Bringing Hawai'i Home: Keeping the Aloha Spirit Alive While the Pandemic Prevents Safe Travel
Bugra and I traveled to Hawai'i for the first time in February of 2019. An opportunity for a work trip came up through his employer, and we booked a brief four-day trip to Honolulu. From the moment we first flew over the island of O'ahu, we squirmed in our seats at the beauty we took in from the airplane window. It looked like something from a dream. The bright turquoise waters hugging the white sand beaches and lush coastline, the glimmering Honolulu city below towering moss-coloured cliffs … needless to say, the camera came out the second we flew below the cloud bank.
Over those first four days we took in as much as we could. We rented a convertible and drove around the East coastline to the North Shore. We happened upon Hanauma Bay and took in the underwater world through an hour of snorkeling. We hiked the ridge at Wiliwilinui, huffing and puffing up the rugged trail to the most gorgeous view of both the North and South sides of O'ahu. By the time we began our descent, we had already admitted to each other what we both had been harbouring over the past days: this place was a dream, and we needed to do everything we could to be here, as much as we could as long as we were welcome.
The opportunity for a work trip arose again in February of 2020, though this time we visited both Kaua’i and O'ahu. Even though we were both struck with the worst flu of our lives for almost the entire duration of our ten-day trip (fever, chills, difficulty breathing… could it have been?), we still loved every minute of it. We had in mind a longer trip to be set for October 2020, when we would visit Maui. Of course, the events that would unfold over the coming months made that trip impossible. While some keen travelers made the trip despite the pandemic, we wanted to make sure that we would not cause harm to others in visiting Hawai'i. It didn’t seem right to risk bringing the virus to a place that we loved and respected so deeply.
At this point, we are sketching out plans to visit Maui in October of 2021. In our country, it seems unlikely that we will receive our vaccinations until late summer, so October will likely be the earliest that we can travel and know it is safe.
In the meantime, we have endeavoured to bring Hawai'i home to us while we wait until we can next travel. Over the past ten months, the following are steps we have taken to keep the Aloha spirit alive in our tiny Vancouver apartment, longing for the day we can once again breathe that warm salty sea air, and feel the warmth of the Hawaiian way of life all away across the ocean.
Cooking Traditional Hawai'ian Foods
Some time ago we came across a Hawai'ian cookbook entitled “Aloha Kitchen”, written by Alana Kysar. The recipes and stories were collected by Alana as “a sun-kissed, salty-skinned and barefoot child growing up in Hawai’i”. While Alana is not Native Hawaiian, her geographic identity as a “hapa haole”, translating to a person of mixed heritage, means that her unique positionality brings an interesting perspective to Hawaiian cuisine.
We have followed along through her book and have made most of the recipes over the course of the pandemic. We have enjoyed particularly the family history that infuses many of the recipes, and distinct incorporation of the worldly influences that inspire her recipes: from (of course) Native Hawai'i, to China and Japan, to the UK and Portugal. I recommend trying out her cookbook. We find ourselves returning to her recipes for Mac Salad, Loco Moco, BBQ Chicken, and the ever-indulgent Double Chocolate Haupia Pie.
Filling Your Home with Hawai'ian Music
What can better get you in the Aloha spirit than the rhythms and songs from the Islands themselves? Over the course of the pandemic, we have made an effort to try out the different styles and traditions of Hawaiian music. From the reggae-esque Jawaiian beats, to the relaxed, vintage vibes of the Hawaiian Renaissance bands, to traditional folk music and the diverse more modern Hawaiian artists.
Bugra was recently gifted a set of vintage records entitled “Hawai'ian Paradise”, released in 1970. We have enjoyed filling our home with the relaxed vibrations of steel guitars and ukeleles.
Through our exploration we have learned that Hawai'ian music is diverse, and goes far beyond the stereotypical ukelele rifts normally associated with the genre. We hope to continue learning about Hawaiian musical traditions as we spend more time on the Islands.
Learning the Language
Particularly at the beginning of the pandemic, Bugra really got into learning the Hawaiian language. Using the DuoLingo app on his phone, Bugra has already conquered nearly half of the program.
He tells me that learning the language has opened his eyes to how traditional language-speakers relate to each other and their natural environment.
Of course, learning the language cannot be accomplished entirely through one mobile phone application. It will require jumping into the whole scene and observing the language in its alive state. At least through learning the basics, Bugra will have the tools to begin learning through organic, social exchanges once we can again return. I plan to begin my own learning journey in the new year, and plan to be open to observing and respecting the language as a carrier for an entire tradition, history and value system that is different from my own.
Research for Your Next Trip
We have been making a list of all the sites, sounds, and meals we want to experience when we return to Hawai'i. Whether it’s through reading books, watching shows and documentaries, listening to music, or browsing the web, we have accumulated a long list of intended destinations and experiences over the past months.
Our plan for our next trip will focus on taking in slowly, genuinely, on one of the Islands. At the risk of sounding like any other free-spirit jetsetter, we really hope to experience Hawai'i in the most honest way we can. In effort to do this, we have been taking recommendations from those who live there and already know the Islands in their own intimate way.
By watching vlogs and documentaries by those who live there, and have their own deep connections to the places we hope to visit, we have begun planning our next trip around their recommendations. We are honestly taking into account the stories behind certain places and the relationships each proprietor has grown with the communities around them.
One thing is for sure: when we return to Hawai'i, we want to be ready to take it all in and cherish our time there. We carry in our hearts the same realization that we first had on our descent from Wiliwilinui - that we are called to Hawai'i in some deep way that we likely still do not fully understand. If you too are called to the lands of Aloha, follow along on our blog and share in our community of Hawai'ian dreamers.