Farsighted Fly Girl

Hawaii is loved for its natural beauty and easygoing lifestyle but what really attracts me are the people and culture. Polynesian culture is ancient and the traditions that have been passed down reflect a deep respect for the earth and community. I was lucky to witness a traditional Hawaiian sunset ceremony at the Ritz Carlton Kapalua on Maui . Many Hawaiian hotels feature cultural advisers who educate visitors about the culture and organize rituals that many would not get the chance to see. The sunset ceremony starts with the blowing of the conch or pu . Blowing the conch opens most Hawaiian ceremonies and rituals and represents the opening of the event and the sweeping away of negative energy so that it can start with positive intentions. I took a short video of the conch being blown through the hotel to symbolize the start of the sunset. It's a signal to thank the daylight and prepare for the legendarily beautiful Hawaiian sunset. This video shows the drumming of th...

It's been a  year of non-stop travel adventures but I'm excited that my last trip of the year will surround me with the natural beauty of Maui.  The Maui Visitors and Conventions Bureau have invited me to explore the ecological initiatives and natural landscapes of the island. I'll be taking in the legendarily stunning sunrise at Haleakala National Park,  and hiking through portions of the park, pictured above. I'm going to visit a taro farm, which is the essential ingredient of the Hawaiian staple of poi. Native plant reserves and the Honolua Bay Marine Preserve will be another feature of my trip as well as a ride in a traditional outrigger canoe. Of course, I'll  also be going to a luau and sampling noted Maui cuisine. Please look out for photos and posts next week! Aloha!

It's a new year and I've decided to revive the popular Taste Trippin' series where I take readers on culinary journeys around Chicago. The polar vortex has returned and there's no place cozier than the tropical confines of a tiki bar. Filled with all of the kitsch and fun that's required for an authentic tiki experience, Three Dots And A Dash is the city's best tiki bar since Trader Vic's. With a nod to Chicago's speakeasy past, the bar is hard to spot if you don't know where to look. Despite a respectable Clark Street address, you can only access the lounge through a dark alley that provides little assurance that you're not headed down to a den of debauchery and crime. You're required to make your way down a staircase adorned with a collection of eerie skulls, shown above.   Pushing through a door and a velvet curtain, the lounge is finally revealed, complete with ukuleles, thatched roof bar and tikis from the original Trader V...

I was greeted with a variety of expressions when I visited Kaua'i. Besides the famous Aloha, which claims many layers of meaning, from hello to love, I learned that Hawaiians pour a lot of thought into saying hello. It's all about the Aloha spirit, which literally translates to sharing breath and being present in the essence of life. From younger Hawaiians, I heard, Pehea 'oe?  which means how are you or what's up?  I was also  honored with a traditional greeting of  gently pressing foreheads together, which threw me off guard initially. Now I understand that according to traditional Hawaiian beliefs, words and bones contain mana  or energy and spiritual power. The frontal bone of the forehead represents the true self and pressing your forehead against some else's opens the true self to each other. Most memorably, I was instructed in the Hawaiian "Shaka" greeting by the imitable Dickie Chang , above.  Dickie is a popular TV show host and a membe...

In Kaua'i hula, like all aspects of traditional Hawaiian culture, is taken very seriously.  It's not about pretty costumes and elegant moves but about the meaning and purpose behind them. The colors, patterns and style of a dancer's adornments all reflect an aspect of their background and training. For instance, if a dancer is honoring Kane  who is symbolized by fresh water, they may wear colors and patterns that imitate water. During the Prince Kuhio Celebration, I was honored to learn how to make kupe'e, which are traditional wrist and ankle adornments that draw attention to graceful hand and feet movements. The process begins with asking permission from the god of hula before picking the plants. Depending on the hula, there are proper plants that should accompany the song. An array of plants were spread out on a table during the kupe'e workshop. Some plants offer wonderful aromas and some supply sounds. I selected the ones that were easiest to weave into ...

Kaua'i is filled with so much history and culture that it can feel overwhelming. If you can look past the stunning vistas and awesome natural wonders, you'll discover the rich heritage of the Hawaiian people. With 10 miles and 5 million years of history, I knew that hiking the Koloa Heritage Trail would be a highlight of my Kaua'i visit. The sites are scattered over the island so it actually took me three days to see most of the monuments. The first was Spouting Horn Park, above. Early Hawaiians called blowhole puhis  and an ancient legend chronicles the story of a giant lizard or mo'o  that got caught in the puhi , shooting waves skyward as he struggled to escape. You can see the start of the spouting water in the photo above. I biked to Prince Kuhio's Birthplace & Park, above.  The park is a lovely stretch of greenery accented with a pond and a bronze statue that marks Prince Kuhio's birthplace in Koloa. The Pa'u a Laka or Moir Gardens is celebra...

Purple has always been my favorite color. To me, everything looks and tastes better when it's purple. So I was thrilled to discover that two Hawaiian staples glow with  a lovely violet hue. Poi, or mashed taro root, plays a major part in any truly Hawaiian meal but the Hawaiian sweet potato, called uala, comes in a close second. Also referred to as the Okinawa sweet potato, I saw them grace tables mashed, in soups and my favorite, in a pie. Growing up, sweet potato pie was the finale for all holiday meals, which was of course, my favorite part. So imagine my excitement when I gazed at my beloved dessert drenched in a vibrant version of my favorite color. I almost forgot to eat it, I was so busy staring at it. The pie was covered in another Hawaiian favorite, haupia or coconut pudding. The flavor was smooth, delicate and only slightly sweet. Filled with antioxidants, Hawaiian  sweet potatoes pack a  powerful nutritional  punch with a low glycemic index and mo...

The essential element that really attracted me to Kaua'i was its history and culture. Not the legendary beauty. Not the cliffs and canyon.  As the oldest of Hawaii's islands, Kaua'i cradles the ancient legacy of Hawaiian culture and traditions and I felt compelled to discover it.  The annual Prince Kuhio Celebration, held every March in observance of Prince Kuhio day on March 26, provides one of the best ways to experience Hawaiian heritage personally. Prince Jonah Kuhio Kalaniana'ole Pi'ikoi  pictured above, was born in 1871 and was known as the people's prince. He worked to uphold Hawaiian rights and culture after the Hawaiian monarchy was overthrown in 1883 . Prince Kuhio  was the first Hawaiian elected  to the the U.S. Congress and served  for 10 years. He also established the Hawaiian Home Commission, which preserved land for native Hawaiians. Although he died in 1922, Prince Kuhio's legacy of  preserving traditional Hawaiian practices ...

You can not visit Hawaii and not sample traditional foods like Kalua pig and poi.  Food holds a significant place in Hawaiian culture and if you haven't tasted any traditional dishes, then you haven't really been to Hawaii.  All luaus or feasts, will supply lots of both of these staples. At the Kaua'i Grand Hyatt Resort, I witnessed an 185-pound pig being carried out for the traditional ceremony, above. The pig was covered in ti l eaves and then wrapped in chicken wire before being buried in an imu  or pit.   Then it was roasted over hot coals for eight hours. The meat is  so tender and moist that it doesn't really need to be cut so the hosts simply pull it off the bone. They offered me a quick taste but since I don't eat meat, I couldn't venture into hog territory but I made up for it with my poi consumption. Poi i s pounded taro root that looks like a lovely lavender pudding, above. The lavender roll  was also made with taro. The taro plant is s...