COOL TRIP $1385 SHORT BOOKING WINDOW: Authentic Hawaii - 17-24MAY2009

Aloha....psst...You're Invited (and the price isn't scary - just $1385 plus air)...

here is a special vlog entry - for you, especially if:

1.You haven't been anywhere exciting lately or
2. If you are sick of winter, sleet, and snow or
3. If you miss us... (smile).

While we have been wintering in Hawaii this year, we have also been doing a fair amount of trip research to benefit clients who wish to come to Hawaii and experience the islands from the personal, local, authentic, Polynesian perspective - similarly to how we have already designed authentic journeys to other Polynesian islands, such as Tahiti and Rapa Nui.

Here is a photo we took depicting our idea of 'The Road Less Traveled' in Hawaii. Yup, ONE LANE recently paved. Seriously! When was the last time you rode on a one-lane road? It is actually still sort-of two-lane...about 5 minutes further up it becomes seriously one-lane!

The goal with every proprietary trip design (i.e. those trips we make ourselves 100% from scratch), has always been to get you close to the local people and their local culture in a genuine, mutually beneficial way. And, yes indeed, as always, we have a few special ones lined up for the trip ahead. These are not just 'props' to make us look 'sustainable and eco-friendly'. These are people we made friends with the old-fashioned way on our recent 5-week stay on this magical island. These are Native Hawaiians - truly great friends and fun-loving folks - ready and eager to get to know you (yes, you, you, and you - all of you!).

For those who know us, and/or have traveled with us, when we say 'fun' we mean good authentic fun! Here's Camilla having fun with a pair of dakine friendly aunties (whom you'll p-r-o-b-a-b-l-y be seeing more of.......):

And here's another one...a guy of many talents (now we haven't said too much, have we?)
...and Steve with another ...at the coolest little bar on the island (yes, we've got you covered!)Of course, there is also adventure involved as well as gorgeous scenery, and sunrises, and sunsets, and stargazing galore in skies so generously dark you feel you can almost touch the Milky Way...(here's a sunset for starters...and we've got MANY many more in store for you).

We'll go snorkeling on the barrier reef - yes, Hawaii has one too. (The great news is that we will likely be the ONLY people there. Just our boat - nobody else - for two heavenly hours!) Various depths, lots of fish, pristine coral and if you don't have gear, the news is good: not only is this outing included in the price - so is your quality rental equipment and wetsuits!
For a brief synopsis of what you'll marvel in for two magnificent morning hours, CLICK:


Hey, how would you like to hike or ride a mule or fly down the world's tallest sea cliffs? Yes, down THERE, in the photo below: 1600ft vertical feet of drop-dead-(wehopenot)-gorgeous!

Wanna see for yourself? (A hefty dose of real authentic Hawaii kine 'Reality TV'...click!!)


If this looks a tad too precipitous, you may hike - or we can fly you down. This is the only activity we haven't priced in for you because the price depends on how you get down there and, frankly, we wanted to let you choose your preferred mode of transport...

Local music scene? You bet! (They played one of Lono's songs at the Obama inauguration!)
http://lonomusic.com/index.html

We'll also get our hands on some local fruits and perhaps do a little 'Frootfest':



Farmers markets are great places to get fruit. We'll visit one (THE one) while you're here. But these weekly markets aren't just about fruit and veggies. This is where Hawiians 'Talk Story' (a.k.a. chat). A v-e-r-y important part of local Hawaiian culture. Here's a little snippet of a typical day at the weekly farmer's market. You want local - get out of bed for this!



One day, we will venture into this sacred (to the Native Hawaiians) remote and beautiful valley that terminates in a waterfall (in which you may take a refreshing swim). And as you may expect from us, this (mostly easy) valley hike is led by a Native Hawaiian guide who can explain things in the context of the Polynesian Perspective. And, yes, we have hired him just for our private little group...because we feel that when you make an effort to pack your bags and come along, you deserve the best - especially on those days when it really matters...

On another day, the day before auntie arrives to teach us how to make Hawaiian foods, we will collect some of the ingredients we need for this casual cooking lesson. Ono (delicious) local foods!

...and then there are those seriously whimsical (but immensely fun) moments...like when you are standing at this tiny post office in the middle of nowhere, decorating and shipping coconuts off to your friends on the mainland...cost, you ask? The price of postage...yup, they actually put your coconut on the and then put postage stickers or stamps right on it!)



And since we have never been fans of bloating trip costs but have always been fans of adding serious value, we have gone ahead and kept prices down where we believe they belong while we have gone to GREAT lengths in adding private guides and NICE custom-designed trip features! (While not usually simple, this kind of trip planning isn't neuroscience, but rather the result of careful planning, pricing, and logistics).

If you are traveling solo and we do not have a same-gender roommate available to match you with, the single supplement on the entire week is just $165 (that's extremely generous, and we go through much number-crunching to be able to do this, but we specifically choose to do this because we don't believe solo travelers need to be penalized just for being solo!).

Likewise, if you triple or quadruple at the hotel (Queen, Twin, Twin) we'll save you some $.

We have not embellished this trip with numerous meals. Rather, we are giving you some choice. Of course we know of a few good local place (a few, because this is an island that is so local and laid back it does not even have a single stoplight. Not one. It is awesome!!). On the three days we are at the ranch, cooking and/or BBQing is the only option due to the remote location. We'll cook a couple of meals together, for others you have free rein. You will also have a kitchenette (almost a complete kitchen) in your room at the hotel in town (except if you happen to be the ONE unmatched solo guy or gal, as we'll have to put you in a standard room to keep the single supplement manageable, but we'll figure something out). Here's one of the ranch kitchens:


OK, ...so what we pay and where we stay for dis dakine trip da Hawaiian way?
$1385 (add air) and below is a preview of your accommodations. 4NTS hotel by the shore (... there IS only one) & 3NTS at a gorgeous historic working ranch located on a 1000ft bluff with sunrise and ocean views and some special plans... (we worked HARD to get you this!):




If you agree with Andrew Gotte that this trip is too irresistible to pass up (trust us, it is!!) then please contact us ASAP to get signed up. Reason #1: We're off to some remote corners of Tahiti and Rapa Nui in two weeks (i.e. 04APR-16MAY) with sporadic internet service and $1-2 per minute phone rates to the U.S. In other words, we'll basically have to stop taking new sign-ups come 01APR09.
We're emailing this to you on a weekend in order to give you a chance to look everything over in peace and quiet, consult your calendars, ask us questions, and jump on that great Continental air sale asap (or try to nab a frequent flier award ticket. THIS is the year to try!).

Another incentive: if you sign up BY24MARCH2009, we will offer you - not the farm - but a very special bonus: up to 10 pounds of cargo from Tahiti to Hawaii. If you have been to Tahiti and miss the soaps, oils, vanilla beans or extracts, pareo, music, liquor, shell leis, or ANY other goodies, we'll mule them up to Hawaii for you just before the start of this trip. If you have not been to Tahiti, but would like us to take some stuff back for you - just ask.

If you have been to Rapa Nui and are still thinking of that fish hook necklace or shirt or other small lightweight thing you wish you'd bought, we'll get it for you next month. It must be lightweight as we only get 40lbs checked-bag allowance on that particular routing...

To sign up for this Authentic Hawai'i week, please email us at:
cnsmork@gmail.com
or call the cell at 646.696.8386 (Hawaii time is 6 hours BEHIND New York/EST).

You may also leave a message at the office phone number 212.397.9792 but we may not get back to you until the next day, so email or cell is best.

E Komo Mai - in May!
Aloha nui,

Stephen & Camilla & The Adventure Travel Company

Hawaii - George the Gregarious Green Gecko (11MAR2009)

Howzit?

asks George the Gregarious Green Gecko while he helps himself to the rest of the Solo Papaya we enjoyed for breakfast this morning.


He hammed it up nicely for this video as well:



And here, the rest of this morning's photo shoot:


...and then George was done...and headed back home up along the sun-umbrella pole...


A hui hou (without a doubt!)
Kepani & Kamila

Hawaii - One Helluva Hale (11MAR3009)

Howzit?

Well, here it is moving day. When you move between houses, there is no front desk to dump off bags with while you wait for 'check-in', so it becomes somewhat of a 'wasted day. Out by 10AM and in by 3PM, plus the packing and other fun stuff - the second packing session for us in just 5 days - office machine, toilet paper, and all! But when you get this - at a last-minute recession sort-of bargain (still 30% more expensive per night than the Fire House, we might add) the move is certainly worth the effort:


Here are a couple of indoor images, followed by the 'House Tour' video:


And these photos don't do the place justice at all. The videos below do (#1 is everything but the jacuzzi area, #2 is just the jacuzzi area):





One Helluva Hale!
Kepani & Kamila

P.S. Hale means house in Hawaiian

Succulent S'mores and the Nicest Neighbors (10MAR2009)

Aloha,

we found a new home. Yay! Drove down and saw the outside last night (there are still people inside!). Also checked out the WiFi from the parking area outside of it - it rocks! We're moving down there tomorrow, so on this evening we invited our neighbors from House #1 (the one unaffected by the fire) to come over for dinner, 1. Because they had been so helpful over the past few days and, 2. Because we had some food that it would make no sense to move to the new house tomorrow. Here you see little Joey, Mandi, and Camilla 'Doin' S'mores on Da BBQ':



Little Joey was already slightly hyper before the smores part began because his little fingers had somehow navigated their way to the marshmellow bag (all by temselves) while the rest of us were still eating dinner outside on the lanai. After a minor case of reprimanding, Joey, too - as you can see here - had the opportunity to enoy a couple of succulent s'mores:


Some Ono S'mores, huh, Joey?
Kepani & Kamila

Hawaii - Gregarious Geckos (08MAR2009)

Aloha - and lookie lookie...


It has been a couple of days of of home owners who don't seem to comprehend the particulars surrounding the fire at their house Friday evening. We're now on air card over the weekend to test its viability as Steve's trading tool and my work tool. We have spoken to Time Warner (since the owners did not get off their own duffs) and learned it would be 27MAR2009 before ANY cable for internet (and thus wifi) could be installed - even if it were merely to be installed in House #1, which was completely unaffected by the situation Friday (it is on a separate power line). The owner is acting funny, coming up with newer and brighter ideas about how we can make do with the facilities for the rest of March (not comprehending, for example, that once the $30 air card for blackberry expires at 5GIG, it will cost $400 PER GIG thereafter!! Helloooo!!)
In other words we will be requesting a refund a little more firmly by sometime tomorrow. At the moment, we are therefore not snorkeling off some lovely beach somewhere but are mired in the task of suddenly having to find alternate housing for the entire remainder of March - and we're not exactly on a month-long hotel budget here, which exacerbates the challenge! Problem is, you normally get week #4 free on a monthly rental but at this point, we are just shy of a month until we leave this island so the scenario isn't the most favorable.

BUT, of course, diversion is important for soothing the nerves. Here is Franz doing his best. He lives in that there conch shell and comes out if something irresistible is happening - like nachos...or a telescope to look into!!




...and of course (s)he had to check out the nachos and condiments, licking the beer in passing....



Aloha from 'Da Little Green Monster',
Kepani & Kamila

Hawaii - Friday Night's Electrical Fire (06MAR2009)

Aloooha,

so we moved from the downstairs Ohana Studio to the upstairs Hale Apartment at 3PM this afternoon. Two hours later, as we're sitting in the sofa quietly typing away at our respective laptops...POOOF and a humongous blue flash shoots out from 'somewhere behind the TV'. Being from NYC, we first thought lightening had hit, but there was no thunder and aside from some rain, there really was no sign of foul weather. But we open the front door to check, because the POOOF also took with it a few light bulbs in the kitchen/living room area where we had been sitting. As we open the door, we see something resembling a fireball on the power pole out by the road, then we notice smoke emerging from the heavy tree (over)growth between the road and the house, and THEN we notice smoke billowing out from the grey plastic electrical box at the end of the house - OUR rental house!! Then 911!

It took three hours of fire department, electric company, cable guys, and fairly heavy rain (without rain coats as they were in hte house and the fire department told us to stay outside) before the power was off, the gutter and screen door were cleared from being potentially 'live', and an 'emergency temp job' had been placed on the house to allow power back in.

In summary, the overgrown trees had pulled out the 'neutral' from the power pole to the house, rendering the electrical current hot-in-the-house looking for an alternate return path. It chose the Time Warner Cable route, taking with it three of the house's 4 television sets (100% fried) and - unfortunately - the internet, as the house was on RoadRunner. Oh well!!
Fortunately, our $5000 worth of laptops were spared. They could have been fried too!!

Anyway, here are a few visuals should you be interested. We have two nice videos which we will put at the bottom of this post. Steve says it so well...

For the photo portion, let's start with the melted electrical box mounted to the back of hte house. Pretty, isn't it? Note the deformed plastic on top and on the side. Had we not been home at the time, god knows what the outcome might have been...ouch!!


See the blackened cable and melted plastic at the left edge of the photo above? Well, here is a close-up:


And here, a close-up what the electric company took an entire hour dismantling - the external cable. In other terminology: Here, you see 'the internet' cut into very many not-so-useful pieces:


Below, the offending tree (i.e. the MOST offending of a total of about 20 overgrown trees). As you can see, the offense seems to have begun several circumferential inches (a.k.a. tree rings) ago. And in case you are wondering, yes, this is considered 'property owner negligence'


And finally, the so-called 'emergency temp fix' that the electrical company's emergency crew spent one hour assembling in the pouring rain, sparks flying (close to hair and clothing!!). The poor guy - who was both caring and competent - got all the Friday Night (8-9PM) he could muster. ..


Here are the 2 videos depicting the situation - complete with Helco Generator sound effects:





Altogether, a different kine of 'meet the locals' Aloha Friday sort of adventure...

Pau Hana (no kidding!)
Kepani & Kamila

Hawaii - Office Work in Paradise (03MAR2009)

Aloha,

The Adventure Travel Company's 'Paperwork Reduction Act' in full swing:


Followed by yet another rental house and thus another rendition of the 'Virtual Office':


Pau Hana!
Kepani & Kamila

Hawaii - Wild Turkeys in Da Back Yard (02MAR2009)

Aloha,

they must have some HUGE Thanksgiving dinners out here in Hawaii:


And, how about some Turkey TV:



Onolicious!!
Kepani & Kamila

Hawaii - Kapa, Adzes, Rope, Lei-making, Shark Teeth...(28FFEB2009)

Aloha,

this was a Hawaiian Culture kine day. From Kapa to Kapu, Lei-making and all sorts of other crafts and skills.


We start with shark-toothed weapons:



Kapa cloth and dyes:



Hawaiian rain gear:



Fibers and rope-making:



Kalo (a.k.a. Taro):





Adzes (Stone tools):



And, finally, lei-making:






And more lei-making:



And that wraps up a perfectly fun and engaging Saturday afternoon.

Malama o ka 'aina,
Kepani & Kamila

Hawaii - Pulpy Paper and Pyre (a.k.a. Poor man's Shredder) (27FEB2009)

Aloha again,

so we arrive to the next house (have the downstairs Ohana studio for the first week or so, then moving upstairs to the upstairs Hale apartment) we discover that - in the packing frenzy earlier in the day - the bag with ice had unintentionally been stacked ON TOP OF a precious box of Camilla's office papers. Here you see the owner and her office drying out after the dripping wet contents of said box had painstakingly been disassembled:

But wait...there's MORE:


Meanwhile, as you can see, and ironically so, Kepani was busy exercising 'Good Riddance' on HIS paperwork on the backyard BBQ pyre (a.k.a. 'Poor Man's Shredder'):



And then it was time for a steak and some sweet potatoes!

Aloha,
Kepani & Kamila