Going to Maui, have questions:
 

- do I need a visa coming from the People's Republic of California?
- is the flight domestic or international? need this info to hire a shuttle
- will my ATM card with a Fodor's logo work there, or I need to get local currency from my bank?
- do I need an electricity convertor?
- can I get around with English only? should I speak louder so they will understand?
- can I hike to Hana? I don’t drive
- if it’s raining, will the volcano be opened?
- do the islands float around each other? when is the best time (shortest ride) to take the boat to Lanai?
- what is Hawaii Five O?
- as Hawaii are 2 hours behind, do I still have to be at the airport 2 hours early?
- what code do I dial to call home in case of emergency?
- where do I shop if I forget to bring something?

I don't understand some of these questions.
When we visited back in 2006 we didn't have any of these problems.

Yes, you will need a visa; unless you have a MasterCard or Amex.

The flight is not international, it is intentional.

An electric converter is necessary if you are smoking something local.

You can get around with English, but it has to be pigeon English.

The volcano will not be open while they are cleaning it.

Use this website to get to Lana'i. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2O36LEe4aI
It says that you can call when you're ready.

<<what is Hawaii Five O? >> It is the area code for Maui.

Rastaguy :)) you are my kind of guy :))

Dayneu, that would have been enough. Stop now.

Always shop at the ABC store. They are everywhere and have what you forgot including stuff you never knew you needed.

No need to go to a bank for local currency if you bring an electricity converter.

You're going in May, aren't you? So you'll need to show up at the airport 3 hours early. But only on the return flight. On the flight to Maui, you should be fine showing up an hour after its scheduled departure.

Is only because of occasional (int)er(r)uptions that the volcano would close.

Fodor's used to be widely accepted, but better to have Facebook these days.

I forgot to mention that there are no shops in Maui.

Buy all the things you can using the duty free catalog on the plane. They always have the best bargains.

This will keep you from starving or going around naked.

You might want to buy some candy bars to trade with the natives for their fine dish, poi. The natives call it kalo or, sometimes, Maui wowee.

Thank you all who try to help :)

(by the way, I love taro, cook it sometimes at home, so want to try poi)

I wondered if cigarettes are better for bartering than candy bars, but have to trust you on that.

If you're not sure how to find Maui Wowee, just ask any police officer you happen to see; they will be happy to assist. And, if you dine at the Four Seasons Wailea, one of their best dinner dishes is called "spam"; be sure to ask for it, if you don't see it on the menu.

"The natives call it kalo or, sometimes, Maui wowee."

Rastadude and Sylvia, this must be a different Maui wowee than you both remember: http://www.urbandictionary.com/defin...erm=maui-wowee.

Sylvia, I found somewhere a dictionary of Hawaiian dishes - when you get to "spam" it says, the less you know about it, the better :D

Evidently, those who write entries for the "urban dictionary" are much younger than some of us.
Dayenu: my father loved spam; he learned to like it in the service, during WWII. I couldn't stand it, and avoided it after my first (and only) taste.

22tango - It doesn't really matter what you call it, but that which is grown on the west side of the island (don't ask me why) seems to be da kine.

sylvia3 - Below is a detailed explanation of spam.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anwy2MPT5RE

rasta, don't ask me why, but I have heard that some things grown and sold to tourists on the West end road to be referred to as cowie mowie : (

Rasta, thanks, but I know what spam is, and therefore do not wish further details.

At least spam was "better" than creamed chipped beef on toast.

I believe the common vernacular was ____ on a shingle.

I was forced to eat both as a child. I'm sure you were also.

yes (chipped beef from the can, in rolls, only a few times). I don't want to talk about it. We had to sit until everything was off the plate. I'd be there after dark, until the 'rents dozed off.One of my brothers would eat it for me. Sometimes a sister would rat me out if she saw me moving things to other plates. Eventually, my father kept his spam addiction to himself, for breakfast only.
OH, the horror!
I think I'm ready for a malasada from a roadside cart, to take my mind off all this. Maybe eat it in a parking lot looking at the ocean...

A group I belong to once had a "Spamorama" party and everyone had to bring a spam dish- it was kind of fun. I made Spam sliced almost all the way through, then pineapple slices inserted between the cuts and studded with cloves and a brown sugar /pineapple juice glaze- it was quite a hit!

sylvia3,

I was raised in a pretty poor family, so, unfortunately, these two delectable dishes were most of the "meat" dishes we had.

My mother hated fish, so that was out.

I remember my father eating ketchup and mayo sandwiches for lunch.

Things were a lot simpler back then.

sunbum1944,

You made me think of spam jello, which causes an unforced shudder by my body.