If you're like me, you didn't make it to the beach nearly as often as you'd hoped to this summer. (Official tally: one trip, Far Rockaways. Bonus: one mysterious sunburn, left knee.) But just because our calendars are closing in on Labor Day doesn't mean you can't soak up the sunny splendor of Hawaii's tropical paradise, no travel required. With Virtual Vacation: Hawaii, we're taking you straight to the Aloha State's most pristine beaches for a sand-dusted tour of this idyllic cultural crossroads — one still inflected by the vibrant Tahitian culture that first landed on the islands around 800 A.D.
Watch the video above for a refresher on Hawaii's hypnotic "ote'a" (the hip-swinging, lei-shaking traditional Tahitian dance, performed only to rapid percussion, which has us twisting wistfully in our desk chairs).
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