Behind the wheel!

When we were making the plans to come to Hawaii, buying a car was so out of the picture. We specifically rented an apartment in the middle of the action to avoid having to drive. Butttt.. plans change! I actually got a really awesome job about 30 minutes away from our place which would be a hour ride on the bus, which I didn't want to endure. Plus, we basically fell in love with the North Shore which is about a 30 minute drive... after much deliberation we decided we did indeed want a car..! While I spent days at work Mark did research online and found a great car with few miles for a good price! The one plus with Hawaii is you can't really take cross country road trips with the cars and rack up the miles. Here in Honolulu you spend a lot of time at stop lights or waiting .. and not necessarily putting on a ton of miles. So actually car shopping here was a little easier than on the mainland. Now I can get my late night malsada fix after work too ;)!

Driving in Hawaii is also an experience that is hard to describe. We know that Honolulu has the worst traffic in the whole US, and part of it is due to so many people coming and going from the city but I think most of it is due to the style of driving here. For example if the limit is 35 and you're like me, you go at least 40 to keep up with most of the other drivers. Here it's almost reverse, if it's 35 and you want to go with the flow of traffic you will be going about 25-30 mph max.  If someone does drive the speed limit plus 5, it feels like they are flying and it's almost always the touristy cars (Mustang and Camero convertibles, been there crashed that haha =p ). The drivers here are very laid back, and if you need to switch lanes, you can almost always count on someone waving you in, even in the worst possible moments but if you throw them a Shaka, all is good! 

This is a good and a bad thing when driving.  It's good because it's not that scary driving here knowing everyone is laid back and will sort of help you if you get confused driving. Some roads here do not make sense at all, a lot of weird one way roads that turn into two way randomly, and a ton of turn only spots which is hard for a newbie. The bad part about this driving style is that if you're in a hurry, good luck getting to where you need to be.  We had a few places we had to go to before they closed and the traffic is so slow, people letting others into their lane all of time, cars stopping to let tourists jay walk across the road, and of course cars stopping in the middle of the road to talk to one another for a bit. So we've already learned if you need to be somewhere at a certain time, leave about 20-30 minutes earlier to help in case any of the above happens. One cool thing about driving here, is that you will almost always get or receive the Shaka (hang loose) from someone driving if you let them in your lane, or let someone cross the road :).

Cleo is happy because she can finally go for rides since we don't have a rental anymore! =)

Tomorrow night we will be attending the Lantern Floating Festival. The beach it takes place at is actually the closest beach to us... as we like to call it; "our beach". We'll go into it a little more in the next post after we experience it! We will be writing notes to our loved ones on our lantern and then will send it off into the ocean with thousands of others. This fest is all about accepting one another regardless of race, sex, religion, etc. It's about all 40,000+ people coming together as one to honor and remember loved ones who have passed. I don't think we'll make it through the night without crying our eyes out. You can stream it live here tomorrow Monday May 26th from 6-730pm (Hawaii Time). It's going to be a sight to see. We can't wait to share our experience with you in a few days!

Mahalo!

Jen & Mark!

Island Time..

It's so true when people say that Hawaii works on island time! It sounds great.. but it also has it's downfalls as well! It was so hard when we were in Racine trying to find a place to live in Hawaii. People are sooo slow at responding to e-mails/calls.. and if they do finally answer you they really prefer you live on the island before they even talk to you about the property. In our case with the dog and cat it was extremely hard finding a pet friendly place within our price range. We ended up going through a large company that only managed pet friendly buildings. Now that we are here and can really look around at our options it seems much easier and people take us seriously because we are physically on the island. I suppose I understand though that landlords get a lot of prospective people saying they are going to move, and never end up making the leap. We even posted a craigslist ad hoping it would attract possible landlords, but that didn't work either! When in doubt look at numerous options (Craigslist was the best option for us) and try to line showing up when you first arrive (hotels in Waikiki aren't super expensive, but after weeks it can add up)! Also, it seems like common sense but don't ever, ever send money or reserve or sign an apartment lease online. There are a ton of scams on craigslist, and also legit options as well! We had a few showings lined up the day after we arrive and were moved in by Monday just because of the sheer amount of research we did months before arriving!

Other instances of island time we've encountered... where do we start!
We were waiting to get our internet installed and were told that someone would be here Thursday to fix it.. well Sunday morning we were eating breakfast and we hear a knock on the door... Hawaiian Telecom was at our door to install our internet? Okay.. he said they worked overtime on the weekends to try to knock our work orders for the week. We obviously weren't complaining but just surprised. A week later our sink ended up overflowing and a plumber was coming at 5:00pm to fix it ... 4:21 someone knocks at our door to fix it for us. It's just bizarre here the sense of time. In our case for the most part it's been helpful as our problems have been fixed faster, it's just sooo different than Wisconsin where 5:00 means 4:50 to 5:00. But there just seems to be a slower pace in general here, even in the big city. I am such a punctual person it's really hard for me to get used to the new way of living ... but obviously island time doesn't come into play work-wise. Learning to have a chill and more laid back attitude is starting to come easier to both of us.. Starting to have the 'hang loose' attitude. We love that people give the shaka allll the time.. especially driving!

The day before my moms birthday and mothers day we swam to Mokoli'i Island (aka: Chinamans Hat... one of 137 total Hawaiian islands)!! What an adventure we were set out for without even knowing. We read online and were even told by a guide that it was easy to get to.. heck you could even walk to it... Not quite lol! I would say that the only way it is really possible to walk is if the tide is little to none what so ever! The water at points were almost so deep it was at the top of our shoulders.. The entire way there we were fighting the tide, and almost gave up at one point! But we didn't and eventually made it! What a beautiful sight to see to be sitting on the mini island looking at Oahu in all of it's glory. The swim itself definitely gave us a greater appreciation for the ocean! We had read that there was a trail to get to the top of Chinamans Hat.. and we went there with every anticipation of climbing it until we actually saw the trail! It was so incredibly steep, and not really climbable in our bare feet and swimming suits. At the very top of the island there's a rope to get all the way up because it's so steep. After the brutal swim it was much more enjoyable frolicking on the sand! We are planning to go back with a canoe and a cooler and enjoy lunch on the island and at that point climb to the top with our tennis shoes and hiking gear! What a neat place to get away from it all.. and we definitely learned our lesson to not believe everything you read in travel books (that's how the Mustang accident happened too ;0))!

We celebrated my moms birthday/mothers day hanging on the beach, relaxing with cocktails.. basically resting from the crazy day previously! Throughout the day we saw TWO huge, beautiful rainbows... one while at dinner at Hard Rock on the patio and the other walking along the canal. It was such a fun day! (SO sad she leaves in 2 days.. it won't be the same without her .. that's for sure!) She is my best friend and it has been so amazing for her experiencing this journey with us! She is such an amazing woman!
We also had the famous Malasadas to celebrate!! Ted's bakery in Hawaii is famous for malasadas for celebrations..and basically whenever. It's a Portuguese dounut without a hole in the center that is served hot...(SO good!) It took the edge off of missing O & H's goodies. People got their hot malasadas and hung out in the parking lot eating and socializing... what a fun place. It seems like whatever Hawaii doesn't have we have wanted.. Panera, Olive Garden, Noodles and Company, Chiplote... I could go on but I'm sure no one will feel bad for us. LOL. 

We've been having a blast hanging out at beaches and getting in the water. One thing when people talk about the cost of living in Hawaii..honestly, I think it helps just with the cost of entertainment. None of the things we have been enjoying the most have cost a penny. Whether it be body boarding, swimming, snorkeling or just hanging out in the water. We could honestly spend everyday in the ocean and not spend a single cent (except on Shave Ice of course after a long day)! In all honestly we haven't even swam at Waikiki Beach yet even though that's one of the closest ones to us! One of our favorites is Ala Moana.. which is actually the closest to our apartment (about a 5 minute walk). It's so much fun finding remote beaches with not a single soul in the water or on the beach... We've found two beaches the past few days that have had the softest sand. Each beach is a little different too. We've found a few really good ones for body boarding which has been awesome. One plus of Hawaii... no beach is private anywhere on the island.. which is great for us and exploring.

Our awesome little vegetable garden about 3 weeks in!

Mahalo!




Jen & Mark

Kaukau Time!

With all the exercise/ physical outdoor activities one can get hungry! So this blog post unintentionally will be focused on all the yummy foods(kaukau) we have found the past week or so as well as more adventures!

We stopped at Laniakea beach on the North Shore because it's famous for sightings of giant green sea turtles (honu) coming ashore. We found three or four basking in the sun on the beach and a few more in the water peeking their heads out at us. It was one of my favorite beaches because not only was it beautiful, but because it was also in a sense a nature preserve. There were members of a wild life organization there teaching people about the preservation and care of the sea turtles. Just down the road we also stopped at sunset beach, a very popular spot for local surfers! The surf was high so we were able to see some amazing surfers taking on the wave! One of our favorite towns was the famous Haleiwa on the North Shore...

<<CLICK TO SEE OUR NORTH SHORE WAVE ADVENTURE!!>>

Haleiwa is home to Hawaii's speciality... shave ice! We stopped at the shave ice shop with the title as the best shave ice in all of Hawaii, Matsumoto!! We have tried a few on Oahu and on the big island when we were on our honeymoon... and none compared. It was served in a bowl and topped with your choice of flavors, almost 50 to choose from. Hawaii shave ice is very different from a snow cone. Good shave ice does not require chewing but instead shaved enough it just melts in your mouth, and this did! Under the mountain of shave ice was a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Matsumoto shave ice is located in one of our favorite spots on the island, Haleiwa. Historic Haleiwa is know for it's surf, it's shave ice and an all around laid back community where people drive down the street with three, four or even five surf boards strapped to the top of their cars. Everyone you meet seems to be so happy and I can understand why. With one turn of the head you are watching the most beautiful sunsets in all the world, and another turn of the head the most breathtaking mountains as far as the eye can see. We found huge waves one day as well as professional surfers challenging the water. Just seven miles north of Haleiwa is home to the banzai pipeline, some of the best surfing waters in the world. It almost seemed like a different world from Honolulu, but only a 40 minute drive from our apartment.

Matsumoto Shave Ice!

After checking out some more North Shore beaches we stopped at a fruit stand down the road.. You could almost smell the fruit as you drove by! We bought $15 worth of fruit which bought us; kiwi, pineapple, papaya, pomegranate, rambutan and guava! The last two need a little more talking about however.. I suppose I'll save my favorite for last... Guava was the one fruit we were drawn to because of it's amazing aroma! It smelled like absolute heaven but was actually really quite bland and the seeds were very crunchy. Rambutan on the other hand is my new favorite! It has a red pointy coating almost like something that would be found in a fairy tale as a poison berry. The inside once you break it open hold a white fruit (which looks and feels like a eyeball). Sounds appetizing right, haha! But taste wise imagine a green grape without the skin but more flavorful... that would be the rambutan. Plus it's fun to walk down the street eating one to get reactions out of the tourists!

Rambutan fruit





We didn't try this...but it sure looked cool; Jackfruit.

Next stop... farmers market in Waikiki! Obviously we loaded up on more fruits and veggies but on to the good stuff... baked goods! My new favorite the Hawaiian sweet bread.. yum. Also the famous coco puff! It reminded us of a cream puff.. but only better. The outer 'bread part' was a crisp yet doughy pastry and filled in between chocolate! My mom also tried the raspberry.. which was heavenly! With all this yummyness it's a good thing we will be walking everywhere and doing lots of activities! :)

One of our recent adventures was snorkeling at Hanauma Bay! It's one of the best places on the island to snorkel and we sure were able to see some colorful fishies! After you pull into the visitor center you are on top of a huge hill looking down at the scenery. It's breathtaking. They also give you the option to take a tram up and down (for $2). We were to cheap and wanted the exercise so we went for it.. going down was easier than coming back up :) It was a great place for snorkeling but on the busy end. We like to find more quiet beaches with less people to explore but it was great playing tourist!

                                                   

A few days ago we made another stop to Kualoa Ranch... this time we took a jungle tour. This tour like the last, showed us a few sites from past movies including one of our favorites; 50 first dates! We also learned the new Jurassic Park is being filmed here, even though they are trying to keep it quiet. 
At one of our stops on the tour we came in contact with sleeping grass (also knows as touch me not). We reached down to touch the leaves of the plant and instantly the plant withered up and looked almost as if it were hiding.

<<CLICK TO SEE OUR JUNGLE TOUR ADVENTURE VIDEO>>

We also visited the beautiful Bydo-in Temple at the foot of the Ko'olau Mountains. What a beautiful and calm area. The temple itself sat on the foot of a mountain range which made for almost a picturesque view. As you walked up to the temple there was a meditation area next to a waterfall... as you got closer there was a koi pond all around the temple in the shape of a koi fish which was amazing. The temple itself was beautifully constructed, it felt almost as though you were in another country all together. On the grounds of the temple, all faiths were buried which we loved. It was such a open and non judgmental area for all.

Took this for Mark <3

<<CLICK TO SEE MARK SOUND THE GONG!>>

When we first got off the plane two weeks ago and started driving to our hotel into Waikiki at 11:30pm we both were extremely scared and shocked by how large Oahu was! But more and more we are finding our place here. Hawaii has some of the nicest and most genuine caring people I've ever met (obviously not everyone, but the generally speaking)! They call it 'The Aloha Spirit'! Treat each and everyone like they matter and are family, which we have found to be true with most people we have gotten to know! Sitting on our lanai with the smell of salt water in the air .. Waikiki is one of the craziest places ever (in a good way)! It's smack dab next to a huge city with tons of excitement and plenty of activities but far enough away we can almost hear the waves crashing into the shore and the sky filled with stars. Plus it's not to shabby the thought that I get to wear shorts to work all year long. :) Now we are just waiting for our mainland visitors! Your air mattress is waiting ;)

                                                       Me Ke Aloha! (With Love..)
Mark & Jen