Welcome wagon in Honolulu


The term associated with Hawaiian culture and warm hospitality is "aloha." The symbol I associated with Hawaii is the hibiscus (gumamela), noting that this is the symbol of Hawaiian Airlines. Landing at the Honolulu International Airport, this traveller was surprised to see neither the flower nor the warm smiles of the Honolulu ground staff. First off, the Wiki Wiki bus transferring passengers from the arrival area to customs and immigration was an old bus with blue stripes... no sign of the hibiscus there. Then the shirt of the driver was of the plain light blue colour associated with his profession... no sign of flower designs on shirts. Finally, his first words were not the oft-linked aloha; instead, he just said good morning.

Whoa! Was I really in Honolulu? The presence of the sharp peaks of the lush green mountains in the background, which contrasts to the stark white and beige colours of the central business district, confirmed that I was indeed in Honolulu.

The airport architectural design exudes classic beauty typical of the 1960s. Nothing fancy like the modern steel and glass designs of modernised airports commonly considered beautiful today. The airport may not be the biggest nor the best I've been to, but nobody can deny that it has atmosphere. Seeing the airport then explained the old buses: probably, Hawaii wants to maintain the uniformity: old building and old bus (which I liked, weird perhaps, because of my interest in period architecture) to imprint the pre-WWII charm to the traveller before the city's attractions overwhelm him or her. Even the brown paint, which strongly reminded me of the old grain quality lab in IRRI, brings one back to an era before computers, internet, and Starbucks.

Nobody greeted me "Aloha" when I first got into the Immigration counter. But the staff's enthusiasm to greet people into the room, and their smiles were enough to make me feel welcome. Customs officials looking through luggage are thought to be strict and intimidating, but the ones in the Honolulu airport were kind, and even started conversations with me while my luggage was being inspected (I was one of the randomly selected passengers for baggage check)! Indeed, actions speak louder than words ever could, and this was one proof of it.

To top things off, I got one of the best and, I think,  the most iconic welcome gift in Hawaii: a lei of orchids from Orville! Now that's better than a whole lot of strangers greeting you aloha.

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