Aloha! With the summer months creeping up, I decided to dig up some Honolulu videos from EarthTV.

When I hear “Hawaii,” images of coconut trees, straw skirts and food with pineapple slices on them come to mind. But lo and behold, instead of seeing hammocks strung on each end to a coconut tree … I see crowds of buildings, enveloped by the sea! (Each front is a beach front, Hawaii’s still an island, after all.)

That, to me, is just surreal. Having been brought up thinking that buildings, like the monsters of architecture that they are, only stood with nothing but other buildings surrounding them. Imagine chucking a paper airplane from atop one of the buildings in Hawaii — there’s a big, big possibility of that plane to land in the sea. (Imagine throwing a message in a bottle, even!)

Okole Maluna! (Cheers!) Honolulu, being the largest city, is also the capital of Hawaii. Forget the hula dancing — Honolulu is a modern city with the high-rise buildings and whatnot. It houses the Waikiki district, which serves as the state’s major tourism destination. The Waikiki beach, a reason for tourists to pack their bags and jump on planes attracts millions and millions of visitors each year. A good drop-off point for when you first arrive, hotels and shopping areas are everywhere. (Not to mention the nightlife, for when the sun sets and beach fun ends for the day.)

There’s also the Ala Moana Center, which is the largest open-air shopping center. It is a major hub for TheBus, twice honored as America’s Best Transit System, is Honolulu’s mass transit system.

Ono! (Oh-noh, the word for “delicious”) Pineapples are a trademark of Hawaiian cuisine, for obvious tropic reasons.

Much like any cuisine, the Hawaiian have their own unique dishes.

For some reason, the bane of everyone’s e-mail, Spam (the original one, the one from the Hormel company) is a much-loved foodstuff in Hawaii. They have something called “Spam Musubi,” which is a slice of sweet and salty marinated Spam tied to a rice cake with a strip of nori. (Their own brand of sushi.)

In as much as EarthTV can provide the videos of the beach, that’s nothing compared to tasting the salt in the water. Surfing, for example, has been noted to have been invented in Hawaii. Because of this, Hawaiian culture, myth and religion have been permanently tied with the sport.

Back in the day, the big kahuna (”Chief, Priest, sorcerer, magician, wizard, minister, expert in any profession.”) would demonstrate his authority by displaying skills in surfing.

Ohana! (O-ha-nah, the word for kinship, or, later on, the word that refers to anyone close, or someone you would treat as family.) The Hawaiians show values towards family much in the same way like other cultures. They show respect for their elders, are polite to one another, and value family above all else.

Hula! The grass skirts! The coconut bikinis! (Okay, so maybe none of the latter.) Hula dancing is a complex artform that shows love and respect for nature. It’s supposed to represent the movement of coconut trees. The soft-flowing ukulele gives hula dancing a relaxed, refreshed feeling when watching, but did you know that the origins of the dance has sacred roots? It is the chanting (mele) put into action.

Mahalo! (Muh-ha-low, the word for thanks, great appreciation) Thanks for taking this little virtual trip to Hawaii with me.

It’s 9 p.m., I just had dinner and ready to call it a day. But before I do that, I would want to check what’s happening across the globe. I tuned in to channel ANC and … it’s 3 p.m. in Austria and a group is ready to ski. In another part of the globe, in Mallorca, Spain I spy supplies are being loaded on yachts in preparation for an evening cruise.

It is indeed the world is now a true global village. I can peek at what other people are doing. This is courtesy of EarthTV. With over 60 cameras mounted in different locations, across six continents. It brings me to places of the world as they happen in real time.

I call it wholesome voyeurism coz’ the cameras are not static — they can rotate 360 degrees moving vertically and horizontally. It’s amazing, showing image of Sydney’s Opera House, then it will zoom out to provide a wider perspective of the whole harbor. It fascinates me as I watch a scene of Hong Kong’s spectacular harbor, followed by the gushing Niagara Falls.

It satisfies my curiosity about what is going on in the rest of the world. Making my world smaller and make the world a truly global village to travel at the luxury of my home.

If you’re not a lover of nature, you may stop reading this.

And for those nature lovers and nature wanderers, explore what nature brings to you the luxury of a tranquil and relax world. Witness the agape while communing with nature.

This is no way near serene. I love exploring wonderlands. The hills, the mountains, the seas, and even the underwater, the sparkling springs, and a long stretch of pristine beach are like a sprint to paradise.

That’s me!

For others this is almost unreal in a modern day world. But I still keep my faithfulness to nature and its laws. Almost three times a year, I see to it that I would have my island destination. Where there is a luxury link to a pristine without remaining primitive, convenient and comfortable without annoying commercial – a long stretch of beach.

I see to it that there is abundance of natural attractions on a small price of land lying of the coast. I usually go for a cheap but luxurious travel that is included in vacation package. In my last vacation, the island is about an hour drive around. This island has waterfalls, hot springs, cold springs, caves, Spanish galleon era relics, even volcanoes and a pool of soda water. Where we actually drink the water we swim in! Hahaha

I love the beach, farther out is a blinding strip of white sand above a gleaming turquoise sea. Below the water are reefs, one of which are canyon ridges that were formed from a past volcanic eruption. This is now laden with aquatic life that is celebrated as prime dive sites. With a ten-minute banca ride from the shore brings us to this impressive sandbar that bulges out of the open sea. As we are looking for a beach in this island, it leads us on this islet. This is a good focal point for travel or should I say exploring the island.

Inland, there are numerable sites that will keep a nature lover like me busy for days. The Falls is easily accessible and refreshing while therapeutic hot springs is located further on. Camping grounds surround the little steaming pool. Sadly to say, this is an island in stasis – modernization and progress is making its inevitable way in.

Still at the dive site, a pair of eel that stare curiously at the camera.

We happen to chat up with a fellow American, who happens to be a resident here. We were offered a dive, beer and pizza! There are even motorcycles for rent. I’m lucky enough to borrow a bicycle. The best way to explore the coastal road is on two wheels. Coz’ the rolling terrain cuts through tree lined villages, forest patches, seaside cliffs and breezy and elevated plains. Since arriving in this island I have ridden my borrowed bike around the island everyday.

We saw a rare Green Sea Turtle at the dive site, was so relaxed that it had to be waken up for this photo.

After almost travelling around the world, I don’t want to leave this island anymore. This is rare, perfect island, a paradise.