Hawaiian airlines offers free flights to the mainland

by Katie Hammel on

Hawaii seems like a beautiful place to live – great coffee, awesome surf conditions, nearly perfect weather at all times. But, hundreds of miles out in the Pacific, I imagine it starts to feel a bit isolated, especially with the high cost of flights from the islands back to the mainland US. But for those Hawaiian islanders looking to get away to the rest of the US for a while, Hawaiian airlines, has a pretty great deal.

For every inter-island round trip flight you book on Hawaiian Airlines, you’ll get a discount on your flight from Hawaii to other destinations in the US. The discount starts at 10% (for one round trip flight) and goes all the way up to 100% (yep, a free flight!) after you’ve taken 10 round trip flights around the islands.

Inter-island flights began racking up points towards the discounts on August 3 and will continue through December 31, 2009. The discount can be applied towards flights booked for now through June 15, 2010.

The discount applies to flights to select cities in California, Oregon, Washington and Nevada.

Intrepid Travel saves the world with Urban Adventures charity connection

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Give and receive this holiday season. Instead of just booking your getaway, Intrepid Travel is upping the goodwill ante, donating 10 percent of all its new “Urban Adventures” sales to charity. This is a new collection of city-based experiences which is likely to appeal to a wide range — from backpackers to business travelers. If you have a long layover or even want to see your own city from a different perspective, this new program from Intrepid could be a good fit.

Ten percent of every sale made in December will be donated to The Intrepid Foundation, which supports 35 community projects around the world. And, Intrepid will match each of these donations fully, doubling the final amount that will be sent to the foundation.

Urban Adventures are not expensive. They start at around $15 and go up to around $144. So, there’s no reason not to check out this new experience, even if you are a local. This new experience was launched last month and is available in 26 locations around the world via 80 trips … with another 250 expected to be added by the middle of next year.

Tahitian truck treats: the finest fare in town

by Andrew Evans on

Long before “fusion” pulled its hit and run on the foodie fashion world, Tahiti was mixing foreign flavors into her own pot and getting goose bumps all over. Their verdict: Chinese plus French plus Polynesian equals a little bit weird and a whole lot of yummy.

Thankfully, this cross-cultural cuisine isn’t catering to the Condé Nast crowd since the very best Tahitian eats are served from the side of a truck. Come eventide in Papeete, “Les Roulottes” roll on down to the harbor and park themselves in several neat little rows on La Place Vaiete. Collapsible, stackable plastic tables and stools quickly turns every white, open-sided van into a late-night café that smells like grilled meat and melted sugar.

The mood is convivial, decadent, blithe. Hundreds and hundreds of people gather without anyone feeling crowded-packs of friends, families with young children, a few unassuming tourists-everyone chows down together in peace in the shadow of six-story private yachts. In a city with London prices, a full meal costs a lowly 1,500 Polynesian Francs-about $20 US.

Order what you will, but to be absolutely local, go with the giant plastic plates of steak frites. Parisian by birth, the Tahitian version comes as a cooked-to-order piece of beef the size of a laptop, heaped on top of pile of hot blonde fries. The giant glob of herbed garlic butter is an essential condiment, as is the bowl of spicy sweet hot barbecue sauce. Dig in after shouts of Tamaa Maitai (“Bon Appetit”) and then come back the following night to try the same with bona fide Roquefort sauce.For lighter fare, try the Polynesian poisson cru: raw pink tuna, chopped into cubes, marinated in coconut milk and lemon juice, then tossed with onion, carrot, peppers. Calling it Tahitian ceviche comes up short-this version is both light and meaty with sharp tangy flavors. The tuna sashimi is equally awesome-fresh, pink fish laid out like stained glass and served with a bowl of special sauce that could only be invented by Chinese people feeding Polynesians with a developed French palate. And… if you’ve still got room after all that, finish with one of the hundred-or-so variety of crepes (Nutella always guarantees the goods) or the local ice cream concoctions.

Tahitian truck cuisine is found across the vast spread of French Polynesia but probably varies a bit from island to island. My favorite find thus far was a Lo Mein sandwich-one half of a soft French baguette split down the middle and stuffed with chicken chow mein, cabbage, chopped noodles, and dribbled with soy sauce. That’s one small step for carb-loading and one giant leap for comfort food.

So, ignore all that CDC and State Department advice about not eating street food. This is France, so that veal turning on a spit out in the street is EU regulated and the raw fish is practically still swimming. Yes, Les Roulottes is all about feeding the masses out of trucks-but these masses are discerning…and French.

The part of Belize nobody sees: Five reasons not to miss the country’s other side

by Aaron Hotfelder on

The Caribbean coast of Belize is known the world over for its spectacular scuba diving and snorkeling. In addition to the 180-mile barrier reef just off the coast and the famous dive spot known as the Blue Hole, the Belizean coast features the backpacker paradise of Caye Caulker, the more upscale San Pedro, and the laid-back one-horse town of Hopkins in the south.

But there’s more to Belize than scuba diving, snorkeling, and catching rays on the beach. Belize, Central America’s only English-speaking country, also has plenty to offer in its often-overlooked western half, including waterfalls and caves that pepper the highlands, ancient Mayan ruins just begging to be explored, and even a pretty, backpacker-friendly town or two.

Here are five reasons you shouldn’t miss the Cayo District, which makes up most of Belize’s other side:

5. Big Rock Falls Located in the heart of the wonderful Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve, Big Rock Falls (pictured above) is a 150-foot waterfall surrounded by, you guessed it, some pretty big rocks. As nice as the waterfall is to look at, it’s exponentially more fun to climb up to the 35-foot-high perch next to the falls, work up your courage, and take the epic plunge. For the less adventurous, like, um, myself, swim hard against the current to reach the spot where the water comes crashing down on you. It feels like getting punched in the head over and over, but, you know, in a good way.

4. Xunantunich Reached by a ferry crossing about 7 miles west of San Ignacio, Xunantunich (shoo-nahn-too-nich) is the site of Belize’s most impressive Mayan ruins. Though Belize is not usually known for its ruins, Xunantunich stacks up against most other Central American ruins not named Tikal or Copán.

Dating from the as early as the Third Century, these ruins, especially the imposing El Castillo (pictured), are a great place to stop and explore on your way to Guatemala.

3. San Ignacio A town that serves as a jumping-off point for the four other places on this list, San Ignacio is a quiet, backpacker-friendly town that comes alive, just enough, at night. A welcome respite from chaotic Belize City, and a welcome jolt after the tiny, somnolent capital of Belmopan, San Ignacio is home to several affordable hostels and hotels, some imaginative restaurants, and the Mayan ruins of Cahal Pech. If you’re spending time in Western Belize to explore the highlands or on your way to Guatemala, San Ignacio makes a worthwhile stop for a few days or more.

The best way to explore Western Belize, incidentally, is by renting an SUV in San Ignacio. The cost is about $60 per day, and the rental agency is located at… well, just ask around– there’s only one.

2. Rio on Pools Small waterfalls flowing over massive granite rocks create dozens of natural waterslides at Rio on Pools. Located about 20 miles southeast of San Ignacio in the Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve, Rio on Pools is a great place to swim, slide, or just take in the natural beauty that surrounds you.

Side note: Swimming at Rio on Pools brought my girlfriend and I a special bonus– our first ever experience with leeches. A little gross, to be sure, but great for bringing you and that special someone closer together– there’s nothing like picking leeches off someone’s butt to create a unique and long-lasting bond.

1. Actun Tunichil Muknal Just because you can’t pronounce it doesn’t mean it’s not worth a visit. The cave system at Actun Tunichil Muknal (mercifully known as the ATM Cave) is reached only after an hour-long nature hike which includes three stream crossings. The hike is worth it, though, for the chance to see what the cave has to offer: ancient burial chambers which display Mayan artifacts and the calcified remains of the dead.

In order to preserve the site, only a few tour operators are allowed to offer tours to the ATM Cave. Though the tour (which is required) is not cheap at around US$75 for a full-day, the ATM Cave is an absolute can’t-miss.

There’s so much more to see and do in Western Belize than what I’ve listed above. If you’ve got a suggestion, question, or idea of your own about what to do in Belize’s lesser-known side, please leave it in the Comments.

Greyhound bus driver heads wrong way: Where’s a GPS when you need one?

by Jamie Rhein on

Greyhound bus drivers generally don’t make national news. Pilots who overshoot airports, however, end up having their story told over and over again on about every entertainment vehicle there is. How many places did you hear or read about the Northwest Airlines pilots who missed Minneapolis and didn’t figure out their mistake for 150 miles?

Now, how many of you heard about the Greyhound bus driver who headed the wrong way for more than an hour last week? Yep, last Saturday morning at about 7:14 a.m on October 31st, that’s exactly what happened–a bus driver went the wrong way for more than 70 miles.

Here’s an exclusive Gadling report that has yet to show up anywhere. Gadling knows because Gadling was there.

What started out to be a slam dunk from Cleveland’s bus station to Port Authority in Manhattan turned into a Twilight zone episode. For the band of riders who were heading to New York for a variety of reasons–like the R&B singer who was moving from Michigan to Manhattan to try to make a living, and the young man moving back to Hartford, Connecticut from Cincinnati, the bus was the cheapest travel option.

For this mother and her daughter, it was certainly the cheapest way for a last minute trip to NYC for a Halloween weekend that doubled as a 17th birthday present.

Each of us were initially thrilled to be on the spillover bus out of Cleveland. When there are too many passengers for one bus, another driver is called for a second bus. Riding on the second bus generally means more room.

When the second bus pulled out of the Cleveland terminal at 2:30 a.m. or so, the passengers, mostly with two seats to themselves, settled in for slumber. The bus’ interior lights were off creating an aura of cozy humanity as the bus headed to I-80 east for the trip straight to Manhattan. With the stop in Newark dropped because no one on the bus was going to Newark, this meant arriving ahead of the 11:15 a.m. schedule. Sweet!

At 6:55 a.m., the bus pulled into a truck stop near Milesburg, Pennsylvania. Most everyone got off in search of coffee and a toilet that didn’t move from side to side. Some huddled together for a quick smoke.

By 7:15 everyone was back on the bus, settling in for more shut eye as the sun began to rise. At 8:30 the dream come true ride ended.

The driver’s “Oh, my god! Oh, my god! I don’t believe this. We were almost there,” paired with her frustrated laughter–the kind of laughter one uses when there’s no other possible response because crying would be just too awful, woke up this Gadling rider. From the vantage point of three rows back from the driver on the right side of the bus, it was clear the driver was talking to herself.

Peering out the window looking to see what was up, the first thought was traffic caused by an accident. Nope. That wasn’t it. The highway was clear.

When the bus pulled off the highway, making a jog along a side road, the thought was another rest stop already?

Nope. That wasn’t it either. The driver swung the bus back onto the highway.

When an I-80 east sign appeared, so did a sinking feeling–and an urge to start moaning, “No, no, no!”

When the “Bellfonte 65 miles” (or so) sign appeared, it was clear what had happened. At Milesburg, the driver headed off on I-80 west instead of going east, thus driving back towards Cleveland. We had driven miles in the wrong direction past the State College turn off in the center of Pennsylvania where we had been before.

Unfortunately, it took the driver over an hour to figure out that she was heading away the wrong way.

We would not be arriving in New York City before 11:15. That’s when we’d be hitting the Poconos just in time for Saturday afternoon traffic.

The R&B singer’s friends who were at Port Authority to meet the bus called her wondering where she was after the first bus showed up on time. They told her that they had to go to work and would not be able to help her with her luggage after all.

By the time the bus pulled into Port Authority at 1:30, more than two hours behind schedule, five people felt steamed up enough to head to Greyhound customer service to complain. That meant filling out paperwork describing the event and leaving contact information.

For Gadling, the mistake meant two less hours in Manhattan. For others, it meant missed connections that ended up costing money and a travel headache they hadn’t counted on. The R&B singer had Greyhound comp her the price to store her luggage until she figured out how to get it to her new digs. When we left the customer service counter, the young guy was still trying to figure out how to get to Hartford and contact the people who were to meet him there. He was hoping Greyhound would put him on the train.

Greyhound customer service is going to let us know if they’ll be any ticket compensation once the incident is investigated. A voucher for future travel on Greyhound would be nice. You never know what kind of adventure you’re going to have when a bus pulls out of a station. I’m thinking about taking my son to Manhattan the middle of December to take in the holiday lights.

As for the ride back, the bus pulled into the Columbus, Ohio bus station right on time–7 a.m. on Monday morning.

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