Where Next? Travel with Kristen and Carol
Where Next? Travel with Kristen and Carol
Oahu, Hawaii, USA - Travel with Mindi
In today's episode we are visiting Mindi, who moved with her family to Oahu from the mainland. She shares how they made the decision (even though she had never been to Hawaii before) and how the family acclimated to island life. We also hear about how she learned to surf and what the Ohana spirit means to her. Interviewed recorded June 2022.
You can reach Mindi:
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mindirosser/
- mindirosser.com/blog (Blog)
- mindirosser.com/linkedinreboot (Other)
- Twitter: MindiRRosser
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Hosts
Carol Springer: https://www.instagram.com/carol.work.life
Kristen: https://www.instagram.com/team_wake/
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Hi, welcome to our podcast when Next Travel with Kristen and Carol. I am Kristen and I am Carol, and we're two long-term friends with a passion for travel and adventure.
Speaker 2:Each episode, we interview people around the globe to help us decide where to go next. In today's episode we are visiting Mindy from Hawaii, who moved with her family to Oahu from the mainland. She shares how they made the decision, even though she had never been to Hawaii before, and how the family acclimated to island life. We also hear about how she learned to surf and what the Ohana spirit means to her.
Speaker 1:So welcome to. We Are Next. But yeah, so I guess I'd start with your journey, and you know what prompted you to want to come to Oahu Hawaii, how, where you were and then how you made that transition.
Speaker 3:That's a good question. So at the time so this was more than three years ago, before all of the pandemic stuff my husband and I were like sitting around it's like it's almost Thanksgiving, and we had been living in, we lived kind of everywhere up and down California. It felt like we never found our place, like we always seem to be searching for, like where's home, like where is our home, together and with our family, and we were sitting around. It was almost Thanksgiving and we were in the Midwest. So I grew up in Chicagoland, just outside Chicago, so in Northwest Indiana, and my family was there. So that's why we were there and it had been, I think, three or four years that we had been living there.
Speaker 3:And he's a California boy, like he is sunshine, warmth, board shorts all year round, and so living in Indiana was like you could tell it was wearing on him, he's like he's old, and he started dreading the winter time, you know, and it was just I noticed like a heaviness around him and also myself, like when winter time would roll around and we were sitting around the table. I'm like you know what? What if? Okay, let's just imagine what if we could live anywhere in the world? Where would we go. And we just sat there for a minute kind of looked at each other. I didn't want to go first. You know, like I knew what I was going to say and he's like we both almost said at the same time Hawaii, like no, okay, okay, if cost wasn't an issue, would we go here? Like yeah, definitely, that is it. Hawaii is where we would go. And I mean it just kind of touched on all of the different lifestyle elements that matter to us the outdoors, the ocean, we kind of like being on an island. There are some pros and cons to that, but just that whole island vibe. But neither of us had ever been to Hawaii. So it's like kind of just from what we had heard.
Speaker 3:And I did a bunch of research so I'm like, okay, well, let's see what it would take. So I pull out my laptop and I started like cost of living. You know, everyone says the cost of living is like at least double, if not triple, depending on you know the numbers that you're looking at where we were at the time and I thought you know what, it doesn't even matter. It doesn't matter Because if we have the quality of life that we're looking for, we can cut costs in other areas, like we're not big on going out to eat and all this other stuff, so we can just put all that into housing. So we're like, okay, well, playing with the idea, and we looked at each other and said we should just do it. We're like what's the worst that could happen? The worst that could happen is it costs us like 40 grand and then we come back and you know, buy another Indiana house and settle back in. You know that's the absolute worst that could happen. And so we were like let's do it. Then let's just do it.
Speaker 3:Like we're kind of that type of personality, like both of us are a little bit on the risk taker end and we both love adventure, and so for us it was like let's just, yeah, we've never been there. Like should we go visit? Nah, nah, we'll just do our research, we'll figure out what island. So we decided to do our research, figure out what island, because I'm like I didn't even know all the different islands here or any of that. So I did my research. I'm like, okay, oahu is definitely the place because that's the safest, you know, there's job opportunities, there's enough schooling wise for the kids, there's surfing, there's all these other elements that you know a little bit more inhabited than some of the others, and so we picked the island and we're like, let's do it.
Speaker 3:So we sold our house, got it ready to sell, we sold it within. It was, like you know, thanksgiving. When we talked about it. By April we were gone Like we had sold. We sold the house within like less than three days, like we had multiple offers on it. It was, you know, kind of a housing boom. Where in Oahu are you then? We are in Haleiwa, so the North shore of Oahu, literally right down the street from the famous Himo wave, so a beach park.
Speaker 2:Wow, very nice, beautiful. And now, when did?
Speaker 1:you so when you arrived, how was that? When you first came, what did you do?
Speaker 3:Yeah, that was really tricky and that's what we learned too. It is not like moving to any other place on the mainland where it's you know you can kind of visit, or like have a bunch of places lined up in advance where you know where to live. We knew nobody. We knew nobody that had lived here. Like I had friends that had visited, but that was it. And so it was like I don't even know if we can rent. Like how do we even find a place to rent?
Speaker 3:So we had so my husband, jason. We had him come about a week before we did, and his job was like we had lined up a bunch of landlords and like people where we could like try to find a place to rent. We decided to shoot for the middle of the Island, cause then we could kind of figure out where we actually wanted to land from there and we just kind of like I mean literally we kind of crossed our fingers. But he is a really good salesman, I will tell you he's like he's fantastic, like he can talk anybody into anything. So I'm like, okay, we got a good shot with him. If I give him enough people to talk to, one of them will say yes.
Speaker 3:So he just started going through like my list of you know apartments and condos and places where we would live in. He got one landlord to say yes, and if you're not familiar with Oahu or Hawaii it's really difficult. They do not welcome mainlanders or people that are not from here. Usually you kind of have to know somebody who knows somebody to kind of find a place. So it was kind of I realized later it was kind of miraculous that we actually got a spot and so I actually had a home to come to by the time we arrived, which was fantastic and also kind of miraculous and really lucky. So that was kind of how we got our start and you when you said we, it was just you and your husband.
Speaker 1:You don't have kids or family. You have kids.
Speaker 3:You do have kids. Oh my gosh.
Speaker 1:I don't know if I knew that, so how old are your kids?
Speaker 3:So we have one, she's 19. So she was still living with us at the time. She was 16. Oh yeah, you know how this goes. You know a 16 year old that like wants to leave home and that whole very tumultuous 16 year old age. So she was 16 at the time. And then we have two little ones. We kind of have like two batches. So we have an eight year old she's eight now and then a six year old boy. So we had yeah, we had little people with us too, so this was like completely new to them. Our little guy, he doesn't remember much of the mainland. Our, you know, the eight year old, she does, she remembers a little bit, but they have embraced it here for sure.
Speaker 1:I was going to say how did they, how did they take the move and how was it for them and for you?
Speaker 3:with them. That was challenging. I feel like with the teenager we were already like in a weird wonky place with her. She was going through just like a lot of, I think, internal struggles herself. She had some mental you know battles that she was facing and mental health and wellness and you know, just being a teenager is just tough. I think for her it actually was pretty positive. It put her in a place where it was beautiful, there was nature, like she would go out at night and just look at the stars, you know. So I think in one place it was very, very calming for her and she didn't feel that pressure, I think, from peers and colleagues. On the other hand, I feel like she felt very isolated. It was very hard to feel connected and to try to make friends here. So that part was a little bit challenging. But thankfully we lived in a condo complex and there were some wonderful adults that had kids and kind of like adopted her. Like she was kind of, you know, not babysitting other people's kids, but you know she was interacting with all these other little kids and their parents. So I feel like that was a really positive influence for her.
Speaker 3:I think our little guys, they seem to adapt really well, like they loved it. I think the one thing that they miss is snow. They talk about snow. They're like I just want to build a snowman snow. They talk about snow. They're like I just want to build a snowman. I said yeah, for about 30 minutes and then you want to come back to Hawaii. So I think we just need to go find some snow, let them do their snowman thing and then bring them back. But they are island kids, I think, just through and through, just the the attitude it's. It's it's very different and I noticed a shift, especially in our eight-year-old when we moved here, just in her perception of relationships and family and values Like there was. It was interesting to watch her adapt to the culture here, which is so very different than mainland US. It's like it's very much about Ohana and there's multigenerational living everywhere. It's about your family, it's about ocean experiences. So it's it's interesting to watch it, I think, through the kids' eyes as well.
Speaker 1:And how do you define Ohana and the vibe? You kind of know Hawaii vibe, but most of it for anyone who doesn't, or how would you describe that?
Speaker 3:So Ohana is kind of. It's basically, if you were translating it into English, it's family, but it's more than that. I feel like Ohana can also include people that are like extended family or people that you care very much about, and there is this sense of a very, very strong sense of community. Once you live here on the island and once people know you're not leaving that is the key like people will expect you to. You have a year, your first year you're on probation. Nobody wants to be friends with you unless they're military, unless they know that you're going to stay.
Speaker 3:So it's it's very much like a weird limbo place when you're first here, because even in your own mind you're wondering am I leaving, am I staying? Like there are certain points, it is culture shock. It is a completely it's technically part of the US, but it is a different country and it's not like visiting. Living here is very, very different. So I felt like we kind of had to go through that. But then you start developing relationships and so it's like it does feel very much like Ohana. And even our friends, our close friends people call each other auntie it's uncle, you know. So I think there's just this familial vibe that you don't get that at least I haven't gotten anywhere else where you know these family members aren't kind of extended, they feel like extended family, like our friends are. You know it's Uncle Roderick, it's Auntie Karin, you know it's, and it's funny. It's just it adds that sense of connection that I think is so missing, especially with the pandemic. I mean, we are, we feel, so disconnected, so to have that here, it's really really special.
Speaker 1:I can imagine and I'm curious also, how did you not fit in but get to know those people incorporate and then also the kids going to school, and so I was curious for someone who's really wanting to do that. How would they go about that and what were the main differences day to day that you saw between where you were from and here?
Speaker 3:Okay, this is good. I think the main difference, first of all, I mean I think both of you have all been to the island, so island time is different, like people are not in a rush, it is very slow, it is like much more mellow. And so I think for me that was helpful, because I'm a type A like super driven. Every minute of my day is scripted and so coming here, that was like a culture shock for me, because I felt like everyone was just yeah, I'm going surfing, oh, let's go check the waves, let's just go kind of drive around. You know, I'm like does anybody work here? You feel like nobody works. Everyone is just like surfing all day. It's kind of a very, very different energy and so I think some people like that energy, some people only like it for vacation and some people are okay with being surrounded by that energy. So I think, just understanding that it is very different, people do not care what you do for work. That's what I've noticed Like a lot of people that I surf with, like we've been surfing at the same break for years and they still don't know what I do. You know they don't ask, like we don't care. You know you're, you're surfing. We see you and I feel like on the main line it was different. It was like what do you do? It felt like you make like seven figures, yet Like, where do you live? You know, it's like all of these funny things that people like they'll ask weird leading questions to try to get that information, and here it is not like that. It's people who want to know who you are and they also want to feel that you respect the culture. I feel like that's huge. The culture here is so different and you have to embrace it and become it and the island becomes just as much a part of you as you are of it. And when you feel that connection, it happens like I would say, probably for me, about that six to nine month mark where I started feeling, wow, the island is changing me from, like the outside in, and this is really really powerful. I think even my values and I'm like now I want my mom to come like live with me when she's older. You know all of these things where, like on the mainland, it's like okay, you want to live on your own, that's great, mom, I'll come visit you here. It is like you feel this really intense sense of tribalism almost, and like this community, and you want to contribute and you want to contribute and it's, it's really different. I haven't ever felt like this connected, and some people don't like that If they try to come.
Speaker 3:I noticed, like a lot of mainlanders, because where we were was very transient, there were people coming in and coming out where we initially landed on the North shore. It's not that way. It's like it's you can't just move to the North shore from the mainland unless you know somebody. But where we were initially like there were people that would come and go and you could tell who was going to come and go because they just they didn't vibe Like you have to kind of sounds kind of woo, woo, but you kind of have to vibe with the ocean, with the culture, with the people, with the food.
Speaker 3:I mean there's there are so many elements, I think, to island life that you just don't get, you know, from that tourist experience and you have to, you have to feel it and you will feel like, I think, that sense of connection with the island and it's almost like you fall in love. But you know, it's not like the. You know, ok, I'm in love with Hawaii. It's beautiful, it's great. You know, not the honeymoon phase. You got to make it beyond the honeymoon phase and realize what it's really about.
Speaker 3:Okay, I belong here. Like this is my place and I felt like I finally found my stopping place. I'm like I love it here. I don't want to go anywhere else. I love the sense of community, I like the slower pace, I like feeling that sense of connection with others, but it doesn't always resonate, and if it doesn't resonate with you, that's okay. You know it's like okay, just come to Hawaii. When you want to visit and live somewhere else, it's all right.
Speaker 3:But it's a very different vibe and you do have to respect.
Speaker 3:There's so much respect and when people come to the mainland from the mainland, they're like respect, what are you talking about? Like you know there's all these unwritten rules that it takes a while to learn. Like, for example, we went to a surfing competition over for the kids over the weekend and we were going to set up a tent. You know it's like okay, we picked our spot, we're going to set up a tent, and the guy comes over he goes can't set up your tent yet.
Speaker 3:That's a local family right there. They haven't set up their tent yet. So until they set up their tent, you can't set up yours. It's just like all of these funny little things that you're just like, oh crap, you know, like we know people on the North Shore, so it's like different local families and they're like royalty and you have to understand the culture and respect that. So we actually just kind of move locations. We're like, ok, we don't even want to infringe on their. You know, setting up the tent, yeah. So it's like all this little nuance that you do have to learn and understand over time.
Speaker 1:So interesting, so are your kids competing in surfing?
Speaker 3:Not yet my son, the six-year-old. He told me he came home like we went to the beach and we came home and he goes okay, mom, I want to be a surfer, all right. All right, you can be a surfer, but he has to learn how to swim. So he's in swimming lessons as of yesterday and he's loving it. So once he can swim, then he's going to start feeling comfortable and he, he definitely wants to surf. Our eight-year-old, she, also has been very persistently mentioning that, mom, you can't just surf by yourself, you have to start taking us out with you. So yes, both of them do want to surf. They're not very good yet, but they can get pushed into waves and stand up.
Speaker 2:And when they learn to swim there, do they swim right in the ocean? Is that where they learn? Or they like swim and learn in a pool, like in America or in the mainland?
Speaker 3:Uh, they actually do learn in a pool, um, at least where we've taking them, taken them, um, I think there are some spots on the South shore where it's like it's safer, like it's it's kind of walled off from the wildlife and any unsafe zones and so there are swimming lessons there, but we take them to a pool that's right down the street from us and it's a little safer and they feel a little bit more comfortable than you know, kind of swimming with the wildlife and the sharp coral reef and a lot of places and so just curious from a surfing standpoint.
Speaker 1:So what kind of waves are you surfing? What's the how?
Speaker 2:how big are they?
Speaker 1:standpoint so what kind of waves are you surfing? What's the how? How big are they? And I actually just surfed a couple weeks ago in San Diego and I hadn't ocean surfed in a really long time, oh my gosh, to over 20 years, but it was really interesting. Well, actually, not 20 years, it's been a little like maybe five years or so, um, but, but what's, what are you surfing?
Speaker 3:Yeah, so, okay, yeah, I love surfing. I'm still a beginner, so I would call myself an avid surfer, not like a really good surfer. So I do want to make that clarification, like when people are like, oh, you're a surfer, I'm like, well, not like the pros. So I like, like my favorite size is going to. I love Haleva, but not when it's Haleva size, not like the massive waves that the pros surf that are like double, triple overhead. I usually like it head high and I like it clean, a little bit of offshore, a little bit of offshore wind, um, and where they're like super glassy, but I like it a little faster, a little pitchier, not too pitchy, but I like head high and I'm still trying to learn on a shorter board. So I have like a twin fish. Anybody that piezel Astro, not this one, not this one, um, that one though I haven't actually written that one that one's my husband's board, um, but I want to take that one out. I'm like that would be a nice step up. So, um, I have to take that one out too, but that means I have to wax it and all that and I'm loving my 20 right now. So, um, but I like, I definitely like a point breaks. I like point breaks. I like love reef breaks.
Speaker 3:I haven't surfed a lot of like beach breaks. There are some on the South shore, but I tend to like the North shore waves a lot more. They have a lot more oomph. I would say to them a little bit more bite, like the soft. The South shore it's a little, they're softer. If you like longboarding, though, they're perfect. They break very slowly and you can get like some really nice long rides. Um, but yeah, those kinds of like the waves I like to surf. I don't like to paddle out too far either.
Speaker 1:Like if I can get like a five minute paddle versus a 15 minute paddle.
Speaker 3:I'm in.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and then what's the length of your board that you've used or what you're trying to go to shorter wise?
Speaker 3:Yeah, so right now my board is a five 11. So it's a 20, yeah 38, 38 liters, I think is 38 liters. Yeah, so it's, it's short. I'm trying to get down to like you know, like 5'9". I have a 5'9 that I really want to serve. It's a, you know, lower in the leaders department, I think it's like 29, 29 liters. So I'm working my way down, but like slowly but surely, yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's so funny from a wake surf perspective. But like, slowly but surely yeah, yeah it's so funny from a wake surf perspective mine's a four, three, you know.
Speaker 1:But that's because you just pull up and it's easy. And then, um, I think I was surfing probably like an eight something, maybe it was seven something, I don't remember, but it was. It was longer, of course, but um, and then of course I kept dumping the nose because I wasn't used to it. I was like, oh, I need to start further back, because when you wake, surf, it's kind of more in the middle and you know a little different. So, awesome, so how is it? Cost of living? And you were touched a little bit about that and in terms of like, if someone was moving there, would they try to even get an apartment before?
Speaker 1:they move there. Do you rent hotels and then cost of houses? Just curious about what you've experienced.
Speaker 3:It's very tricky, especially now they have actually clamped down a bit on Airbnbs. So, like what some people would do is they would like rent an Airbnb and then try to find, like, longer term rentals. Here the people you will find, especially depending on where you're trying to go on the North shore uh, it's very, very difficult to move straight from the mainland and try to rent something on the North shore. They want you to have lived here for at least a year. They're really protected. The property managers, like they're on the application, like you have to have lived here at least for a year before you can even apply uh for living here.
Speaker 3:Yeah, so you really do have to be creative. I'm a little bit lucky, I would say if you were planning to move here, ideally, like they will not rent to you, or tried, like I tried to like hold I would. I'm like I'll put a deposit down, I'll be there at this date. You have to be here. They have to talk to you. They have to kind of like feel your energy. They want to make sure you're like a good human, um, like there are all these other elements like they will not just take your money, like even people that try, like I had.
Speaker 3:We had a family member that wanted to come buy a house on the North shore. She had, she has the money, um, but she, but she didn't have the energy and I'm like you're not going to make it through, they're not going to sell it to just like, but I have the money, I'm like doesn't matter. You know they're very, very particular and who. They want to be here, and if you are not going to, like you know, become part of the community, if you don't have, you know that giving, if you don't care about the island like it's, it's really all about that here. And so they do have to feel your energy, so you have to be prepared.
Speaker 3:It is difficult. That first year is really really hard, because you feel like such an outsider. There's like I didn't even understand what people were saying because they speak pigeon, you know. It's like kind of like Hawaiian. They mix in like Hawaiian words with like English words and they say it really fast and you're like, yeah, I have no idea what they just said. Like even listening to the radio, I couldn't understand what they were saying on the radio.
Speaker 1:And now it feels natural. What are some of the phrases that they say?
Speaker 3:It's like brother, sister. But then they kind of mix them all up and then there's like pow. Pow means like finished, and so like you're pow, and I'm like you're what You're pow, no, no, you're done, like done for the day, you know, and so, like you have, like there's all these funny little words that you just kind of have to learn in context when they're talking story, right, talk story talk story.
Speaker 3:Yeah, you're rapping with people. You know it's like I was rapping with, uh, you know, uncle Roderick. You know it's like all of these funny little things that means you're talking with them. Um, so it's.
Speaker 3:It just takes a while and you feel like such an outsider and you feel the resistance where people are like they're always keeping you at an arm's length and I think, from a surfing perspective too, you have to show up to the same spots very consistently before in and surf. You have to be actually be able to surf before they will even give you the time of day or even acknowledge that you're there. So you have to be willing to like, put in the time and just realize it's a long game. And now that we've been here three plus years, it's like, you know, somebody yesterday was like I see you everywhere. I'm like, oh, yay, I have made it, I have made it recognizable on the North shore. Now, yeah, you know. So if you put in the time and you realize you just have to be patient, you have to learn.
Speaker 3:I think, approaching living on the Island from a beginner's mind, like there's just a lot of you know little intricacies and details to learn, but if you're patient and you love it here, it doesn't matter. You'll just be you'll, you'll learn, you'll adapt and as long as you're kind, it's like be kind. If you are new to surfing, just go to the beginner spots. Please do not go to like crazy good waves. They will be angry at you and tell you to go back to the mainland.
Speaker 1:And what's some of the beginner ones that you would suggest to learn?
Speaker 3:Yeah, On the North Shore. I would recommend Puena Point. That's excellent. That is like the best spot to go. There are a ton of surf instructors there too. So if you want to take a lesson, best spot. And if you just like, show up there. There's like five or six trucks parked there where you can just ask if you can take a lesson. I recommend uncle Brian. He's fantastic. So, uncle Brian on the North shore, he's awesome. Um, and then there's a Leahy which is actually with the Halloween Haley Eva wave, but only when it's small. So as long as it's like two to three foot or you know it's. It's pretty small but it is a reef. You know it's very reefy. There's a lot of sharp coral there. So if you're not comfortable with, like you know, low tide and coral and all of that, then you might not like that spot. But it is pretty good, I would say, when it's small and there's a lot of kids and Grom's out there. So it's super fun, like it has a very family vibe.
Speaker 1:I would say Grom, cause the in what you're talking about.
Speaker 3:Yeah, so a grom is like a kid surfer, so like we call them. All the groms kind of walk around and they all like to surf the little shore break at a lehese. So that was a really, really fun spot on the South Shore. So if you're, you know, in town, as we call it in town, honolulu area, waikiki, I mean it is really crowded but you can't really hurt yourself and there's a bunch of you know, there's a bunch of people there and it's safe. So I would say Waikiki and there are a lot of breaks there. So if you're not, if you're OK with paddling, like I I was so proud of myself, I paddled like 15 minutes to get out to Pops at Waikiki over the weekend. I was like, yeah, I did it.
Speaker 1:Key over the weekend. I was like, yeah, I did it. I learned on Waikiki in junior high and I got instructors for me my sister and my brother and I remembered having to paddle up kind of far out to get to the lake.
Speaker 3:Yeah, that was probably Pops. Yeah. So if you're like kind of facing Waikiki, you look to your right it's a little further out and a lot of times you'll see like people on SUPS stand up paddle boards out there, cause it's you know, it's not hard for them to paddle that far. But I think if you're a beginner it may feel like, oh, I'm paddling forever to get out there. But there are a lot of fun little breaks in Waikiki. So if you just want to stay in town you can rent boards. There's plenty of surf instructors there too and it's pretty safe and not too it's not too local. There are a couple of spots where you may get yelled at, but not too bad. They expect tourists and new people.
Speaker 1:Awesome, fantastic. And then what is uh? Have you seen a really cost of living to live there?
Speaker 2:Groceries gas.
Speaker 1:Oh my gosh, I'm dying to ask you what is a gallon of gas there? Cause in the Bay area it's almost $7. It's pretty much like seven.
Speaker 3:And then I've heard in Colorado it's like three something. I don't know if that's just broke $4 a gallon. It's just breaking $7. For us it's actually cheaper and a lot who would like. Right now I think it's like $5. The last time I passed like over the weekend you know how it keeps changing though it was like $5 and 50 cents a gallon here, so it's not $7, but definitely not, I just looked and it was $6.69 around the corner from me right now.
Speaker 1:I was like or $6.79, something like that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, jogged at the store, get my exercise at the same time. I know I'm like trying to stretch.
Speaker 1:Do I really need to make that trip in the car or your bike? Is it bikeable or walkable? Totally yeah, exactly. And then I do a lot of wake surfing into the boats and I'm like a hundred dollars before this craziness to fill up. I don't even know what what it is right now, but it's insane. Yeah, Cost of things for sure.
Speaker 3:I was curious, yeah, the cost of things. So, um, yeah, so gas is like five, 50 ish, as of this recording. Um, it's not too bad, though Like people worry a lot about it, unless you are commuting a lot on the Island. The Island is not that big. Some people don't realize how small it really is. Like, if you were literally driving around the and trying to drive around the entire Island, um, like along the coast I mean, it would take you probably six hours thereabouts, five, six hours, so it's not that big of an island. So to go from like town to country, you know, north Shore to Honolulu, it's not that far. So I think, yeah, gas is, you know, problematic, but a lot of the areas are pretty bikeable, walkable. A lot of people have mopeds and, like you know, little motorbikes, electric bikes and stuff like that, especially just to kind of get around in the little different neighborhoods. So it's super fun and so, yeah, so from a gas perspective, it's not as bad as if you know, we had a long drive to commute and you don't put as many miles on your car. I have noticed that too over time. And then I would say, like milk, you know, like, if you're thinking like milk eggs. It definitely is more expensive than the mainland because everything is kind of coming from the mainland.
Speaker 3:They do have some local foods here. So if you are really into, you know farmers markets love it. Like there are so many farmers markets and they're everywhere, like you can literally pick up anything anywhere. Like we have mangoes that are kind of you can probably see them because they're getting large on the tree and behind us, but our other tree is going off. So we have like dozens of mangoes at this time, you know, which is awesome because you can kind of eat local. And then people will tell you, you know, if they have a tree. Like we have a soursop tree too. It's like we kind of let all our friends know our soursops are going off.
Speaker 3:Come over and grab some food, you know. So there's I wish I had one like there's. We have some in our kitchen. They're kind of they look like a prickly looking cactus thing. Okay, well, you cut them open and they're kind of like a blend of like strawberry, pineapple and they kind of have like this um, like custard, like texture. I love them in smoothies, like some people will just eat them, but I feel like they're a little stringy-ish just to eat but I love them in like an acai bowl or something they add like this delicious flavor and they're like super, super healthy. So yeah, so there's a lot of like free food around if you know where to look.
Speaker 3:Or you have friends that have fruit trees and I would say, like grocery wise, costco, we have Costco's here. So if you between Costco and farmer's market, I feel like we are covered. Like we rarely go to the grocery store, you know some things we have to get at the very overpriced, of course, whole food store in town to get like Ezekiel bread. You know that's like my favorite little treat. So like little things like that you can find them. Sometimes they have them, sometimes they don't. You'll notice a lot of things sometimes go out of stock, especially with just the different what is it Not? Transit times, logistics and just the pipeline kind of being messed up a little bit so sometimes Supply chain for sure.
Speaker 3:Supply chain. Thank you. So sometimes things will be out of stock at Costco, but most of the time you can get what you need when you need it, and Amazon Prime is awesome. So, if you have Amazon prime, you can still get it here. It usually takes at least a week, though, so just be prepared. It's not two day shipping, you know. It is like a week at least, sometimes longer. Yeah, do you eat rice a lot now? We do.
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 3:Lots of rice. Um, I am not into musubis, though Musubis I say correctly musubis, as my daughter would correct me Musubis. So it's like spam. It's like spam, it's like rice. There's kind of like a little saucy, saucy something and then it's kind of wrapped inside of seaweed and they love those here Like musubis.
Speaker 1:Like sushi. It sounds like it kind of looks like sushi with spam.
Speaker 3:We do love spam here. Like McDonald's, it's spam on the menu and then they have like taro pies instead of, like you know, apple pies. It's like taro pies, you know. So there are some like really fun local-ish things and lots of rice, rice everywhere, tons and tons of rice.
Speaker 1:So what's a taro? What's taro pie? What is that?
Speaker 3:So taro, I would say the closest description I could give it is it's, it's so, it's made from like taro root, but it is kind of like, if you think of like purple sweet potatoes, similar to that. It's similar to that texture. It's just a little bit like gooier. Taro is delicious, though, Like especially the way they make it here. So so good.
Speaker 1:And I was curious.
Speaker 3:I was going to that sort of segues, although we are segwaying like what do you eat there? Like what's a typical meal and what do you? You know, what do you have? What did you typically eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner, mixing in just like stuff from Costco bananas and peanut butters and stuff but typically I like to have farm fresh eggs. Um, like they have. We actually have there's you can't see it, but there's like a chicken. That's like a wild chicken, that's like nesting over here on top of our shed and she lays eggs like every day. So I will go take her and they're little, tiny eggs and they're different consistency. You know, like they're, if you like. Is it wild?
Speaker 2:They're different consistency, you know like they're, if you like.
Speaker 3:Is it wild? They're wild, they're wild chickens. So we have they call them feral chickens, they're jungle fowl and they're just wild chickens that just they love. Our backyard, though, we've got lots of mangoes and bugs and all kinds of goodies and they're everywhere all over Oahu. So, like some people hate them, like some people are trying to get rid of them and say, if you turn them in, we'll, you know, give you so much money or something. There's some weird regulation going around right now they're trying to catch a bunch of wild chickens. I like them. They keep the bugs out, they keep the centipedes away, so I love them. And then if you catch their eggs like if you know where they're laying and they're fresh, then it's like oh, you know wild and they have that beautiful orange yolk, so I love those. Those are like my absolute favorite. And then oatmeal I'm like an oatmeal girl.
Speaker 3:So like eggs and oatmeal, like super, super simple. I love for like lunch. Acai bowls favorite, so they have acai. I just grabbed, like the we have the frozen acai from Costco and then I mix in, like especially if we have soursop, so I like soursop. We have papayas too that grow kind of wild on our property, so papaya and then the mangoes from the tree it's like makes the most delicious and you feel like you're just like eating sunshine. It's completely different than buying all of those things from the store. You're like you just feel like connected to your property, you know, and you're like oh, this is not like local, natural, organic stuff. As I love acai bowls and they're a favorite here. People love them. You can buy them If you. You know, if you, if you come to the Island, there's a bazillion places that sell acai bowls.
Speaker 3:Um, I like to keep it pretty simple. For dinner I do like rice or sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes are big here. I like sweet. I like the purple potatoes. Those are like the best Usually steamed vegetables. I like local vegetables Like my. Sometimes my husband will do like a stir fry, like get, like you know, box from the farmer's market and just chop up whatever random vegetables and like stir fry them so good, and then ideally I like they actually have ground beef that is pasture raised, that you can get here, which is fantastic. So I think it comes from Maui, but they have it here, so we'll pick some up from, like, the local farmer's market. When they have it, sometimes it's in stock, sometimes it's not, so you always kind of have to just kind of stock up when you can, but that's like one of my favorites.
Speaker 1:So they do chicken and fish. I'm assuming those two are pretty popular there and pork.
Speaker 3:I love pork is very popular. We don't eat a lot of it, but they do have people that hunt here. So if you have a friend and they like to hunt and they have dogs, you know you like see these. You see pickup trucks with like dogs in the back You're like, oh yeah, they're going to go hunt. They're going to hunt some wild boar. So you know what that's for.
Speaker 1:But if you have friends like that on the islands, then probably we'll never run out of pork, yeah. And then so you eat like I eat and I would just love to move in and eat exactly what you. I was like, oh, it sounds amazing, but I'm assuming also that, like the Hawaiian typical spam, it sounds like pork, yeah.
Speaker 3:There is lots of lots of spam, lots of pork, um, lots of rice. They have these things. They they're called plates to get like a plate lunch and it's basically they kind of. Most of the time it's like rice, it's like pork. A lot of times there's like taro on the plate, but it's like a plate and it's so good they're like on the side of the road. So if you're a little on the wild side and you want to get a plate, you know plate lunch they call them. They're really really tasty. I don't know what's in it, don't ask. And as long as you have a strong enough stomach, if there's anything a little weird in there, you'll be all right, totally.
Speaker 1:And then, what is it like? What do you like to do? I mean, I'm assuming it's so easy in terms of activities that locals do, that people like to do, and are there also any hidden gems?
Speaker 3:that, oh, okay. So like traditional things that people like to see, like I would go to, like if you're, if you're being a tourist and you want to do the touristy things, do it. It's fun, it's like you get to be with tourists and it's it's not bad, like I think a lot of people downplay it like, oh, don't do the tourist things, but like go to diamond head. It's really cool to like go up to the top and kind of view the entire island. Take your pictures. It's really crowded getting up and coming down, but you'll also see a lot of. There's some locals that will actually run it like three times. There's this one, this one guy. He's like he's gotta be close to 80 years old and like cause we used to go there a lot and you'd see him and we're like what lap is this? He's like number three. I'm like, oh my gosh, you were like so in shape, it's incredible. So you'll still see like locals at certain tourist spots too. But Diamond Head is really really neat. If you like like ocean life and you kind of want to swim with sharks, there's some of that that you can explore. There's snorkeling, there's scuba diving, there's surfing. Like I recommend, like just about everybody just take a surf lesson Like you can't go wrong with the surf lesson and it's fun, it's memorable. Waikiki that's where I took my first surf lesson I only surf lesson, I think, um, and it was like super, super fun. It got me hooked. So I think that's a good thing to do.
Speaker 3:Um, I think when you're on Oahu there are like I guess there are different neighborhoods so you have town which is Honolulu. That's where, that's where most people go and that's where you fly in. There's a lot to do there. If you like the city vibe and that really good food. There's lots of good restaurants and you can kind of it's all walkable Like Honolulu is not that big.
Speaker 3:So if you're from like I'm from Chicago, so it's like I mean it's like giant city. I'm like, oh, this is it. Like from here to here it's very, very small, so that's a neat place to be. If you like the city vibes and the nightlife and all that stuff, then I would always make a trip to the North Shore, like even if you're just coming for like a day or so. There are. They call it kind of like the seven mile, like there's seven miles of beach here from like Haleiwa all the way up to, like, sunset Turtle Bay. It is gorgeous. So just even driving there and just stopping wherever you're like oh, there's Lottie's, there's all these. Like there's a bazillion surf spots, like all along the way.
Speaker 1:What's Lottie's? I know what Lottie's is. That sounds familiar.
Speaker 3:Yeah, lottie's. So it's Lottie Akea is like if you're actually looking it up on a map Lonnie Ikea. I love to surf there. It's one of my other favorite breaks, as long as it's not too big. Like it gets massive, like it's like when it's double overhead and all the short borders are out and they're, like, you know, taking massive jobs. I'm like I'm out. Yeah, I would be too big for me and I'm not that aggressive.
Speaker 3:Um so, but Lonnie's is, it's a really good surf spot and it's kind of where people come on the North shore to see the turtles. Like there's turtles everywhere, but for some reason it's like, oh, where do we see the turtles? So every time, like I go surf at Lonnie's, there's always somebody that's like, where do I find the turtles? Go look in the ocean all along. But it's kind of the spot where you see the turtles. And how do you spell it? Is it, how do you spell it, l-a-n-i-a-k-e-a? And so locals would call it Lonnie's and it's it's on the surf cams, if you, if you check out surf line, like I, it's like all the little surf spots, it's one of them on there. Awesome, okay, perfect, sorry to interrupt Keep going.
Speaker 3:Oh, that's a good spot to go. Turtle Bay, I think, is underestimated. That is also a neat spot to go. There are some surf breaks. I have not actually surfed there, but I have looked at all the breaks and I'm like, ok, one of these days it's just kind of far and I have a leaky right down the street, so I kind of like going there. But Turtle Bay has some really neat surf spots and also a lot of like touristy things really neat surf spots and also a lot of like touristy things. It's very expensive to stay there if you're planning to stay there overnight, but it is an experience and some people really really love it. So Turtle Bay is really neat and there's I think there's like also some like hiking opportunities like over there.
Speaker 3:If you like to go on like adventure hikes and things like that, then you kind of move around to what I call the windward. Well, everyone calls the windward side. So that's Kailua, kailua, like that area. It is gorgeous. I think it is ranked as one of the best beaches in the entire world. It's like that turquoise water, if you like to. What is it? Wind surfing, you know, it's like all. It's very, very windy on that side, which is why it's called the windward side, but it is really really neat and there's some like some little islands If you have a standup paddleboard that you can paddle out to um, and it's pretty shallow, it's not too crazy as long as the weather's good. Uh, but that side is gorgeous.
Speaker 3:I do like the windward side. It's a little less crowded than town. It's a little more crowded than North Shore, I would say, but it's still gorgeous and it has. It's very. It rains a lot over there, so it feels like a jungle. It's like you kind of drive through the mountains and you're like, you see like this gorgeous scenery like all around, you're like, oh, I'm driving in to Jurassic Park was filmed not too far from there. So it has kind of that feel, that feel to it, that kind of jungly, very tropical feel. And then Waimanele is another spot that I think is underrated, so if you're coming back, it's w-a-i-n-a-n-a-l-o.
Speaker 3:So why, manello? That's they kind of call it here. They call it horse country, that's like where all the ranches are. Uh, obama lives over there. He's got like a big place.
Speaker 1:Yeah, he's from Hawaii, that makes sense. Yeah.
Speaker 3:That's where his his nice exciting places. So that side is really. They have some gorgeous beaches If you like to bodyboard, boogie board, like not as much surfing down there. It's. It is definitely the South shore, but it's not town side, but it is south on the island and there's some gorgeous spots. There's a lighthouse there. You can kind of take a lighthouse hike. I think it's Makapu'u that's kind of hard to spell and Maka and then Pu'u, so two U's at the end. But that's a really, really neat spot to explore too and there aren't too many tourists. There are some tourists that go there, but lots of locals. So just kind of be prepared, like kind of understand the etiquette, I think, before you go there. But it's a really, really neat spot to go. Oh, that's awesome.
Speaker 1:And so, and now, if I'm remembering correctly, cause I've asked you before. I think you, when you want, you surf almost every day and you walk, or do you drive to it or walk to it?
Speaker 3:It's usually. I've walked a couple of times but usually I drive to it, so it takes two minutes. It's like it's literally right down the street we have walked, but it's like it's a 20 minute walk. Oh, we can just drive, that's fine. And there's like a dozen spots like within like five minutes either direction. So it's just kind of knowing where to go and which spots which, which breaks you actually like like I like feeling that there's a lifeguard there. There's some more deserted breaks or sharkier spots, but I don't really feel comfortable unless they're.
Speaker 1:I gotta have more people than not what are the really sharky spots that you should avoid?
Speaker 3:it's literally right across the street from me, like if we walk straight across the streets, it's Kayaka, it's K-A-I-A-K-A, kayaka Bay Beach Park, so that spot, especially like in October, it's like mating season, so there's a lot of tiger, sharks and such in there.
Speaker 1:So you kind of stay out of it. They call it Sharktober. You stay out of it, that's great. And then is there, uh, do you go to the other islands? Is there a lot of people that just jump islands, is it? Uh, I think it's fairly cheap. I must say I wonder, as a local, if it's cheaper or if there's something that happens with that yeah, it's relatively cheap.
Speaker 3:I have not actually done any island hopping since we've been here. Especially with the pandemic there was like so much awareness and now it is finally opening up where I feel like, oh okay, I feel like there's not so much regulation and you know, safety precautions and all that um, that I would feel comfortable doing it. So I think we're probably going to look at Kauai next At least that's what we were talking about possibly going there this summer. So I'm really really curious. I hear it's like absolutely beautiful and gorgeous and it's a little on the wild side. So I'm excited to check that one out next.
Speaker 3:But yes, it's very easy, especially from Honolulu. They have Hawaiian Airlines. Our friend is a pilot for them and she's done lots of like does all those inter-island flights and they do multiple ones per day to all the different islands. There's also, if you're trying to go to some of the more remote islands like Molokai, there's like a ferry that takes off, I think, from Maui, you know that heads over to Molokai and Lanai, you know. So there's there's ways to get between the islands pretty easily.
Speaker 1:Do you miss the main? I think you said no, you don't miss the mainland. Or, like family, friends, sisters, brothers, I don't know do they come and visit, or you know you said there was one that wanted to buy.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I do miss, like I miss my mom. Like it sounds so good, it's my mom, my mom in the mainland. Like I want her to come out here with us, like when, when she's older, like she's she definitely has that island heart, I think. So I think she would enjoy living here when she's, you know, not wanting to take care of her own place. So at some point I would love it if she came back out here night, or 19 year old, like I would love for her to come back to, like when she's in the military right now. So you know, I definitely miss her and like she misses us a lot. So we've, we've, you know she's come here for visits and I would love it if she like came here and, like you know, had a family and like we can have our own Ohana.
Speaker 3:You know, kids around, uh, but I'm like obsessed with this whole Ohana and like having all the family around, I think since we moved to the Island. So I do miss, definitely miss, family, um, but the mainland itself I don't miss at all. Like I thought I would definitely get Island fever. People talk about that like kind of feeling like closed up. I haven't felt that at all, um, so it's. You know, it's just different strokes for different folks, I guess.
Speaker 2:And I just, I really love it here. Yeah, how often do you leave the North shore then? Do you like go into Tahalu? I try never to leave, okay, my husband laughs.
Speaker 3:He's like, he's like the one that's the taxi driver for the family. I'm like we go to. I would say we go to town, Like if there was a surf competition over the weekend. Um, now that there's no waves, or very few like there's some waves, I could get really excited when we have like two to three foot, you know, at one of our local breaks here.
Speaker 3:But it's summertime, so North shore kind of goes really quiet in the summer. So we have to drive. So we either have to go West, which I didn't talk much about, but that's the very, very local side. So why? And I, um, there are some really cool surf spots, but I would not recommend anyone go there unless you have, like, friends that know the islands, Cause it's you know there's lots of robberies and you know it's gotta be careful over there, unless you're very local. Uh, but it's a really neat spot. So sometimes we'll surf over there or we'll go South. So that is, you know, closer to Waikiki and there's some other spots in there that we will go surfing. Um, but most of the time I try to stay on the North shore, Like I try never to leave. That's like my goal is like I never want to leave the North shore. I'm like I never drive unless I absolutely have to, and it's usually just the surf spots. So I love kind of staying local and in the community.
Speaker 1:I also have two questions. What are the typical celebrations or holidays or things that they do different there?
Speaker 3:Yeah, they celebrate I was gonna say like Hawaii is very much like, if you think of, like Latino culture and just it's very, very similar and like celebrations are big, they are loud, they are amazing, like it's different vibes and energy. Like our neighbors, they are really big on celebration. So anytime there's a birthday, there's, like you know, pop up little those little houses, the bouncy houses. Like bouncy houses, there's music, there's tons of food and lots of laughing and talking. It feels very, very different than from where I came on the mainland, like we'd have parties but they were, like you know, kind of subdued and like everyone kind of felt like it was like the Joneses, like yeah, okay, you know, we're all kind of doing our thing here.
Speaker 3:It's just like everybody lets loose and it's a party and they're everywhere, like every weekend, like if you go to any of the beaches, there's always like multiple bouncy houses set up. Everybody has these very large tents. So if you think of, like you know, like a 10 by 10 foot tent, you have to have one, like you can't live here and not have one and you pop up your tent and it's like you pull up in your pickup truck and you unload and there's always tons of food. People will spend the entire day, or sometimes they'll camp out overnight at these beach spots, you know, and it's like they bring their tents and it's like it's a party for the entire weekend. And it's like that everywhere around the island.
Speaker 3:And it is amazing and it's just, and it's families. It's like the, you know from the, the older, you know the grandmas and grandpas, to like the little kids. Everybody is there and it feels celebratory, like I just can't explain it. It's so, so different, at least from where I came from, where it's like very structured parties, and here it's like every weekend is a party. There's a party of some sort. We're celebrating something. I don't know what it is, but we're celebrating something. I don't know what it is, but we're celebrating Lots of fireworks too.
Speaker 1:It brings lots of people. There's a lot of people and it sounds like.
Speaker 3:It is, it is. So it was really weird during the pandemic because people here are so accustomed to being social You're always hugging, you're no, it's like you know the kisses like hello, how's it going. And so it was really strange for the culture here, like when people were not able to set up their tents and just party. So now it makes me so happy, you know, it's like to see everybody just kind of having a good time and hanging out.
Speaker 1:Yeah, totally. And then now that things are opened up, when do you suggest people to visit, like what's the best time? I know a lot of people like to come in the winter because it's cold over here and it seems fine. And then I know summer school, you know people are it's not summer, school's out, so people come, I'm assuming, in the summertime. But I don't know if those are the two best times, or what you would suggest being there for three years.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it depends on what you're trying to do while you're here, if you really enjoy like some people like to come for, like oh, we have a lot of tourists that come for like the surfing that they want to like pop into a surf competition or kind of get that energy like around the surfers. So if you're coming for that like, if you like surfing culture and you want to see like all these, you like go to the local market and you see, like all these famous pro surfers, you know, then come in the winter time, that's like the best time. I would say, like January, february that's what. There's a lot of December, a lot of competitions happening, but it is very crowded on the North shore so you will get stuck in traffic and the roads are very tiny and they're like single lane so you could be like you know, you take you an hour to go like two miles down the road, so just kind of keep that in mind. It can be very crowded on the North shore in the winter, but you get all the surfing vibes and all of that good stuff.
Speaker 3:I would say, if you're trying to avoid like, if you're trying to come in the off seasons, like when people are not coming like you're like, huh, I want to come when it's not crowded. Um, april to June is usually pretty good, um, where it's a little quieter. Especially on the North shore there's all this town is always crowded, there's always a lot of tourists, no matter what time of year you go, but usually April to June is pretty good. And then if you're trying to hit an off season, um, before Christmas. So if you come, like during that fall season before Christmas it's, you know, it's usually a little bit quieter you will get some rainy weather, though I will kind of preface it Like if you come in December, january, just be prepared, there's probably going to be some gray days. You may need your sweatshirt. It does get cold and people, you know I think they come here and they're like all excited and there's like a week of cold, rainy gray days under 70.
Speaker 3:I'm supposed to be in Hawaii. I'm like don't come in December.
Speaker 1:And that leads me to weather. Yeah, what is the typical temperatures there and what is what's cold to you? Anything?
Speaker 3:below 70 is cold, like I am literally I'm throwing on a sweatshirt. You know I'm throwing on like my pants. I'm like I never wear pants Otherwise, you know it's like it's always warm, but I would say winter time. Here it's usually December through, I would say beginning of March is a little cooler, especially on the North shore, like, depends on where you go. South it's usually a lot warmer. So, town, honolulu, that area, it's usually kind of warm all year round. It's a little cooler here just with, like the trades and the winds during the winter time.
Speaker 3:Otherwise, it's usually like eighties, I would say eighties, and when you get off the plane you just feel like you get like and you get like a humidity in the face. That's how I described it when I first got off the plane. I'm like Whoa, it's like really humid and just like expect that. Like you get off the plane, you're like wow, I'm in the tropics now and it was a little it actually was a little hard for me to breathe when we first got here. It was just so humid. Um, but your body does adapt. After a few days you get, you get used to it, to it yeah and what's the water temp.
Speaker 3:Oh, it's warm. It's like 70, 79 to 81. It's warm um in the winter time. On the north shore though, it's it's like 77 to 79, so it's still pretty warm um. But I I noticed when I first moved here. It was like I'm like I don't understand why anyone wears a wetsuit, like on the north shore, and now I wear a wetsuit like this is the season. I'm like, oh, I must have adapted to like the warmth, because I get cold, like during the winter time. I have to like wear what to? Either with sleeves, or sometimes I have one that's just, you know, just the straps, but it's just to cover the core. But if you're from the mainland and you're used to cold weather, it's going to feel really, really warm, unless it's very, very windy or rainy.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, I surf in like fifties. 50 and up is typically uh usually it's like mid 55, because I do winter too, so it's all the time.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:It's an adult son oh like a wetsuit.
Speaker 3:I help think of your wetsuit. It's a four three. It's like four three, okay, yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I have a three, two, so I just kind of like depending on the weather, and then, like I had a just a heater top this weekend, just so I could get a little cooler, but it was, the water was fine. So, um, but yeah, that's, that's awesome, yeah you could.
Speaker 3:You could probably you surf in a rash guard, like most people are, just like rash guard and you're good to go. Or, if you're very brave, in the south shore you can do the bikini, the whole bikini swimsuit thing. But you just may get, you know, a board rash, which is never very fun.
Speaker 1:That is so awesome. Well, I know, carol, I want to let you do your rapid fire questions too. I know we're coming up the hour. I want to respect time too, and okay.
Speaker 2:Well, a lot of these are like really tough with different cultures and Hawaii is a different culture but you know so we have one like the popular religion that might be a little bit different in Hawaii than others. Do people talk about religion much, or a lot of, maybe, Christian?
Speaker 3:Yeah, there's actually a lot of Mormons here on the island on the um, yeah, like kind of the Kahuku area, so kind of North shore but a windward side, um, there are a lot of Mormons. They actually have I think it's a BYU so a university here, so there are some of them, but I would say the Hawaiians not so much Like. There are a number of just kind of non-denominational, lots of you know Christian churches here and there, a little bit of Catholicism, not too much though, but I would say they're not really at least the ones I've met. They're not incredibly religious. They're very spiritual though and they kind of do a lot of. They have a lot of Hawaiian culture and traditions, um, that some people might say are a little like woo, woo, uh. So there's there's a lot of that in a little bit of superstition which makes it kind of fun.
Speaker 2:Right, okay, got it. And then, um, we did talk some about food, but that was like what did you have for breakfast today? What's a typical breakfast?
Speaker 3:for you. Very boring. I had a shake. I had a protein shake with, like, banana protein powder and peanut butter and coconut milk, you know. So it's like I try to weave in some of the local stuff.
Speaker 2:Sounds awesome, Very good. And music do they're like? When I lived there, there was a lot of reggae being played all the time, and then the little ukulele. Is that still pretty common, that is?
Speaker 3:true, that is very, very common, and even when you're going to the beaches, people are either playing music ukulele, or you hear a lot of island reggae, island vibes, island music everywhere, like on loudspeakers. So I love it. I don't listen to anything else unless I'm exercising, cause it's just, it's just so relaxing and you're just like, ah, feel the Island vibes, it's good.
Speaker 2:Oh my gosh, that sounds amazing. We've talked so much about surfing, so I'm not going to ask you that. And then, um, yeah, obviously you use the American dollar.
Speaker 3:We do use the American dollar.
Speaker 2:Um, and a couple other. You know fun facts. Hawaii, like you guys, are not on daylight savings time, right, so you have to adjust that with your family when you want to call them. And one thing I just remember, though like the sunset was like such a ritual, like every night. Do you see that on the North shore there?
Speaker 3:I'm so glad you brought that up. That was one of the things when we moved here. We're like if we could just live here so we can watch the sunset every single night, especially Haleiwa, and during, like, the summertime it's beautiful. I mean like cause it kind of shifts depending on the time of year, but summertime sunsets in Haleiwa, one of the most beautiful sites ever, for sure, Right.
Speaker 2:And then when we're in Maui and people were like Ooh, the conch shell, people like would blow, that Is that common there.
Speaker 3:Not as much. Not as much here. I have heard it on the West side, Like when you go to the West side there's a little bit more of that. Um, not as much. Where we are, though.
Speaker 2:Okay, very nice Okay.
Speaker 1:Cool, do they have? Have you seen the green flash when the sun set at the? Do you know the green flash? So there's, um, it's funny, we were in san diego trying to see it. We didn't see it. My dad and my parents they're all we've gone to, like mexico and other places they have seen it, but it basically once the, when the sun goes completely down, it has to be clear sky and there's a green flash and it's just basically.
Speaker 1:I think the the spectrum it just, it's just this big green flash, but it has to be perfect conditions. I guess I learned where it has to be clear.
Speaker 3:I'm going to have to watch more sunsets.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I'm curious to. Yeah, you'll have to let me know when you see it. Okay, I will All right. Well, thank you very, very much and yes, I will be texting and keeping you updated when we come. For sure, I know, and I think at the end of this year I'm going to be going to Maui as well, so stop by, or something like that. I'd love to surf with you sometime, although I am very beginner.
Speaker 3:I don't go to the crazy breaks, I won take you out. Like I, my husband, like he, his friends always invite him to like these really fast, pitchy waves and he cannot surf a shortboard. Yes, I'm like why do they keep inviting him?
Speaker 1:but yeah, hopefully I'll learn when I go to Bali next month. That'll be awesome. So sounds so cool, okay, okay.
Speaker 2:Fantastic, thank you so much.
Speaker 1:Have a great day you too. Bye.
Speaker 2:If you enjoy our podcast, be sure to subscribe to our show, Rate us in your podcast app and follow us on Instagram at where next podcast. If you are interested in being a guest on our show or would like to nominate someone, please contact us on our website at wwwwhere next podcastcom. Thanks for listening. Thank you.
