Hawaii – the Aloha State of the USA lies on the sea
Hawaii is the 50. State of the USA and is often called "Aloha State. Spelled correctly: Hawai'i. On the small islands, the northern tip of the Polynesian Triangle, live people of different cultures and therefore also different religions.
Hawai'i is a state in the USA
We notice that quite clearly. At least in Honolulu. Surely there are still some places that make our dream vacation with South Seas feeling come true just as we know it from television. However, it is a misconception that Hawaii belongs to the South Seas, because geographically the two regions are a long way apart from each other. Nevertheless the influences are clear. But on the Hawaiian Islands street names are almost not set in English at all. Many terms have been preserved. Aloha!
The currency on the islands is USD. Credit cards are accepted almost everywhere as a currency-independent means of travel payment. The remote location, after all the flights from the west coast of the USA take almost 6 hours, has a significant disadvantage for the travel budget. For the stay we have to plan a little bit more financially. Food is more expensive compared to the mainland USA. But the mobile network (internet and phone) is super well developed.
Honolulu itself is in no way inferior to other major cities. People about people, fast food chains and shopping centers. The whole thing is filled with cars, traffic jams, and colorful flashing lights galore. Oh yes … and skyscrapers! But all this with beautiful background scenery: the Diamond crater remains deeply in our memory even after the trip.
Arrival to Hawaii and time difference
There are no direct flights from Germany, the time difference between Germany and Hawaii is 12 hours. In summer! Just like in Arizona, people in Hawaii have decided: "We don't set clocks back and forth!"
It's funny, because when we get to 23 in the evening, it's like we're in the middle of nowhere.00 o'clock go to bed, we can write a "good night message" like this: "Dear Mom, I'm going to sleep now and I'm not dressed warmly. Enjoy your lunch. Greetings from yesterday."
Flights to Hawaii require a stopover on the U.S. mainland. There are cheap direct flights from Germany to San Francisco or Los Angeles and Seattle. From both Seattle and San Francisco, connecting flights to Hawai'i are usually the cheapest. From San Diego relatively cheap flights to Maui are offered. This would be a good stop on a round trip through the southwest of the USA. This also makes sense, because we can better cope with the big time difference to Germany, if we choose smaller "stages" of the changeover. And let's be honest: the sunset in Hawaii is unique!
Modern communication technology in Hawaii
Already crazy. Hawai'i is so well connected that news of the "other day" arrives immediately. By the way, we already ordered US sim cards before we left. These were activated at the specified time and saved us from high roaming charges. In Hawai'i, the usual US cards work. A special SIM is not required.
Driving in Hawaii
The traffic rules in Hawaii are of course the same as in the rest of the USA. These are comparable with the German traffic rules. However, there are not many highways on the small islands. Only on O'ahu there is a short piece of.
Hawaii – Island Maui
After Big Island, Maui is the second largest of the Hawai'i Islands. The Polynesian island is very varied with two mountain ranges: rainforest, waterfalls and desert of lava rock around the Haleakala Crater.
The crater itself is a mountain range, the other one is formed by the West Maui Mountains.
Hawai'i – Island of Oahu
On the island of Oahu there are approx. 900.000 people and two mountain ranges. But what would Hawai'i be without the many beaches in a small space?
Sandy Beach, Waikiki Beach, Makapuu Beach are well-known representatives. Surfing is a sport that is best enjoyed in Hawai'i from November through February. There are the biggest waves.