Maui Wowie

I love Oahu, and it is my favorite island, hands down. But I have to admit that Maui is pretty great, and my just be the runner up. Maui is the third most populous of the Hawaiian Islands, and is frequented by over two million tourists each year, mostly from the United States and Canada. The beaches on Maui are gorgeous, and you have your pick between white or black sand.

My favorite hotel on the island is the Grande Wailea, part of the Hilton chain. It is definitely on the expensive side, but for good reason. It is a luxury hotel, with gorgeous views, and a water park attached!
The Grande Wailea is a great family hotel, with something for everyone. Dad can hang out in the shade by the Hibiscus Pool(where kids aren't allowed), Mom can have a spa day, and the kids will be entertained for hours in the activity pool, complete with water slides, hot tubs, and even a water elevator!

Even though the Grande Wailea has everything you could need, for about a week, from shopping to restaurants to day-filling activites, don't take for granted the island of Maui. The half dozen, or so, concierges will be happy to help you enrich your stay on Maui with adventures unique to Maui and Hawaii. A few I might recomend are surfing lessons, zip lining, a visit to Haleakala, and a drive down the scenic Hana highway.

And if you're a Hawaii resident, don't forget to ask for the kama'aina rate, it really makes a difference.

AFRICA: it's the place to be

Thank you, World Cup! It seems that everyone seems to be talking about Africa. Whether it's friends pictures on Facebook, a credit card commercial, or an article in this week's Time Magazine, Africa is all the rage. I absolutely loved my vacation in southern Africa, but when I went it was still a below the radar.

While I was in South Africa they were already getting ready for the World Cup. All of the stadiums were under construction, and all of the logo gear was already on sale. You could already feel the excitement for the games, and it was more than 6 months away!

We only spent a day in Johannesburg, because it's really not the safest place. While we were there we had to take hotel cars, because taxis were unreliable. We ended up taking one from the Intercontinental (a hotel attached to the airport), where we were staying, to a very nice mall about half an hour away. We had some local cuisine, which was delicious!

Later, we went on to Cape Town, which is a beautiful city! We stayed at Cape Grace, which is a gorgeous hotel a few minutes walking from the wharf, where there is a mall and excellent shopping. We, as usual, spent a lot of time shopping. Between the mall with chain stores and boutiques and the open market lined with stalls that sold handmade items, I just couldn't get enough!

The Botanical Gardens are a great place for a picnic!

And table mountain is a must! You drive a bit up the mountain, to the cable car station, and take that all the way up.

There is a restaurant up there, which had a great menu with local and Westernized options.

If we had been there for longer I would have loved to take a car toward the peninsula to a beach where there are hoards of penguins! I just love those little guys, and apparently there are hundreds that just hang out at the beach. Another great thing I wish I hadn't missed was Robben Island. During World War II, this island was used as a prison, and now is devoted to a historical landmark and museum. Both of these adventures would have been a half to full day trip. If you have been lucky enough to visit, tell me all about it!

Miyajima

Miyajima is a small island off the coast Hiroshima, Japan. You have to take a ferry to get there, but it is relatively easy, and you can buy the tickets right before you get on. Miyajima Island is a perfect day trip from Hiroshima, and is definitely worth it. Just follow the path and crowds from the ferry station over to the shrine.

There are deer all over the island, just hanging out. They sell deer food, but be careful because they might try to snack on your bag or clothes, too! They are very tame, and used to human interaction, so you don't really need to be too weary of them.

The tori, gate, that is a famous symbol of the island usually appears to be out in the ocean.

But tourists flock toward the shrine when the receding tide reveals the sand.

Local Japanese will also come down to the beach when the tide goes out, and look for shellfish in the sand.

And while you're there you absolutely must tried their famous fried manju, which is a traditional Japanese treat filled with sweat bean paste. In the area with the shops, they have these sweets available in every few shops, so pick one that looks popular and dig in!

Love Beer?

Well, I do. During my time in Italy this summer I had a free weekend from class, so a few of us headed up to Brussels, Belgium. It was my first time in Belgium, and I am so glad I went. I would have to say it is now one of my top ten favorite cities in the world. Well if you make it over to Belgium, there is one bar that you must visit. It's call Delirium, and its symbol is a pink elephant.

The bar is not too far from the Grand Place, which is the center of the city, I would say a 3 to 5 minute walk. Its in what seems a bit like an alleyway, so be careful not to miss it when you pass by, because we almost did!

This bar has the largest collection of beer in the world, with a menu compiling over 2000 different kinds. I would have to say my favorite beer I tried was a cherry beer called Kriek. It isn't too sweet like many fruit beers are, but you can definitely taste the cherry.

Mosi Oa Tunya

Victoria Falls is one of the largest water falls in the world. It is located on the Zambezi river and marks the boundary between Zambia and Zimbabwe. The falls are astonishing, with 2.4 million gallons of water per second, surrounded by lush greenery. There is also immense power generated by these falls, and recently both Zambia and Zimbabwe have been harnessing some this power with the use of dams further down the Zambezi. We stayed on the Zambia side, in a town called Livingston. I would suggest staying on this side, especially if you go while Zimbabwe is still in political and economic turmoil. Anyway, we stayed at the Royal Livingston Hotel. It was a really nice hotel, beautiful and fun, but very expensive. There another hotel in the same gated area, next to the Royal Livingston, called the Zambezi Sun. (Don't be fooled when comparing the websites, the Royal Livingston is a nicer hotel in person.) The Sun is also a very nice hotel, but slightly cheaper.

After entering the front gate there is about half a mile of trees grass and roadways where African game, such as zebras, giraffes, and monkeys run free.

They also have a swimming pool that looks out over the Zambezi River, and a deck right on the water for drinks and snacks. You can actually see the mist coming up from the gorge from the hotel, it's pretty amazing.

Both cities in the vicinity of the falls, on the Zimbabwe and Zambia side, depend on Victoria Falls to survive and thrive. However, there is a lot to do to fill the time while you're there, more than you'd think. Of course you can just take a walk down the concrete path to see the falls, but that's definitely not the only way. For starters you can always get a day visa to view the falls from the other side. (This was the view we saw from the Zimbabwe side.)

If you have the chance to see the falls from the air, it is really an amazing thing to do. There are a few helicopter day trips, which you can find either online or through a hotel. We actually flew in on a 5 person private plane, and our pilot was nice enough to take the scenic route above and around the falls. The views from above are extraordinary, and from up there you can see much more of the winding Zambezi River, and you can see how expansive the gorge really is.

There are trails all around the area, some of which end with great views of the falls. Another intriguing thing to do was a guided tour to the edge of the falls, where the group sits in the pools at the top of the falls. Our family had thought about doing this one, but it seemed a little dangerous. If you are looking into it, I would ask guides about safety procedures. One of my favorite things that we did was go bungee jumping (which I wrote about in a previous post, so check it out!). There are safari opportunities not too far from town, even a Segway Safari. You can also ride elephants on the Zambia side, before the falls, or go rafting below.

If you want any souvenirs or gifts to bring home the Victoria Falls Market on the Zambia side is a great place to go. There are about 50 venders selling all sorts of hand made wooden pieces, stone, and other decorations. So make sure you bring some cash, but also some souvenirs from home! The vendors will actually trade items from other countries or useful things, like soap and pens. I was able to get a wooden bowl with a pair of old socks and a few hair pins. If you forget to bring things, you can always grab some extra shampoo or a sewing kit from the hotel and trade that. Be absolutely sure to negotiate. They jack up the prices expecting to bargain, or waiting for dumb tourists to buy things at escalated prices. It was quite a culture shock, but I had a lot of fun.

We only spent a couple of days in Livingston, but I really wish it had been more! There are so many things to do and see. The area is beautiful, and if you're lucky enough to go, don't take any of it for granted.

WiFi now Airborne

I recently flew on an American Airlines flight from Chicago to Laguardia, where I was surprised to see there was wifi on the flight. As I boarded, dreary from travel, I spotted a little sticker on the side of the plane that said wi-fi onboard. I had heard about this new addition to flights across the U.S., but this was my first opportunity to try it for myself. As soon as we reached cruising altitude, I opened my laptop and after charging $10 to my credit card, I was browsing the internet, with absolutely no delay. It really made the flight time feel like nothing.

Airlines that currently offer wifi (on some of their planes):

Alaskan Airlines

American Airlines

Delta Airlines

JetBlue

Northwest

Southwest

United Airlines

Virgin Airlines (they have wireless on all of their planes)

Here's hoping all airlines and airplanes are soon equipped with wireless internet soon!

Just take a second to adjust

I'm finally home after spending a few months in Italy, but on the way home I stopped in New York City. The time difference from Hawaii to Italy is 12 hours, and to New York it is 6 hours. So I have had to deal with some massive time differences and hours logged on the plane. I've found when you're adjusting to the time difference, there are two key things that help immensely. One, stay hydrated. Drink lots of water, this will also help you stay healthy while you travel. This will also help with the dehydration that usually comes with aircraft travel. And two, expose yourself to the sun. Your body will realize it is daytime and you're meant to be awake, and it will help you wake up.