Hanging Lose in Hawaii

Since I have written a lot about places outside the US thus far, I thought it would be nice to learn about what the United States has to offer. I interviewed my sister, Bianca, to see what her perspective was traveling to Hawaii.

For those of you looking to get a travel experience, but not leave the United States, Hawaii is for you. Hawaii seems like a world of its own, with its rich history and beautiful oceans and views. The plane ride is a bit long (about 11 hours), but Bianca assures that it will be worth the trip.

While in Hawaii, she stayed at Disney’s Aulani Resort in Ko Olina, Hawaii (located on the island of Oahu). When she arrived at the hotel, she received a leis as a welcome gift for visiting. Traditionally, the women receive leis and the men receive kukui nut leis. An interesting fact about kukui nuts is that their oil was used to make the first torches. To wear a kukui leis signifies wearing light. These nuts were also used as the first prayer beads in Hawaii and hold a very spiritual meaning as well.

Hawaii has a very rich history, and the hotel tried to give opportunities for visitors to learn more about it through different tours throughout the day. Bianca went on tours that explained the significance of all the paintings in the buildings, one about the flowers and why they are special to Hawaii, and even attended a storytelling session that told the tradition folk tale stories of Hawaii and how it was built. She mentioned that Hawaiians are some of the friendliest people she has ever met, and their willingness and pride to tell about their history is very respectable.

While in Hawaii, she suggests that you stop by at Kahuna Ranch. This ranch is open to visitors and allows you the opportunity to go horseback riding in the mountains of the ranch, where you will see beautiful views and also run into a lot of cattle on the way. She remembers that she was actually picked to lead all the horses on the tour up the mountain. They must have been pretty trusting of her, because she was only around 9 years old!
Although there were some parts that can be scary, (there are times when you are riding on cliffs and you can’t see anything beneath you so basically it seems like if you fall off your horse you would likely to fall off the cliff), it is definitely worth it to be able to see the amazing views of the beaches and mountains of Hawaii.

What is also interesting about this ranch, is the fact that it served as the location for the set of multiple movies, including Jurassic Park. Godzilla, LOST, Hawaii Five-O, and 50 First Dates. In fact, there is even a tour offered where you can travel to the set of each movie and see the exact locations where they were filmed.

Hawaii has many attractions to offer, and Bianca would highly recommend taking a trip there to experience all that you can while you visit.

Hope you enjoyed my post and will now add traveling to Hawaii to your bucket list!

A hui hou! (goodbye in Hawaiian)

One thought on “Hanging Lose in Hawaii”

  1. This was so interesting for me to read. Every time someone asks me if there is one place I could visit I always say Hawaii. It seems like such a magical and amazing place.
    My mom went there two weeks ago, and went to a yoga retreat. She shared a lot of pictures with me, and it seemed so cool there. My favorite place to visit is the beach, and the beaches in Hawaii are like no other place, or so I have heard. I really like how you told a story to share the experience of Hawaii it made the post interesting to read. I really do want to go there someday, I look forward to reading more of your posts about the adventurous places to go and discover.

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