VIRTUAL ALOHA ARCHIVE

'Ianuali (January) 2001
Issue #21

A Friend in the Islands appears on TV Food Network!
On January 2, 2001 A Friend in the Islands at www.alohafriends.com was featured on the TV Food Network as one of the best places on the web to get food from Hawaii! We were contacted by Audrey Bellezza who has a segment on the Food Network called Edible Internet where she discusses the best food internet sites. Audrey selected alohafriends.com as having a great food website for the Hawaiian themed episode of In Food Today. Audrey chose to feature our Hawaiian Breakfast for two because it offers a real flavor of Hawaii. This scrumptious gift set includes one 20 ounce bag of Taro pancake mix, a 10 ounce bottle of guava syrup and a 10 ounce bottle of coconut syrup, one 7 ounce jar of pineapple preserves/jam, one 7 ounce bag of toasted coconut coffee, and two Hawaii theme coffee mugs. It’s almost like waking up in paradise! The taro pancake mix is made from the same taro root used to make poi. You just add water to make the tasty fluffy purple taro pancakes. TV Food Network reaches over 50 million people nationwide so if your cable service includes this channel you may be able to see the "Hawaiian Hiatus" episode when it is rerun throughout the year. To check out a photo of Audrey Bellezza and Donna Hanover from TV Network discussing our web site and products or if you would like to view the Hawaiian Breakfast for Two gift set visit www.alohafriends.com/products.html
(Tasty Tip: Add a mashed banana to the taro pancake mix for an extra special treat!)

"I Want To Surf Big Waves, Like Greg Brady Did…"
I saw this episode of "The Brady Bunch" too and as I recall, Greg was wearing the cursed tiki necklace and ended up face down taking a big drink of seawater! Starters to surfing should try a small wave (2-3ft.) and a long board. A long board won’t tip and wiggle around under you so much. Boogie boards are also a lot of fun and are pretty easy to ride. Surf lessons and rentals are available in Waikiki and it’s a great place to get a long smooth ride. The rush and exhilaration of catching a wave is hard to match, riding in unison with the motion of the ocean can give you a sense of balance between body and nature. It’s a sport that requires nerves of steel, keen observation, strength, patience and courtesy, agility and balance, the ability to swim and hold ones breath for extended periods. Now, you might think that once you’ve nailed the smaller stuff you’d like to go to the North Shore and ride some sixteen footers at Banzai Pipeline and get in the tube like they do on ESPN. Get a grip on yourself, dude!! A sixteen-foot wave measures thirty-two feet on the face! That’s like a three-story building moving forty miles per hour crumbling behind you. Two-thousand gallons of water in a wave weighs eight tons and can pound on your body in the water like a giant salty washing machine, making it hard to find the surface and to keep your breath! Only experienced surfers should surf these big waves. We want you to have fun in Hawaii and we want to keep you safe, even if you like extreme sports. And maybe you have agility and balance; you can skateboard or ski and snowboard, or you’re a ballerina or an astronaut. But all of these skills don’t necessarily translate into the ability to surf. Even a groovy guy like Greg Brady started on small waves! For other tips about visiting Hawaii visit www.alohafriends.com

CREATE AN AUTHENTIC HAWAIIAN LUAU ANYWHERE!
Luaus are fun for birthday/anniversary parties, promotion/retirement parties, family reunions, company picnics, block parties, bridal/baby showers, or just when a few good friends get together. For lots of great decorating tips, tasty recipes, and fun Hawaii theme game ideas visit www.alohafriendsluau.com and have a party that everyone will enjoy! There are even instructions for creating an underground imu pit to cook your feast like the ancient Hawaiians did! Another fun option is to host a Hawaiian Theme Cookie Decorating Contest with suggestions and cookie cutters featured at www.alohafriends.com/HIcookiecutter.html 
Getting married? Check out our tips on creating a Hawaii theme wedding anywhere at  www.alohafriends.com/Hawaii_wedding.html 
Planning to host a Christmas in April party? Check out our NEW tips on creating a Hawaiian theme Christmas luau at www.alohafriendsluau.com/christmas.html 

Keeping a handle on pests in Hawaii
If you bring items like certain produce and soil to or from Hawaii you could contribute to an agricultural disaster if you do not take certain precautions. Foreign insects capable of wreaking agricultural havoc may find their way to Hawaii by hitching a ride in produce you bring with you from home or an exotic pest found in Hawaii may hitch a ride in a fresh pineapple or coconut you decide to take home from the islands. Keeping a control on the insects coming into and leaving Hawaii has cost taxpayers $200+ million over the last 15 years. If you are thinking of bringing fresh fruits or vegetables with you to snack on while on the long plane ride to Hawaii please be aware agricultural restrictions prohibit bringing pineapple, Florida citrus, vegetables in the turnip family (daikon, rutabaga, radishes, etc.), and green coffee beans into the Hawaiian Islands. You may bring other store bought fresh fruits or vegetables however you must declare them on the "Plant and Animal Declaration Form" which is distributed on the plane prior to landing. You must also have the fruits inspected at the Agricultural Inspection Counter located in the baggage claim area. They will be looking for pests that may be hidden in or on the produce. Be sure that your produce is clean with no soil or other debris on them. There are agricultural dogs at the Island Airports that sniff all incoming bags to locate any concealed fruits or vegetables so don’t try to smuggle anything prohibited or disregard getting them inspected.
Island treasures you can not bring back to the Mainland from Hawaii are; berries of any kind including coffee berries, cactus plants or parts, cotton and cotton bolls, fresh gardenia, fresh jade vine, fresh mauna loa flowers and other members of the bean family, fresh pulpy fruits (except pineapple), live insects and snails, plants in soil, seeds with fruit clinging and fresh seed pods, soil, sugarcane, swamp cabbage, and raw sweet potato. Agricultural items you can bring to the Mainland from Hawaii after having them inspected at the airport are; beach sand, coconuts, dried decorative arrangements, dried seed, fresh flowers, leis, and foliage (but not gardenia, jade vine, or mauna loa), pineapples, plants and cuttings, seashells (not land shells) seed leis and jewelry, wood roses, cooked sweet potato and white potato. If you bring any of the restricted fresh produce or don’t want to go through the hassles of declaring and having them inspected you can drop them in one of the many amnesty bins at the airport to avoid fines.
Another way unwanted insects and seed pests make it to Hawaii in the soles of visitors’ shoes and boots. Please make sure your shoes and boots are free from soil before setting foot in the Hawaiian Islands. You can help keep the Hawaiian Islands healthy and beautiful by not bringing any insects in/on produce or footwear that you bring to Hawaii. For more Hawaii travel tips visit www.alohafriends.com/fyi.html

Island Hopping
Travelling between islands, or ‘island hopping’, is a popular activity for locals and visitors alike. Each of the Hawaiian Islands is very unique and offers a different Hawaii experience. They are ALL worth exploring. You can get between islands either by air or sea.
The fastest way to island hop is by air using either Hawaiian or Aloha Airlines. Interisland travel takes 20-50 minutes with flights departing for outer islands about every half-hour from approximately 5:30am until 8pm daily. Interisland air fare costs about $65 per person each way if you buy tickets from a hotel travel desk. If you purchase the tickets directly from the airlines the cost can be as much as $109 per person each way.
Currently there are no ferries or shuttle boats from one island to the next. If you would like to travel between the Hawaiian islands by sea there are two full time inter-island cruise ships available. Keep in mind when cruising the Islands you get to port on several islands but you do not have the time or freedom to explore and experience what makes each island so unique. One of the cruise ships offers a six Hawaiian Islands in 7 days cruise, which doesn’t allow much time for sight seeing on each island.
When planning your dream Hawaiian vacation choose your inter-island travel and activities based on your expectations of what you would like to experience while in Hawaii. For more details on hundreds of island specific activities visit www.alohafriends.com/all_islands.html

Historic Aloha Tower

The historic Aloha Tower has been greeting island visitors since 1926. Before tourists were able to arrive by airplane they made long journeys across the sea to enjoy a vacation in paradise. Ships would arrive in Honolulu Harbor and visitors greeted by the Aloha Tower, hula dancers, and soothing Hawaiian music. The tower gets its’ name from the large ALOHA that adorns each of its’ sides. With visitors now primarily arriving by airplane the pier next to Aloha Tower does not greet as many visitors but it is still a great place to visit. There are shops as well as bars and restaurants to enjoy the tower. Some of the restaurants have great waterfront sunset views on Honolulu Harbor. For a full details on Aloha Tower including photos visit our Virtual Adventure review at www.alohafriends.com/alohatower.html

DID YOU KNOW?
Did you know that Hawaii has more than 3,000 native plants and animals? Sadly 710 of Hawaiian plants and birds are on the endangered list accounting for one-third of all endangered species in the United States. Visit www.alohafriends.com to find out more about Hawaii’s amazing culture and history.

JUST ASK!
Is there Sandalwood in Hawaii? I love the smell of it, I thought it was Hawaiian.
For a long time, until about 1800, Sandalwood trees were plentiful in parts of Hawaii. Because this fragrant wood was a very valuable commodity in Asia it was harvested in the Hawaiian Islands to the point of near extinction and is among 199 threatened or endangered plant species in Hawaii. For the most part there is little evidence left by the massive clear-cutting of sandalwood. There are huge pits that were dug in the shape and dimensions of ships’ hulls. These pits were used to measure the capacity for transport of the sandalwood. Native Hawaiians endured back braking labor to harvest the sandalwood. They would cut the trees with hand tools, drag them by hand to lay in the hull pits, then once the pit was full they dragged the trees more than ten miles over rough terrain to waiting ships in the harbor. As you can imagine this was a very treacherous job and many men died in the process. Tiring of the work conditions, the laborers took to uprooting seedlings so that their children would not have to grow up to suffer the same torturous fate. Visit www.alohafriendshawaii.com/justask.html to read other interesting answers to frequently asked questions about Hawaii.
Do you have a question about anything related to Hawaii? We are sure other Virtual Aloha subscribers are staying up nights wondering the same thing. Get it off your mind and just ask us! Submit your Just Ask question to islandtips@aol.com

ADD A LINK TO A FRIEND IN THE ISLANDS
Help others to enjoy a mental vacation to Hawaii by putting a graphic or text link to www.alohafriends.com on your business or personal web site. Visit www.alohafriends.com/logo.html if you would like to choose a graphic.
Mahalo for assisting us in spreading Aloha!

VIRTUAL ALOHA ARCHIVE
Check out more useful Hawaii tips and interesting articles about Hawaii in past issues of Virtual Aloha. Visit the Virtual Aloha Archive at http://www.alohafriends.com/Enews_Archive.html

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(C) Kim and Mike Crinella/A Friend in the Islands. No reprints without acknowledgement from the publisher that the article(s) are written by Mike and Kim Crinella, A Friend in the Islands at www.alohafriends.com

Disclaimer : Our activity suggestions, tips, and Enews articles are based on our experiences and research. The information contained within this site and our Enews letter "Virtual Aloha" is meant to be a guide for anyone who wants to learn more about the islands and for visitors to explore what kinds of activities are available prior to arrival. Prices are listed to use as a guide to help determine what fits in each visitors budget and are subject to change by the activity provider. We are NOT affiliated with any activity provider and do NOT make any money from activity providers our suggestions! We are concerned with the quality of our suggestions and welcome positive and negative feedback about the activities. We, Mike and Kim Crinella, and our company, "A Friend in the Islands", will not be held responsible for any accidents, loss of property, or any other misfortunes associated with activities who's information is provided. 
This page was created by and is maintained by Mike & Kim Crinella. All information, graphics, and photos contained in this web site are property of Mike & Kim Crinella. Reuse of anything for commercial purposes requires credit be given to Mike & Kim Crinella and  A Friend in the Islands at www.alohafriends.com

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