Oahu

Fri, June 14

This was the day of Suon's wedding. I hung out with Suon, his brother, and some of his friends during the morning. I also found a place that will press a suit in 1 hour.  It is amazing what 6 days in a duffle bag will do to a blazer. The wedding itself was very nice.  It took place at the Mandarin Oriental in Waikiki.

Sat, June 15

I caught up with sleep and didn't get going until 12.  I drove to Diamond Head Crater and, after much searching, found the start of the trail to the top. Unlike Kauai and Hawaii, Oahu has the atmosphere of a tourist trap. Everything costs money, parking is difficult, sites are crowded, and the people are a bit less friendly. Though the mountains in the North are beautiful, hiking doesn't seem to be as easy and is recommended against by the locals due to the presence of "unsavory characters". That probably includes me.  I slowly drove up the coast to Waimea beack park. After watching the sunset, I drove back to the hotel.

Sun, June 16

I awoke at 7, and had checked out by 8:30.  I drove to the Arizona Memorial with the gleeful expectation of waiting in a sweaty crowded line for 2 hours to spend a few seconds watching seeping oil. Unfortunately, a sign in the parking lot simultaneously broadcast a warning about high auto theft rates and a prohibition against bringing bags into the memorial. The only place to store the bags was a cubbyhole trailer manned by two of the least excited individuals I have ever seen. I'm not sure what threat was being protected against - after all, who is going to blow up a submerged ship. This tempered my otherwise excessive patriotic zeal, and I retired to the beach to fill the resulting void with those all-American staples- Hamburgers and a Coke.  I walked the entire length of Waikiki beach and stopped to see the Aquarium. Though small, it is well designed and has a beautiful Moon-Jelly exhibit. It also places an emphasis on responsible reef aquarium design for hobbyists, which I think is laudable. The flight back was uneventful.  However, Newark managed to take an hour to retrieve the luggage, a sharp contrast to the efficiency of Honolulu airport.