Guest Author - Gordana Liddell

It’s always the same thing. Mention Hawaii to anyone and they get all dreamy-eyed either reflecting on their time there, or fantasizing about a time when they will get to go.

Ask someone planning their wedding and more often than not, one of their choices for a honeymoon destination is Hawaii.

Ask someone where their dream vacation would be and Hawaii always comes up as a favorite.

Ask someone where their favorite place is that they’ve traveled to and most assuredly Hawaii will come up on their list.

So what IS the big deal with Hawaii, anyway? Why is it such a popular place to visit? Why does everyone share this magical vision of these tiny little islands in the Pacific?

Well…leave it to me because I am going to try and explain it to you.

First of all, Hawaii is downright, no holds bared, simply and truly, amazingly and absolutely beautiful. Its islands were formed by volcanoes that violently and yet graciously arose from the sea, giving to us the foundation of a tropical Xanadu.

Vegetation began to spring up from the fertile volcanic soil and the surf crashed onto the shore creating the most glorious beaches in the world. They rimmed a palm-fringed and flowering-treed landscape with mountains and valleys and flowers beautiful enough to make you weep. And all the while the air that is scented with pikake and plumeria drifts in a dance, jettisoned by the trade winds, making the hot temperature just the perfect amount of cool.

Get it?
It’s just so pretty, it’s nuts.

The history of Hawaii fascinates people that visit, and it draws people who haven’t yet visited. The costumes and the dance are savage, sexy, poetic, raw, refined, historic, and, dare I say it again, beautiful.

The people of Hawaii, with their spirit of aloha, just give and give. They are a loving and generous people; they share their homes, their culture and their way of life. Tourists are so lucky to have this place to go to. One that has such a unique history and culture, yet it is perfectly safe for visitors, the politics are stable, and anyone is welcome to visit.

Hawaii is so far away.
From everybody.
Nobody lives close to Hawaii, yet people still make the journey. They keep going, and they will keep right on going.

I began writing this with the intention of trying to explain the magic of Hawaii. And while I tried, like a magician’s trick, I can not explain it.

It’s a lot about a feeling. You get a feeling deep down in your soul when you are in Hawaii that you just don’t get anywhere else. The feeling is something like a yearning. Even when you are there – you still yearn for it.

Don’t quite get what I am trying to say?
Go and find out.