Hawaii (Oahu, Hawaii, Maui, Kauai) is great… in addition to being ten degrees cooler that Florida at the right time, it is a beautiful combination of sea and mountains. Though I had been there 30+ years ago, I really didn’t have much of a sense of the place. We were there for two weeks in May/June, and we saw a lot. The biggest takeaways:
- The water is big , blue and beautiful! And we were lucky enough to swim on most days… with dolphins and many colorful fish. And the water is warm… 75 degrees.
- There is an ever-present local environmental consciousness: to protect the reefs, endangered species, and natural beauty.
- Volcanoes are everything… the source of the islands, a threat to the islands, the spiritual touchstone, and the beauty of the islands.
- There were a lot of red junglefowl (aka, chickens) everywhere. In second place were the mynas, also everywhere. Interestingly, neither of those birds is native, and between them, the mornings and evenings were filled with their cacophony.
- All of the islands we saw were disappointingly American, and the size of a town was measured by its Costco. Although there is a big effort to have Hawaiian language signs and recordings everywhere, what is heard most is “Aloha,” then “Mahalo.” And the “Haoles” seem most excited about using those words.
- In spite of the Aloha spirit, Hawaii has a violent history that many are willing to tell about. Importantly, when Hawaiians killed their enemies, they would cook their enemies’ bodies so the flesh would soften and they could remove the bones. A person’s “mana” or soul was in their bones, and by removing and keeping the bones, you could retain power over them. The storied Captain Cook met such a fate, and we heard the tale many times during our visit.
- Most of the plants we saw were exotic (non-native), and they are also very common in garden centers in Florida. Many of the plants were imported by Polynesians a thousand years ago. Most plants that are considered Hawaiian, are not native: Pineapple, Coconut, Sugar Cane. Of course, the same is true in Florida: Orange, Tomato, Sugar Cane.
- In spite of the length of flight and the expense, I would be happy to return to Hawaii.