Hawaii – Page 2 – The Occasional Nomads

Forever Nomads (Well, Occasionally)

Posted on May 8, 2018May 13, 2018 by Laura & Brett

The other day our son commented that while he thought we were crazy to come here four years ago he was happy things had turned out so well, especially for his sisters. He went on to let us know where he thought we should consider living once the Big Adventure ends, and why.

His comments and suggestions got us thinking about moving once again to a place we’ve never lived before and starting over. Brett and I have been asking ourselves for a while if we’re really willing to do that again, or would it just be safer/easier to come back to Kaua’i at the end of the Big Adventure. It’s been the hot topic of conversation between the two of us for several days now, and a more difficult question to answer than we imagined. But, we know our son has a unique perspective – he’s known us longer than anyone – and is watching us grow older in a different way than his sisters are, mainly because he’s older and at a different place in life than they are. We have been listening carefully to what he has to say this time and what he suggests and why.

Our experience on Kaua’i has been overwhelmingly positive, especially for our children. Both WenYu and YaYu blossomed here, and had many more opportunities to shine than they would have in their school back on the mainland. Their life back on the mainland would have also been far more competitive and materialistic than it’s been here, and life on Kaua’i has given each of them the opportunity to experience and absorb the concepts and ethics of aloha and ohana, which will stay with them always. Moving with the girls has made our experience here a better one for us.

Going forward though it’s pretty much just going to be Brett and me. Like everywhere else, Kaua’i is growing more expensive with the cost of living here climbing higher and higher. In the four years we’ve been here the changes are noticeable, and unfortunately more negative than not. We know the girls would visit us here over the holidays no matter what, but we realize those visits are going to be happening with less frequency as they each segue from college to working, marriage and perhaps children. Our son and family would also still visit, but those trips will be harder to make as their children grow older. We know that it will be easier for us to see the girls if we settle on the mainland, and it will be just as easy, and more likely, for our son and family to fly to the mainland as well.

After thinking about and discussing the points our son has made, and talking with each other about what we want going forward, Brett and I have decided we are willing to move somewhere new once again. We did it over and over when Brett was in the navy, we successfully made the move over here, and we feel we can do it once again. We’re still vagabonds at heart, and will forever be nomads of some sort, even if that’s only occasionally.

This past March I wrote about the things we would be looking for if we choose to settle in a new location including cost of living, taxes, walkability, culture, health care, travel & transportation, and weather. We’ve been looking at that list again this past week and have found that our priorities have changed a bit from when we first made the list. For example, walkability has moved up to the top of the list. We very much don’t want to own a car again if at all possible. In the four years we’ve lived here we’ve had to get in our car to go or do anything, and it’s gotten old. Although we love the slower lifestyle here on the island, we also frankly miss urban living. We ‘d like to be able to walk to buy groceries, visit parks, coffee shops or restaurants, and have access to more cultural events. Staying as mobile and active as possible is very important to both of us as we age further.

We have absolutely no regrets about coming to Kaua’i, and the past four years have been more wonderful than we dreamed. But, as much as we love our life here we realize it’s time again to try something different. We’ve sort of decided where we’ll go, and are at the beginning of planning for that. Travel will definitely remain part of the picture. Nothing is far enough along right now to announce anything, but you’ll all be some of the first to know when the time is right!

#Kaua’i: Malasada Love

Posted on March 22, 2018March 22, 2018 by Laura & Brett

Last Saturday morning, YaYu came home from her service project and handed Brett and I a bag: “I brought these for you.” Inside the bag were two still-warm and fluffy malasada, or as they are sometimes called, “Hawaiian doughnuts.”

I avoid most carbs and can say no to a doughnuts, but I will not say no to a malasada. First of all, they are delicious. Second, we don’t see them very often because they sell out very quickly here.

Traditional egg-shaped and sugar-coated malasada may look like a regular doughnut on the outside, but their appearance hides the deliciousness inside. They’re way more rich and flavorful than a regular doughnut. Yeast-raised and fried, malasada dough contains egg, usually one egg to every cup of flour, and they’re also made with either evaporated milk or cream.

Malasada came to Hawai’i with the Portuguese workers who were brought to work on the sugar plantations. The Portuguese were mostly hired from Madeira and the Azores, considered highly desirable because they were skilled from working on sugar plantations there. Like other plantation workers they brought recipes from their home country with them, including malasada.

A variety of fresh malasada from Leonard’s

The most famous place to buy malasada in Hawai’i is Leonard’s in Honolulu. Leonard’s claims to be the original malasada bakery in Hawai’i and they are well-worth a stop. While a traditional malasada is plain, they can also be filled with custard or coconut-flavored haupia, and Leonard’s carries a wide variety of filled malasada as well as plain. They make the doughnuts all day long so fresh ones are always available. That’s a good thing – allowed to cool for too long, a malasada becomes dense and more like a fat bomb than a doughnut.

Here on Kaua’i, malasada can be somewhat tricky to find. You have to know where to go and be willing to get up early to get them because they sell out quickly. Malasada are traditionally associated with Mardi Gras and the Lenten season, so a few more places around town recently had them available, although we abstained then. They are definitely worth searching out though if you are visiting, and nothing goes better with a hot cup of coffee!

Three Years: The Bad, The Good & The Sublime

Posted on June 1, 2017June 1, 2017 by Laura & Brett

It doesn’t get any better than palm trees and rainbows.

This month marks the beginning of our fourth year on Kaua’i. It’s almost a cliché to say it, but it both seems like it was only yesterday that we were scrambling back in Portland to sell our house and make our move, while at the same time feeling like we’ve been here for far longer than three years.

Has it been perfect? No, because nothing ever is. Still the good and the sublime far outweigh the bad we’ve experienced since our move.

Here’s how things look after three years on Kauai:

The Bad:

Humidity: As I wrote just a short time ago, I’m not sure I will ever adjust. When it’s bad, I’m miserable.
Bugs: Hawai’i is Bug Central. We do pretty well inside our house keeping the critters out, but they are still always with us: mosquitos, centipedes, giant cockroaches, ants, spiders and other small flying things.
Dust: Keeping up with the dust here is a daily struggle.
Chickens/roosters: They’ve grown on me in some ways (some of the roosters are positively gorgeous) and they eat lots of bugs, but they have torn up everything we’ve planted in the yard, and can be incredibly loud and annoying at times. I guess I just wish there were fewer of them.
Frogs: There are poisonous toads (bufo) here and they give me the willies. Thankfully they only come out at night when I’m safely inside, and they too eat bugs. Still, they’re a giant ick factor for me.
It’s expensive: We prepared ourselves for the higher cost of living here, and are managing fine, but food, housing, airline flights, etc. are still more here than elsewhere – prices can still be a shock at times.
One of our favorite farmers at the Kapaa market – we stop by her stand every week

The Good:

Farmers’ markets: The abundance of fresh, locally grown, affordable produce has meant we are eating more fruits and vegetables than in the past, and paying less for them.
Hawaiian-style: We absolutely love the Hawaiian spin on things, especially the way food is prepared using or substituting local ingredients.
It’s casual: Every day is casual Friday here. Really, no one cares what you wear, or what your nails look like, or what kind of purse you’re carrying. No one cares about your car either.
Our girls’ experiences: None of our girls wanted to move here, and although Meiling returned back to the mainland shortly after we arrived, WenYu now says moving here was the best thing to happen for her, and YaYu concurs. They have thrived here on the island. All three consider Kaua’i home now.
No snakes: It took me almost a year to accept that there are no snakes, poisonous or otherwise, on this tropical island; in the whole state actually. Yeah for no snakes!
The expense: While this is one of the not-so-good things about living here, it’s also helped us hone our frugal skills much more than we might have otherwise.
Manageability: Although there aren’t loads of stores or shopping opportunities like in other places, and we’ll never get a Trader Joe’s, we have everything we need here, and it’s easy to get to them. The island is just the right size (for us).
My all-time favorite island view

The Sublime:

The slow pace: The slower way of life here suits us perfectly. Everything gets done, but there’s little to no sense of underlying urgency. Feeling stressed is a rare thing these days.
The green: There’s a reason Kaua’i is called ‘The Garden Island’ – it’s beautiful, lush and green all year round.
The weather: This was the main reason for our move here, and we have not been disappointed. Yes, it rains and can get very humid, but most of the time it is warm, sunny and the trade winds keep it comfortable.
The ocean: I love that I can see the ocean every day, and experience its wonders, from crashing waves to spectacular vistas with colors transitioning from clear turquoise to deep, dark blue. And, there are seals, dolphins, big turtles and leaping whales to observe. There is nothing more invigorating than an hour or so under the umbrella at the beach, even if I don’t make it into the water.
The moon and the stars: There aren’t words to describe how beautiful the night sky is here. Because there’s no ambient light to dull the view, stars literally blanket the sky. The full moon here shines like a spotlight.
Sunrise, sunset: One word: breathtaking. Almost every day.
Diversity: Hawai’i is well-known for its population diversity – it’s a daily fact of life here – but we also experience other types of diversity as well. Even a small island like Kaua’i has multiple micro-climates, so a trip to the north shore or the west side of the island means different foliage and temperatures than we have here on the east side. The local culture is also different depending on which part of the island you’re on.
The aloha spirit: There is a genuine friendliness here that I’ve never experienced elsewhere in the U.S. Aloha means sharing, living in the present, caring for others and the land, and enjoying life and feeling joy, and we experience these things every day in our interactions with others (even though most locals still think we’re tourists).

Here’s to three wonderful years – lucky we live Hawai’i!

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#Kaua’i: Nani Pua (Beautiful Flowers) – Part 1

Posted on May 11, 2017 by Laura & Brett

One of the joys of living on Kaua’i is the abundance of vibrant, beautiful flowers everywhere, all year round. Every day here we’re treated to an amazing array of colors and blossoms. Some of the flowers, like plumeria or gardenia, have intoxicating aromas, but even if they don’t smell I’m still drawn in by the stunning colors on display. Whether we’re at the weekly farmers’ markets or just walking around the neighborhood or wherever, the abundance of flowers provides a daily feast for the eyes.

Hawaii’s most famous flower is the hibiscus (the yellow hibiscus is the state flower). Hibiscus bloom year-round, and come is a variety of colors and petal arrangements.

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The most common flowers for sale at farmers’ markets are Hawaiian ginger, bird-of-paradise and heliconia, which can be seen year-round. Other flowers, like gardenia, can be found when they’re in bloom.

Fragrant gardenia bouquets for sale at the market

Many trees on the island also get into the act and have striking and colorful flowers. Perhaps the most well-known is the plumeria, with its beautiful, fragrant flowers, often used for lei. At night, when they’re in bloom, we can sometimes catch their sweet aroma on the breeze. The royal poinciana tree is also a delight, with its giant red blooms. More of a shrub than a tree, bougainvillea can be found everywhere on the island, typically covered with purple flowers but sometimes orange can be found. There are other exotic trees as well with interesting and unusual flowers.

Bright red blooms cover royal poinciana trees

The flowers on an angel’s trumpet tree are gorgeous, but highly poisonous

Plumeria blossoms can also be a deep, bright pink or white with pink and orange. The tree is seasonal, and during the winter all the leaves and blossoms are gone leaving only thick, bare branches – the tree looks dead!

The pictures above show only a fraction of the flowers we’re treated to here all year long, and I have yet to get tired of them, or fail to notice them whenever we’re out and about. Sometimes we even get lucky, and find something truly unusual, like the white bird-of-paradise we spotted a couple of weeks ago when we were out for a walk – we had no idea they were in any other color than bright orange!

#Kaua’i: Winter Is Different Here

Posted on December 8, 2016 by Brett

Although it does not snow on Kauai, there is a marked seasonal change that occurs sometime after Halloween, and may linger past St Patrick’s Day. The grass is often greener, the surf a bit rough and choppy all day long, and the sky a deep gray as it appears a little closer to the beach before it engulfs the mountains.

We frequently carry sweatshirts or sweaters when we go out in late afternoon because the trade winds gust up as the sun goes down. Really, it takes no time at all to acclimate to the warmer summer weather, and begin shivering as the mercury dips below 70 degrees Farenheit (21 degrees Celsius) on wintry evenings and early mornings.

Heavy Clouds; Windswept Waves — Heavy Clouds and Windswept Waves

Throughout the non-hurricane season, we make fewer trips to the beach, and umbrellas are more frequently seen at cocktail bars. And, occasionally it rains like it’s never going to let up. Great masses of saturated soil slump and creep, and big things fall down the mountains with a rumble or roar. On the other hand, this is the best time of year for watching migratory marine life from the shore.

A few weeks into this season, flash flood watches and warnings are issued by the National Weather Service for days on end. Roads are temporarily flooded and closed, and tragedy strikes more often in rivers and streams due to the heavily silted and rapidly rising water.

Winter is different here, but it’s still paradise, still home.

Hot Times

Posted on July 4, 2016July 4, 2016 by Laura & Brett

I adored summer when I was a child. Long sunny days with no school were spent at our beach house, or swimming in the neighbor’s or the community pool; playing ditch’ em, softball or other games with the neighborhood kids; or riding bikes to the park or to the library to get more books. I don’t think I ever wore shoes during the summer, or even flip-flops. I never gave a thought to the temperature, and southern California summers were hot.

I sure don’t enjoy summer that much any more. Why? Because it’s hot, and here in Hawai’i it also can get very humid. My body doesn’t enjoy the heat like it did when I was child, and it definitely dislikes the increased humidity. I get cross more easily when I’m hot and I feel sluggish a great deal of the time. I’m also the one responsible these days for chores and such that I’m sure my parents and other adults probably hated having to do in the summer heat.

Most houses in Hawai’i don’t have air-conditioning. It’s expensive to operate here due to high utility costs, but the islands are also blessed with trade winds that blow nearly year round, usually keeping the temperature reasonable. However, as the earth heats up, that’s changing too. We’ve gone through two summers now where the trade winds have come to a halt for more than a month in late summer, and temperatures have sometimes climbed above 90°. Long-time residents also say that the trades are not as strong and cooling as they were in the past. We’re keeping our fingers crossed though that the past two years have been an anomaly rather than a trend.

We rely on several things to stay comfortable during the hot summer days here:

Running the ceiling fans: Unlike the house we started out in, our current house has plenty of BIG ceiling fans placed strategically throughout the house, including one in the kitchen. The bedroom fans do a fabulous job of keeping the bedrooms cool at night, and the big fan in the bathroom makes short work of the steam and humidity that build during a shower.
Opening windows: Although we shut the windows at the front of the house at night, Brett gets up early in the morning and opens them and the front door, which allow the morning trades to flow through the house, keeping things nice and cool until early evening, when the trades seem to die off for a while, and the western sun beats down. Our house is situated though to avoid most of the late afternoon sun, unlike our old house with its big windows on the west side which caught the afternoon sun and heated up the entire house, especially the dining room and kitchen (it didn’t help either that our house was on the second floor, with the heat from below rising up and hanging around).
Turning on the stove as little as possible: How I cook is definitely different these days than it was back on the mainland. Mainly, I try to avoid turning on either the oven or the stove if at all possible. If I do have to turn on the oven, I try for early in the day, and I leave the ceiling fan on. I avoid recipes these days that require long cooking times on the stove top, and let the girls handle stir-fries and such because they can tolerate the heat better than I can. We grill and use the slow cooker and rice cooker a lot as well to keep the kitchen area cooler.
Saving chores until night: I do many of my cleaning chores after everyone else has gone to bed, like the dishes, the bathrooms, the floors and such. During the day just lightly pushing a broom around can cause me to sweat heavily. However, at night the temperature and humidity usually have dropped to more comfortable levels. Some things though, like the laundry, still have to be done during the heat of the day – ugh.
Dressing appropriately: One of the things I love about living on Kaua’i is that no one here cares what you wear. So, I dress in my baggy linen pants every day with a loose, sleeveless linen or cotton top or t-shirt. It’s not the most flattering look for me, but it’s very comfortable in the heat. I don’t think I’ve ever worn a pair of close-toed shoes here. I’m not sure if Brett even own a pair of long pants any more ;-).
Staying hydrated: I drink from the moment I get up in the morning until I go to bed at night. I start with a cup of coffee and move on to a couple of glasses of iced tea, and then water and non-caffeinated drinks after 1:00 in the afternoon (so I can sleep at night). We stop for shave ice more frequently during the summer, and Brett and I enjoy refreshing gin & tonics and mojitos for our weekend drinks rather than sticking to wine.
Getting outside: One of the reasons we grew to dislike our old house was that we had no outside space to use when it got hot. Due to the stream running behind the house, and other drainage issues, the lawn was filled with mosquitos and other bugs, and our icky downstairs neighbors claimed all the patio area as theirs. We now have a lovely, large, private covered lanai in front that we can enjoy, especially in the morning and evening. We also live closer, and get ourselves to the beach more frequently than we did at the old house.

Brett and I both swore we were never going to live in a humid area again after finishing a two year tour in southern Maryland followed by two years in Key West, Florida – and we had A/C in both places! Of course, we left Key West to go back to Japan, where the humidity in the U.S. is mere child’s play compared to what they experience there every summer. Our last Japan tour helped us decide where we would settle after Brett retired: Portland got wet, but it didn’t get humid.

And yet, here we are on Kaua’i, where it’s humid year round, and we’re loving it. We found that when we were in Oahu last month that we didn’t enjoy the air-conditioning as much as we thought we would – we spent a lot of time out on the lanai, or heading somewhere else outside.

We know the summer’s heat and humidity here are only temporary, and that in early fall cooler temperatures and stronger trade winds will return (thank goodness), bringing back Hawaii’s beautiful, temperate weather. But for now, times are hot.

Kaua’i Shave Ice Review #2: Tege Tege Shave Ice

Posted on June 15, 2016 by Laura & Brett

Tege Tege is the new kid in town when it comes to shave ice, or at least the new kid in the town of Kapa’a, on the east side of the island. Apparently Tege Tege has been operating up in Kilauea on the north shore for a couple of years, but a couple of months ago their truck showed up on the north end of Kapa’a, right next to Otsuka’s furniture store. We’ve never seen them without a line at their window.

While I was getting my hair cut yesterday, Brett took the girls to give Tege Tege a try. Brett selected a coconut shave ice, YaYu chose strawberry, and WenYu picked green tea. They also picked up an extra green tea shave ice for me (without the snow cap).

The ice shaver comes from Japan — The hand-operated ice shaver comes from Japan

Tege Tege’s ice is hand shaved using a special Japanese machine which creates extremely fluffy ice with an almost creamy texture. Organic fruit syrups are added several times along the way as the cup is filled with ice, ensuring each bite is full of exquisite flavor. Each shave ice receives a complementary snow cap, and with the exception of three flavors (grapefruit, lime and gooseberry) each icy confection is topped off with fresh, organic fruit. Instead of fruit, a green tea shave ice receives a generous helping of anko, sweet red (azuki) beans, the traditional accompaniment to green tea flavor in Japan.

All this quality and craftsmanship comes at a price though. Regular flavors are $7 each; green tea is $8.50. Ice cream is an additional $2.00 (we skipped the ice cream). Tege Tege only offers eight flavors, but finished product is big, and the shave ice is dessert quality and very filling.

The Tege Tege trailer is within walking distance of our house, so I’m sure we’ll be going back one of these days. The cost is pretty high for shave ice, but the quality is several steps above what we’ve had elsewhere. The presentation is beautiful, the flavors unbelievably rich, and the texture amazingly creamy. In our opinion, Tege Tege is well worth a splurge once in a while!

Our Short Oahu Getaway

Posted on June 11, 2016June 12, 2016 by Laura & Brett

Our short visit to Waikiki has been . . . perfect. In just two and half days here we’ve enjoyed great weather, gotten everything done we wanted and needed to do, and we‘ve relaxed.

The view from our lanai. — The view from our lanai

I don’t know what we did right, but the room we were given at the Hale Koa was on the top floor, with sweeping views of the resort grounds, the ocean and Waikiki Beach. We spent a lot of time at the hotel out on our lanai enjoying the view, whether that was for the sunset in the evening, or coffee and breakfast in the morning, or relaxing between other activities. Our room was spacious and comfortable, and the hotel had everything you could think of: restaurants, several bars, casual dining options, two pools (one for 18 and older only), beach access and rentals, tennis courts, a day spa, a gym, and beautiful grounds for strolling. Most things are for military only (you have to present ID to get in), but a few things, like the day spa, are open to the public with military receiving a discount. We laughed that Brett probably had the longest hair there (for a guy), and seemed to be the only retiree not sporting a ball cap that stated “Retired <branch of service>.”

Our hotel tower, one of two at the Hale Koa. Our room was on the top floor, second from the left. The Maile Pool (18 and older only) is in the foreground; there’s another larger pool on the grounds for families and children.

The Maile pool looking down from our lanai — Looking down from our lanai at the Maile pool.

Beautiful landscaping surrounds the Hale Koa.

One of our primary reasons for coming to Oahu was for the girls to do some shopping. Neither has really bought any new clothes for two years other than t-shirts for school, and with WenYu needing clothes for college they were eager to hit the stores. After we checked in on Wednesday afternoon we took a short walk over to the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center to let them get started. Brett and I turned them loose while we found a quiet seat outside and enjoyed coffee and lemonade, and watched Japanese tourists shop and learn the hula (they picked it up very quickly).

Sunset view from our lanai on Thursday evening

We slept in on Thursday morning, enjoyed our breakfast on the lanai, and then walked over to the huge Ala Moana Center, about a mile away. The girls took off on their own once we got there, and Brett and I mostly spent our time window shopping but bought a couple of things for ourselves: I got new pair of slippahs (flip flops) and some lingerie, and Brett got a new 10-year shaving brush for his Father’s Day gift – his old one is on its very last legs. We met up with the girls in the late afternoon and rode the bus back to the hotel. Dinner that night was at one of the hotel snack bars, with the girls staying to swim for awhile afterwards and Brett and I heading back to our room to enjoy the sunset. We surprised the girls when they got back with some tasty cupcakes from the famous Magnolia Bakery – they have an outpost in the Ala Moana Center.

It's a tough job, but someone has to sit out by the pool — It’s a tough job, but someone has to sit out by the pool

Yesterday was dedicated to relaxation. We slept in again, had breakfast on the lanai, and then we all headed in different directions for a while. Brett visited the nearby Army Museum of Hawai’i, the girls went to the pool, and I went to the day spa for a manicure and pedicure. We all got together for lunch at another one of the snack bars (all the snack bars served really tasty food), then headed to the pool for an afternoon of swimming and sunbathing. The girls took off early and went back into town for one last round of shopping while Brett and I relaxed at the Maile pool for a while longer.

Dessert selections included carrot cake, raspberry panna cotta, chocolate mousse and mini fruit tarts — Dessert selections at the buffet included carrot cake, raspberry panna cotta, chocolate mousse and mini fruit tarts

We had not planned to do any restaurant dining, but one of the Hale Koa’s restaurants hosts an all-you-can-eat buffet every evening at a very reasonable price, and Friday evening we learned they were serving crab legs and peel-and-eat shrimp as well as the regular menu items, so we decided we had to go. Our table came with a gorgeous view of the beach, and the food was amazing! We all ate too much, but agreed it was well worth it!

Ou intrepid shoppers relaxing on Waikiki Beach at sundown — Our intrepid shoppers relaxing on Waikiki Beach at sundown

Then we headed down to the beach to view Diamond Head once more, and see the sun set, before heading back to our room to watch the fireworks show in honor of Kamahemeha Day, the biggest state holiday in Hawai’i. We ended the day getting everything packed and ready for this morning’s departure for home.

While we greatly enjoyed the hustle and bustle of Honolulu and Waikiki, we are glad to be heading home to our slower-paced island. The getaway was a great one though – we all had a terrific time, got what we needed and did not go over budget! Brett and I are especially proud of the girls and their shopping prowess – they found lots of great stuff and are coming home with money still in their accounts. We’ll definitely be heading back to Waikiki again, but next time will give ourselves more time for sightseeing around the island. We loved our time on Oahu!