Looking for something different to do while visiting Oahu? How about taking a walking tour of Honolulu’s Chinatown. Just minutes from Waikiki, so much culture and diversity. The tour takes one to two hours depending upon how much time you spend browsing and best done during day light hours.
The earliest origins of Chinese laborers from the Guangdong Province to Oahu is in the 1850’s, where catching on quickly, they figured out they would earn more money by setting up small shops and restaurants than they could ever earn working in the fields and so Honolulu’s Chinatown was born. However, tragedy struck Chinatown with fire once in 1886 and again in 1900. The determined merchants built a new Chinatown in the same spot and were rewarded in the 1930’s when visitors to Oahu arrived by ship, and being close to the pier many visitors visited their shops and restaurants. Likewise, during the 1940’s military personnel on leave flocked to the shops to pickup something exotic to take home with them.
After several years of deteriorating conditions and neglect, Chinatown has once again emerged with intense urban renewal projects (some of the more colorful activities such as a couple topless bars are still there) but primarily when you visit Chinatown today, you will find a great mix of Asian cultures, sights, sounds and smells to tease the senses and a great way to get out and about and talk story with the locals.
I had the awesome opportunity to be on a tour by award winning chef Chef Chai Chaowasaree. He is so passionate about choosing fresh fruits, vegetable and seafood, no wonder that everything on the menu at his restaurants taste so wonderful. Do yourself and favor and make having dinner at Chef Chai’s a must on your itinerary check out his website www.chefchai.com for menu and hours
- Chef Chai Chaowasaree
The best way to enjoy any of the Hawaiian islands is to get out and explore, and no visit to Oahu is complete without a visit to this historic and exotic district.
For more information on walking tours of Chinatown or other information about the island of Oahu , contact Linda Dancer Email [email protected] , direct line 931-337-0770 or website www.honeymoonsinc.com