Dear Hawaii, Happy 50th Birthday

Dear Hawaii, Happy 50th Birthday

By Tom Secrest

Almost everyone has heard about the attack on Pearl Harbor, the pivotal event that officially brought the United States into World War II. Roosevelt described it as “a date that will live in infamy.” If you ask most Americans what happened on December 8, 1941, if they know at all, they will say it was the day the Japan attacked the United States at Pearl Harbor on the Hawaiian island of Oahu.

What they may not know, in fact, I would guess most don't know, is that Hawaii was only admitted to the Union on August 21, 1959, almost 18 years after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Japan had not technically attacked the United States; they had attacked a naval base on a U.S territory, a territory since 1900. Hawaii belongs to a small, elite group of states (The Republic of Hawaii, the Republic of Vermont, the Republic of California and the Republic of Texas) that were independent republics before they became states.

In just a little more than a month, Hawaii will celebrate its 50th birthday as part of the United States of America.

Hawaii consists of several hundred islands, the best known of which, Oahu, is the home of its biggest city, Honolulu, and host of the famous naval base. The second best known island is Hawaii or the “Big Isle” a term which is often used to avoid confusion with the name of the state as a whole.

The biggest problem in visiting Hawaii is that it is literally in the middle of nowhere. Ideally your journey would start on a cruise ship in LA or San Diego. But realistically, it will start in LAX, Los Angeles Airport, or SFO, San Francisco Airport. To cover the 3800 km from the west coast will take about 5 hours. When you arrive you will be greeted by a true tropical paradise.

No doubt you can visit other, perhaps equally, beautiful tropical islands, but in Hawaii you will be able to drink the water and there is little risk of returning home with some life-long parasitic infection. For sun lovers, an average high temperature of 29 ºC (85 ºF) combined with a refreshing sea breeze, makes Hawaii exactly what the doctor ordered.

Most mornings start with a gentle shower; just enough to get things wet and keep everything an intense green, the description of which is beyond words. Afternoons bring widely scattered thunderstorms, which last an hour or so and then give way to cooler, less humid evenings. Evenings are a time to relax and enjoy the true hospitality of the islands. Every hotel has an open lobby that doubles as a tropical forest, complete with the sweet smell of flowers and the songs of tropical birds; and every restaurant offers Mi Ties, great food and a relaxing end to a busy day; perhaps a day of swimming with the turtles in Hunauma bay (don't forget the sun screen), a climb up Diamond Head, a visit to the Arizona Memorial, a fast walk over hardened lava that is still hot enough to melt your shoes, or a quick flight to the Big Isle to explore the snow capped peak (4200 m) of Mauna Kea.

So forget about destinations in Malaysia or any other places that require vaccinations, and indulge in the ultimate tropical experience; indulge in Hawaii. And if you hurry, which is generally frowned upon and widely discouraged in Hawaii, you can be there for Hawaii’s 50th birthday bash.

Glossary

* pivotal – klícový

* event – událost

* infamy – hanba

* I would guess – rekl bych

* naval base – námorní základna

* to consist of – sestávat z

* to avoid – vyhnout se

* literally – doslova

* cruise ship – výletní lod

* to greet – vítat, uvítat

* average – prumer, prumerný

* breeze – vánek

* scattered – roztroušený, rozptýlený

* thunderstorm – bourka

* turtle – želva

* to require – vyžadovat

* to indulge – doprát si, oddávat se, hovet si

* frowned – zamracený

* bash – oslava, mejdan