March 5, 2010

Congrats, Haiku Winners!

By Allison Park | 1 comment

The I Love to Fly Nonstop Contest has come to a close and we would like to extend a huge thank you to the nearly 700 participants who submitted a haiku and a congratulations to the ten finalists for all your hard work (see all the finalist submissions here). The votes have been collected and tallied, and it is a pleasure to announce your winners: Mike Donovan and Raquel Benito!

Contest sponsor representatives, Harry Dalgaard of Avanti Destinations (left) and Sho Dozono of Azumano Travel present Mike and Raquel with their winning boarding passes.

Meet the Winners

Mike Donovan - Amsterdam

My Fiance’s One Wish

Her head on my arm
Flying non-stop is the best
Off to her homeland

Winner Mike Donovan with his ticket for two to Amsterdam.

My name is Mike Donovan and I have lived in many places across the United States and England. I am getting married to my wonderful fiancee, Keri Lenderink. Keri is a Dutch-American and has always wanted to travel to the Netherlands. We plan on using this trip as our honeymoon and are thrilled to be able to go on such a lovely trip. While there, I am hoping to help Keri connect with her family’s past, take a canal boat, and maybe even check out a brewery or two.

Raquel Benito – Tokyo

Restful Escape

eyes closed in Portland
eyes opened in Tokyo
non-stop dreams between

Winner Raquel Benito sports her ticket for two to Tokyo.

My name is Raquel Benito, and I grew up in Madrid, Spain before coming to the U.S. at age seven. I’ve always been an avid traveler, which is why I’m so excited to finally have a chance to visit Tokyo. My boyfriend Nick is coming along and we look forward to sampling everything from ramen to sushi to Yebisu and sake. If we can time it right we’d love to see the blossoming cherry trees. I hope to bring back some cool gadgets from the Akihabara district, take pictures with the Elvis impersonators in Harajuku, and hike around Mt. Fuji. Perhaps we’ll have time to sneak out of Tokyo on a high speed train and visit some of Japan’s more rural areas-Nikko for example-to see its magnificent temples and shrines. We’re both incredibly excited and thankful to hop on a nonstop flight from our humble little city here in Oregon and wake up across the world!

Photos by Tim Jewett and provided by the Port of Portland