Intelligent Travel

All Roads Spotlight: Hawaii

As part of our All Roads Film Festival coverage, today IT talks to filmmakers Puhipau and Joan Lander, whose film Na 'Ono o ka 'Aina – Delicacies of the Land is featured in this year’s festival.  Part music video, part documentary, the film is narrated by taro advocate Jerry Konanui, who addresses the importance of preserving traditional taro cultivation and the controversy of genetic engineering. 

The film will be screened this Sunday at 2:30 p.m. at the National Geographic headquarters in Washington DC. The complete schedule for this weekend’s festival can be found here. A National Geographic program, All Roads provides an international platform for indigenous and underrepresented minority-culture artists to share their cultures, stories, and perspectives through the power of film and photography. Read more from this series here, here, and here.

What prompted you to make the film?

In 2004, we participated in a film festival panel discussion with the producers of The Future of Food, a seminal documentary on the genetic engineering of food crops and the threat to world agriculture. Little did we know then that two years later we would be producing a Hawaii version on the same subject for the environmental law firm Earthjustice, a half-hour piece entitled Islands at Risk – Genetic Engineering in Hawaii.

During production, we learned that Hawaii is the genetic engineering capital of the world and that there is a lack of awareness as to what the GMO industry and the university research scientists are doing in the islands. The highly secretive bio-ag industry often influences legislation so thoroughly that not even the governor had the right to know where experimental and potentially dangerous bio-pharmaceutical test plots were being grown. We were able to shed light on all of these facts in our documentary.

But when we learned that the genetic engineering industry was going after the kalo (taro), sacred staple food of the Hawaiian people, we knew that another, more focused, video was in order. In addition, legislation to protect kalo from genetic modification was coming up in the Hawaii legislature and a video was needed to inform lawmakers and the public.

Big Island Best Bets

Executive Editor Paul Martin has just returned from a two-week stay on Hawaii's Big Island, and he sends along his insider tips.

The view from Pololu Valley Lookout.

While exploring the Big Island for two weeks this summer, I got plenty of advice on the local sights—from the best place to view the current eruption of Kilauea Volcano (aboard a charter flight) to where to find authentic island souvenirs (skip the high-end shops on Kailua's waterfront and opt for either of the two open-air markets on Ali'i Drive—or better yet, check out the old-timey stores in any of the small towns outside the main tourist centers).

The best piece of advice I got was where to buy the island's prized Kona coffee, which sells for as much as $38 a pound in the tourist shops. Instead of shelling out that kind of money, I drove up into the hills above Kailua to the K Koma Store, a mom-and-pop general store in Holualoa along the twisty Mamalahoa Highway (+1 808 329 4011). The payoff: a cold can of guava-passion fruit soda and a bag of 100% Kona coffee beans for a more sensible $18 a pound.

And if you're nuts for the Big Island's other favorite take-home item—macadamias—you'll find better prices at the two Kailua open-air markets than in the tourist shops. My family and I learned how macadamia nuts are processed at the Hamakua Macadamia Nut Company in Kawaihae (+1 808 882 1116), a 45-minute drive north of Kailua-Kona. Our guide noted that every part of the nut is used—the husks as mulch in the orchards and the shells as fuel to power the equipment at the processing plant.

If you make to Kawaihae, spend another half hour to follow Highway 270 to the Pololu Valley Lookout, one of the most scenic spots on the island. A steep hike leads down to an idyllic black-sand beach. Be sure to take along a bottle of water—and maybe a bag of chocolate-covered macadamias. On the drive back, stop for lunch or some ice cream in the funky town of Hawi, where the locals have wholeheartedly embraced the Hawaiian admonition to "hang loose."

Photo: Paul Martin

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Tour Guide: "Lost" in Hawaii

Former Traveler intern Catherine Pearson is on her way to explore Australia, but she stopped off for ten days in Oahu, Hawaii on the way. We're not going to suggest it was only for the purpose of taking the Lost TV Tour—no, she's not nearly that obsessed . . .

Recognize this beach? It's the crash site in the pilot episode of Lost.

As if Hawaii didn't have enough reasons to visit, Oahu offers one more: the Lost TV Tour. I was at a wedding in Honolulu when I heard about the chance to see where they film my favorite show, so I booked the next available slot. Big Kahuna Hawaii gives options ranging from two-hour off-road adventures to exclusive private party tours. I chose Hawaiian Escapades' regular Lost TV tour, eight hours of scene-spotting, hiking, and swimming with a vanful of fellow Lost fanatics from around the world. Our crew hailed from Macedonia, Saudi Arabia, and the mainland U.S.

As soon as all 12 of us had squeezed in the vehicle, our guide gave us the good news: The Losties are going back to the island. And the bad news: They won't need their tents anymore. So, the crew has taken them down, a major disappointment for tour-goers.

"We come for the tents only!" one of the Macedonians said and jokingly demanded a discount. It didn't help when the list of what we wouldn't see grew. The polar bear was computer-generated, as were the palm trees on the Waianae mountains (the range shown from a distance on the island). The hatch was stored away as a prop and the Others' pier was on the other side of the island, too far for our eight-hour trek.

But what our tour lacked in tents, it made up for in conversation. Stories of cast sightings, guesses at filming dates, and analysis of Sayid and Jin's dismal attempts to speak Arabic and Korean, respectively, filled the drive time. We glanced out the window to see Hawaii's glass-walled convention center, or "the Sydney Airport," on our way to Mokuleia beach, "the crash site." Appearing much more narrow than usual, the beach resumes its familiar width when the concrete barriers are gone and sand covers the road. The plane wreckage, the crashed plane where Boone meets his demise, and stacks of the Losties luggage are stored behind a chain-link fence down the road at a later stop.

Greening Denali National Park

Alaska's six-million-acre Denali National Park is home to an abundance of wildlife (like grizzlies, moose, and caribou), as well as North America's tallest peak (20,320-foot-tall Mount McKinley). But soon, it might also be home to a fleet of hybrid buses.

Just last week, park officials tested a 230-horsepower hybrid bus that would, if approved, drive tourists along the 91-mile road that goes through the park. Visitors are not allowed to drive through Denali, and currently board a variety buses at the park's entrance (shuttle bus, camper bus, interpretive tour bus, etc.) that take them through the park, making stops along the way to look at local wildlife. The bus system is intended to reduce traffic congestion and environmental impact. But hybrid buses, which require 70 percent less fuel and reduce carbon emissions by about 40 percent, would also add another benefit: peace and quiet.

"Can you imagine the thrill of moving slowly and silently past a bear nursing its cub or wolf hunting along the road?" Elwood Lynn, assistant superintendent of operations for Denali told the Associated Press. The current buses are noisy and can be heard throughout the park, scaring away wildlife and creating, overall, an unideal experience.

At $200,000 each, the park doesn't expect to replace its entire fleet just yet. As the current buses break down (some two to 12 are replaced every year), the park hopes to replace them with a hybrid.

Photo: Heather Webber

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When in Hawaii, Drink the Local Brew

As any good traveler knows, there's no better way to get a taste of a place than by sampling the local cuisine. In Hawaii's case, there is of course anything with macadamia nuts (from macadamia-nut honey to wasabi macadamia nuts—those'll clear your sinuses anyday). When I think of Hawaii, beer isn't the first thing to come to mind. But the Maui Brewing Company deserves a second look, not only for its uniquely Hawaiian-flavored beers but also for its sustainable practices.

Garrett Marrero (originally from San Diego) and his wife Melanie bought the brewing business three and a half years ago. It is the only brewery on Maui and has won several awards for its unique beers. Their Coconut Porter, which is spiced with natural toasted coconut, won a silver medal in the 2008 World Beer Cup (and gold in 2006). Maui Brewing also takes environmental matters into their own hands. Their beer comes in cans (thus eliminating the risk of broken glass littering the islands), and the owners even reuse their  brewpub's vegetable oil to power their vehicles.

Maui brewing is available in many locations throughout Hawaii (as well as the mainland). Yard House, located in Waikiki, just began offering Maui Brewing Co. beer on tap, and is the first restaurant in Oahu to do so.

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Photo: Garrett W. Marrero

Strange Planet: Running of the Reindeer

We were asked to update readers on last weekend's Running of the Reindeer in Anchorage, Alaska. During the annual Fur Rondy festival, 1,000 men and women ran down Anchorage's Fourth Avenue with 12 reindeer in the inaugural Running of the Reindeer. Before the race, handlers and participants were afraid that the normally docile animals wouldn't be up for the sprint, but fortunately for spectators, the reindeer ran with the best of them. Many runners dressed in costume (as a bull's-eye, or as carrots and lichen — a reindeer's favorite foods).

Afterwards, participants and spectators lined up at local eateries to get a taste (literally) of the reindeer. As USA Today reports:

"Normally we just eat them," said Mark Berg, a spectator who has lived in Alaska since 1967. "I just made some jambalaya the other day out of reindeer sausage. I've eaten more of their cousins than they want to know."

Less fortunate reindeer are participating in the Reindeer Sausage Eating Contest at Humpy's, held today.

Check out the Anchorage Daily News for some great videos of the event. The Fur Rondezvous festivities end Sunday, March 2.

Photo: Thomas Leach via Flickr

The Running of the Reindeer

This February, Alaskans are embracing Spanish culture and letting humans and animals run wild through the streets of Anchorage.

Except Alaskans like to do things a bit differently. Instead of running with somewhat irritable animals, Alaskans are letting loose a dozen reindeer (which are a bit tamer). And unlike the bulls, who have piercing horns that pose a threat to human runners, reindeer antlers are soft and curl inward, so really can do little harm to humans.

The inaugural Running of the Reindeer will take place during the annual Fur Rendezvous (or "Fur Rondy") winter festival. The animals will run along Fourth Avenue, which is fenced.

But Tom Williams, whose reindeer have been selected to run in the event, is still a bit concerned. According to the Anchorage Daily News, his biggest fear is that the reindeer will just be docile, and disinterested in racing at all. Williams told the News: 

"I'll probably be trying to solve the biggest problem of all - lack of fear and motivation, and a love for the people," he said.

"I'm afraid the deer are just gonna stand there. It may be a very slow walk, with the animals sticking their noses in people's pockets, looking for something to eat," Williams said.

... In fact, he thinks event organizers should handicap the humans so they are more vulnerable, and less likely to provoke the animals.

"I think we should make them wear fur bikinis and fur Speedos to even things out," Williams said.

Fur Rendezvous staff are capping participants at 12 reindeer, 500 men, and 500 women. As of January 3, 40 people had signed up to run in the event. No word yet on whether they're stocking up on furry swimwear.

The Running of the Reindeer will take place on February 24. Participation costs $20 per person, and proceeds will benefit Toys for Tots, the charity chosen by Bob and Mark, two radio hosts who came up with the event.

Photo: JohntheFinn via Flickr

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Hawaii Can't Win 'em All

In an attempt to reduce air travel between Oahu, Maui, Kauai, and eventually the Big Island, the 350-foot Hawaii Superferry took to the seas, offering interisland travelers an alternative option to flying by transporting their cars instead.

But in recent months, the Superferry sparked a huge legal controversy from environmentalists, saying that the ferry could harm whales and increase car traffic on the islands. CNN explains:

The first 350-foot catamaran has been sitting idle in Honolulu Harbor for weeks while Superferry lawyers, the Legislature and Gov. Linda Lingle struggled with environmental objections.

State Attorney General Mark Bennett told the judge he was bound by the new law signed by Lingle this month allowing the ferry to run while an environmental study is being completed.

...Superferry CEO John Garibaldi said outside the courtroom that the ferry service likely would resume in about two weeks with an announcement in a few days on when 250 furloughed employees would be rehired. Its schedule calls for daily voyages to and from Maui and a six-times-weekly run for Kauai.

IT's reached a dilemma. Opt for flying, and you leave a much bigger carbon footprint during your Aloha travels. Opt for the ferry, and you're reducing your carbon emissions, but instead harming the whales and overcrowding the roads with cars. What's a traveler to do? Post your thoughts in the comments below.

For more background, check out World Hum's article about the surfers who blocked the ferry from entering Kauai's Lihue harbor last August.

Photo: Hawaii Superferry

Thrifty Souvenirs

Obviously, IT loves a good shopping spree for authentic crafts when we're traveling. But there's also something to be said for scoping out the local thrift stores for some fabulous finds. Our friends over at Gadling and Gridskipper reminded us of the satisfaction that comes from scoring a great item for next to nothing while you're wandering, and we asked the Traveler staffers to tell us their favorite thrifty souvenirs.

Assistant Editor Janelle Nanos: I found my all-time favorite sweater in a thrift store near Covent Garden in London—a white cardigan with tiny blue flowers that I wear year round. It's girly and cozy and generally perfect in every way.

"Wandering around Maui, my brother and I tired of the endless rows of Hawaiian shirts that cluttered the shops, so we ducked into the Salvation Army store to find some more authentic duds (35 Halekuai St., Kihei, Maui). He found a vintage terry-cloth polo with Maui stitched on the pocket, and I snagged a super-soft "Hang Loose" T-shirt that's perfect for sleeping in. Thankfully, this year I went to Kauai, so the shirt actually makes sense now."

Introducing: Trip Lit

Here at Traveler, we do a lot of reading: in addition to the upcoming magazine copy, we're constantly perusing newspapers, blogs, and websites all day. But we know there's nothing quite like escaping away into a good book, which is why we're thrilled to announce the arrival of Don George's "Trip Lit" to our new columnist cadre.

Don is a legendary travel writer and editor who has won numerous awards for his work. He has been travel editor at the San Francisco Examiner and Chronicle, founded and edited the Wanderlust section of Salon.com, and most recently was Global Travel Editor at Lonely Planet Publications. He is the author of  The Lonely Planet Guide to Travel Writing and the editor of six literary travel anthologies, including The Kindness of Strangers, Tales from Nowhere, and By the Seat of My Pants.

In his inaugural column, Don discusses the challenges of navigating both the Alaskan wilderness and parenting in Lou Ureneck's Backcast, offers up a feast of new epicurean-themed books, before detouring into India and Africa.

We're looking forward to going where he leads us next.