For a brief period after World War II, the alternative to sailing to Hawaii was a 15 hour flight on the Pan Am Clipper. These fat-bellied sea planes left from San Francisco, crossed the Pacific to Hawaii, and then continued on to Sydney, Auckland, and Hong Kong.

Since there was not enough fuel on board to traverse the entire Pacific, they made stops at various island chains along the way, where the passengers were entertained by native dancers and had an all too brief taste of different and exotic cultures.

The days of the China Clipper were sadly short-lived, but the lucky ones who actually made the journey had a unique travel experience quite unlike anything available today.

In the original Pan Am poster from which this image is taken, the top of the mountain was cut off. Our artist, Ricardo San Pedro Jr., exercised his artistic license and exposed the peak, which we think only enhances what was already a dramatic image.