Cards from Hawai'i

A month ago Ara was in Hawaii and last week I received these three postcards sent by her, from three different islands, O'ahu, the Big Island and Kaua'i. 

 Photographers - Dai Hirota and Tom Sakiyama

USS Arizona Memorial, USS Missouri, USS Oklahoma Memorial, USS Utah Memorial and USS Bowfin.

On the back of the card: 

Pearl Harbor is on the island of O'ahu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also de headquarters of the US Pacific Fleet.

At 7.55 on the fateful morning of December 7, 1941, 183 Japanese warplanes surprised the military base and demolished the US Pacific Fleet docked at Pearl Harbor. Overall, nine ships were sunk and twenty three ships were severely damaged. Three of the twenty one would be irreparable. 

The overall death toll reached 2350, including 68 civilians, and 1178 injured. Culminating in the loss  were the 1177 crewmen that lost their lives on the USS Arizona. The attack was the catastrophic event that finally propelled the United States into World War II.

Photo by Michael Paravano

 Honomalino black sand beach is one of the most picturesque sites on the Big Island. Because it is only accessible by foot and located in a very remote area south of the fishing village of Miloli'i, it is often free of crowds and remains in a fairly natural state. Honomalino bay has nearly a half-mile of beach, which is actually a mixture of black and white sand known as a salt-and-pepper beach. High palm trees fill out the scene. The short hike to Honomalino passes through some nice rainforest and also crosses massive lava flows from Mauna Loa. - in: https://bigislandhikes.com/honomalino

Photo © Vincent Scott Tylor

The Kalalau Valley is located on the northwest side of the island of Kauaʻi. The valley is surrounded by cliffs over 610 meters high.

Kalalau is one of the most photographed and famous valleys in the entire archipelago, primarily because the valley and the surrounding coast have served as a backdrop for numerous films, including "King Kong" (the original), "Mighty Joe Young "," Jurassic Park "," Six Days Seven Nights "and also the" Lost "series.

The abundant sun and rain provide an ideal environment for flora and fauna.

Many native Hawaiians lived in the valley until the 20th century. Today, its designation as a state park prohibits anyone from residing there and only those who get the proper permits can step on this untouched terrain.