay at the beach too long, but it was a perfect way to cool off after the hot day at Pearl Harbor.

Then our friends treated us to dinner at Roy's, a very nice restaurant that specializes in Hawaiian and Japanese fusion cuisine.

The food was great, but I really wanted to talk with Ernie and Evelyn about the old days. Ernie was a friend of my dad back when my dad was growing up on Oahu, and they were also together in Chicago when Ernie came there to go to school. Ernie told me the story of how he was responsible for my mom and dad getting together. He said my dad was very shy, so he had to prod him to ask my mom out for their first date. He even gave my dad money to take out her out. If he didn't do that, I would not be here today! I had not heard that story from my dad so it was great to learn a critical part of my family's history.

In the photo above, the aloha shirt I am wearing is my dad's old one. Evelyn described it as me bring it home for him.

Afterward we made the long drive back to the windward side of the island. But when I say long, it is very relative. At that hour, it took us only 45 minutes to go from one side of the island to the other, less time than it takes us back home to get to downtown Chicago from our suburb.

Up next, another family visit and exploring a different part of the island.

Hawaii Vacation - Day 3: Lanikai Hike, Punchbowl Cemetery, and More

Kai was up early on our second full day in Hawaii. He came over to our bed and said he wanted to see the sunrise. Alas, it was raining so we did not head out to the beach.

Instead, we went to a local restaurant and had some local specialties for breakfast. My wife had lilikoi pancakes (lilikoi is a local Hawaiian fruit), Kai had the chili moco which is supposed to be chili, eggs, and rice, but he had it without the eggs.

I had the Hawaiian dish called moco loco which is rice topped with a hamburger patty, fried eggs, and gravy. It was yummy!

As we walked out of the restaurant, we saw more chickens just hanging around. One rooster was crowing loudly.

After that hearty breakfast, we went on the Lanikai Pillbox Hike. Websites I researched called this one of the best hikes on Oahu for the beautiful views from the top. One site called it an easy hike while another rated it as intermediate.

Here you see us about halfway up. At this point, Kai still managed a smile.

The trail had some steep portions that were not too difficult.

However other portions, especially near the top, got more difficult.

It was definitely strenuous, especially considering that it was a very muggy day.

I have to commend Kai as he did not give up and kept hiking. I recall past hikes where he said he was too tired to continue after coming to the first minor incline.

So we were thrilled that he made it all the way to the top. Once there, he laid down for about 10-15 minutes.

He moved only to drink water.

Once he rested, we enjoyed the view which was as spectacular as we hoped.

The following photo shows us on the descent with the pillbox (concrete outpost) where we had climbed to in the background.

The walk down was much easier than the climb up.

I had told Kai before the hike that afterward we would go to the beach. Perhaps that was his motivator to keep climbing. Regardless, we all could not wait to jump in the ocean.

After a good amount of time swimming and using the boogie boards, we went for a late lunch at a local quick service restaurant. I loved my char siu (Chinese barbecue pork) and teriyaki chicken. It is my favorite meal so far on this vacation.

I also had to try the spam musubi. For some reason, Hawaiians really love spam; they have the highest consumption of spam in the U.S. I enjoyed this musubi.

After lunch, we went back to the shave ice spot which was next door. I was too full from lunch to have any, but my wife and Kai loved theirs.

After lunch we drove into Honolulu and visited the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, more commonly known as Punchbowl. This cemetery serves as a memorial to honor those men and women who served in the Armed Services.

We noticed that many of the graves were of Japanese Americans who served in World War II.

The all Japanese-American 100th Infantry Battalion and the 442nd Regimental Combat Team suffered many casualties in fighting for America while many of their family members were in internment camps back home. The 442nd was the most decorated unit in US military history.

We also saw gravesites of famous Americans including Challenger astronaut Ellison Onizuka and World War II journalist Ernie Pyle.

From the top of Punchbowl, we had a spectacular view of all of Honolulu and Waikiki.

After that, we drove into the city and went to Iolani Palace, the former home of the Hawaiian monarchs back when Hawaii was a kingdom. We had arrived just after most of the palace closed, but we saw some exhibits in the basement.

With our lunch being so late, we decided not to have dinner in the city. We drove back to our cottage and picked up a light dinner and went to bed early. We had a busy day ahead and wanted to rest up and try to get our bodies used to Hawaii time.