Blogs from Hawaii, United States, North America - page 11

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North America » United States » Hawaii » Big Island » Kailua-Kona April 5th 2022

HEALING IN HAWAII KONA APRIL 2022 In early 2022 I began thinking about my next trip and I started reading tours offered on a travel site called Rosie’s Responsible Travel. A 21-day camping trip on the African continent caught my imagination. I began working on the required visas and immunizations. Africa is so diverse and so big and I felt a little shaky about organizing my own trip, but an ordinary packaged tour felt too tame. I backpack so I have tenting experience and guests on this journey are expected to contribute and help prepare meals, and set up and tear down our own tents. The tour company changed my proposed trip to one that starts on my birthday. It is a big one…my 80th. So the company announced my age on the paperwork, not that ... read more
OUR HOME AWAY FROM HOME
THE POOL, VIEW FROM OUR BALCONY
BEAUTIFUL KONA BLOOMS

North America » United States » Hawaii » Oahu » Honolulu April 2nd 2022

From none other than Food and Wine: Why are SPAM®'s products so popular in Hawaii? "We know what you're thinking; SPAM® products must grow on trees there. That would be neat, but to believe it you must have taken a coconut to the head. The true root of the island's love for SPAM® products goes back to World War II, when the luncheon meat was served to GIs. By the end of the war, SPAM® products were adopted into local culture, with Fried SPAM® Classic and rice becoming a popular meal. The unique flavor quickly found its way into other Hawaiian cuisine, from SPAM® Fried Wontons to SPAM® Musubi, and SPAM® products became a fixture for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Today you'll find SPAM® dishes served everywhere from convenience stores to restaurants, reflecting a demand that ... read more
Hawaiian style

North America » United States » Hawaii » Waimea February 22nd 2022

From Fodor's: Kona’s award-winning coffee has gained popularity worldwide for its full-bodied flavor. Hawaiian coffee is more diverse than just Kona Coffee; the crop is grown across five islands in eight different regions across the state. Hawaiian coffee stands out due to its mineral-rich volcanic soil and ideal climate for growing coffee plants. Visit Maui Coffee Attic on Maui, which is a cozy mom-and-pop café with a stage and performance area in addition to fantastic drinks. Honolulu Coffee Co. now features multiple locations but has humble origins as a small kiosk in downtown Honolulu dating back to 1992. In addition to the plethora of artisanal cafes across the islands, visit Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea to try ... read more
Love the many flavors
Visit the plantation on Kauai

North America » United States » Hawaii » Kapaa February 21st 2022

Kauai is probably just about everyone's happy place if you have been here. Many people I know do not venture much beyond the madness of Waki Waki (Waikiki Beach in Honolulu), and the increasingly mad and bustling island of Maui. But Kauai has always been special for us, since our first visit together, over twenty-five years ago. Why? We met our dear friends, Rey, and Corinne during a round of golf at Princeville, on the north side of this small island paradise. While I do not remember much about that round of golf, save for a birdie here and there, we made lifelong friends. Quite unusual in that both are natives of the island, as are their parents and family. Over the years, we have enjoyed many meals, rounds of golf, social activities, and family outings. ... read more
Beautiful Opaekaa Falls
Waimea Canyon

North America » United States » Hawaii » Oahu » Honolulu February 19th 2022

From ABC News: url=https://abcnews.go.com/Health/us-life-expectancy-declined-2020-due-covid-report/story?id=81862300 US life expectancy declined in 2020 mainly due to COVID, report finds For the U.S. overall, life expectancy was 78.8 years in 2019, an increase of 0.1 years from 2018. States with the highest life expectancy were mostly in the Northeast and West states while states with the lowest life expectancy were Southern states. "The fact that there can be such large differences in life expectancy within one country, that's what I find most interesting," Dr. Elizabeth Arias, director of U.S. Life Tables at NCHS and first author of the study, told ABC News. Hawaiians had the highest life expectancy at birth in 2019, living to nearly 81 years old. The Aloha State also led the U.S. in highest life expectancy for w... read more
Beach time
Crazy? not me

North America » United States » Hawaii » Oahu » Waikiki February 18th 2022

When in Hawaii, you must eat like a local boy, at least once or twice. Food will be a big part of your Oahu experience, and for good reason. Hawaiian cuisine is made up of five distinct cuisines reflecting the diversity of the island’s inhabitants. To make the food hunt a lot easier, these are some top local picks. Haupia: A traditional Hawaiian dessert of coconut pudding at Ted’s Bakery, they combine the creamy coconut goodness with whipped cream and chocolate custard cream for one heavenly mouthful. (Ted's is very under rated, but I prefer Dee-Lite Bakery) Moco Loco: There’s something extra special about The Highway Inn‘s comfort dish of rice with hamburger patties and fried eggs doused in a rich brown gravy. Warning: You’ll likely slip into a food coma post-meal. (Just about everything is ... read more
Some poke choices
Living near the beach

North America » United States » Hawaii » Oahu » Honolulu February 17th 2022

Did you know Hawaii was the first state to ban billboards? Leave broken appliances on your driveway, it will be gone by morning! Don't take sand from the beach or lava rocks from the Big Island. Bad things will happen to you until you return it. Pele the fire goddess will curse you! Don't wear shoes in the house, it is bad luck. Posing for a picture with three people, avoid the middle. Filipinos believe the middle position will die first. A person’s humility is generally deemed a more valuable characteristic than a person’s connections or financial worth. Wearing flashy clothes or name-dropping in Hawaii can be perceived as arrogance rather than pride.The shaka hand grew in popularity across Hawai‘i in the mid-20th century thanks in part to used car salesman David “Lippy” ... read more
Love spam musubi
Beautiful sunsets

North America » United States » Hawaii » Big Island January 9th 2022

When in any area, when you want to bird, you might check out the local dump (like we did in Brownsville TX) or the Waste Water Treatment Plant, which we did today. There were dozens of night herons there, including this one who looks like he’s in prison. We went over to the adjacent state park and finally picked up the “Wandering Tattler” – yeah, we made our goal of 20 new lifers. This was a long long park, white sand and then areas of black sand. The tide was high and walking on the sand was quite a workout for the derriere muscles. After lunch we drove all the way down to Two Step, “just in case.” Nope, the surf was really high – it was scary watching some people trying to get out and ... read more
Birding master
Birding moorhen
Birding Nt Heron held captive

North America » United States » Hawaii » Big Island January 8th 2022

We started our day birding, but first went to the Paradise bakery for coffee and fresh malasadas (Portuguese donuts) to take with us during this arduous time (just joking). Mine was filled with guava jelly. David had the toasted coconut. Sadly, we saw few birds at the end of our usual mountain road. We finally figured out the name of our mountain: Hualalai, the 3rdyoungest of the 5 volcanoes of the Big Island. It means “shy,” as it often hides behind some clouds. Actually today was so clear again that we could see Maui’s Haleakala and coastline. Driving on some alternative roads down the mountain, we stumbled across the Mountain Thunder Kona Coffee Farm, just 10 mins before a tour, so we finally found out quite a bit about coffee: 1) The beans started in Ethiopia ... read more
1 Francolin
1 Hawaiian stilt
1 Japanese white eye

North America » United States » Hawaii » Big Island January 7th 2022

Actually, we wanted to sleep in a bit, but by 6:30 the birds were in full crescendo, and then a francolin sitting on our roof was very noisy. It’s about the size of a partridge. Between him and the wild turkeys, no one sleeps in. So, after our usual toasted English muffin and guava jam, we started off at the seashore just down the mountain road, near the airport. The sea didn’t look too rough until it crashed against the rocks. It was a lovely area, and already there were a handful of people sketching and painting the little cove with the very white spray. Where we walked was also a sacred Hawaiian burial space, with mounds of lava rock. Then we headed north to the Kohala Peninsula, past Mauna Kea resort, which was the furthest ... read more
2 with seed
2 yellow-faced canary
3 early birding




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