Hawaii
We always enjoy the islands of Hawaii. There is something restful about
being in the middle of the Pacific Ocean surrounded by soft winds,
volcanic mountains and exotic vegetation. Coming from the mainland one
gets an immediate sense of peace somehow mingled with a rising sense of
adventure. The entire beach-side, resort experience is restful and it
is designed to be restful, but all the wild plants, their flowers,
their scents, the open waters and the jagged mountains call out to be
explored.
Our favorite island is the Big Island, the Island of Hawaii proper. It
is really two places. There is the familiar beach and surf and sand of
the west coast, from Kalua and north up the Kohala Coast. There are
also the mountains, the volcanic highlands and the rainy valleys of the
east side of the island.
We have been to Maui and Kauai and enjoyed them greatly, but our true
favorites remain the Big Island and Oahu, of all places. That's right,
Oahu. For a tropical urban sprawl, Honolulu is a real city, and a
charming one at that. Like Los Angeles, the wild country pops up
unexpectedly, even in the heart of the city.
The picture above was taken on the Big Island. There is a wild land
waiting to be explored. Join us.
Where to Eat
- Brown's Beach House (Big Island) - a
great place to dine and watch the sun set over the sea
- Chef Mavro's (Oahu) - Atlantic -
Pacific fusion cuisine with a clear intelligence in the kitchen
- Izakaya Nonbei (Oahu) - a funky sake
bar with wonderful, idiosyncratic cooking from Northern Japan
- Merriman's (Big Island) - excellent
food with a real sense of place, in the highlands of the Big Island
- Oodles of Noodles (Big Island) - if you
are in the mood for great noodles, but aren't sure what kind, check
this place out and be sure to have some coffee
- The Pineapple Room (Oahu) - amazing
neo-Hawaiian food in, of all places, a department store
- Sam Choy's Breakfast, Lunch and Crab
(Oahu) - Sam Choy's palace by the airport, wild and wonderful, and so
much better than anything at the airport
Things to Do and See
- The Bishop Museum (Oahu) - this is a
great museum in downtown Honolulu; it gives a real great sense of
Hawaii, past and present
- Diamond Head Hike (Oahu) - an
excellent Hawaiian urban walk, with a bit of the beach, a bit of the
city, and at the end, the views from Diamond Head
- Emily's
Hawaii (Amazon) - a charming children's book about Hawaii, set in
Kohala back when it was sugar country
- Hawaiian Petroglyphs (Big
Island) - there are some really nice petroglyphs just north of the
Mauna Lani resort complex; there is public access, spooky trees and
free parking
- Laupahoehoe (Big Island) - this state park is off the main
highway north of Hilo; it was once a small village, but it was
destroyed in the 1946 tidal wave that destroyed the local school,
killing all inside; it is not a peaceful place today, one can sense the power of the ocean here
- Mauna Kea Observatories (Big Island)
- an amazing journey to 14,000 and the edge of space
- Volcanoes National Park
(Big Island) - hike across an active volcano, walk through an ancient
lava tube, watch the transformation from igneous wasteland to mountain
soil
- Waipio Valley (Big Island) - this
isolated valley gives a sense of the old Hawaii and there is a lovely
beach to explore
