Blogs from Hawaii, United States, North America - page 227

Situated a short plane ride south of Oahu, Big Island doesn’t attract the large crowds of its smaller neighbouring islands. 90% of the visitors to Hawaii stay on the island of Oahu and half of those stay at or near Waikiki. Big Island is famous for two things; 1. Captain Cook was killed on this island in 1779 in a town on the West Coast now known as 'Captain Cook' - very original name. Australians have somewhat immortalised Captain Cook and consider him to be the greatest explorer of his time. The Hawaiians do not glorify Cook or the influence the first Europeans had on their lives or culture. Speaking with some of the Hawaiians, I think they look at that period of time with sadness and it is not surprising given that within a hundred ... read more

UntitledI’ve always been an independent traveler. By myself in a foreign land, the experience is mine and mine alone, I’m able to tune in and experience what Lawrence Durrell described as “that mysterious sense of rapport, of identity with the ground.” Solo travel has a way of luring one into the most unlikely friendships; it invites the unexpected, it provokes serendipity. It also affords unparalleled flexibility -- traveling alone, one is free to change plans at a moment’s notice, or to have no plans at all. One is free to meet an attractive German man in Prague and subsequently hop a train to Berlin, just for the heck of it. A solo-traveler can, on a lark, extend their stay indefinitely, find low-paying, slave-driving illegal employment to supplement funds and sleep on the couches of benevolent Dutch ... read more

West Coast USA and Oahu, Hawaii March 2005.... starting in Las Vegas Travelling thousands of miles to the Pacific - Carolyn, David, Dianna, Lucy & Rebecca enjoying our first experience of Western USA and the Pacific islands of Hawaii. For the full summary of our adventures, please visit our url=http://www.travelpod.com/cgi-bin/guest_login.pl?tweb_tripID=usa-hawaii-2005&tweb_UID=getawaygang&tweb_PID=tpodTravelPod pages. All our newer adventures are here on TravelBlog, because we think it's a better facility. See also the "Gallery" which has some more impressive photos. ... read more

Uncle Billy’s Thursday, March 31, 2005. This is our last day on the Big Island of Hawaii and things are happening here in Hilo. It is the festival of Merrie Monarch. This is the international hula competition. Folks from every island in the Pacific including Japan come to compete to do the best hula. Each hotel hosts a hula demo open to the public. It was fascinating. The Merrie Monarch Festival includes a huge arts and craft market. So that combined with a trip to Mauna Loa macadamia nut factory filled our am/pm before flying back to Oahu. Cherie and Rick found a wonderful restaurant for dinner, the Tiki Village at the Aston Hotel. We all enjoyed a fabulous meal. ... read more

Quote Like all great travelers, I have seen more than I remember, and remember more than I have seen. Benjamin Disraeli Web sites Maui Mountain Cruisers Haleakala National Park Monday, March 28, 2005. Bob and I left Honolulu and flew to Maui, the “valley isle”. My initial impression of Maui is, less traffic, no high-rise hotels, and more rustic. As we arrived the clouds were hanging over the mountains, the trade winds blowing and a light rain was falling. The purpose of our traveling to Maui is to bike down the volcano at Mt. Haleakala! The afternoon we just walked around a huge mall in Maui and killed some time. We need an “early to bed” evening since the outfitter will pick us up at 2:45 AM and transport us to the top of the volcano, ... read more