Hawaii fever

My wife and I are both suffering from Hawaii Fever. We haven't been there since 2002 and we usually go more often than that. The Fever can be triggered by travel magazines, TV commercials, or just flipping through our old vacation pictures.

What more could you want in a vacation? The beaches are beautiful, the climate is perfect, and the people are friendly. The Big Island has deserts, jungles, grasslands, and even snow on top. In this island state, you can study volcanos, sea creatures, or waterfalls. They have tropical fruit, hula dancers, coral reefs, spectacular road trips, and surfer dudes. Honolulu, on Oahu (sounds like Wahoo)could be the most beautiful city in the world

But every island is different. Most tourists go to Oahu, stay on Waikiki Beach, visit Pearl Harbor and ride "The Bus" through Honolulu or around to the North Shore. That's a good vacation, but if that's all you do, you missed most of Hawaii.

Molokai seems to be stuck in 1920. The roads are paved and you might find an air conditioned room, but most buildings have rusty metal roofs. Much of the island is used for pasture, and the towns are just villages. Sitting on Molokai at night looking at the distant lights of Honolulu is like sitting on the moon and looking at Earth.

The island that has it all is Maui. Some areas are like Waikiki and only a short distance way you would think it was Molokai. Don't miss Hana and the Seven Sacred Pools. Drive to the 10,024 foot summitt of Haleakala. You'll need a jacket or a sweater.

The Big Island, sometimes called Hawaii, is so big it seems like a small continent. It is the top of the tallest, largest, mountain on Earth. Some mountains may be higher, but Hawaii measures from the ocean floor to it's summitt, which is over 13,000 feet above the sea's surface. And it's still growing as constantly erupting volcanoes add to it's mass.

Often mentioned as a favorite, Kauai (sounds like Cow Eye) is the garden island. It has a lot of rainfall, but like most high islands in the Pacific, it has a dry side. Poipu Beach is likely THE best beach in the world. Check it out. Surprisingly, it usually isn't crowded. You can drive all over the island in a day, but why hurry? Look for flowers, monk seals, wild chickens, "barking" sand, wet and dry caves, a canyon that is truly grand, and cliffs you won't believe. There is even a tree tunnel and some blow holes. Don't look for cities or even large towns. And the people are, you guessed it, friendly. This is where the natives go for vacations. You won't want to leave.

There are other islands, but these are the largest. Even the smaller islands have their own surprises. Just writing about Hawaii can bring about an attack of Hawaii Fever.
Howard