Still loving Hawaii

It's so difficult to email while you're on vacation. Especially when it's sunny out, the last place I want to be is inside a cramped room staring at a computer screen. So I'm sorry if these entries have become a bit sporadic.

The past few days have been wonderful. I highly recommend the Pearl Harbor exhibit. It starts with a movie and then proceeds with a boat ride to the memorial which is situated over the sunken ship. It's very quiet, very peaceful, very windy. I cried remembering September 11th... it will be strange to eventually see that memorial and actually recognize the names on the wall. Heather and I also went on the Bowfin Submarine Tour. It's amazing how many men actually lived in those submarines...they slept on these pull- out cots between the missiles! It makes our hostel look like a five-star hotel. (Sean, I don't know how you did it?!) To stay contained in that tiny of a space, where smoking was allowed, and some of the generator rooms reached temperatures upwards of 120 degrees... nope, not for me.

What else have we done? The hike up Diamond Head Crater was relatively easy, the view was gorgeous and our hostel-mates came along to keep us company. Our visit to Chinatown was amusing..nothing like the Chinatown in NYC. I loved the smells, the exotic nuts and fruits and meats. There were these cool shops where you tell them your ailment and then they concoct a 'tea potion' made of tiny herbs & spices. The locals were amusing... they kept trying to give food to our tall friend Milan because he was too skinny and we were 'fatty.' Ok, so maybe it's time to go on massive fruit & beer diet? We also went to a great Luau last night. The pig was delicious, the drinks were flowing and I even made a guest appearance onstage! We made loads of friends and they all followed us back to Duke's... even the tour guides! That seems to be the norm with us, whenever we go out we keep accumulating a diverse, international crowd. The other night we sat at a karaoke bar with a few Englishmen, a couple Mexicans, a Swede, a couple Germans and a few local military guys. Never a dull moment... I love it!