Airfare to Oahu

You want low air fare to Hawaii? Don't wait for the last minute. Make your plans well in advance. Another little trick: use the online discount sites like Travelocity and Expedia, but call the airlines directly themselves -- especially if you're not buying a package. Remember, those online sites have to make money, too. They charge a markup above and beyond what the airline is really selling that seat for. Try a little wheeling and dealing on your own, you just might save some money.

To ensure the cheapest airfares,always plan your trip so that your departure and return are both on weekdays -- Monday thru Thursday. Friday, Saturday and Sunday are the most expensive travel days so try to avoid them. Holiday flights are always more expensive.

Honolulu Airport (HNL)was not built to service the volume of traffic it receives, but even so they have a pretty smooth system. There are courtesy vans to and from a very large variety of services and destinations on the island. Each courtesy van has assigned "stops" that are very well marked outside the terminal. The city bus also services the airport, although large bags/suitcases are not allowed on board.

The airport is extensive, so there may be quite a walk between the arrivals gate, baggage claim and transportation. Wear comfortable shoes or make advance arrangements for assistance.

The University of Hawaii at Manoa

I went to the UH campus at Manoa as a tourist, so I can only tell you what I saw:

If chestnuts ....

Cultural Diversity: the campus is a mixing place. I saw a full palette of skin tones and heard a wide range of accents. In fact, I understand that the variety of language classes available on this campus exceeds all other public U.S. educational campuses. In addition, student apparel had more variety then most major department stores, and hair seemed to come in more colors then one finds in a crayon box.

. . . grow on Chestnut trees;

Architecture: like most campuses that have been around for awhile (UH@Manoa was founded in 1907) the buildings are a mix of old and new, but that is not the only difference in style. As is befitting such a diverse campus, the architecture of the buildings, plazas, gardens and statuary reflects the many cultures that converge here.

And olives . . .

Flora: there are no words that can describe the wonderful trees and plants growing on the Manoa campus. I ate a tangerine warm from the sun picked from a campus tree. I saw plants (including the Bird of Paradise above) with as great a diversity of nationality and color as the students. The heady fragrance of all the different blossoms had me running from one plant to another to sniff.

. . . grow on Olive Trees;

Fauna: birds and cats co-exist on the campus. Most of the birds are tame. Most of the cats are not. (The links provide eloquent descriptions of each.)

Then what grows on Money Trees?

Parking: there is none. Security guards man the entrances. They will be happy to sell you a $3.00 pass to the guest parking lot, but as a friend told me, "It is only a license to hunt, not the guarantee of a parking place." On the plus side, if you give up searching for a parking place in less then 15 minutes and leave the campus, they will give you your money back. However, if you should park even half-an-inch from a designated guest parking place, you will receive a $15.00 ticket. Btw, the guest parking lot will hold maybe 50 cars and it is FULL from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Ha! You wish! Not even in paradise.