English version
Aloha everyone,
This is an attempt to provide some info from our Hawaiinian exposure in 2013 to my friends who do not master the Czech language.
First of all, I have to tell you that our flight ticket from Prague to Holonulu was free. Well, one needed to have quite a few air-miles with the Czech Airlines and these were used to book a flight for me and my son. We travelled with Korean Air via Seoul. Just so that you can imagine how long our journey was:
Prague CZ - Seoul KR, duration: 9:45h
Seoul (waiting time): 9:45h
Seoul KR - Honolulu HI, duration: 8:40h
The Incheon Airport is one of the best I’ve ever seen. Extremely clean, one could charge his/her mobile phone (different sockets available used in different regions of the world). The wifi was free!!!
We did have a look at the Ice Rink, apparently, the floor there’s installed with a special plastic artificial ice to keep you dry and, maybe also less impact when you fall. Instead, we kicked a soft football in quite a spacious transportation centre.
We also went for one the so-called Transit Tour to one of the temples in the area. It was quite nice as was the shower afterwards at the airport (it was free).
Oahu
Finally, we arrived. The immigration officer, an ambicious lady, gave us a hard time but we made it!
So, we collected our luggage and immediatelly disappeared in a hired car to a town called Kailua.where we stayed for 3 days. Ideal place for us as there are not as many people as at Waikiki, also there are no hotel at the beach.
So, we collected our luggage and immediatelly disappeared in a hired car to a town called Kailua.where we stayed for 3 days. Ideal place for us as there are not as many people as at Waikiki, also there are no hotel at the beach.
In the Hawaiian language Kailua means "two seas" or "two currents", a contraction of the words kai (meaning "sea" or "sea water") and ʻelua (meaning "two"); it is so named because of the two lagoons in the district or the two currents which run through Kailua Bay.
Kailua a very nice beach town. It feels there are no hotels, therefore this is nothing like Waikiki, instead, one has to search for B&B and we managed. Kailua Beach is fantastic, maybe the wind makes waves bigger but my son likes waves so we must be in the right place!
Kailua a very nice beach town. It feels there are no hotels, therefore this is nothing like Waikiki, instead, one has to search for B&B and we managed. Kailua Beach is fantastic, maybe the wind makes waves bigger but my son likes waves so we must be in the right place!
The best things are sometimes free, for us it was a walk to the Goat Island.
Maui
Next stop was Maui, the second-largest of the Hawaiian Islands. It seems like everywhere you go, you need to go through the traffic of the main city, Kahului. We must say that we particularly enjoyed the beaches, our favourite was the Polo Beach (also, simple parking). Another must go is the Big Beach and the Little Beach.
The Big Island
The biggest and, in our opinion, the best island. The Mauna Kea Beach is bar far the best, also it feels a very safe place. The Green Sand Beach is very different when it comes to beach safety but it also captured our hearts, never mind the walk from the car park to Green Sands. Geocaching is particularly good and we also attended our first geo-event which was fantastic and geo-people took us also to the summit of the Mauna Kea mountain. Incredible.
The Vulcano National Park is another must-see, although one needs to undjust their expectations, there are no red lava flows.
The Vulcano National Park is another must-see, although one needs to undjust their expectations, there are no red lava flows.
Back on Oahu
Before flying home, we enjoyed three last days on Oahu. The Polynesian Cultural Center is expensive but quite good. The swimming with sharks at the Sea Life Park was beautiful.
To be continued...