Archive for September, 2008
On Hawaii’s island of Kauai, The Sheraton Kauai Resort is offering tourists a chance to meet local residents by volunteering with the Sierra Club, the Kauai Monk Seal Watch, Save Kauai and the National Tropical Gardens. Vacationers actually are taking exploration walks with the Sierra Club Kauai, participating in beach cleanups and marine debris removal from the reefs with Save Kauai, contributing to the preservation and knowledge of tropical plants and ecosystems at the National Tropical Botanicals Garden and participating in monk seal watch counts.
On Maui, guests of The Westin Kaanapali Ocean Resort can participate in a Community Cultural Awareness Day and several community projects, including Taro Planting in Honokohau Valley.
Hawaii Forest & Trail, a Big-Island based adventure tour company, offers visitors the chance to help clear invasive plant species from Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Visitor volunteers gain a greater sense of ownership and understanding of Hawaii’s threatened ecosystems.
And on Oahu, visitors who stay at the Outrigger Waikiki or Outrigger Reef and participate in a volunteer whale count to receive an eco tote full of local snacks as a gift of thanks.
All are manifestations of a new visitor industry trend called VolunTourism, in which some visitors to Hawaii are leaving some of their own aloha behind when their vacations are done.
There’s nothing remarkable about working hard for a good cause, but it’s not everybody’s idea of something to do on a vacation. But more and more tourists in Hawaii and elsewhere have decided that volunteering is how they most like to spend their free time. The Travel Industry Association of America has reported that a surprising 24 percent of all travelers are interested in taking a volunteer or service-based vacation and that percentage is increasing.
Here in Hawaii, vacationers can find plenty of opportunities to give back aloha to their kamaaina hosts and become champions of the state’s precious land and water resources. There’s a little "take" to balance all that "giving," too. Some hotels and resorts are offering "VolunTourism packages. The Wailea Beach Marriott Resort & Spa and the Hawaii Superferry offered special rates and incentives for those willing to participate in Maui’s fifth annual Habitat for Humanity Build-A-Thon.
According to the Hawaii Convention Center, large meeting groups often see volunteer work as a necessary component of their travel experience. Attendees apparently want to participate in more than just the conference; they want to make a connection with the community. Groups have participated in things such as blood drives, food donor programs and building projects. Some have even gone into the community on their own in search of more grassroots efforts.
When VolunTourism began, people were picking destinations and then looking for good deeds to perform while they were there. Now, more and more are looking to the quality of the projects in order to determine their destinations.
It seems even beautiful, pristine Hawaii has an abundance of such projects, and a growing number of visitors seem to appreciate that there is a stronger opportunity for volunteer conservation projects in Hawaii than there is in most other parts of the U.S. mainland.
If VolunTourism appeals to you, go to the Hawaii-Aloha Web site home page (hawaii-aloha.com) and select an agent, or call 1-800-843-8771. We’ll hook you up with organizations that will welcome your spirit, and give you information about VolunTourism Packages
September 15th, 2008
The clutter of billboards in the city of Los Angeles is notorious. They have more than 3,000 ILLEGAL billboards littering their streets and hillsides! On the other coast, Manhattan’s Times Square sports a Target billboard measuring 23,000 square feet. That’s half a football field! Some billboards across the country actually promote travel to Hawaii.
The largest billboard in Hawaii measures … wait! There is no billboard in Hawaii to measure. Anywhere. On any of the islands.
We had a bunch of them back in 1925. That’s when an outfit called The Outdoor Circle (TOC) got cranky and started raising some hell.
TOC had been founded back in 1912 by seven local women, wives of Hawaii power brokers, to engage in efforts to beautify Hawaii – specifically, to “keep Hawaii clean, green and beautiful.” The members planted Monkeypod trees in parks and Bougainvillea along the banks of streams and have since devoted themselves to the beautification of the islands. Their activities now include environmental education for island children, and ongoing battles to have utility wires placed underground and to eliminate illegal and inappropriate business signs, all of which must have permits. No, aerial ads and banners aren’t permitted either.
TOC also has helped prevent hundreds of ill-conceived land-use plans and inappropriate development from moving forward. Members — there are more than 3,500 now — stay active in government relations, serving on numerous boards and task forces. When deemed necessary, The Outdoor Circle also gets involved in court battles to protect the scenic environment. Good people to have around.
A lot of visitors to these islands are awed by the scenery, views and natural splendor seen from just about every perspective in all directions on all the islands, but they often return home without realizing they hadn’t seen a single billboard.
Posted by: Jim Winpenny
September 12th, 2008
If you’re going to be visiting Hawaii between now and November fourth, you’re sure to discover that politics are done a little differently here.
A mob of eager sign wavers along the road, arrogantly brandishing the names and slogans of their candidates at passing cars, probably would be wantonly run down by a Jaguar in Beverly Hills or by a semi in Alabama. When you drive your rental car on any of the islands, be aware of curbside candidate supporters who literally will lean out in front of you to smile and wave as you go by.
No candidate in Ohio gets shoulders full of lei just for showing up at a neighborhood gathering. Few denizens of Southern California have heard of any local political candidates in the Bay Area. In Chicago, Houston, Detroit, New York and Philadelphia, the city races are paramount; the state races secondary.
Here in Hawaii, everybody seems to know everybody else. If your cousin’s fiancé is running for office on Kauai, you call your friends on the Garden Isle and urge them to “support” that candidate. We tend to vote for “familiar” names, even when we have no idea whether those names represent ideas and philosophies we agree with. If an elected official in any part of the state does something embarrassing, he or she becomes a pariah statewide. It’s fair to generalize that we ordinary citizens in Hawaii are among the most aware political observers in the whole country. We know the candidates, at least superficially, and in many cases we know their capabilities. We want “action” and “change.”
But almost half of us don’t bother to vote! Somebody who lives in Kakaako (near Downtown Honolulu) is seriously affected by tourism issues, industrial growth and residential glut. The City Council and State House races will dramatically affect their lives. Pick the area: Downtown, Windward, or East Oahu; Central Oahu, Leeward Oahu or the North Shore; either side of the Big Island or any of the other neighbor islands. There are things going wrong, festering problems, ideas needed, opportunities to seize, broken things that need fixing and vacancies to fill. In election years, local strategists at every level of government lecture their candidates about the demographics of the constituents to whom they must appeal. Accordingly, candidates dress properly, say the right things at coffee hours, put the right “key words” into their brochures. Almost all of us are familiar with the key issues, be they local ones or statewide. The newspapers publish candidate profiles and where they stand on the issues. All the incumbents have Internet links to the state government and city government Web sites. The election process has been improved, modernized, made more accessible and promoted with energy. Still, almost half of us haven’t bothered to vote. Both presidential candidates have ties to Hawaii. Obama was born and raised here. McCain met his wife here and they honeymooned here. Media coverage is at an all-time high. Turnouts at rallies and fundraisers have never been greater. Social gatherings are full of political talk.
Maybe this year most of us will actually vote.
Posted by Jim Winpenny
September 11th, 2008
A lot of people make Hawaii’s Aloha Festivals the main reason for vacationing in Hawaii. It’s Hawaii’s proudest cultural showcase, a celebration of music, dance and history intended to preserve the unique island traditions. If you’re going to be in Hawaii in mid-September, it’ll be hard to miss the Festivals.
This year’s theme is “Hula — The Art of Hawaiian Dance," so you can be sure to see even more of that beautiful dance than usual while you’re here.
The Festivals now encompass all the cultures of the people of Hawaii, and some 30,000 volunteers participate in the staging of the events, which are attended by nearly a million people … maybe including you.
For sure, you’ll want to join the Waikiki Ho`olaule`a on Friday night, September 12th. It’s a huge block party. Then the magnificent Floral Parade takes place in Waikiki, with female and male pa`u riders, extravagant floats loaded with flowers, and marching bands.
There will be something happening everywhere, constantly. Any Hawaii-Aloha agent can bring you up to date as the schedule fills out. Pick one from the Hawaii-Aloha Web site (hawaii-aloha.com) or call 1-800-843-8117.
September 9th, 2008
So you check out the dinner menu and discover an eight-course item called "Degustatiion" — a decadent nine-course array that begins with champagne and offers eight following courses including tournedos of Colorado lamb, scallops garnished with Aquitaine caviar and thinly-sliced Kurobuta pork. The price: $128 per person.
Offerings such as that – most of which cost considerably less — have earned La Mer Restaurant at Waikiki’s Halekulani the coveted Triple-A Five Diamond award for 17 straight years now. La Mer is Hawaii’s only Five Diamond restaurant … and it’s a dining adventure. The cuisine is French, the service is gracious and it all happens at oceanfront. Since 1996, La Mer’s Chef de Cuisine, Yves Garnier, has been marrying French cuisine with Hawaiian culture – a creation he calls "cuisine du soleil," or cuisine of the sun. It’s certainly in the spirit of Hawaiian Regional Cuisine, which fuses local ingredients with delicacies from around the world.
People who live in the islands consider La Mer a special-occasion treat, and It probably belongs at the top of your list of restaurants to hit while you’re in Waikiki, as well
September 8th, 2008
Bellows Air Force Station, named after WW1 American Hero Lt. Franklin Barney Bellow, was an important air field during World War II. Bellows Field was made a permanent military post in July 1941, and it was one of the airfields attacked during Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.
Fast forward 75 years and what you find today is a 1500 acre military reservation which serves mostly as a resort for US military personal. Sure they have training exercises a few times a year, mostly simulated amphibious landings and small unit tactics, but for the most part it’s a military recreational area. If you’re in the military you can camp on the grounds, rent cabins, enjoy activities or the beach. Several US presidents have stayed on base to enjoy a relaxing Hawaii vacation.
What a lot people don’t know, especially tourists, is that the beach and recreation areas are completely open to the public on the weekends. To get there you take Highway 72 (Kalnaianaole Highway), just passed a town called Waimanalo. Each week locals (and a few lucky tourists like yourself) turn out in numbers to enjoy this beautiful beach area which curves around Waimanalo Bay. There are places to barbecue, camp out or just enjoy a long walk on this vast white sandy beach.
If you never had an opportunity to go boogie boarding this is the place to get started, the protected bay makes it perfect for beginners. The matter what your skill level you can have fun at Bellows because the wave action is almost always on the mild side. It’s also great for building sand castles and playing in the shallow waters which are perfect for swimming.
If you are going to be on Oahu and it takes you over a weekend, consider checking out the beach over at Bellows Air Force Station. The scenic ride out there is magnificent along the southeast side of the island. This experience will be memorable and one that a lot of tourists never get to enjoy.
September 7th, 2008
It was a hardly-noticed little story in the business sections of the local papers. A new Chip and Cookie shop is opening in Waikiki. Big deal. Waikiki is overflowing with shops of all kinds; so here’s another.
The shop is expanding beyond its original location in Kailua, a residential area in windward Oahu.
The owner is Wally Amos. That’s right, the guy you probably remember as “Famous Amos,” who had a big part in putting chocolate-chip cookies on the retailing map.
A native of Florida, Amos moved to New York when he was 12 to live with his aunt, Della Bryant, who assumed a parental role and was the first person to bake him chocolate chip cookies.
After four years in the Air Force, he entered the entertainment industry at the bottom, in the mailroom of the William Morris Talent Agency, where he eventually became their first African-American agent. He was the first to book many of the top performers of that era: The Supremes, Simon & Garfunkel and Marvin Gaye among them.
He learned to unwind on weekends by taking up a new hobby. Baking chocolate chip cookies relaxed him and made him reminisce about his Aunt Della’s cookies.
In 1975, Amos came up with the idea that he could sell his gourmet chocolate chip cookies as an entertainment personality. His first freestanding store was on Sunset Boulevard, in Hollywood. Soon he became a national personality renowned not only for his cookies but also for his ebullient and outgoing personality as well.
In 1985, a series of events led the company’s changing hands, and that meant giving up the name, even though it’s his given name. (It’s now owned by the Kellogg Company.)
Wally Amos always had wanted to use his wide recognition as a means to draw attention to an important cause. That cause became literacy. He dedicated his efforts to Literacy Volunteers of America, for whom he served as National Spokesperson from 1979 to 2002. As a literary advocate, Wally uses his still well-known name to support educational causes and serves on the Boards of the National Center for Family Literacy, Read to Me International, and Communities in Schools. In 2005, Wally Amos and his wife, Christine, founded the Chip & Cookie Read Aloud Foundation, a publicly supported 501(c) (3) organization, to promote reading aloud to children. A Hawaii resident since the early 1990’s, he has combined his dedication to literacy with his love for making cookies. He’s back in the kitchen.
He works with his wife Christine Harris-Amos, who created “Chip & Cookie,” two dolls fashioned in the image of “boy and girl chocolate chip cookies.”
So if you happen to run across a little cookie shop in Waikiki while you’re on vacation in Hawaii, drop in. You might run into somebody famous.
Posted by :Jim Winpenny
September 5th, 2008
Now you can stick Hawaii stamps on the missives you send back home while you vacation in these islands. The second set of the United States Postal Service’s “Flags of our Nation” series was released the day after Labor Day, and it includes a first-class stamp depicting the Hawaii state flag along with the ocean, mountains and flora of the islands.
Flags of our Nation is a three-year, multi-stamp series, featuring the Stars and Stripes, the 50 state flags, five territorial flags, and the District of Columbia flag.
In this release, Hawaii joins seven other states, Guam and the District of Columbia.
The stamps are arranged alphabetically in strips of ten and sold in coils of 50. You’ll be able to buy them at home before you leave for Hawaii, or get ‘em while you’re here.
September 4th, 2008
Ah, kids and their snacks. “You’re going to ruin your dinner!" “Your teeth are going to rot away!” “Why do you waste your allowance on that junk?” You hear those parental wails here in Hawaii just as often as you hear them where you live.
Here, the offending snack is crack seed. Crack seed, which originated in China, is preserved fruits that have been cracked or split with the seed or kernel partially exposed to enhance the flavor. The common term for this category of snacks is “li hing mui.” The flavor might be extremely sweet, salty, sour, or sweet and sour; found in various fruit marriages with plum, mango, peach, lemon, ginger and apricot. The treats are packaged and sealed in small plastic bags and sold everywhere for prices kids can afford.
For thousands of years, the Chinese used preserved dried fruit to supplement their meals when they traveled over the mountainous terrain of China. It naturally replenished the salt lost through sweat over their long journeys. The salt also helped their bodies retain water and lessened muscle cramps. When the Chinese immigrated to Hawaii, the dried fruits provided a cheaper alternative to the expensive fruits and vegetables on the island. The Chinese snacks found homes in the shops of Chinatown, originally having been shipped from Mainland China. But it wasn’t long before local shopkeepers began developing their own crack seed to suit local island tastes.
Another popular local snack, arare, has evolved from the Japanese rice cracker, which was brought to Hawaii by Japanese plantation workers in the 1900’s. This crunchy cracker made of glutinous rice comes in a variety of flavors and styles. It is usually baked with a mixture of salty soy sauce and it’s sweet. It also can be fried or wrapped in seaweed, surround a nut, or be flavored with sesame seeds. It is perfectly normal at movie theaters for a kid (or adult) to buy a bag of popcorn and a package of arare, dump ‘em both into a box, mix ‘em up and much away for a couple of hours.
If you bring your kids on your Hawaii vacation, they will have the opportunity to try those ubiquitous snacks. You can expect a reaction you’ve heard before: “Yuk!” It’s just as well. Crack seed and arare are really addictive once gotten used to, and not readily available on the mainland. When Hawaii families vacation on the mainland, they always pack a couple of weeks’ worth of the stuff in order to mollify the kids.
Posted By Jim Winpenny
September 3rd, 2008
A lot of people make Hawaii’s Aloha Festivals the main reason for vacationing in the islands. It’s Hawaii’s proudest cultural showcase, a celebration of music, dance and history intended to preserve the unique island traditions. If you’re going to be in Hawaii in mid-September, it’ll be hard to miss the Festivals.
What is known today as Aloha Festivals was born in 1946 as “Aloha Week,” a cultural celebration of Hawaii’s music, dance and history, intended to preserve the unique traditions of Hawaii. It took a year to plan the first Aloha Festivals, and in the fall of 1947 the festivities began. Since then, the celebration has expanded to include more than 300 events on six Hawaiian islands over a two-month period. In 1991 the name of the celebration was changed to Aloha Festivals. This year’s theme is Hula — "The Art of Hawaiian Dance," so you can be sure to see even more of that beautiful dance than usual while you’re here.
The Festivals now encompass all the cultures of the people of Hawaii, and some 30,000 volunteers participate in the staging of the events, which are attended by nearly a million people.
If you’re going to be in Hawaii, you’ll want to get a ribbon. It’ll enter you into a sweepstakes for great prizes including round-trip air travel to Manila, Las Vegas and the South Pacific. Beyond that, it’ll get you discounts at a bunch of events and local merchants, and sales help to fund the whole operation. It’s just five bucks, and even locals sport ribbons during the time the festivals are taking place.
Highlights worth planning for include the Waikiki Ho`olaule`a, Friday night, September 12, a huge block party that features the arrival of the Royal Court; and the Floral Parade on Saturday morning, an equestrian procession of female and male pa`u riders, extravagant floats loaded with flowers, and marching bands;
There will be something happening everywhere, constantly. Any Hawaii-Aloha agent can bring you up to date as the schedule fills out. Pick one from the Hawaii-Aloha Web site (hawaii-aloha.com) or call 1-800-843-8117.
Posted by: Jim Winpenny
September 2nd, 2008
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