When ever we are travelling we are firm believers of the ‘When in Rome’ philosophy. You can stay at The Novotel anywhere, and that’s exactly what it will look like, a Novotel. My Fiancée spends weeks researching accommodation before we leave to try and find places that are a little different. This trip was no exception.

We stayed in all manner of places, from a single cottage in a place called Volcano, to medium rise development on Waikiki Beach in Honolulu. By far the most interesting however, was a ‘Yurt’ on the island of Maui. For those who are unaccustomed, as I was when I agreed to stay in it, it is essentially a permanent tent with a hard wood floor. It had running water and electricity but on the bare minimum of household comforts. The best bit was that it had an open air shower with sweeping views of the ocean. On the second morning we stayed there we were greeted by a tree frog sitting watching us shower. Very cool indeed.

Hawaii is a real contradiction of sites. Being Volcanic, there is no shortage of barren moonscapes complete with Martian like aerated stones. One site we visited was where they tested the moon Lander for the Apollo missions. By being there you can really see why.

We did quite a few hikes when we were there. The most memorable was across the crater of an extinct Volcano called Kilauea Iki. A very interesting walk as we had to go down into the crater, right across the middle, and back up the other side. It took about 4 hours all together.

When we were on The Big Island we even got to see the lava flowing into the see from one Volcano, which has been erupting constantly since 1987. We had originally planned to do this by boat, but the 4.5 meter swell forced me to chicken out (my Fiancée was still keen…)

I have been fortunate enough to visit quite a few botanical gardens over the years. Until Hawaii the best we had been too was in Cairns. But, the privately developed Tropical Gardens near Hilo on the Big Island left these well behind. The photos below depict just a small sample of the wonderful flowers and plants we saw. The aptly named ‘Hanging Lobster Claw’ was my favourite. See if you can guess which photo it is.

One thing that people had warned me about before going to the US was the size of the meal portions. I thought people were exaggerating, but they were spot on. My first meal upon arriving at lunch time was a hamburger. It was big enough for both my Fiancée and I, and then some. It made us very wary of what to order. I didn’t want to come back 10kgs heavier.

The Japanese influence I mentioned earlier has certainly had an impact. Japanese restaurants are plentiful, as are hamburger joints, Shave Ice cafes and Arby’s ‘Family Restaurants’ (I am sadly in love with their curly fries…). We indulged one night in the Hawaiian version of ‘Surf and Turf’, comprising full lobster tail and perfectly cooked 250gms rib eye steak. A truly memorable meal, and very different from prawns atop an over-cooked lump of beef.

On our second last day we managed to find a Sushi Train much to my Fiancée’s delight. Right in the middle of a whole suburb of discount fashion stores. We were both kept happy.

It’s been a while since I have managed to find the time to write up a new post. Our imminent departure to our new life in Zurich, now planned for Sunday 13th September, has been keeping both my Fiancée and I extremely busy. Probably a good thing, or I would have time to start getting overwhelmed by the leap we are taking.

We have been back from Hawaii for two weeks now and I can honestly say that looking back it was one of the best holidays I have ever had (with a travel mad Fiancée I have had a few I can assure you!). We stayed on three islands, eight nights first on The Big Island, then three on both Maui and Oahu (Honolulu).

Where to start. Ok, the people. I have never been to the US and have heard that the Americans can be somewhat self absorbed and like to talk very loud. Hawaii I think was different though. We found some gregarious locals of course but almost everyone was friendly and very helpful. I am not sure if it is due to the service culture and service industry, but everyone in Restaurants and Hotels were going way out of their way to please. A far cry from the waiters at most Sydney locales.

What really struck me however is how many Japanese people live there, and the significant impact they have had on Hawaiian Culture. You would think given the events of WWII Japanese people would be scarce but this is far from the case. Sugar Cane farming has in abundance in Hawaii from the 1880’s right up until around 1970. A lot of Japanese and Korean migrants came to work on the farms, hence the cultural impact.

All in all we found the Hawaiian population to be friendly and accommodating, and more than willing to have a chat. They made for a very pleasant holiday experience.