Off to Hawaii Vacation 2018

Variety brings the spice in life and a vacation is a much needed break from the monotony of the mundane life. It's time to recharge the batteries - nothing sounds more enchanting and energizing than travelling to Hawaii on a vacation to shrugg off the jaded nerves. 

Flanked by mountains and the sea, the tropical chain of Islands located in the Pacific and forming the 50th state of USA is a favored destination for the global tourists and Americans alike.

The direct flight from Atlanta to Honolulu, in the Oahu island of Hawaii is 10 hours long, travelling across 5 time zones as the chain of volcanic islands is 6 hours behind East Coast time. Perhaps with the exception of Russia, there is no country in world where it takes that long to travel from one part to another. The first long weekend in US after a long time. No surprise the cattle class (an euphemism for economy class) was packed like sardines.

The giant Delta airliner gently glided into the sky, leaving the Atlanta skyline. It shuddered a bit amidst the gray nimbus cloud before slowly receding in the distant diving into the bright, morning sky amidst a mix of fleecy, snow white clouds. The long flight of 10 hours made me feel like going to India, except we were flying west.

On the way spent time watching multiple movies, notably the "Darkest Hour", based on the World War II time Prime Minister of England - Winston Churchill. The movie is aptly named at a time led by a crazy man who Wakes up with scotch in morning, Champaign at lunch, never forgets his late afternoon nap. 

Chirchill took up the toughest job at the toughest time when Hitler led Germany blitzkrieg was whipping England after pulverizing Western Europe. When the Nazi bombs landed close to the "10 Downing Street", his official residence defying the advise to vacate it he went to his basement and delivered his famous speech - "We will fight on the sea, on the beach, on the land, in the air, on the hills, but we will Never never ever surrender". It was enough to motivate and rally the gritty Brits to fight back. Rest we know is history.

During the same time on the other side of the Atlantic, a nation described by Churchill as "Common people separated by a common languages" the American newspapers extensively covered the war in Europe. (It is natural human instinct to take vicarious pleasure in watching others fight - a catfight can be more tantalizing). The war time business boomed in United States, aiding in the recovery from its great recession not so long ago.

But the lull didnt last long when the Japanese stormed America by launching a surprising attack on the picturesque Pearl harbor in the Pacific island of Hawaii - farway from Europe where so far the action was, thus dragging United States into the war. It was a pleasant historic coincidence catching up with a great World War II movie on flight just before visiting the Pearl harbor museum on a Memorial day weekend. More later...