...or maybe they think of sunny beaches with scantily clad babes aplenty... a catamaran just waiting for you to sail out into the sunset...

... or to simply "hang loose" and enjoy the nice weather.

I personally think of Hawaii simply as one of the truly special places on this planet.

This time, in October 1999, I came to Hawaii (or Hawai'i as it should be written) for work (yes, I can hear you laugh all the way over here). But indeed I came to Hawai'i to attend a conference (WebNet'99) and to give a presentation.

However this conference didn't take place in the futuristic conference center of Honolulu, but right on Waikiki beach in the Sheraton hotel.

Actually the conference didn't start too well I must say. This is a photo from the conference reception at the pool. Yes, that doesn't only look like rain, it IS rain. And you thought Hawai'i has only sunshine, right? So how should all this tropical vegetation grow when there is no rain, huh?

The interesting thing about all the Hawaiian islands is that they have completely different weather on their windward sides and their leeward sides. Honolulu and Waikiki beach are on the dry (leeward) side, so the rain we see here is just a little sprinkle. Honolulu gets an average of about 8 inches of rain a year. Compare this with the windward side of the same island (O'ahu) which gets almost 300 inches of rain!

The conference was pretty relaxed. About 20 minutes before my presentation I was still splashing around in the ocean. Then I leisurely oozed towards my hotel room, threw on my suit and tie (NOT!!!!) and went to give my talk.

I present: Andreas in full conference regalia. Yup, that's how I gave my talk (I wear short Aloha pants in the same pattern, which I found at the flea market in Aloha stadium the day before. There you can get really nice Aloha shirts like this one for $10 or so. In the hotel they charge for the same shirt about $60)

The Lei is of course tradition. I got it from the session chair when I got up to give my talk.

Leis are made from real flowers and they often smell really strong. I considered banning my lei to the balcony because the scent almost kept me from sleeping.

Aloha, by the way, is the Hawaiian greeting. The first part of the word means as much as "face to face" and the "ha" is an exhaling sound. In the old times Hawaiians greeted and kissed by putting their noses together and then exhaling, so they would breathe each others life/spirit/air. That's what Aloha really means: it's the verbal form of a kiss.

Aloha is one of these words you really have to know on Hawai'i. The dictionary defines it as: Love, affection, compassion, mercy, sympathy, pity, kindness, sentiment, grace, charity; greeting, salutation, regards; sweetheart, lover, loved one; beloved, loving, kind, compassionate, charitable, lovable; to love, be fond of; to show kindness, mercy, pity, charity, affection; to venerate; to remember with affection; to greet, hail. Greetings! Hello! Good-by! Farewell! Alas!

So no matter what somebody asks you, "Aloha" could well be a good answer ;)

Another important word is Malahini. A malahini is essentially: you. It means as much as newcomer, tourist, etc. From how I understand it the meaning becomes more and more "somebody who is the first time on Hawai'i".

Contrast this with Kama'aina. Originally this means a native born Hawai'ian. But lately it is also used for people who visit Hawai'i for at least their second time.