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Excerpts from 750-word article
HONOLULU IS TOO GOOD TO RUSH
Ponce de Leon was way off course in
seeking the Fountain of Youth on the
Florida coast. He should have crossed
the Pacific to Hawaii. There, as every
visitor knows, you shed ten years on
arrival in Honolulu when a garland of
orchids is draped around your neck,
and the donor whispers a seductive
"aloha" in your ear. It gets better. Next
morning you buy a flamboyant shirt or
muumuu and learn to heed islanders
who tell you to "hang loose". From
then on stress is something you heard about once, long ago and far away..........
DON'T RUN AWAY, IT'S ALL RIGHT HERE
Sadly, far too many visitors arriving on Oahu from the mainland use its
capital, Honolulu, as no more than a stop-over. All too soon they move on to what
they perceive as the 'real Hawaii'. But
Oahu is the real Hawaii. Four-fifths of the
state's population live here. It is your
initiation into a world of Polynesian
culture wrapped in American know-how.
Landmarks are as famous as Diamond
Head, Waikiki and Pearl Harbour. Here
you can shop in bazaars for Polynesian
crafts and in modern malls, attend a beach
luau or a dinner show featuring top
Hawaiian entertainers; stay in modest
accommodation close to Waikiki Beach or a luxurious hotel of international
acclaim.
Honolulu's most famous beach is Waikiki, where you can rent a surfboard,
ride in an outrigger, a canoe or Atlantis submarine. Or simply set up your
sunshade on the sand and enjoy. In the Waikiki area, and around the island,
public transportation is TheBus, a bargain at U.S. $2 a ride.
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