Friday, October 10th
“Taste of the North Shore Shrimp Trucks”
6:30pm
Tickets: $35 per person

Saturday, October 11th
“Sam Choy Poke Contest”
10:30am – 1pm
Tickets: $ 25 per person

“Seafood Under the Stars”
6:30 pm
Tickets: $75

Taste of the North Shore Shrimp Trucks, Friday, October 10th

All along the world famous North Shore of O’ahu stands Shrimp Trucks. This is the one and only event where you can actually “taste” from each truck for one admittance price, $35.

Turtle Bay Resort has commitments from Macky’s, Fumi’s Kahuku Shrimp & Seafood, Hono’s, Famous Kahuku Shrimp, Giovanni’s Shrimp Truck, Romy’s Kahuku Prawn & Shrimp Hut, Big Wave Shrimp and Aloha Shrimp, representing the most famous of the North Shore Shrimp trucks. Each will provide a unique specialty.

Added to this will be top selections from Sam Choy’s Big Aloha Brewery, one of the few “local” breweries in the islands, specializing in providing the best that the islands can offer. Music for this first evening is provided by the award winning Hawaiian favorite, Kapena and ticket purchase will be available beginning September 1, 2008 at the Turtle Bay Resort Concierge Desk. Tickets will also be available at the door the night of the event.

Post from: The Hawaii Traveler

Several years ago, I was behind the wheel in Kaua’i, on my way to the north shore’s Tunnels beach, my favorite.  I didn’t have much time on the island, and wanted to see as many turtles as possible while I was there, and still enjoy a burger in Hanalei.  I had crossed the seemingly endless chain of one-way bridges on the way there, and had been so kind as to wave the car on the other side over instead of going first every time.Near the end of my drive, I was getting anxious. I could see the water from the road, and knew that it was late enough that parking was going to be a hassle, which was why it angered me to find some guy blocking the road and stopping traffic so that he could have a chat with one of the drivers.  When he’d finished his morning conversation, I drove by, grumbling, eager to give him the hairy eyeball and maybe a little lecture on manners.  It turned out to be none other than Glen Fry of Eagles fame. I was still pissed.

These are the kinds of shenanigans and setbacks you’re bound to encounter on-island, which is why it’s best to remember that life moves differently in Hawai’i.  While you may be pressed for time, and have spent a lot of time and money making it to the islands with all your liquids in one plastic bag, there are lots of people living their dreams here, which includes stopping traffic for a minute to catch up with a friend.

If you’re visiting Honolulu, you may find traffic jams. If you’re on the “road to Hana,” you may find yourself behind a line of slow tour busses a mile long. If you’re anywhere, you’ll find  expensive gas, but the news isn’t all bad.

1. Find cheap gas before you go.  It’s not always the most expensive gas in the country, either. For a while, California had higher gas prices.
2. Plan carefully:  Buy a good guidebook with maps and make notes on your excursions beforehand.
3. Combine driving trips with public transportation:  Drive to one central location and take a bus or ferry to other destinations.
4. Do your road-intensive sightseeing early: Not only will you have more energy to enjoy the sights, you’re more likely to miss heavy traffic times after shift workers take to the roads.
5. Remember, you’re on vacation:  Don’t try and do too much; rather enjoy the things you are able to do more deeply by staying in the moment.
6. And if you see Glen Fry:  Tell him I said hello. Then, drive away. There are people behind you trying to get to Tunnels.

Photo by Flickr –Creative Commons, by erichrichardson

Post from: The Hawaii Traveler

In an attempt to alleviate some of the pain associated with the lack of rail-based public transportation on Oahu, the city and county of Honolulu launched TheBus in the ’70s. It has since become the 20^th most utilized transit system in the country and the 13^th most utilized bus fleet.

A ferry linked to TheBus began service in September 2007 known as TheBoat. Fare for TheBoat is $2.00, and it runs from Barber’s Point to Aloha Tower Marketplace daily. (Check often for cancellations.)  It is hoped that linking to TheBus and delivering commuters from Leeward to Honolulu will change some of the dynamics between commuters, tourists, and part-time residents.

A light rail system in Honolulu is currently in its design phase.

Photo by –Creative Commons, by Skyseeker

Post from: The Hawaii Traveler

In the interests of freedom of choice, I’d like to introduce some small, public carriers that provide inter-island flights.

Mokulele Airlines is a small, public carrier that provides inter-island flights. Operated by Go! and Go! Express, and Charter Services, Mokulele’s fleet includes small crafts, twin-engine Piper Chieftains to be exact, each seating nine passengers.  Mokulele will deliver you any of the six islands, and depending on flight patterns and weather, will take you over some scenery that people would pay big bucks for. The last time we took Mokulele, we got a premium view of the Hana Highway.

Pacific Wings operate operate a discount airline called PW Express with daily nonstop flights between Honolulu and Molokai and Lanai, plus flights from Kahului, Maui, and Molokai.  Cal  888/866-5022 or 808/873-0877 for more information.

Island Air’s motto “we do Hawai’i best because Hawai’i is all we do.”   Island Air services all six islands, with  service to both Kona and Hilo (Big Island), and  Kahalue and  Kapalua (Maui).  Note that the flight schedule changes in mid-September.

The important thing to remember with these smaller airlines is that luggage space is limited, and that in most cases, the gates are away from the main terminals.   We’ve always experienced excellent service with these smaller airlines, and would use them without hesitation. We’re sold on these types of carriers for inter-island travel, and wonder if you’ve had recent experiences you’d like to share.  To weigh in with your thoughts, just use the comments or email me anytime.

Photo by Flickr–Creative Commons, by johntrainor.

Post from: The Hawaii Traveler

News from the This Oil Crisis Sucks files: the Moloka’i ferry I’ve mentioned here at The Hawaii Traveler raised its rates today by adding a temporary fuel surcharge.  The regular $40 one-way fare to/from Maui and Moloka’i will now cost you $66.  Work commuters are certainly going to be the most hard-hit from the hike, but Sea Link, the ferry operator is appealing to the PUC for a special concession to avoid shutting down.Unlike other operators like the Superferry, Sea Link  receives no subsidies, loan guarantees or other special considerations from government; gas prices combined with declining tourist turn-out in August has Sea Link operating in emergency mode.

Photo by Flickr–Creative Commons, by woodleywonderworks

Post from: The Hawaii Traveler

In fact, I’m home today with a cold that I probably picked up at one airport or another while traveling to and from Albany, NY. Albany “International” Airport, a travel gateway in New York’s capital city that basically has no direct service from anywhere. I don’t mind getting on a puddle-jumper from Maui to Kaua’i, but at least I’m actually jumping a puddle (or a channel, as the case may be) instead of the midwest or the Mason-Dixon.

And it was during my expedition to the tri-state area that had me vowing that one day, some how, some way, I’m going to get there without all the bruhaha and ballyhoo that plagues us every time we visit. Come hell or high rent, one of these days I’m going to take a private plane.

No, Patsy Cline, I’m not going to take some fly-by-night gas can piloted by my Uncle Earl. If I’m going to splurge as much as someone like me can splurge, I’m going to take a luxury charter service, the likes of which are offered by companies like NetJets or Sentient. It’s part of an air travel movement called fractional jet ownership, and strikes the fancy of those who like to fly in privacy and luxury, but without all the hassle of actually owning and maintaining a jet and crew. Think of it as a time share with wings.

And for those who already bit the bullet and bought, but who want to rent out their equipment to people like me and the other Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous wannabes, there’s reverse fractional jet ownership, by JetSuite.Yes, fractional jet ownership is, in a word, expensive. But a gal can dream, can’t she? That’s why I’ve got my eye on the ball that we’ll for now call “fractional ownership lite,” wherein a broker finds a seat or two on a small jet that happens to be going where you are. I wonder: if I hitch a ride that’s flying over Albany, will they pack me a parachute? I’ll keep you posted. (I hope.)

Photo by Flickr–Creative Commons, by Plano_Light

Post from: The Hawaii Traveler

And then in 2007, Hawaii Superferry Inc. began running the first passenger-vehicle ferry service between the Hawaiian Islands; however, protesters in Nawiliwili Harbor on Kaua’i suspended operations last August.

Today, however, Hawaii Superferry offers daily inter-island ferry service between Honolulu, Oahu and Kahului, Maui, with plans to serve the Big Island starting in 2009.

Other Islands

The Molokai Ferry provides ; however, this ferry does not accommodate passenger vehicles. Trips from Maui to Lana’i are still a little trickier, and require making a reservation on a private charter.

It’s going to be a while until there’s non-air service from Maui and Oahu to Kaua’i. Let’s hope there’s a viable, environmentally-friendly solution sometime before the transporter is finally invented. Ahoy!

Photo by Flickr–Creative Commons, by eye of einstein

Post from: The Hawaii Traveler

From the Put on Clean Underwear Before You Go Out files: Identify the urgent care centers near your island destination before you leave home, and keep the information with your other important travel docs and itinerary information. (I can’t tell you how many times I have needed this information, especially when we began traveling with a young one.) Wouldn’t your mother be so proud of you for taking your health and safety into consideration?What is an Urgent Care Clinic?
It’s a medical treatment facility in which doctors and nurses treat acute illnesses and injuries that are not serious enough to warrant a trip to an emergency room. Patients can visit clinics on an unscheduled, walk-in basis. Although most urgent care clinics are open extended hours, they usually are not open 24 hours, as are hospital emergency rooms.

Although they are useful for travelers when unexpected medical situations arise, urgent care clinics are not emergency rooms. If emergency treatment is necessary, call 911 or visit a hospital emergency room.

How to Find an Urgent Care Clinic Near You

• Ask your hotel or resort concierge/manager
• Call your insurance provider about locations, and whether your benefits will cover a visit to those clinics
• Ask your family or primary care physician
• Conduct an Internet search and then call the centers listed.

Image by Jody Reale

Post from: The Hawaii Traveler

It’s the end of an era in island travel. On March 31st, travelers said “aloha” to Aloha Airlines, the airline of choice for inter-island fliers, and mainland travelers alike for over sixty years. The Aloha shutdown will affect more than 1,900 employees; United Airlines and other code-share partners prepared themselves to assist those who were inconvenienced by the sudden closing of doors.

Inter-island flights aren’t just the way that tourists make their connections from Oahu to the islands without direct service from the mainland; it’s also the way that residents and business commuters make their way to work, meetings, and pleasure travel without leaving the Pacific. And it’s also the way that food and dry goods make their way from their origin to customer.

On the day that Aloha nixed its freight service, everything from fresh leis to fresh-baked bread was marooned at Honolulu International Airport, with some manufacturers and distributors having to resort to heroic measures to get their perishables and in-demand merchandise from Oahu to the outer islands by way of Seattle and San Francisco. Since then, competitor Hawaiian Airlines enforced a hefty boost in inter-island fares, along with additional charges for checking a second bag on flights to the mainland.

On a personal note, I’d like to say a belated aloha and mahalo to an airline that has served as a symbol of my childhood and upbringing; the memories I have of watching residents and tourists board Aloha flights from Maui to Kaua’i with bags full of onions are working up my tendencies to harbor too much nostalgia.

What is there to do besides make plans according to budget, and maybe whip up a pot of delicious Maui onion soup? Here’s to living in interesting and changing times, wherever we may be.

Post from: The Hawaii Traveler

Either it has happened to you, or it will: You’re driving somewhere in Hawai’i, and are either holding a map or your companion in the passenger seat is. “Where am I supposed to turn?” you want to know. The next words uttered by your navigator are unintelligible, and sound like he/she has a mouthful of macadamia nuts, and a few stuck in her throat.

Why?
Because your friend or loved one with the map just took his or her first stab at pronouncing a Hawaiian word. And by the time she figured out its pronunciation, and by the time you figured out that it matched the street sign you just passed, you missed your turn. Hey, `A`ole pilikia (no worry), bra, you can always turn around, or do some of the accidental sightseeing that’s ahead of you. Besides, you’re on an island. How lost can you get?

The Hawaiian alphabet uses only 12 Roman letters ( a, e, i, o, u, h, k, l, m, n, p, w). And those apostrophes are not really apostrophes; they’re what’s called an ‘okina, a diacritical mark that indicates a shortening, or sudden stopping of sound. (Called a glottal stop.) An ‘okina is a special character that Internet browsers don’t recognize, so an apostrophe is used in its place. Between the ‘okina and its cousin, the kahakô (a diacritical mark represented as a horizontal line over a vowel to signify elongation of its sound) those 12 letters become a beautiful language that flows like lava.

How?
Read longer words slowly, and you’ll notice that syllables are often repeated, sometimes with the glottal stop between them. Try sounding things out, and you’ll learn to lose yourself in the scenery instead of the print. Things are pronounced just as they look; there are no silent letters in Hawaiian. Try the state fish, for example:

humuhumunukunukuapua’a

Because we’ve practiced it, and broke down the word for her, my three year old can say it like a pro. So can you. Here’s how it goes:
Humu
humu
nuku
nuku
apu
a
a
And although English and Hawaiian are the official languages of Hawai’i, the only place where Hawaiian is spoken as an everyday language is on Ni’ihau, a private island that is inaccessible to just about everyone. So as long as you’re traveling with a healthy dose of aloha, and you’re willing to drive a little slower (a good thing!) all those “apostrophes” will pose no threat. (Confidentially, it’s the dipthongs you have to watch out for, but that’s another post.)

Post from: The Hawaii Traveler