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.

I Want to Thank You for Your Fine Service

For today's Testimonial Tuesday post, I am only posting one testimony because it is kinda long. To all of my customers, please keep your emails and letters coming to let me know how I am doing. It feels good to know that when you are trying your best but you're not sure if it is good enough, people take the time to tell you that you are doing a great job and that they appreciate it.

Please visit our site with Hawaiian gifts, Hawaiian gift baskets, Hawaiian flowers and Hawaiian leis, to see what people are so happy about:)

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Cheryl,

I wanted to let you know I received the sushi candles (and lovely earrings surprise gift!) and want to thank you for your fine service! The candles are great and yes, when I looked at your competitor's sushi candles in that gift catalog again, I could see that their candles were definitely not of the same quality.

I also wanted to let you know how I was using your gift in case there was any marketing opportunity in my idea. I have a brother who lives in Conn. His family is difficult to shop for so I asked my niece to recommend a nice restaurant that they all enjoy. It turns out it is a Japanese restaurant (Ichiban's). I know my nephew (once a peanut butter and jelly kid) now enjoys eating this kind of food (thank goodness!) so I got the family a gift certificate. I hate just doing certificates though, without a little something extra, so that's why I wanted the sushi candles to go with it.

Seems to me that if you could get restaurants to display your candles and just provide the web address or a few business cards, that it would be a great promotional gimmick. Even our local grocery store in Hershey Penn. now has a sushi counter that is quite good. They are VERY popular and when I picked up some California rolls last week I thought, "boy, wouldn't it be neat if a few packages of Cheryl's candles were available here?"

You probably have already thought of all of these ideas, but I thought I would just pass them along. Thank you again for restoring my faith in the entrepreneurial endeavor. I have shared the story of our e-relationship with many of my friends and they are envious.

Sue N.

How to Plant and Grow a Hawaiian Papaya Tree

Planting and growing your own Hawaiian Papaya tree is fun, easy, educational and hopefully you will end up with delicious papaya fruit as well. The next time you buy a papaya from your market, save a few seeds to plant, and the rest of the seeds for papaya seed dressing, marinade or spice.

If you are unable to obtain papayas in your area, you can order Hawaiian Papaya Rainbow Solo Variety direct from Hawaii for shipment to the mainland USA. We guarantee that you will receive the most delicious fresh papaya fruits and a tree will grow from the seeds. However, I can't promise the fruit will reach full maturity--that takes a male and a female tree or a tree that has both sexes.

To grow a Papaya tree from seed, this family grew a papaya tree in a pot in their house--just like an extra large houseplant. See their directions on how they did it, including photographs documenting it every step of the way.

If you live in Hawaii or other hot temperature region, read this great article for directions on planting a papaya tree in your yard.

Hawaii Sweepstakes Sunday 10-21-07

It is Hawaii Sweepstakes Sunday time again! This week's Free trip to Hawaii contest is from Air to Hawaii.

Wiki, wiki meaning hurry, hurry! This Hawaii contest will end this month on October 31, 2007
Limit of one entry per person.

Air To Hawaii Sweepstakes Giveaway

The Winning Hawaii Prize Package Includes:

2 Roundtrip air tickets from the West Coast USA
2 Night stay at any OHANA Hotel in Waikiki
3 day Car rental of a Sebring Convertible from Dollar-Rent-A-Car.

For the best up to date Hawaii Sweepstakes, Hawaii drawings, Hawaii contests, and win a free trip to Hawaii giveaways, check out our Hawaii Sweepstakes category.

Don't miss out finding out about the next Hawaiian sweepstakes. Subscribe to our blog via RSS feed or by email.

Mahalo to Sheila at Go Visit Hawaii for sharing this Hawaii contest link with our readers.

Free Maui Travel Vacation Planner Mailed to You!

If you are planning or dreaming about a Hawaii vacation to the beautiful island of Maui (recently voted the best island in the Pacific), surf on over to Visit Maui for a free Maui travel vacation planner.

It is full of beautiful color photographs of Maui, along with lots of information on resorts, hotels, condo, and vacation rentals. There is also a comprehensive listing of activities, dining, shopping, and much more.

You can request a free Maui vacation travel planner online or use their toll free phone number listed on the site. Although all of this information is also on their "Visit Maui" site, it is nice to have a physical publication that you can hold and curl up with over a nice cup of Kona coffee.

You can trust this organization and the information it contains because it is from the official visitors site for Maui County (Lanai, Maui, Molokai), which is part of the Hawaii Visitors Bureau.

View and Share Travel Videos from around the World

Are you interested in viewing travel videos from other travelers across the globe?

At Travelistic videos for travelers you can explore more than 5000 travel videos from around the world. You also can share the travel videos with your friends or upload your own.

It is a very user friendly site with a clickable map of the world on the home page, and how many videos are from each country. The most travel videos are from the United States with 1565 videos, followed by Europe 929 videos, Asia 740 videos, Canada 272 videos, and other places have a less amount of videos. There is also a search feature.

Currently there are only 44 videos about Hawaii which is surprising considering that over 7 million tourist visit Hawaii annually!

You can view these places in Hawaii:

Haleiwa (1 video)
Hana (2 videos)
Hilo (1 video)
Honokaa (1 video)
Honolulu (23 videos)
Kailua (6 videos)
Kailua in Hawaii County (2 videos)
Kapaa (1 video)
Lahaina (5 videos)
Naalehu (1 video)
Poipu (1 video)

The Complete Story on Hawaiian Lei Etiquette

Remember when you were a child and you had to learn the elements of a newspaper story? You had to be sure a complete story included the 5 "W"s--who, what, where, when, why. (It also really helps when I am taking an order over the phone!) Anyway, I thought it would be fun to do a post this way on the etiquette of giving and receiving leis in Hawaii.

As you read the following on lei etiquette, you will see that there really are no hard and fast rules when it comes to leis in Hawaii!

Who can wear a Hawaiian lei?

Anyone.*

What kind of Hawaiian lei can you wear?

Any kind.

Where can you wear a Hawaiian lei?

Anywhere.

When can you wear a Hawaiian lei?

Anytime.

Why do people wear Hawaiian leis?

Any reason.

*When giving lei for a pregnant woman, make sure to give an open ended lei.

*Don't give a "hala" lei to a politician as the hala fruit represents the coming of the end and a time to move on to new things.

Read more about Hawaiian Leis, and don't forget to visit us if you need a Hawaiian lei anytime for any occasion!

Maui Voted the Best Island in the Pacific

If you heard of the saying "Maui no ka oi" meaning Maui is the best, it is because many people feel that it is true.

More than 28,000 people voted this year in the Conde Nast Traveler magazine reader's choice awards, and chose Maui as the top island in the Pacific, followed by Kauai ( both in Hawaii), and the Great Barrier Reef Islands in Australia placed third.

The magazine announced the awards in its November issue, available Oct. 25 on newsstands. The 20th annual Readers' Choice Awards are gleaned from what the editors describe as "the largest independent poll of consumers' preferences, the Readers' Choice Survey, second in size only to the U.S. Census."

Along with many other destinations in the Pacific Rim, Hawaii's popularity has increased over the years and now merits its own "Hawaiian Resorts" category.

The top three spots in the Hawaiian Resorts category went to Four Seasons properties: Four Seasons Maui at Wailea, Four Seasons Resort Hualalai, Big Island, and the Four Seasons Lanai at Koele, Lana'i.

If you have been to Maui before, please share with other readers via a comment, on what makes Maui the best to you.

Your Company is Truly the Most Personal Shopping Experience

For all of our past and current customers of Big Island Hawaiian Gifts, and Hawaii Vacation Gifts by Double Brush, please keep your letters coming in. We love receiving your heartfelt notes of appreciation for the Hawaiian products and the personalized service that we offer.

For people reading this who haven't ordered from us, please keep us in mind for next time you need an authentic Hawaiian Gift from Hawaii.

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Your company is truly the most personal shopping experience and I am always telling people about you. I wish I had more money because I'd shop with you alot more often!

I justed wanted to thank you for the extra goodies with my order. They were very much appreciated. the package was waiting for me when I returned from my trip, so the scents of the islands were just what I needed.

Cherie Bastian

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What a treat it was to get to enjoy fresh delicious Hawaiian papaya here in North Carolina. We can't get Hawaiian papaya here. Our grocery stores usually carry papayas from South America and we've never seemed to find them to taste even half as good as Hawaiian papayas do.

The package arrived in just 3 days! There were 10 papayas in total and the last one is now gone. Even though we shared them with family that had never tried papaya before, the package still lasted a week. Everyone loved the papayas! We've saved some seeds to dry and use as a meat tenderizer (per your post) and possibly even try to grow a tree in a greenhouse. Mahalo for offering us mainlanders the opportunity to have fresh papaya at home!

Sheila B.

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Read more testimonies from our customer-friends.

Best Big Island Hawaii Beaches to See Turtles in Natural Environment

This post is part of Blog Action Day--October 15, where bloggers around the world will unite by posting something about the environment on this day. If you are taking part in this project, please share your post by leaving it in a comment.

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For people in Hawaii--locals and tourist alike--it is a rare treat to see turtles in the ocean or on the beach resting in their natural environment. It is especially awesome if the only place you had seen a turtle before is in an aquarium.

The "honu", Hawaiian name for the green sea turtle, is not called green because of the color of their shell or outer appearance, but for the color of their flesh which is green from eating seaweed. The honu is an endangered animal but has made a remarkable come back and you can see them often in certain areas of Hawaii's ocean and beaches.

There is another rarer turtle whose numbers have not rebounded and is nearly extinct, it is the Hawaiian Hawksbill Sea Turtle, named for its sharp beak-like mouth. Hunted and exploited for their beautiful shell which often was referred to as "tortoise shell", the population is alarmingly estimated at less than 30 nesting turtles. They are the most endangered turtles in the Pacific Ocean.

Watch a video of exclusive rare footage of Hawksbill baby turtles emerging from their mother's nest.

Both the Hawaiian Green Sea Turtle and Hawksbill Sea Turtle are protected by the Endangered Species Act. It is against the law to touch, harass, or harm the turtles in any way, and the penalties include jail time or large fines.

If you see a turtle while swimming or snorkeling in the water, give it 10 to 15 feet of space and enough room to surface and breathe. If you see a turtle resting on the beach, stay a respectful distance away to admire it or take photographs. This resting honu photograph is courtesy of Go Visit Hawaii.

The best place to see Honu green sea turtles is at Punalu'u Beach Park. At night however, you can sometimes see Hawksbill turtles laboring across the dark sand to lay their eggs in holes above the tide line.

Other good places to see Hawaiian turtles are:

Kaloko-Honokahau National Historic Park in North Kona

Kahalu'u Beach Park, about 6 miles south of Kailua-Kona on Ali'i Drive

Honaunau Bay near the City of Refuge

Read our other post Hawaiian Ocean Life and Coral Reef Etiquette with links to a underwater video of sea turtles and fish that inhabit the fragile reef environment and how we can protect it, and also a link to download a free Hawaiian Reef Fish ID Chart.

Hawaii Sweepstakes Sunday 10-14-07

We found another Hawaii contest free trip give away for our new feature "Hawaii Sweepstakes Sunday", where we will post a free trip to Hawaii contest or Hawaii drawing every Sunday whenever possible.

To keep up with the new contests' and sweepstakes to enter and win a free trip to Hawaii, don't forget to bookmark our Hawaii blog, or better yet, subscribe to our Hawaii blog via email or RSS feed.

Romantic Seven Day Hawaiian Getaway for Two!

Enter to win a romantic seven day Hawaiian getaway vacation for two, sponsored by Wet Naturals (adult lubricant products).

Grand Prize Includes the following:

Roundtrip coach class airfare for two from the neared major airport located in the continental US closest to the winner's home address.

6 nights at a Waikiki Hotel standard accommodations (double occupancy).

Wet gift basket (assorted products).

Total approximate retail value of the grand prize package is $4,000.

One (1) Grand Prize and Nine (9) First Prizes will be awarded via a Random Sweepstakes Drawing. Must be 18 years of age or older. Names accrue so you only need to enter once to be eligible to win through the expiration of the contest. The Sweepstakes ends January 31, 2008.

See our Hawaii Sweepstakes blog category for more Win Free Trip to Hawaii contests.

Minty Fresh Hawaiian Papaya Relish Recipe

If you need to find ways to sneak more fruits into your family's diet, try this tasty relish made from Hawaiian papayas that are full of vitamins, especially vitamin C. This papaya relish is a great condiment to serve with a fish, poultry or vegetarian main course meal.

Minty Fresh Hawaiian Papaya Relish Recipe

1 fresh Hawaiian papaya, de-seeded and finely diced
1 cup finely diced tomato
2 finely sliced green onions (scallions)
2 teaspoons finely diced red onions
2 teaspoons chopped fresh mint
Juice from 1/2 of a fresh lime
Chili peppers of your choice to taste
Salt to taste

Gently mix all of the ingredients together in a bowl. Refrigerate and serve chilled. Best eaten at one serving because the relish gets watery after a while.

If you need to buy papayas online, we can send Hawaiian "Solo" variety papayas from the Big Island, Hawaii to any address in the United States.

For more Papaya Recipes see our Hawaiian Papayas blog category.

Hawaiian Papayas are the Super Fruit of the Angels

Papayas have been given the name "super fruit" by today's health practitioners, and also the name "fruit of the angels" by Christopher Columbus. The papaya fruit deserves both names as it is very nutritious for you and heavenly tasting at the same time!

As you can see from the papaya nutritional value chart above, Hawaiian papayas (and papayas from other places) are an excellent fresh natural source of vitamins and other nutrients: vitamin C, folate, potassium, dietary fiber, vitamin A, vitamin E, and vitamin K.

Research is showing that the nutrients in Hawaiian papayas: promote the health of the cardiovascular system, provide protection against colon cancer, help prevent atherosclerosis and diabetic heart disease.

Hawaiian papayas also promote digestive health, have anti-inflammatory effects, support your immune system, protect against macular degeneration, protect against rheumatoid arthritis, and promote lung health.

Read more details about the above statements and why Papayas are one of the healthiest foods.

If you cannot get fresh papayas year round at your local mainland market (especially in the winter), we can ship fresh Hawaiian papayas from the Big Island Hawaii direct to your doorstep! Receive the gift of health for you and your loved ones from a company you can trust.

We received this unsolicited letter from a customer today:

What a treat it was to get to enjoy fresh delicious Hawaiian papaya here in North Carolina. We can't get Hawaiian papaya here. Our grocery stores usually carry papayas from South America and we've never seemed to find them to taste even half as good as Hawaiian papayas do.

The package arrived in just 3 days! There were 10 papayas in total and the last one is now gone. Even though we shared them with family that had never tried papaya before, the package still lasted a week. Everyone loved the papayas! We've saved some seeds to dry and use as a meat tenderizer (per your post) and possibly even try to grow a tree in a greenhouse. Mahalo for offering us mainlanders the opportunity to have fresh papaya at home!

Sheila B.

Don't forget to check out our Hawaiian Papayas blog category for recipes and directions for papaya seed dressing, marinade, meat tenderizer, spice, salsa and more!

Please Blog About the Environment on "Blog Action Day"

Did you know that October 15, 2007 has been declared "Blog Action Day"? Blog Action Day is the date when bloggers everywhere will unite by publishing a post about the environment on their blogs. Your post can be about anything to do with the environment.

The premise of this event is:

What would happen if every blog published posts discussing the same issue, on the same day? One issue. One day. Thousands of voices.

Our aim is to get people thinking, discussing, questioning and talking about the environment, from every angle, niche, viewpoint and personality.

I think it is a great idea and will be participating. I hope that you will too. Also please spread the word!

You can read more about it at Blog Action Day!

Local Directions in Hawaii--What is Mauka and Makai?!

When you are driving in Hawaii and stop to ask for directions, don't be surprised when people give you directions using the Hawaiian words "mauka" and "makai." What does that mean and why use those terms?

First of all you have to remember that you are on an island. Hawaii is made up of a chain of islands with the main islands being Oahu, Hawaii Island (Big Island), Maui and Kauai. In ancient Hawaiian times, Hawaiian chiefs were given a pie shaped piece of land called an ahupua'a that ran from the mountains to the valley, to the ocean. This unique land division system allowed all Hawaiian communities equal access to the limited natural resources of the islands.

Mauka is the Hawaiian word for mountain, and makai is the Hawaiian word for ocean, and people use these words when they are giving directions or describing a location. For example, turn makai on Maku'u Drive simply means turn towards the ocean on Maku'u Drive, ...after you turn onto Kinoole Street we are located on the mauka side, meaning the establishment is on the side of the street with the mountain, the opposite side of the street would be makai looking towards the ocean.

I personally think that the words mauka and makai used today carried over from the ancient Hawaiian ahupua'a system. Living on our beautiful islands, these 2 words are a reminder of what physically defines our islands and the ingenious Hawaiian culture that it came from.

You Helped Me Succeed in Making Someone Feel Very Special

Our special additional testimonial tuesday posts are our favorite posts to do because it reminds us of the many people that truly appreciate our Hawaiian made products and personal service with aloha. It makes us feel good that we are able to help people celebrate the special occasions in their lives.

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I just wanted to say thank you for the excellent service. You were so kind to stay right on top of my order which I received on Saturday and gave to the birthday girl today at work. She was so thrilled and I think even more impressed by the fact that it came from hawaii. You helped me succeed in making someone feel very special and I can't thank you enough for that.

Ana H.
Tucson, AZ

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Thank you for sending the candles so quickly. I love them!!!! I think those that will be receiving them as gifts will love them also!!! I am almost tempted to keep them myself!!! Thank you so much!!!

Many thanks,
Michelle

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I was amazed at how fast the soaps arrived. They are perfect and I am sure my friend is going to love them. It was wonderful that you sent me an extra one...Thanks again for your great service and personal attention.

Diana Rabideaux

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Read more testimonies from our customer-friends.

Say Aloha to Hawaii Sweepstakes With Chef Roy Yamaguchi

I just found this wonderful Hawaiian sweepstakes contest drawing and could not wait to post it till next week's "Hawaii Sweepstakes Sunday" feature because the entry deadline is only a couple of weeks away--October 23, 2007--so enter now!

Chef Roy Yamaguchi is famous around the world for his delicious style of Hawaiian fusion cuisine. Enter now to win a fabulous Gourmet trip to Hawaii!

Say Aloha to Hawaii with Chef Roy Yamaguchi Sweepstakes

The Hawaii Prize Package includes:

◦ Round trip business-class airfare to Hawaii for two
◦ Three night’s accommodations at a Gourmet-selected hotel
◦ Dinner for two at a Roy’s restaurant in Hawaii
◦ A collection of Gourmet cookbooks
◦ A $100 Roy’s gift card to use at any restaurant location*

New Feature: Hawaii Sweepstakes Sunday

We will be starting a new feature called "Hawaii Sweepstakes Sunday" where you can win a free trip to Hawaii. If I find out about a new Hawaii contest where you can win a free vacation to Hawaii, I will post it on Sunday with a summary of the Hawaii prize package and the link to enter the Hawaiian sweepstakes or free Hawaii vacation contest.

Visit our Hawaii Sweepstakes blog category for more win a trip to Hawaii contests' and Hawaii vacation sweepstakes.

Win! Hawaiian Vacation for Two!

This is a really great Hawaiian vacation to win because you can choose the island you want to go to! It includes:

Round trip airfare for 2 people leaving from the West Coast to Maui, Kaua'i or the Big Island.
4 night's stay in a luxury resort.

Simply go to Check It Out Hawaii, fill out their short survey and click the submit button.

The Hawaiian Vacation for Two drawing will be held in February 2008. They did not specify an entry deadline.

Hawaiian Ocean Life and Coral Reef Etiquette

Protecting the Hawaiian coral reefs and the Hawaiian ocean wildlife that depend on the coral reefs for their shelter and food, is a growing concern for everyone. With 7 million tourists visiting Hawaii annually--even though not all of them are swimming in the ocean--an engaging way to educate tourists was needed.

Enter Ziggy Livnat who wrote and produced a seven minute public service announcement about Hawaiian reef etiquette 3 years ago. You may have seen it if you flew Aloha Airlines to get to Hawaii, took a Norwegian Cruise ship voyage, or visted the Maui Ocean Center or the Waikiki Aquarium.

Livenat's video features a friendly talking humuhumunukunukuapua'a Hawaiian fish (shown above) taking viewers on a tour of the fragile reef system and letting people know what can be done to protect it. Simple things like not standing on the reef or resting your snorkel and dive gear on the coral rocks, not littering the ocean or chasing honu Hawaiian sea turtles--all of these things can make a huge impact on not degrading our ocean environment. The emphasis of his film is that everyone can enjoy the natural wonder and beauty of the sea while maintaining eco-friendly and bio-friendly practices.

Click here to see the award winning original English version of Hawaiian Reef Etiquette. It has also been recently translated into Japanese.

Read our other informative post and download a free Hawaiian Reef Fish ID Chart.

Easily Buy Hawaiian Flowers Online to Send to the Mainland

Did you know that you can easily buy Hawaiian flowers online to send to the mainland? It is a great gift to celebrate a birthday, anniversary, holiday (with Mother's Day being the most popular flower giving time), or to congratulate someone graduating, giving birth, moving into a new home or office. Exotic tropical flower bouquets from Hawaii also make a stunning statement when decorating a room, or add an authentic festive flair to a luau, Hawaiian themed party or Hawaiian wedding.

Hawaiian flowers are considered good value for your money because they are long lasting--with flowers lasting weeks instead of days, have a wonderful variety in color and size, and most Hawaii flowers that are shipped do not cause allergic symptoms for people allergic to highly fragranced flowers. Flowers such as anthurium, dendrobium orchids, red ginger, heliconia, and protea do not have a scent. Hospitals also appreciate these tropical flowers because they do not bother other patients. (I have not seen scented tropical flowers online except shipped as leis and 99 percent of them are actually grown and made into leis in Singapore or Thailand, shipped to Hawaii, and re-shipped to customers on the mainland.)

The majority of Hawaiian flowers are grown on the East side of the Big Island where we live. The photograph above was taken in our rainforest art studio home. This fresh tropical Hawaiian flower assortment is our most popular bouquet. The heart shaped flowers are called anthuriums and come in different shades of red, pink, white, orange, and green. Anthuriums also come in mini sizes about 2 inches across, to gigantic flowers over a foot long! Anthuriums are solid colored, or the rarer two and three blended colored flowers with droopy heart shapes are called "obake anthuriums."

The Hawaiinan ginger flowers are the red ones made up of multi bracted petals in a torch like shape. There are other varieties of interesting gin