Daily Times

After showing us the towering surf at the North Shore, the pilot of the blue chopper turned the craft around. We were now flying over a verdant valley that would take us through a mountain range toward Pearl Harbour.

We were in the front row. The craft had taken off very smoothly. We flew past the skyline of Waikiki and were headed toward the iconic climax known as Diamond Head. Using the mike which each of the six passengers had been provided, I asked her about our elevation. She said we were at a 1,000 feet and were climbing to 1,300 feet.

She showed us Diamond Head from one side and then made a dramatic turn to show us the other side, giving me a mild vertiginous attack. To signal my concern, I asked the woman pilot if she was ex-military. She said, yes, she had learned to fly in the army. Then came the quip, “A helicopter is as a roller coaster without rails.” Very reassuring since I don’t even ride on roller coasters with rails.

The 761ft peak looked so different from the air then from the ground. In a few seconds, we were flying past that beach where the final scene of the movie ‘From Here To Eternity’ was shot. Then we shot over to Hanauma Bay and then to Rabbit Island. As the craft turned, a large sand bar swung into view. Surrounded by the bluest of waters, its yellow hues gave it a surreal appearance, which was accentuated, by a large yacht that was resting on it.

Now we were in the valley where ‘Jurassic Park’ was filmed. After that, we flew toward the north shore. The pilot showed us three dome-shaped radar installations on the north side of the island. She said they had picked up the incoming Japanese Zero fighters early on the morning of December 7, 1941. Unfortunately, the radar operators mistook them for friendly aircraft.

I thought his was a good time to tell her about our trip to Japan last October and the chat we had with a man who sold Samurai Swords in the imperial capital of Kyoto. His comment about the death and destruction that had taken place at Hiroshima was transfixed in my mind. With not a shred of emotion, the pilot responded, “But he must have known that Pearl Harbour came before Hiroshima.”

In a few minutes we had crossed the pass through the mountain range. A reserve fleet of naval ships swung into view. We went right over them as they lay anchored, silent sentinels of the waters of the Pacific. And then we saw the memorial over the USS Arizona.

We had toured the memorial back on a prior visit to Oahu in 1992. It is small and austere, and looked even smaller from several hundred feet up in the sky. The new development for us was the placement of the USS Missouri, bearing the pennant number 63, directly across from the memorial. The nine 16 inch rifles were hard to miss. In Tokyo Bay, there was no marker to tell us where the battleship was anchored when the Japanese high command surrendered to General Douglas MacArthur.

One evening we decided to check out the sunset cruise. Our boat was big but a massive cruise ship that was docked across the wharf dwarfed it. The cruise gave us some great views of the ocean on one side and the towers of Waikiki on the other.

We had toured the memorial during an earlier visit to Oahu in 1992. It is small and austere, and looked even smaller from several 100 feet up in the air. The new development for us was the placement of the USS Missouri, bearing the pennant number 63, directly across from the memorial. The nine 16-inch rifles were hard to miss. In Tokyo Bay, there was no marker to tell us where the battleship was anchored when the Japanese high command surrendered to General Douglas MacArthur

One evening, to celebrate Valentine’s Day we decided to see the “Legends” concert. We were seated between a group of Japanese tourists on one side and folks from Oregon and the British Isles on the other side. The star of the night was “Michael Jackson.” He was so authentic that I wondered whether rumours of his death had been greatly exaggerated. Of course, there was Celine Dion and she was a close approximation. There was the King of Rock but he just lacked the deep voice of the real Elvis Presley. And there were some native Hawaiian performers who did some amazing things with fire.

One afternoon, after lounging on the beach, we decided to hop onto a catamaran, something we had not done in years. Just to be on the water was refreshing. And the wide blue waters were amazingly picturesque, and we were being serenaded with songs from the 1980s! What more could one ask for? Well, a whale decided to break the surface of the water giving the closest view we have ever had of the world’s largest mammal. Now we were concerned about the scenes we had seen in the trailer of the movie ‘Moby Dick’. Our boat was considerably smaller in size. Nothing happened and we returned safely.

It was right across the street from us. So we went there to grab a quick lunch. But the menu, with its Hawaiian flavours, the ambiance and the friendly service brought us back a second time.

We did several walks along the beach, both toward Diamond Head and away from Diamond Head. The views of the ocean, of the colourful birds, and of the tall shady trees were precious. And the breezes enhanced the experience. Plus, whenever you got thirsty, and the hot tropical sun was guaranteed to make you thirsty, there were plenty of little stands to buy your favourite iced drink. We strolled over to the Hilton to check out the Pelicans only to find they had been transferred over to the zoo.

We had always enjoyed walking around the friendly shops in the international market. There were food stalls, souvenir shops, and, most importantly, a festive atmosphere in which you could bargain over prices in the old fashioned style. Alas it was taken down a few years ago. In its place a new Saks Fifth Avenue is rising.

One evening the hotel put on a reception for its guests. We went there only to discover there was nothing we could eat. There were no pure vegetarian dishes or pure seafood dishes. Everything had meat in it and pork was there aplenty. But we could consume some of the drinks. So we grabbed some drinks and took a seat next to a couple from Oregon. They were annual guests and the hotel management knew them well.

We talked with them about Trump, Shakespeare and the Shakespeare festival in Ashland, Oregon. The man asked me what I did for a living. I told him I was a testifying economist. He told me he was a lawyer. My workplace memories, including those of time spent testifying and being cross-examined on the stand and being deposed, began to stir.

This was not good. So we found a way to excuse ourselves. It had been a great evening. And a great vacation! And sadly it was coming to an end.

The writer has visited 35 countries on six continents. He can be reached at ahmadfaruqui@gmail.com

Published in Daily Times, October 1^st 2017.