Frommer's Kauai - Jeanette Foster [58]
INTERNET ACCESS AWAY FROM HOME
Travelers have any number of ways to check e-mail and access the Internet on the road. Of course, using your own laptop—or a PDA (personal digital assistant) or electronic organizer with a modem—gives you the most flexibility. But even if you don’t have a computer, you can still access your e-mail and your office computer from cybercafes.
Without Your Own Computer
It’s hard nowadays to find a city that doesn’t have a few cybercafes, and Kauai is no exception. Although there’s no definitive directory for cybercafes—these are independent businesses, after all—a good place to start is www.cybercaptive.com.
You can get Web access at the following places, prices range from a low of $2.50 for 15 minutes to a high of $7.50 for 15 minutes.
In Poipu, the Business Center at the Grand Hyatt Kauai ( 80 8/742-1234) charges $7.50 for 15 minutes; in Waimea, Na Pali Explorer, 9935 Kaumualii Hwy. ( 80 8/338-9999), charges 25¢ a minute or $6 an hour.
In Kapaa, try Business Support Services, 4-1191 Kuhio Hwy. ( 80 8/822-5504), which charges $2.50 every 15 minutes.
In Hanalei, try Bali Hai Photo, 5-5190 Kuhio Hwy. ( 80 8/826-9181), $3 for 20 minutes.
Aside from formal cybercafes, all public libraries on Kauai offer free access if you have a library card, which you can purchase for a $10 fee. For the location of the nearest library, call the Lihue library at 80 8/241-3222. All hotels on Kauai have in-room dataports and business centers, but the charges can be exorbitant.
To retrieve your e-mail, ask your Internet Service Provider (ISP) if it has a Web-based interface tied to your existing e-mail account. If your ISP doesn’t have such an interface, you can use the free mail2web service (www.mail2web.com) to view (but not reply to) your home e-mail. For more flexibility, you may want to open a free, Web-based e-mail account with Yahoo! Mail (mail.yahoo.com). (Microsoft’s Hotmail is another popular option, but Hotmail has severe spam problems.) Your home ISP may be able to forward your e-mail to the Web-based account automatically.
With Your Own Computer
Major ISPs have local access numbers allowing you to go online by simply placing a local call in Kauai. Check your ISP’s website or call its toll-free number and ask how you can use your current account away from home, and how much it will cost.
Wherever you go, bring a connection kit of the right power, as well as phone adapters, a spare phone cord, and a spare Ethernet network cable.
All hotels on Kauai (and even some of the B&Bs) offer dataports for laptop modems, and a few have high-speed Internet access using an Ethernet network cable. You’ll have to bring your own cables either way, so call your hotel in advance to find out what the options are.
The Welcoming Lei
Nothing makes you feel more welcome than a lei. The tropical beauty of the delicate garland, the deliciously sweet fragrance of the blossoms, the sensual way the flowers curl softly around your neck—there’s no doubt about it: Getting lei’d in Hawaii is a sensuous experience.
Leis are much more than just a decorative necklace of flowers; they’re also one of the nicest ways to say hello, goodbye, congratulations, I salute you, my sympathies are with you, or I love you. The custom of giving leis can be traced back to Hawaii’s very roots: According to chants, the first lei was given by Hiiaka, the sister of the volcano goddess, Pele, who presented Pele with a lei of lehua blossoms on a beach in Puna.
During ancient times, leis given to alii (royalty) were accompanied by a bow, since it was kapu (forbidden) for a commoner to raise his arms higher than the king’s head. The presentation of a kiss with a lei didn’t come about until World War II; it’s generally attributed to an entertainer who kissed an officer on a dare, then quickly presented him with her lei, saying