Day 8- Oahu

 Another ambitious itinerary awaits! We'll start with Pearl Harbor, follow that with a climb to the top of Diamond Head Crater, Drive the length of the island to The North Shore, Eat dinner, and catch the red-eye back to Atlanta. Okay! Go! 

We had booked the first tour at Pearl Harbor this morning. It was drizzling and somber. As it should be. We toured the wreckage of The Arizona and walked through the exhibits. As we left, a full rainbow covered the bay. I reflected on the lives lost and local impact of such a aggressive show of force. I checked Thomas' texts to his friends that night. Although he got the date wrong (he was off by a month), he was deeply moved by the stories of the men dying in sinking ships while their friends could do nothing.  It was a good thing that we struck a chord. A little discomfort that leads to an expanded world-view is good for a kid. 

The Arizona Monument with Flag Flying. Gone But Not Forgotten. 

Rainbow over Pearl Harbor. All is not lost. 

After we left Pearl Harbor, and consumed a champion's breakfast of M&Ms and Beef Jerky, we headed to Diamond Head Crater for a hike. I'll give you three guesses who hatched this plan, and the first three don't count. But, I will say, as the least athletic Bullington, the incredible views and gorgeous payoff at the top made this trek worth the huffing and puffing. And, I am not bitter (lies) that you think you are almost to the top when they pull a bait and switch and make you climb a 175 step stairway to heaven. 

Top O' The World

We made it! 

 We headed back to the resort for one last MaiTai and Surfboard Rental. Because surfers gonna surf, on your dime. Because our surfer has lots of plans, but not lots of jobs. 

Hang Ten, Bruh.

But wait, there's more! We should totally drive two hours round trip (during rush hour) to see the North Shore because that's a surfer thing to do and our son likes surfing! Makes complete sense! We went to see Banzai Pipeline at the wrong time of day so it wasn't it's normal size. It was still impressive and we got to see lots of actual surfers! The North Shore was much more our speed and way more chill than Waikiki. Glad we took the trek! Maybe we'll be back one day! Then back in the car and back to Waikiki!

Bethany taking in the North Shore for the first time

North Shore Sunset

Our last night in Waikiki was scheduled around a special dinner outing planned by Thomas. He's got a thing for Japanese Culture meaning he has Pokemon cards and watches Anime. So, this obviously makes him a cultural expert. He begged us for weeks before our trip to eat at a Japanese BBQ restaurant.  Unlike BBQ joints in our neck of the woods, These restaurateurs leave the cooking up to you and charge you twice as much! They bring out all sorts of meats and such and you get to cook them on your very own little grill. They even finish with S'mores! It was so fun and we were afforded the opportunity to educate our children on the importance of avoiding cross contamination and salmonella poisoning as to not befoul the long plane ride home.  

So excited for my parents to pay real money to cook their own food! Suckers! 

Barbie on the Barbie

Mr. Bullington concentrating real hard not to mix up his raw meat tongs and his chopsticks

We tried to squeak out one more shave ice, but we just didn't have time. We raced to the airport and barely made our flight. We Bullingtons like to squeeze the life out of a vacation! Next post will be my last.... It's going to take me a few days to get that one together.