Search the Community

Aloha! When you think of some words, there is no doubt as to the what the word is associated with. And “Aloha” conjures up beaches, surf and of course, Hawaii Five O… Hawaii is a tourist destination that sits between mainland USA, and Japan as well as the rest of Asia, with a population that is as varied as it is in Asia, and a significant Japanese population of almost 30%. You will find fifth generation Japs who no longer speak Japanese and plenty of restaurants, signboards in Japanese and there is certainly a vibe that feels Asian, and yet distinct. It is blended from Asian influx, with Pilipino, Korean and of course Japanese influence as well as the Polynesian background and of course American immersion. Let’s not forget the British aspect too, in fact the flag of Hawaii features the Union Jack in the canton (upper left corner) due to historical ties between the Hawaiian Kingdom and Great Britain. King Kamehameha I, who unified the Hawaiian Islands, received a British flag from Captain George Vancouver in 1793 and initially adopted it. The eight horizontal stripes on the flag represent the eight major Hawaiian Islands. So last year, I realised that there was a conference in Hawaii, and if I booked my flights early, I could scrounge together enough money to go, and bring some of my students along too, so I got my hotel and flights sorted out last year, and got a decent price. I couldn’t get SQ, because it was twice the price of ANA and I had to take two red eye flights, but because I had done my maths, I could get lie flat seats. The other option was Zip Air but the incremental cost to ANA was not that much so I took the leap. I had heard good things about their service and good food, so I was keen to give it a shot. Now I enjoy the colours at dawn and dusk and this trip, I got to experience some of the best views in all my years of flying.. Now there are no direct flights to Hawaii, you can go via Japan, which is the most popular, or even Taiwan and Philippines. ANA offers route via Haneda and Narita, so take note of the layover timing, and whether you will want to plan a stopover in Japan, but you’ll need to get your bags if you get out for longer than a stopover. At the time of my trip, there were demos for transit passengers, eg on the way there, you can see a demo of wooden block painting, and you can try on a samurai suit on the way back. Also, the pharmacies in the Narita Airport sell a lot of stuff, and good meds for kids too Narita is a wonderful place to stopover with nice showers and made to order ramen / udon. You can customise by asking them to add more ingredients. Friendly efficient service. I booked Wyndham by Ramada, a tourist class hotel, centrally located in Waikiki and walking distance to the convention. Bear in mind, everything is in miles, but it was ok, about 10 minutes walk away. The weather is pretty much sunny all the time with sporadic showers. No one stops what they are doing because of these small rains, and they end as soon as they begin, but make the heat more bearable. In fact the weather is a lot like ours, so put away your coats and jeans, tees, Hawaiian shirts as well as bermudas are standard here, unless you’re here on business. Essentials for Hawaii include hats, sunblock and plenty of water. It’s the equator, so like us, their days get bright early but around 7 plus, it also gets dark. In between the heat is on, and it is usually blazing hot. The walk from the hotel to the convention is not too far but the heat is a killer. However the views are nice though, with a little vignette of Waikiki, the Hawaiian tourist town. The cost of living and holidays in Hawaii has gone up significantly over the years and that has pushed away some travellers, but it is still pretty crowded. You will need to budget USD 20 per meal unless you cook, eat sandwiches and Macs throughout. I went to this posh steak place called Prime Signature Steakhouse, twice actually because there were two different groups and they all used this place. It’s the go to place for nice meals with a view. Food is $$ in this restaurant, but very nice. as you expect from the name the steaks / beef is the thing, but seafood is awesome.