While I've been preparing for my own family visit to Hawaii next year at Christmas (you can join us, ask me how), I've been doing an awful lot of digging into some of the nuance and depth of what it means to really visit Hawaii.
Our plans include a cruise to get to know a few destinations throughout the islands, but there are overnight stops in Maui and Kauai to really explore the local areas. I already know we'll be back again in years to come, the place just looks too beautiful and our clients who've enjoyed a stay really rave about their experiences.
But while I enjoy lush greenery and any cuisine with a heavy Asian influence, my own understanding of Hawaiian culture has been rather spotty. Who doesn't have a kooky family friend from childhood with a grass-skirted hula girl on their car's dashboard?
It is all the more interesting then to learn how earlier civilizations overcame something as fundamental as storytelling where there wasn't a reliable source of paper or means to simply write things down!
Some Eurasian cultures had poetry, think of Ancient Greece or Persia, it's really interesting to think that a people's history could be shared through dance.
Have any tips for us while we continue our intense planning?