Monk Seal Fun Fact #2:  the pupping season

Hawaiian Monk Seal's mother can birth a pup every once year but not all mother do.  The pregnancy period is about 11 months and pup's nursing period is 40+ days.  Most mother seals go back to her own birthplace to birth and nursing her pup about 40+ days.  During the nursing period, mother seals do not eat at all stay with her pup 24/7 and protect them.  Such wonderful mothers!

Well, the pupping season arrived in the Main Hawaiian Islands.

February 4, 2019, a male pup was born to RB00 (born on April 28, 2007, to Rocky (RH58), yes she is Kaimana (RJ58)'s older sister) on Kaua`i, Hawai`i.  He is the first pup of 2019 on the Main Hawaiian Islands.

RL08 in February 2019 by G Langley, Kauai

RB00 nursed him for 54 days.  54 days nursing period is the record-breaking on Kaua`i.

After mother (RB00) weaned the pup, NOAA tagged the pup.  His official tags are RL08 (left flipper) and RL09 (right flipper.)  RL08 also received his initial vaccination to protect against morbillivirus. (Click here to learn more about the Hawaiian Monk Seal vaccination program.)   

Kauai's newest weaner (RL08) was measured -- both in length and girth.  As suspected, RL08 set some recent records.

145 centimeters in length -- from the tip of his nose to the tip of his tail
143 centimeters in girth -- the widest part of his body just below his fore flippers.

Hum, it sounds like he is a big round ball!

RL08 photo by G Langley, Kauai

The average length of 14 weaners (not including RL08) over the past six years, equaled 130.5 centimeters.  The average girth of those same 14 weaners equaled 114.85 centimeters.

He is a big boy.

Good luck RL08 and be safe in wildlife.

So far, we have one more pup (male) was born on Hawai`i Island (Big Island) to RA20 (born in 2009) who is a daughter of Honey Girl (R5AY) on March 20, 2019.

Can you guess when is the first pup of O`ahu will be born?  

Stay tuned to this answer : )

Please join us the tour and meet Hawai`i State's official Mammal, Hawaiian Monk Seal! visit Learn Hawaiian Monk Seal to learn more about Hawaiian Monk Seal.

Hawaiian Monk Seal Fun Fact #1

Kaimana (RJ58) born on June 29, 2017.  Mother is Rocky (RH58)

The first time I met the seal was on one of busiest Waikiki Beach.  Kaimana (RJ58, female, born on June 29, 2017) and her mother, Rocky (RH58, born on July 31, 2000.)  O`ahu locals and visitors watched them very closely while Kaimana grows.  It was an amazing experience for me.  I quickly fall in love with the Hawaiian Monk Seal.  

But there are not many people know about the seal especially the visitors.  We need to protect and respect it to help its population growing.

Hawaiian Monk Seal is one of the most Endangered marine animal species in the world and is endemic to the Hawaiian Islands.  It is protected by the Federal ( Marine Mammal Protection Act and Endangered Species Act) and Hawai`i State laws.  There are less 1,400 seals total and about 45 seals on the shoreline of O`ahu. 

So far, I met about 30 seals since I started to protect it.

In 2018, the Main Hawaiian Islands hit the number of birth of Hawaiian Monk Seal.  It was 30 pups born in 2018.  This number is record-breaking.  Last highest number was 21 pups in 2013.

Can you guess, how many pups will be born in 2019?

Please join us Learn Hawaiian Monk Seal tours on O`ahu, visit Learn Hawaiian Monk Seal on Facebook and Monk Seal Tour by Kittie website if you like to learn more about Hawaiian Monk Seal and our tours!

I am offering an Educational Hawaiian Monk Seal tour for visitors on O`ahu, Hawai`i.  I like to educate visitors to O`ahu about Hawaiian Monk Seal who it is and how we can protect it.

Mele Kalikimaka and Hau`oli Makahiki Hou

December 2018

I hope you are having a wonderful Holiday season!

We are celebrating 3rd year Holidays in Hawai`i.  Time flies so fast.

This Spring, I was privileged to attend the Hawai`i Tourism Industry educational course at Kapiolani Community College, funded by Hawai`i Tourism Authorization. 

I learned about

Hawai`i Visitor Industry,
Ho`okipa Me Ke Aloha (Hospitality with Aloha),
Foundations of Hawai`i (Hawaiian history),
Talking Stories about Hawai`i (this is very important to Hawaiian culture that all generation of Hawai`i used to pass on its history and culture to the next generation.)

I passed the certification exam and received Certification for Hawai`i Professional Tour Guides license in June 2018.

Now, I am conducting An Educational Hawaiian Monk Seal Tour for visitors to O`ahu, Hawai`i.

It is my passion to protect Hawaiian Monk Seal who is the most endangered marine mammal species in the world and is endemic to the Hawaiian Islands and educate visitors about the seal with my knowledge about individual seals which I met in person and how to protect the seal.

If you interested in to learn about the seal, please let me know!  email: keiko@kittietravel.com and phone: (808) 518-7642

More details about the tours:  Quick Here

Wishing you will have a successful and happier year in 2019.

With Warmest Aloha,

When it comes to taking a cruise on the river or ocean, it’s tough to go wrong.  Both offer incredible views, luxurious amenities, and the opportunity to explore interesting ports.

But each one comes with its own unique perks and depending on your specific needs for your next trip, you might find that one is a slightly better fit than the other.  So, what are the major differences?

One big difference can be summed up in one word: intimacy. River cruises tend to be much smaller (190 max vs. up to 6,200 on the largest ocean cruises), and as a result, you’re much more likely to be interacting with other passengers and crew members.

That smaller scale translates to all areas of the river cruise. You dine on a regular schedule at tables with other passengers (wine is included in the price of the cruise). Instead of 50 different things to do on board, amenities tend to be more modest with river cruises — think libraries, a workout room, cultural programs, and free Wi-Fi vs. ten kids’ playrooms, glitzy Broadway shows, and a skydiving simulator.  There tend to be fewer kids on river cruises, making them popular for couples seeking quiet and relaxed time together.

You stop almost every day at a new port with river cruises, often for walking tours through quaint towns with little tourist traffic, and you’re always in view of the land.  With ocean cruises, you can go days without seeing land, and ports of call and excursions tend to be more exotic and high-adventure. 

Because of their larger size, ocean cruises offer plenty of options for many ages, from young kids to octogenarians, and they are often more able to accommodate a wide variety of special health needs.  For this reason, they tend to make the best option for multi-generational family gatherings that include young children.  For the traveler who is into high-octane adventure, ocean cruises provide a wide variety of activities on board, as well as exotic and more daring day excursions.

River cruises do tend to be more expensive per person — but that price also includes more things.  Ocean cruises have a lower sticker price per person, but you are often charged extra for alcohol and other amenities.

When you’re getting ready to plan your next on-the-water trip, here are a few questions to consider:

1. How many people are traveling?  What are their ages?
2. What time of the year do you want to travel?
3. Do you need the amenities of a mega ship — spas, gyms, a dozen restaurants, and many activities?  Or are you looking for something calmer, more intimate and easy-paced?
4. Are you seeking authentic inter-cultural experiences? Or do you prefer more familiar settings?

As always, I’m here and would love to discuss your next cruise.  We can look at all the moving parts of your upcoming trip — what you need, what you want, what your dream is — and together we can come up with a cruise you and your loved ones will remember fondly for the rest of your life.  When you are ready for the next water trip please contact us here.

Seal and Beach Clean-up Tour by Kittie Travel

Aloha,

We added one tour of an Educational Hawaiian Monk Seal.  This tour, Seal and Beach Clean-up Tour combined two different activities together.

Hawaiian Monk Seal is one of the endangered Marine animal species and is endemic to the Hawaiian Islands.  The meaning, it exists only in Hawai`i. 

The tour has three different section:

• Learning about Hawaiian Monk Seal, who it is, what it eats, how it looks like, how do you protect them, etc.  There is much information about the seal.
• Going to visit the resting area of a seal(s) on the beach(es).
• Doing Beach Clean-up, a nearby seal(s) area

In Hawai`i, people believe "Aloha `Aina (Love our land.)"  If we take care of our land, the land takes care of us, food to eat, water to drink, and clean place to live, but if we pollute our land, ocean, and air or used up natural resources too quickly we endangered our own lives and futures.  Now, we need to take care of our Ocean cleaning for our Marine `Ohana and ourselves.

Please join us to help our Marine `Ohana can live in the clean Ocean and keep Eco-system!

Please check more details:

Hawaiian Monk Seal tour by Kittie website at here

Contact:

Phone – (808) 518-7642

Email – keiko@kittietravel.com

Keiko Mori, Kittie Travel

See you on our tour!

Mahalo,

If you’re a frequent traveler, you’ve undoubtedly had the near-universal experience of enduring a TSA security line or an immigration line upon re-entry to your home country.

What if you could bypass these lines for good?

You may have heard of Global Entry, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) program that allows expedited clearance for pre-approved, low-risk travelers upon arrival in the United States. You fill out a (fairly lengthy) application, pay $100, and if your application passes the initial phase, you’re invited to an in-person interview/screening at a participating airport. If you pass that phase of the application, you are granted a Global Entry ID. In a nutshell, this is how it works:

At airports, program participants proceed to Global Entry kiosks, present their machine-readable passport or U.S. permanent resident card, place their fingertips on the scanner for fingerprint verification, and make a customs declaration. The kiosk issues the traveler a transaction receipt and directs the traveler to baggage claim and the exit. (www.globalentry.gov)

In addition, people who are approved via the Global Entry program can also participate in TSA Pre-Check, which allows people to skip regular TSA security lines at participating airports and go through an expedited line — without having to remove shoes or other clothing items, open laptops, or do any of the other things that take up time in line. 

Global Entry (and the accompanying TSA Pre-Check) is a good fit for your flying needs if:

• You plan to travel internationally any time in the next five years. The more you travel, of course, the more worthwhile it will be — but many reviewers indicated that Global Entry is worth the time savings even if you travel internationally once a year or less.

• You have the Amex Platinum, Mercedes-Benz Platinum, or Business Platinum (or Centurion) cards, as the $100 fee is refunded to you as a statement credit. Other cards may also offer this reimbursement — check with your credit card company to be sure.

• You live within a reasonable distance of and use any of the airports listed here. The GE program requires the in-person interview, so if the nearest participating airport is several hundred miles from you, it might not be worth it, unless you are a very frequent flier. Participating TSA Pre-Check airlines and airports can be found here.

If you are a Canadian resident, the news is even better! If you qualify for Canada’s expedited-traveler program, called Nexus (which only costs $50), you get Global Entry for free.

In addition to inside info on things like GE and Pre-Check, as your travel advisor, I’ve got tons of helpful hints and connections to make your next trip an amazing one. I would be thrilled to meet with you and plan out your next great adventure! You can reach me by clicking here.

Vacations, even simple weekend getaways, can be full of adventure — that’s part of the great appeal, after all — but if you value a delicious, high-quality meal along with your adventure, then check out these four apps for different travel needs that can direct you to the best places to savor a great meal.

Please click the title to read more details!

Kittie Travel is a member of Hawaii Marine Animal Stewards and is supporting NOAA/HMAR to protect Hawaiian Monk Seal who is one of the most endangered animal species in the world -- only about 1,400 seals are left and endemic to the Hawaiian Islands, meaning it is native and exists nowhere else on Earth.

Their Hawaiian names are "iliokai" (dog of the sea), "ilioholoikauaua" (dog running in the rough seas) and "mea hulu" (furry one.)  They love to play in the water and eat on a diverse range of fish, octopuses, and squid which live on or near the ocean floor and hide in the sand or under rocks.

I met Rocky and Kaimana (mom & baby) of Hawaiian Monk Seals at Waikiki Beach, the busiest beach in the summer of 2017.  Rocky gave to birth Kaimana on Waikiki Beach in June 2017.  They became popular Hawaiian Monk Seals in the world.  I felt in love with them and wanted support and protect all seals in Hawaii so that seals will grow its population and live healthy and happy in Hawaii.

We offer an educational Hawaiian Monk Seal tour on Oahu, Hawaii.  You are able to learn about seals who they are, how they swim in the water and move on the beach, etc. and How to protect them on the beach by the staff of Waikiki Aquarium and meet some of the seals at the beaches.

Please join us the tour and learn about Hawaiian Monk Seal in the Hawaiian Islands.  If you are interested in to take a tour Learn More and let us know when you would like to go!!  Any question give us call (808) 518-7642 or send email to keiko@kittietravel.com

Christmas season is around the corner. What is best gift for travel lovers? Try these ideas!

When it comes time to buy a travel-loving friend a gift, it’s easy to feel stuck on what to get. Journals are great — but not all travelers are journeyer, and those that are often have at least a few blank ones on hand. Here are unique takes on classic ideas for the various kinds of travelers in your life. 

Please click the title to read more details!