Interesting Facts About the islands of Hawaii

Eight Largest Islands of Hawaii (from northwest to southeast): Niihau, Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, Lanai, Kahoolawe, Maui, and Hawaii (the Big Island)

Hawaii officially became the 50^th US State on August 21, 1959

Hawaii is the only US State surrounded by water.

Mauna Kea is Hawaii’s tallest Mountain found in the Big Island.

Maui is the second largest island and is home to Hawaii’s most popular resorts.

According to geologists, all the islands in Hawaii were formed because of a volcanic eruption below the sea.

Honolulu is the State Capital, which is located at the island of Oahu.

According to anthropologists, Polynesians were the first settlers of the islands dating back in 300 AD.

James Cook was the first British explorer who arrived in the island in 1778.

In 2006, statistics show that Hawaii’s population has grown to 1,285,500.

Oahu, is the most populous island.

Pidgin or Hawaii Creole English is the native dialect of the islands. Both English and Hawaiian were declared to be official languages in 1978.

Hawaii is a favorite location of big Hollywood films such as 50 First Dates(my fave), Pearl Harbor, Race the Sun, Waterworld, Jurassic Park, Raider’s of the Lost ark, George of the Jungle, From Here to Eternity, Outbreak, etc.

Lei is a garland of flowers strung together and put over one’s head along with a kiss which is the customary welcome in Hawaii. According to Hawaiian’s, Lei means Love and One “must never throw away love”.

Footwear or shoes are removed before entering the house.

Aloha shirts are popular attire worn by professional and businessman instead of suits and ties.

Japanese-American brides in Hawaii are expected to fold 1,001 paper cranes before the day of her wedding for good luck.

The “money dance” is performed at Filipino weddings where the bride and groom dances as guests pin their clothes with money as gift. It is also a Filipino tradition.

*Would you like to travel to Hawaii? Check out these pages for a list of Maui vacation rentals, Kauai vacation rentals and other Hawaii vacations packages.

Canary Islands Highlights

The Canary Islands is made up of 7 major islands (Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura, Lanzarote, Tenerife, La Palma, Gomera, Hierro) and a few smaller islands. Also known as the Happy Islands, some historians believe that the place is once home to the legendary Atlantis.

The Canary Islands is also home to a wide variety of birds and animal species such as the Black-bellied Sandgrouse, Trocaz Pigeon, the Canary, the Canary Islands Chiffchaff, the La Palma Giant Lizard (believed to be extinct but was rediscovered in 2007), and geckos just to name a few.

The Happy Islands also boasts of a rich and wonderful marine life. It is the home to 5 species of turtles (the endangered Loggerhead turtle *see photo*, Green, Leatherback, Kemp’s Ridley and the Hawksbill turtle), different species of sharks, rays, moray eels, the scorpion fish, sea urchin, star fish, sea cucumber, fishes and corals.

Feel the genuine Latin-American ambiance at the Barrio de la Vegueta. Get a renewed sense of art appreciation at the Centro Atlántico de Arte Moderno. Travel back in time at the Museo Canario, and learn how the Guanches (the original inhabitants of the Canary Islands) lived.

Other famous tourist attractions are the Museum of Arts, the Museum Pérez Galdós, the Jardín Canario, Palmitos Park, Reptilandia Park, Cocodrilos Park, Roque Nublo, Cenobio de Valerón with about 290 caves, Cueva Pintada and the capital city of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.

Each year about 2.2 million tourists visit these islands. Before flying to the Canary Islands, prepare your hotel reservations online. Visit these websites for a list of Gran Canaria Hotels, Tenerife Hotels, Playa Del Ingles Hotels and Playa de las Americas Hotels.

three cats

CATS

Squishedbugsmoothie at Smorty

My squishedbugsmoothie blog has been approved at Smorty. I've been writing for Smorty with my Top10Counter blog and it was just this week that I was allowed to add other blogs. Have you tried blog advertising?

What I like about Smorty is that you can pick the tasks you want. If you don't want to review a particular website or product, you don't have to take the task. Hmmm... i personally skip gambling sites for review. If you don't feel that some reviews are not appropriate for your blog's theme, then just skip them.

You're supposed to take up at least 2 tasks each week. Im not sure if i would run out of opportunities to keep up with the 2 posts per week rule since the opportunities you'll get will depend on your blog's page rank. I don't get that many opportunities to accept since my blogs Page Rank is only 2. If your blog has higher PR, you'll surely get more advertisers to review.


If you have a day job, keeping up with reviews shouldnt be a problem cause you'll have 3 days to complete each review you accept. And you can only accept one review at a time so you don't have to worry about taking more assignments than you can handle.

They said that the pay will only take 7 days, not sure if that's exact. But they do pay as promised. Haven't been able to keep track of their payment schedules. Some posts will cost $6 while others $10, i think for those with higher PR, they get bigger rates for their review. If blogging is your hobby, Smorty is surely worth the check.

Have you been to the Lion’s Head?

When taking a trip to Baguio city, passing by the Lion’s Head used to be the only route. The Lion’s Head is located at Camp 6, Kennon Road but since Marcos Hi-way was opened, all Victory liner buses often take this new and “safer” route. Last December, we visited Kennon Road to see the Lion’s Head upclose. Here are some of our photos:

Approaching The Lion's Head

View of Kennon Road

We took a cab and it cost us around 130 pesos from Aurora Hill to the Lion’s Head site. If you don’t have your own car, it’s easy to find a taxi who will drive you and wait for you until you’ve finished taking your souvenir shots. Don’t forget to check the settings of your camera. And make sure that you’ve recharged your batteries before heading to the place. We were in a hurry to take pictures at paubos na ang battery ng digicam. whew!Baguio Souvenirs and snacks are also available at the foot of the Lion’s Head. But since continues ang flag rate ng taxi, there's no time to waste! hehehe!

Me at the Lion's Claw

Kami Yun! *di namin kasama yun group!

Isang Koreana at isang Hapon

Turista sa Gitna ng Kennon

Look for Manong and he'll be glad to shoot your photos for you! Don't worry he won't run off with your camera... (Don't forget the tip!, pang meryenda ni Manong)

Si Manong!

On your way to the Lion's Head or on your way back, don't forget to take a stop at Patrick Point's View Deck. Here you can see a view of the winding Roads of Kennon at a distance. Of course, take more souvenir shots at the deck.

Us at Patrick Point's viewdeck

My man Kati looking cool in shades!!!

Some trivia about the Lion’s Head:

• It was built by a Cordillera artist using a limestone boulder.
• The idea to carve a giant head of a lion was thought up by the Lions Club International led by then Baguio Mayor Luis Lardizabal.
• Work on the Lion’s Head started in 1971 and was completed in 1972.
• It was funded by donations from Lions Club members and businessmen in Baguio.
• The Lion’s Head is 40 feet high and is a famous landmark of Baguio and the Cordillera Region.
• Taking a cab wouldn't cost you more than 150 pesos *one way* from town to the Lion's Head.

Coffee Trivia You Probably Didn't Know

DID YOU KNOW THAT?

Olympic Athletes are not allowed to drink 5 cups of coffee. Caffeine is one of the substances listed on the International Olympic Committee’s prohibited substances. If they’re urine tests reveal more than 12 micrograms of caffeine per mL, they would be banned from the games!

Coffee beans are not really beans. They are berries!

In the old days, Turkish grooms promise their brides to always provide coffee on their wedding. Not providing coffee can be used as grounds for divorce.

The first coffeehouse in Paris was opened in 1689 by Francois Procope. He was a lemonade vendor and called his coffeehouse after his name- Café Procope.

Honoré de Balzac, a French writer of the 19^th century used to drink 40 cups of coffee
each day!

Beethoven was a meticulous coffee lover who always made sure that there are exactly 60 pieces of beans in his cup.

Espresso is derived from the Latin root meaning “press” or “under pressure”

In Turkey and Greece, the eldest in the group are always served with coffee first.

Cuptasting or cupping is a meticulous process done by coffeemakers to ensure the quality of the coffee beans after roasting.

The Japanese are the third largest consumers of coffee in the world.

The first coffee trader in the US was Dorothy Jones from Boston.

75% of the entire US population drinks coffee.

Instant coffee was invented by Mr. G. Washington of Guatamela in 1906.

Robert Napier invented the coffee vacuum brewer in 1840.

Coffeehouses were used to be called qahveh khaneh which means “schools of wisdom”. This because coffeehouses were used as meeting places for men who excelled in the arts and literature.

It takes about 4,000-5,000 coffee beans to make 1 kilogram of roasted coffee.

In 1906, the first espresso machine was manufactured in Italy.

The first automatic drip-brew coffee maker was introduced in 1972. It was called Mr. Coffee.

Four varieties of coffee are produced commercially from the Philippines- the Robusta, Arabica, Exelsa and Liberica.

Coffeemakers are classified in three types - the percolator, the drip-brew and the vacuum coffee makers. (Check out this site for a selection of Cuisinart Coffee Makers)