Hawaii

We were in Hawaii (on Oahu) for a short four days on our way back to North America. We spent the first two days in Honolulu - hiking, snorkeling, and basically anything else our friend Trevor, who grew up there, recommended we do. We then moved up to the less developed North Shore and where the pace of activity slows considerably. Here are a few photo highlights of our visit:

This was the view from the top of a hike just outside Honolulu. The mountains seem to be perpetually in the clouds, which was the case when we arrived at the summit.

This picture was taken while standing on a memorial platform built above the USS Arizona which was sunk by the Japanese during their attack on Pearl Harbor. This was the only ship that was never raised and the remains of 1,000+ sailors are still entombed in the battleship. The dark patches on the water are oil which continues to leak from the boat. Apparently it leaks 2-3 quarts per day and had 300,000 gallons on board at the time of its sinking...so it should stop leaking in the year 3256.

Hanauma Bay near Honolulu. The dark patches in the water are, thankfully not oil, but submerged coral reefs which attract an amazing and colorful array of fish. The snorkeling here is incredible - if only we had an underwater camera!

This North Shore beach is known for basking sea turtles. It may look dead, but it's just relaxing in the sun.

We came across this magnificent peacock was in a botanical garden near Waimea beach.

Now we leave the States again to visit our northerly neighbors (incredibly it will be Sarah's first time to Canada) for some skiing before returning to DC on Saturday. Stay tuned for some trip summarizing blog entries, including the best and worst ideas from around the world!