Pearl Harbor on Independence Day

 

As I planned to make my way back across the Pacific to the States, my sister convinced me (which didn’t take much) to meet her half way in Hawaii for a week. There really was no choice to be made. We booked the Airbnb that day.

We stayed in a lovely condo in Waikiki that was part of the Hawaiian Monarch Hotel. We had pool access, a karaoke bar, a delicious breakfast restaurant right downstairs, and WiFi! The only downside was paying for parking every single day.

The view from our room was particularly great for me because, as an avid LOST fan, this crazy building with the hole in it plays a pivotal role in the show.
SPOILER ALERT: (although if you haven’t watched it by now, it’s your fault)

This is the famed building that John Locke was pushed from, explaining how his spine was broken. It is the Waikiki Landmark condominium.

If you are planning on visiting Pearl Harbor, go early. Mega early. The tickets for the boat to see the memorial are free, but they are limited. If you show up late, you could be waiting hours for the next available boat. Luckily we were able to snag a few since there were only two of us (and an incredibly adorable nephew).

We were in Oahu the same time as RIMPAC, the Rim of the Pacific Exercise. The world’s largest international maritime warfare exercise. All of the ships were docked here, packing the island with sailors from all over the world. It was fun seeing all the different flags fly.

Before traveling to the memorial site, they play a video explaining what happened and who all was lost. It was humbling to watch. It made me immensely proud of the valiant men and women who served that day, as well as those serving this country today.

The U.S.S. Arizona runs right underneath the memorial.

All of the names of the men who remain within the U.S.S. Arizona are written on this wall.

I am so thankful for the men and women who sacrifice so much to protect this country. It was an honor to be on this island for Independence Day. It’s more than just a day for fireworks and barbecues, it’s a day to remembers what America means and who defends it.

(click to see in color)

Getting Lost in Central Hong Kong

The tranquil part of the trip was over. We were headed for the thick of it. The bright lights and crowded streets of Central Hong Kong.

We stayed in Kowloon, which is across the harbor from Central HK, but turned out to be the best location for all the street markets. I was even able to find a book shop right across the street from our Airbnb. I tried to limit myself, but  I think I bought at least four.

Eating out was tricky. Not everyone took credit cards, so unless you had HK dollars, you were out of luck. (I had to eat McDonald’s at one point after running out of cash!)

We enjoyed the tourist life and hopped on a tour bus. We explored Kowloon the first day which helped us get our bearings in the city.

It reminded me of my New York weekend years ago, seeing the city from a bus.

I had no idea what to expect from Hong Kong. It wasn’t until just before I left that I even realized it wasn’t part of China. The buses came with headsets with preset narration for at least ten languages.

Victoria Harbor was pretty impressive. I love how close the hills are to the city.

If this tall building looks familiar, that’s because you’ve seen it before! This is the building Batman jumps from in The Dark Knight. Vigilantes have no jurisdiction, right?

Central Hong Kong felt overwhelming at times. There were so many places to look (most of them up)!

Speaking of looking up, we took a trolley up the hillside (this was mega steep, and they packed the trolley full of people!!). There was an entire shopping center plaza at the top. After a zillion escalators, you are finally at the top of the building and able to enjoy the beautiful cityscape and harbor.

Coming back down the hill, we had two more destinations before collapsing into bed. We were headed for the Man Mo Temple via the longest, covered, outdoor escalator in the world. It stretches 2624 feet, climbing 442 feet in elevation taking all of twenty minutes. Go watch this video, which shows you quite a lot of Hong Kong. If you just want to see the escalator, start at 38:42.

After exiting the escalator, we were slightly lost, but luckily a nice man sensed our confusion and directed us in the right direction of the temple.

Man Mo Temple was nestled in the city, hardly noticeable if you’re not looking for it. We knew we were getting close once the wonderful aroma of incense floated by.

The rest of the trip wasn’t planned. Just free wandering, which I love. I explored the Temple Street Market, which was mostly food.

Then got a foot massage (which somehow became a neck/back/upper thigh one?) for super cheap. It felt great, once I got over the whole stranger-touching-me thing.

I really should’ve bought this shirt. Not only is this my favorite movie and album of The Beatles, but one of my favorite scenes! The artwork is terrible, but charming. I couldn’t do it though. I don’t wear pink.

As I searched for the Jade market, I came across this sign!
It was such a nice little bit of home.

My final day was spent in the Ladies Market. It was mostly clothes and jewelry, but I managed to stay focused and only get what I needed. (which was a new pair of sunglasses – I had broken two pairs already – a piece of art, and a jade bracelet for mom)

My bartering skills were pitiful at the beginning of the day, but by the end I was a pro. I paid the same amount of money for my painting as I did for sunglasses in the morning. It was fun!

I never thought I would see so much of Asia before Europe. I never had much knowledge or desire to explore any of it. I’m glad I did though. I can now say I’ve walked alone in the busy streets of Hong Kong, window shopped in Seoul mere miles from the North Korean border, and danced the Bachata in a Japanese motown bar. Life is funny and special and fragile, and I’m trying to be more grateful each day I experience something new.

1989 Mother Tour – DC to TN

This summer was non-stop traveling for me, but my favorite bit was the 15 days I spent on the road with my Mom.

I was planning a move of my car (and most of my possessions) from D.C. to Oregon in preparation for my move to South Korea and I was in desperate need of a co-pilot.

Nothing could have surprised me more than my mother offering to drive with me. She is not a road tripper, a camper, a spelunker,nor a night-life-er….but in spite of it all, she was stoked to come along! Honestly, there’s no one that deserved to be my co-pilot more. She has spent over half her life raising three kids, which means she basically hasn’t had a real vacation in about thirty years. So my brilliant plan was to reignite her artistic passion, as well as open her eyes to the beauty and wonder of road trips as she enters the wonderful era of retirement.

My mother is an incredible painter, but due to life, kids, marriage, etc., she stopped. I’ve written her notes (many many notes) with tiny assignments for each day we travel, and a travel paint set. Each day we will paint whatever inspires us on the road. – I posted our art on my tumblr, where you can see the color versions.

Given the fact that this trip covers a two week period, I’ll be splitting it up by State. Otherwise, this post would take two weeks to read. Why 1989? Well, Miss Swift’s 1989 album was pretty much our jam the whole trip….

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DAY ONE

As you know, road trips are never short of snags along the way, luckily mine tend to happen in the beginning. My mom’s flight got delayed, rerouted, and delayed again. Finally, after nearly a full 24 hours of flying, she arrived at Ronald Reagan-Washington National Airport and straight into my very eager arms for a long overdue hug.

I would’ve loved to show her around the city I had grown to like-a-lot-but-I-wouldn’t-say-love, but I wanted to spend our wiggle room in California with my sister and nephew, which meant, staying on schedule until then. (i hate schedules)

My poor mother didn’t know what she signed up for when I said I’d show her my favorite spots. You see, you walk everywhere in D.C. It wasn’t until she was roasting hot and nearly panting that I realized that I’d made her walk over 20 blocks before lunch. She wasn’t complaining though, she loves architecture and bookshops as much as I do. I might have suggested tennis shoes though…

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Day Two – We left bright and early, drove through Virginia, and ended up in Friendsville, Tennessee (just outside of Knoxville).

If you’ve read past posts, you may remember me mentioning this Tennessee location.
I stopped here on my way up from Florida, Fall 2013.If there is a more relaxing and tranquil place in North America, I doubt it compares to this. We considered scrapping the whole trip and moving in. You know you’ve found a great friend when you can nap on the couch, even though you haven’t seen each other in two years.

Three days in, I already had my first injury. Turns out being pushed into the lake isn’t all fun and games, but meh, it wasn’t my driving foot!

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Day Three–Reluctantly, we set off  from our  haven of bliss with our gracious hosts.
We stopped in Nashville for lunch and a little sight-seeing. I bet you didn’t know Nashville has the only full-scale replica of The Parthenon in Athens…It functions as an art museum now, but it began as an exhibit as part of the Tennessee Centennial Exhibition. It was a nice break from the hot day in the car.

We ate at the Hard Rock Cafe (we were getting my dad shirts from every one we passed on the trip) and walked around downtown listening to live musicians while wishing we could afford the amazing boots.

We ended the day in Memphis, staying in our very first AirBnb.
-side note- The whole business of renting your room/house/condo out to a complete stranger sounds insane to me. Thankfully, they weren’t ax murderers and we weren’t planning to rob them blind. They were incredibly nice! They even typed out a full list of restaurants, music clubs, etc. in their area for us. However, there is a huge amount of mutual trust involved when using AirBnb, especially since no information is required besides a Facebook account. So, while I do highly recommend the adventure and convenience of AirBnb, be smart and make sure the people you are going to stay with are real people. 

We had grand plans to go out that night and listen to live music on the Mississippi, but…I was lame. I had been driving all day and could barely keep my eyes open. My wonderful mother understood and said we could stay in and watch Netflix. It would’ve been the perfect stay had I not made the mistake of getting late night sushi.
Never again.

Me – 14 hours logged
Mom- 0

Read the next post for New Orleans!!