Blogs from Hana, Hawaii, United States, North America

We‘re up at the crack of dawn again for our 6.20am pickup for today’s little exercise, a trip along the apparently legendary road to the remote settlement of Hana on Maui’s easternmost tip. After yesterday’s pickup fiasco we’re extra careful to arrive very early, and we split up to make sure we’ve got most bases covered if the bus decides to turn up at the wrong place again. No such dramas this morning however, and our guide introduces herself as Yvonne. She’s an avid animal lover who owns two dogs (one of which has three legs and is called Tripod), a turtle, and several fish in a pond in her backyard. Her prize possession is however her pet pig Cooney, who, perhaps unsurprisingly, is more than a tad overweight, thanks largely apparently to the efforts of ... read more

Geo: 20.7581, -155.99Supporting independent local businesses is always a good practice while traveling, but it's becoming increasingly difficult in First World countries, particularly in a location that has been as heavily-touristed for as long as Maui has been. The proliferation of sprawling mega resorts, chain stores, and franchise restaurants makes it nearly impossible to find any local businesses to support, as they are definitely a dying breed in the Hawaiian Islands.Perhaps the best example is car rental firms, a business sector where it seems that independent agencies simply don't exist anymore. However, as we did some trip planning we came across an independent and local car rental agency, which not only offered the benefit of being a bit cheaper than the big boys, but was also far more convenient since it was just a short walk ... read more