Hawaii Vacation Gifts by Double Brush-Hawaiian Gifts & Blog

Do You Believe in Ghosts or Hawaiian Superstitions?

Do you believe in ghosts, unexplainable events, or Hawaiian superstitions? I was born and raised in Hawaii and have heard so many Hawaii spooky stories--some first hand accounts from people that I know and respect, that I am a believer. I mean, why take any chances? Like many people in Hawaii, I have my own religion, but I also respect Hawaiian beliefs.

When I lived on Oahu it got easier to not be afraid because I lived in Honolulu with a constantly growing amount of people, street lights, and houses close to each other so you had neighbors all around you--safety in numbers. When I moved to the Big Island all of that changed!

We live in a rural area in the middle of a rainforest with only tress and birds--and the occasional wild pig--for neighbors. At night it gets super, super dark (unless there is a full moon) and we can see the glow from the current lava flow so we are constantly reminded that Madame Pele lives near us.

When we built our house, we had Reverend Komoku, a Hawaiian Christian man come to bless our house. He said a Christian prayer and Hawaiian prayer complete with holy water from a special koa calabash and ti leaf.

On Oahu, there are tours offered where a guide will take you to some of the most haunted Hawaii places on the island.

Oahu Ghost Tours is a popular attraction with 3 popular tours: Honolulu City Haunts night walking tour, Orbs of Oahu night driving tour, and Sacred Spirits day driving tour.

On our tours, guests are taken to some of the most haunted places on O'ahu, if not in all of the islands. Oahu Ghost Tours® will take you close-up and allow you to witness firsthand these very unique places...from the much feared Night Marchers, to the places where sacrifices were made to ancient gods and goddesses of Hawai'i, and to the more modern haunts, like those of old hospitals that housed sick children during World War II...from orbs, to extreme and instant temperature changes, to anomalies that seem to have no source. Many of these places are history by day, and haunts by night! Our guides are some of the most experienced and are experts on telling the stories of these spooky places. All stories are true, and all sites are real. Historical and ancestral information is used, as well as eye witness accounts. Hawaiian ghost tours are not like the typical ghost tours you may be familiar with on the mainland or in other locations around the world. As Hawaiians have their own way of dealing with the supernatural, you may see and witness several ceremonial events at the places visited. All of these events are important to the Hawaiian and their personal beliefs. Please be respectful of these. Also, some of the sites visited may not have a particular story behind the actual haunt. The location may be just a reputed hotspot where paranormal activity is extremely high and ghosts have made it their home for a reason that cannot be explained.

Call toll free 1-877-597-REAL(7325) or on Oahu call 524-4944 to make reservations. You can also book online.

Save 15 percent off the ticket prices for up to 4 people by purchasing an
A3H Gold Card! The Activity and Attractions Association of Hawaii Gold Card cost only $30.00 and will save you tons of money on many activities, attractions, shopping, and dining.

Every Climate in the World is Located in Big Island Hawaii

The Big Island of Hawaii has every climate condition in the world as classified by the Koppen classification system of climates. The five main climate classifications are: tropical rainforest, arid and semi-arid, temperate zone, periglacial, and snow.

Actually, Hawaii is considered to have only four out of the five climate classifications because although there is seasonal snow on the mountain peaks of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa volcanoes, the Koppen system places the mountain peaks in the periglacial zone.

The reasons for the diversity in climate on Hawaii Island is its enormous size coupled with the heating and cooling of the land up and down the mountain. This creates mini-climates that multiply the climate diversity.

The mountains of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa provide an immense diversity of topography, temperature, and vegetation. The tradewinds predominantly come from the northeast and hit these two large volcanoes which produce even more unique climates.

Where else but the Big Island of Hawaii can you wade under a tropical waterfall, drive up a volcano and play in the snow, drive through a lava desert, and sunbathe on a sandy beach--ALL in one day?

The Rainiest City in the US is Hilo Hawaii

Living in Hawaii, the fiftieth state of the United States, we also grew up hearing that the rainiest city in the US is Seattle Washington. However, even in you were only counting the continental US or mainland states, Seattle still ranks behind a lot of other cities in terms of annual rainfall totals. Chicago, Houston, New York City, Miami and other cities receive more rain than Seattle's 37 inches.

The reason Seattle got the reputation as the rainiest capital is:

...because while it indeed rains a lot here, it doesn't rain very heavily. It could rain all day here, and we'll pick up maybe 0.10" of rain. Meanwhile, a 20 minute thunderstorm in Miami could drop 0.75" of rain.

KomoTV.com Seattle, Washington

And now we come back to Hilo, Hawaii, on the Big Island. According to RSS Weather, where you can look up and search any USA weather by city, state, or zip code, Hilo receives over 126 inches of rain per year!

Where we live in Keaau on the Big Island of Hawaii we receive even more rain than Hilo--much, much more. 120-200 inches of annual rainfall!!

How rainy is it where you live?

It was a Very Pleasurable Experience Ordering From You

Once again I am honored to share the letters I received from my wonderful customers. You can purchase the products they did at our original Hawaiian gift site or new Hawaii gift site.

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Dear Cheryl,

I received my order yesterday and the sushi candles look good enough to eat. Thank you for the gift earrings and I love the Live Aloha bumper sticker.

It was a very pleasurable experience ordering from you. What a nice feeling in this day and age to do business with someone who feels like a close friend.

Thank you, and ALOHA,

Janet N.

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I absolutely loved your sushi candles!!! They were a hit with my daughter also!!!! I will be visiting your site again soon.

Connie

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Cheryl,

Just wanted to thank you for sending the sushi candle order so quickly which I received today. I am really impressed with the service and quality of craftsmanship of the candles.

Thanks again,

Janet Mori

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Read more testimonies from people pleased with our Hawaiian gift products and Hawaiian style service.

Hawaiian Papaya Fruit Coulis Recipe

When I first read about Mango Coulis in a Hawaiian recipe book, I thought it could easily be substituted with Hawaiian Papaya, but first I needed to find out what is coulis?

A coulis (pron: coo-lee') (French, from Old French couleis, from Vulgar Latin cōlāticus, from Latin cōlātus, past participle of cōlāre, to strain) is a form of thick sauce made from puréed and strained vegetables or fruits. A vegetable coulis is commonly used on meat and vegetable dishes, and it can also be used as a base for soups or other sauces. Fruit coulises are most often used on desserts. Raspberry coulis, for example, is especially popular with poached apples.

Wikipedia

Hawaiian Papaya Fruit Coulis Recipe

1 flesh from ripe Hawaiian Papaya
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro

Puree the Hawaiian Papaya in a food processor or blender. In a small saucepan, combine the papaya puree, white vinegar, and sugar. Cook for 5 minutes on medium heat stirring occasionally. Sir in the cilantro.

This Hawaiian Papaya Coulis goes great with any kind of fish dish, but try it with your other meat or vegetarian dishes also.

We can ship healthy, delicious, fresh Papayas From Hawaii to anywhere in the United States!
Enjoy our Rainbow Solo papayas from the Big Island, shipped direct to your address on the Mainland.

Click here for more papaya recipes and papaya information from Hawaii.

Hawaii Sweepstakes Sunday 10-28-07

Imagine watching the Pro Bowl football game in Hawaii; now take a chance and enter to win the Sears Football Sweepstakes. You can enter every day from now till November 17, 2007 for your chance to win a trip for two to the Pro Bowl in Hawaii!

One (1) Grand Prize: A 4-day/4-night trip for two (2) to Honolulu, Hawaii on February 8-11, 2008 and two (2) tickets to the 2008 NFL Pro Bowl on Sunday, February 10. Trip consists of round trip coach class air transportation for two (2) from major airport nearest winner’s residence, hotel accommodations (one room, based on double occupancy), round-trip group transfers to and from the Honolulu airport to the hotel, round-trip group transfers from the hotel to Aloha Stadium on game day, and commemorative welcome gift. Approximate Retail Value (ARV): $4,070.00. Actual retail value may vary depending upon winner’s residence and fares at time of departure. If Grand Prize winner is from the island of Oahu in Hawaii, prize will consist of 4-day/4 night hotel stay for (2) in Honolulu, two (2) tickets to the 2008 NFL Pro Bowl, commemorative welcome gift, and round-trip group transfers from the hotel to Aloha Stadium.

Don't miss any of our Sunday weekly updates on new Hawaii Sweepstakes contest drawings. Subscribe to our blog by RSS feed or email. See our current Hawaiian Sweepstakes listings.

Honolulu Bloggers Rank #6, What About Your City?

When it comes to people who read or contribute to blogs, Honolulu, Hawaii ranks as one of the top six blogging metropolitan areas (out of 79) in the United States. This is according to a new survey by Scarborough Research, a firm that studies shopping, media and demographics.

The blogging city survey showed that 12 percent of Honolulu adults have read a blog or contributed to a blog in the past 30 days.

Austin, Texas, was the number 1 blogging city with 15 percent, followed by Portland, Oregon at 14 percent. Seattle/Tacoma Washington and the San Francisco/Oakland/San Jose California area each had 13 percent.

"Not surprisingly, the cities that rank highly for bloggers are also prominent Internet-usage markets. Austin and San Francisco adults, for example, are more likely than the average to have a broadband connection at home," said Gary Meo, a senior vice president, in a news release.

Bloggers in Honolulu ranked higher than other metropolitan areas such as Dallas, Washington, Atlanta, Boston and Los Angeles. The national average was 8 percent.

The lowest-ranked blogging cities were Pittsburgh and Buffalo at 2 percent.

Whether or not you find your city on this list, do you think your city blogs a lot?

Scarborough Local Market Analysis: Top Local Markets for Bloggers

Designated Market Area (R) %Percentage

Austin, TX 15
Portland, OR 14
San Francisco/Oakland/San Jose, CA 13
Seattle/Tacoma, WA 13
Honolulu, HI 12
San Diego, CA 12
Dallas/Fort Worth, TX 11
Columbus, OH 11
Nashville, TN 11
Colorado Springs/Pueblo, CO 11
Washington, D.C. 11
Atlanta, GA 10
New York, NY 10
Boston, MA 9
Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN 9
Los Angeles, CA 9
Syracuse, NY 9
Detroit, MI 9
Philadelphia, PA 9
Indianapolis, IN 9
Albuquerque/Santa Fe, NM 9
Rochester, NY 9
Oklahoma City, OK 9
Albany/Schenectady/Troy, NY 9
Houston, TX 9
Richmond/Petersburg, VA 9
Chicago, IL 9
Harrisburg/Lancaster/Lebanon/York, PA 9
Providence/New Bedford, RI 8
Raleigh/Durham, NC 8
Bakersfield, CA 8
Kansas City, MO 8
Des Moines/Ames, IA 8
Orlando/Daytona Beach/Melbourne, FL 8
Salt Lake City, UT 8
Phoenix, AZ 8
Tulsa, OK 8
Baltimore, MD 8
Greenville/Spartanburg/Asheville/ Anderson, SC 8
Denver , CO 8
Hartford/New Haven, CT 8
Memphis, TN 8
Grand Rapids/Kalamazoo/Battle Creek, MI 8
Louisville, KY 8
Lexington, KY 7
Greensboro/High Point/Winston-Salem,NC 7
Sacramento/Stockton/Modesto, CA 7
San Antonio, TX 7
Milwaukee, WI 7
Spokane, WA 7
Fort Myers/Naples, FL 7
Toledo, OH 7
Tucson, AZ 7
Green Bay/Appleton, WI 7
Dayton, OH 6
Las Vegas, NV 6
Jacksonville, FL 6
Wichita/Hutchinson, KS 6
Mobile/Pensacola, FL 6
Norfolk/Portsmouth/Newport News, VA 6
Little Rock/Pine Bluff, AK 6
Tampa/St.Petersburg, FL 6
Cincinnati, OH 6
Miami/Ft.Lauderdale, FL 6
Charleston/Huntington, WV 6
Chattanooga, TN 6
El Paso, TX 6
Flint/Saginaw/Bay City, MI 6
Knoxville, TN 6
St. Louis, MO 6
Birmingham, AL 5
Charlotte, NC 5
West Palm Beach/Fort Pierce, FL 5
Fresno/Visalia, CA 5
Cleveland/Akron, OH 5
Roanoke/Lynchburg, VA 4
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, PA 4
Buffalo, NY 2
Pittsburgh, PA 2

As a Traveler, Do You Practice Omiyage?

When you travel, do you practice Omiyage, or the Art of Gifting? Omiyage is a Japanese tradition where people who travel on a trip--which can be for business, pleasure or both--bring back a little gift or souvenir for their friends, family, and sometimes neighbors and co-workers.

The Omiyage custom is very strong in Hawaii and is practiced by many people, not just those of Japanese ancestry. I mean, who doesn't likes to give and receive presents?

Omiyage does not have to be expensive, it is the thought that counts. Bring back a little gift for the neighbor watering your plants, the friend taking you to and picking you up from the airport, the colleagues covering the extra work load while you were gone...

With local people, visiting a neighbor island also counts as a trip worthy of bringing back omiyage, usually a unique specialty food item that the island is famous for.

When friends and family visit us on the Big Island of Hawaii, the two must have omiyage places we stop at are Big Island Candies, and Two Ladies Kitchen--famous for their beautiful and fresh mochi, a sweet Japanese confection. Another attraction is going to the Hilo Farmer's Market and buying tropical flowers. The majority of beautiful anthuriums, orchids, and other exotic Hawaiian flowers are grown on the rainy Hilo side of the Big Island, and are cheaper than buying them in a Honolulu flower shop.

To save time and have less hassle and stress, we have had people from the mainland visiting Hawaii, order our unique Hawaiian gifts and have us ship it to their home address. That way they don't have to fill their suitcases and carry ons with gifts that they may not have room for. One organized customer ordered everything before her trip to Hawaii, and timed it for delivery when they got back home. Another customer ordered from us because she did not buy enough Hawaiian omiyage gifts when she was in Hawaii!

If you need Hawaii omiyage gifts such as Kona coffee, macadamia nuts, Hawaiian candies, Hawaiian tropical flowers, Hawaiian scented candles, soaps and more, please visit our Hawaiian Gifts online store.

What is your favorite omiyage gift to give and receive, and where does it come from?

UH Quarterback Colt Brennan Makes Hawaii Proud

The excitement is building in Hawaii as the University of Hawaii's football team remains undefeated. With 7 wins and zero losses, the Hawaii fans are excited to see the warriors in action this Saturday, October 27 for the Homecoming game against the New Mexico State Aggies.

The UH football team, the Rainbow Warriors is currently ranked number 14, due to a great cohesive team and a talented quarterback--
Colt Brennan. Besides being a gifted athlete, Colt Brennan is an amazing person having admitted to mistakes in his past, and moving on to become a hero to many.

A recent article Colt Brennan, local hero puts it this way. Colt is always in the limelight but manages to deflect it back on his teammates. He chose ohana (family) over money by choosing to finish his senior year at UH instead of making millions of dollars playing for the NFL. He took three semesters of Samoan to talk with his lineman, he got dreadlocks to bond with his receivers and he got the Hawaiian Islands dyed into his hair.

Click here for the University of Hawaii Football Schedule and online ticket sales.

See related posts:
UH Rainbow Warrior Fever Highest Ever in Hawaii--where to buy UH 2007 WAC Champions T shirt and UH Apparel.

UH Hawaii New 2007 WAC Champions!

Name the Five Volcanoes that Form the Big Island

Can you name the 5 volcanoes that form the Big Island of Hawaii? If you said Kilauea volcano, Mauna Kea volcano, Mauna Loa volcano, Kohala volcano and Hualalai volcano--give yourself a pat on the back.

The island of Hawaii is built from five separate shield volcanoes that erupted almost sequentially with one overlapping the other. The following Hawaii volcanoes are from the youngest--very active, to the oldest--extinct.

Kilauea is the world's most active volcano and located in the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. It has been erupting since 1983, and has made new land and destroyed old land at the same time.

Mauna Loa meaning Long Mountain in Hawaiian, is the largest volcano on earth! It is an active volcano with its last eruption occurring in 1984.

Hualalai is a dormant volcano with its highest peak at 8,271 feet above sea level. The last eruption was in 1801 but Hualalai is considered a potentially dangerous volcano that is likely to erupt again sometime in the next 100 years.

Mauna Kea the Hawaiian name meaning White Mountain because of its snow capped peaks during the winter, is the highest mountain in the world when measured from its ocean base to summit, and stands 13,796 feet above sea level and rises 33,000 feet from the ocean floor. It is a dormant volcano.

Kohala is an extinct volcano, thank goodness!

There is a sixth volcano nearby that is named Loihi. It is located fifteen miles off the southeast coast of the Big Island 3,000 feet beneath the Pacific Ocean. Someday, thousands of years from now, Loihi will emerge to form a new island.

We live on the Big Island in the Puna district and have recently observed the glow at night from the newest Kilauea lava flow.