Since my last excursion was to Costa Rica for nearly 3 months I've been comparing and contrasting the differences in the two places. Even though Hawaii is a state it has the feel of another country.
Keep in mind I've only been around just the island of Oahu for a couple of weeks and spent time in mostly towns of Costa Rica.
Head to head, here's how the matchup is so far:
Beaches: Hawaii, but not by much if you know where to go in Costa Rica
Surf: Hawaii
Ocean water: Hawaii
Potable water: Hawaii has the best tasting tap water I've ever drank. CR's was good as well.
Interior land: Costa Rica by a wide margin. While Hawaii has some amazing views of the ocean from mountaintops along with rainforests and water falls, it is the polar opposite to CR in terms of exotic species observation. There are no mammals native to Hawaii, besides a bat, and most locals have never seen a snake. CR has sloths, monkeys, tree frogs, toucans, parrots, poisonous snakes, huge insects.
Friendliness of locals: Costa Rica by a significant margin. One is unlikely to find people as happy, content, and hospitable in the world as the people of Costa Rica. In the top five of happiest countries on Earth in most lists.
Value: Again Hawaii and Costa Rica are polar opposites here. You can live like a king on 1,000 dollars a month in CR, in Oahu that will last you a week or so.
Food: Hawaii by a huge margin. Costa Rica has a couple of nice dishes but Hawaiin cuisine is so diverse and the portions twice as big. Plus they have cheese here. Cheese was like gold in CR. I will devote a whole entry on Hawaiin cuisine soon.
Reliability: Hawaii. The power went off many times in CR, along with the internet, and roads being closed due to flooding, and no one is in any rush to fix it. Pura vida. Manana. The roads are obviously nicer here in a state than central america.
Health: Costa Rica. While Hawaii boasts the longest life span of all the states, parts of CR boasts some of the longest in the world. Also, I've read the obesity rate here hovers around 50% and I believe it.
Freedom: Costa Rica. There are places in Costa Rica where marijuana may as well be legal. Many times locals would ask me what I'm doing there if I don't smoke. I saw cops walk right through bars with people smoking weed or blowing coke. That's just how it is. Don't try it as a gringo though.
Hawaii has strict regulations regarding smoking tobacco. You can't smoke inside. anywhere, which is wonderful for me. The smoky bars of Fort Worth I do not miss.
Also, bars close whenever people leave in CR, here they close at 4 am I believe. Alcoholic beverages including liquor is sold til midnight in Hawaii i think.
Price of tobacco: Costa Rica. If you smoke, expect to pay 7-10 dollars a pak in Hawaii. Get your nicotine fix for a dollar of marlboro lights in CR.
Privacy: CR, easily.
Culture and history: Hawaii.
Driving: Hawaii by a huge margin. Once again, polar opposites. Here people drive really slow and are courteous to bikers.
In CR, you better get the hell out of the way, even if you're a pedestrian, they are some of the worst drivers in the world.
I would never ride a bike on some of the streets there.
Military presence: Hawaii. There is no military in CR, but the cops do carry machine guns. In Hawaii every branch of the world's most powerful military is represented.
Tourist activities: Hawaii. There's only like one dock in CR, so no cruise ships.
Public transportation: Tie. You can go anywhere you want in CR for 8 dollars or so, but the bus is rather slow. Nice comfy seats though. In Hawaii you pay a bit more but there are way more buses and they get you there faster. Also in CR you can take luggage on the bus, not so in Hawaii, though they do have handy bike racks. Cabs are also much cheaper in CR.
Accommodation: Tie. It depends on your budget. For the backpacker, CR has some of the nicest hostels in the world, nicer than some hotels on Waikiki. The hostels in Waikiki pale in comparison to those in CR even in the beach towns. But if you're a high roller, there aren't as many resorts in CR as Hawaii or luxury condos.
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
no longer homeless!
That's right...I'm movin on up, well actually down the street, from a sleeping bag on the floor in a friend's living room to a bed that's also on the floor but in my own private room. I know it's been awhile since my last entry; too busy and too stressed looking for a room to sit down and write a blog.
I can finally exhale a little knowing I have a place to call home now. Feels like an 800 lb barbell was lifted off my chest. The room searching experience was very exhausting and at times frustrating.
Apartment hunting here is nothing like at home.
No cute leasing agents drive you around on little golf carts and sell you on floorplans and offer special move in deals here. At least nowhere that I or most people could afford.
Here, when you meet to look at room someone is renting out or an apartment, you are selling yourself.
It's like getting a job. If they don't like you, it's no sweat off their back because they can replace you in no time. You meet with the roommates. If they like you, you meet the landlord.
Then you fill out a bunch of paper work. Credit history, banking account number, how much is in your account, personal references, employment history. Even if all that goes well, and you have cash on the spot, you still have to wait for them to make a decision as there are always other applicants competing for the same space you are. I've been turned away at several places after going through this entire process, losing out to friends of the current roommates and people already established with a job or more money(usually from student loans), but it all worked out for the best.
Space is hard to come by, seems like more people than rooms.
I got extremely lucky getting the place I did. No roommates, my own private room, partly furnished, utilities included., great location, very reasonable price for Hawaii.
I was checking craigslist by the hour for places and this popped up one night. I called immediately and left a message. The leasing agent returned my call early the next morning and by noon I had placed down a deposit to hold the room. I beat out a current tenant of another room in the complex. He wanted to switch to it, but had been slow to put down a deposit. So I grabbed it before he could.
While I was signing various forms, three people called inquiring about the room. After lunch I came back and the leasing agent informed me she had five voice mails asking about the room. Things move along fast here.
I arrived here on the 11th and here it is the 25th that I'm finally spending the night at a place of my own.
The room I rented is a 200 sq. foot studio off a major road in Honolulu, just a couple miles behind Waikiki and just before Palolo valley, where I had been sleeping on the floor of a friend's house.
The original plan was to stay there for only a week but it didn't work out that way.
Four girls live in that house, all of them with plenty of guy friends so you can imagine things were getting very crowded.
I'm very thankful I had a place to crash while I searched, not sure I would have made it without one. Always good to know someone where you plan on relocating.
I can finally exhale a little knowing I have a place to call home now. Feels like an 800 lb barbell was lifted off my chest. The room searching experience was very exhausting and at times frustrating.
Apartment hunting here is nothing like at home.
No cute leasing agents drive you around on little golf carts and sell you on floorplans and offer special move in deals here. At least nowhere that I or most people could afford.
Here, when you meet to look at room someone is renting out or an apartment, you are selling yourself.
It's like getting a job. If they don't like you, it's no sweat off their back because they can replace you in no time. You meet with the roommates. If they like you, you meet the landlord.
Then you fill out a bunch of paper work. Credit history, banking account number, how much is in your account, personal references, employment history. Even if all that goes well, and you have cash on the spot, you still have to wait for them to make a decision as there are always other applicants competing for the same space you are. I've been turned away at several places after going through this entire process, losing out to friends of the current roommates and people already established with a job or more money(usually from student loans), but it all worked out for the best.
Space is hard to come by, seems like more people than rooms.
I got extremely lucky getting the place I did. No roommates, my own private room, partly furnished, utilities included., great location, very reasonable price for Hawaii.
I was checking craigslist by the hour for places and this popped up one night. I called immediately and left a message. The leasing agent returned my call early the next morning and by noon I had placed down a deposit to hold the room. I beat out a current tenant of another room in the complex. He wanted to switch to it, but had been slow to put down a deposit. So I grabbed it before he could.
While I was signing various forms, three people called inquiring about the room. After lunch I came back and the leasing agent informed me she had five voice mails asking about the room. Things move along fast here.
I arrived here on the 11th and here it is the 25th that I'm finally spending the night at a place of my own.
The room I rented is a 200 sq. foot studio off a major road in Honolulu, just a couple miles behind Waikiki and just before Palolo valley, where I had been sleeping on the floor of a friend's house.
 |
| My bed at the girls' house in Palolo |
The original plan was to stay there for only a week but it didn't work out that way.
Four girls live in that house, all of them with plenty of guy friends so you can imagine things were getting very crowded.
I'm very thankful I had a place to crash while I searched, not sure I would have made it without one. Always good to know someone where you plan on relocating.
 |
| Everything I brought from the mainlaind |
 |
| The studio how it was before I moved in |
 |
| The view from my window facing east |
Over the next few entries I will covering various topics including the food, the culture, surfing, homelessness, Hawaiin politics, tourists, beaches, Waikiki weirdness, Pidgin, and many others.
I put a lot of time and effort into each one of these, usually takes me over an hour, so I thank you for reading. Any feedback is appreciated.
Mahalo.
Thursday, January 19, 2012
sailing misadventure
Alright so last Friday I think it was, I wake up and one of my roommates
comes in to tell me that she and her friends are going out on a sailboat at night and I'm invited.
So later on, we meet up at the Waikiki marina. There's 4 girls and 4 guys including me on a 25 foot sailboat.
I could tell by how long it took the captain to get his boat out of the slip that he hadn't
been doing this very long. The captain's name was "Noah". I found this to be ironic later.
I wasn't worried going out sailing at night because the waters had been calm off Waikiki earlier in the day.
We motored out a few hundred meters in choppy water to drop anchor and watch the weekly fireworks show.
The view was amazing and we all enjoyed a glass of champagne while watching the fireworks. The show was short but spectacular. Out of all the people on the boat, I knew only 3, having just met them the day before.
On our way out we had seen some large waves come in not too far from the boat.
The captain and another guy thought it was from the cruise ship several hundred meters east of us.
I knew cruise ships didn't make wake like that but didn't say anything.
After the show the captain started motoring parallel to the shore.
We headed straight to where some large waves were forming.
The proper way to deal with waves is to face them head on, so the waves hit the hull first.
Being parallel is never a good idea, as the waves can come crashing down on top of you, while also tilting the boat on its side.
In between waves the captain motors up to try and pass through where the waves are coming in.
All of a sudden the boat comes to a sudden halt.
My guess is we hit a sandbar, others thought it was reef.
Whatever the cause, all of a sudden, there we are, perched in shallow water, a sitting duck for
these large waves to come crashing down on.
First one comes and sprays everyone on board.
One girl starts to panic. The second wave starts heading this way.
It's much larger than the first.
As it nears the girl asks "Should I be panicking?! I'm panicking!"
The captain replies with the last thing you would ever want to hear from a cptain or pilot: "I'm panicking too!"
Great. So then another girl starts freaking out. There are still two on the hull, everyone else gathered in the back.
I tell them to hang on tight.
As the wave nears I can only think of three things.
My phone is going to be ruined.
I'm going to lose my passport that's in my pocket.
I wish I had a surfboard.
The wave lifts the boat on the side and comes crashing down on top of everyone. I thought for sure we lost someone but everyone managed to hang on.
I was on the left side of the boat where the wave hit and was literally looking down at the water on the other side. The thing nearly capsized. Everyone is soaked. The girls are screaming.
I'm just thinking get ready to swim.
There's now about 3 inches of water in the cabin and it doesn't look like we're getting unstuck.
A third wave comes with less intensity than the second.
The captain throttles it in a different direction and suddenly the boat moves.
The boat finally turns and we face the next wave head on, going over the top of it head on like you're supposed to.
One girl is still shaking and the other has her phone out about to call 911.
We make it back safely into harbor.
I saw a catamaran approach us on the way back. I wondered
the crew had witnessed the incident and had come to help.
Later on I found out the captain on that boat works at the Hilton,
the same place as my other roommate who had decided to not go at the last minute.
He told her he was very worried and almost called the coast guard.
Apparently our captain had driven us right into a channel facing the wrong way.
Afterwards I found out he only had 6 months sailing experience and had never gone out at night before.
The other captain said he was worried someone would die if the sailboat capsized, being in a channel with large waves.
I wasn't ever worried about that....at least for me.
Drowning in less than 10 feet deep of water just a few hundred yards off shore surrounded by other boats is not how I'm going out.
Another interesting piece to this story was that video of a great white had been shot just a day before, a few miles north of us and a few miles off shore. So some on the boat were freaked out about that.
Here's that video. Warning, foul language.
Shortly after we launched, I had asked my roommate aboard the boat if she'd ever seen "Open Water 2".
She hadn't, but I told her it's about a group of friends whose sailboat capsizes and they are unable to climb back aboard, all the while being encircled by a group of hungry sharks with no help in site.
comes in to tell me that she and her friends are going out on a sailboat at night and I'm invited.
So later on, we meet up at the Waikiki marina. There's 4 girls and 4 guys including me on a 25 foot sailboat.
I could tell by how long it took the captain to get his boat out of the slip that he hadn't
been doing this very long. The captain's name was "Noah". I found this to be ironic later.
I wasn't worried going out sailing at night because the waters had been calm off Waikiki earlier in the day.
We motored out a few hundred meters in choppy water to drop anchor and watch the weekly fireworks show.
The view was amazing and we all enjoyed a glass of champagne while watching the fireworks. The show was short but spectacular. Out of all the people on the boat, I knew only 3, having just met them the day before.
On our way out we had seen some large waves come in not too far from the boat.
The captain and another guy thought it was from the cruise ship several hundred meters east of us.
I knew cruise ships didn't make wake like that but didn't say anything.
After the show the captain started motoring parallel to the shore.
We headed straight to where some large waves were forming.
The proper way to deal with waves is to face them head on, so the waves hit the hull first.
Being parallel is never a good idea, as the waves can come crashing down on top of you, while also tilting the boat on its side.
In between waves the captain motors up to try and pass through where the waves are coming in.
All of a sudden the boat comes to a sudden halt.
My guess is we hit a sandbar, others thought it was reef.
Whatever the cause, all of a sudden, there we are, perched in shallow water, a sitting duck for
these large waves to come crashing down on.
First one comes and sprays everyone on board.
One girl starts to panic. The second wave starts heading this way.
It's much larger than the first.
As it nears the girl asks "Should I be panicking?! I'm panicking!"
The captain replies with the last thing you would ever want to hear from a cptain or pilot: "I'm panicking too!"
Great. So then another girl starts freaking out. There are still two on the hull, everyone else gathered in the back.
I tell them to hang on tight.
As the wave nears I can only think of three things.
My phone is going to be ruined.
I'm going to lose my passport that's in my pocket.
I wish I had a surfboard.
The wave lifts the boat on the side and comes crashing down on top of everyone. I thought for sure we lost someone but everyone managed to hang on.
I was on the left side of the boat where the wave hit and was literally looking down at the water on the other side. The thing nearly capsized. Everyone is soaked. The girls are screaming.
I'm just thinking get ready to swim.
There's now about 3 inches of water in the cabin and it doesn't look like we're getting unstuck.
A third wave comes with less intensity than the second.
The captain throttles it in a different direction and suddenly the boat moves.
The boat finally turns and we face the next wave head on, going over the top of it head on like you're supposed to.
One girl is still shaking and the other has her phone out about to call 911.
We make it back safely into harbor.
I saw a catamaran approach us on the way back. I wondered
the crew had witnessed the incident and had come to help.
Later on I found out the captain on that boat works at the Hilton,
the same place as my other roommate who had decided to not go at the last minute.
He told her he was very worried and almost called the coast guard.
Apparently our captain had driven us right into a channel facing the wrong way.
Afterwards I found out he only had 6 months sailing experience and had never gone out at night before.
The other captain said he was worried someone would die if the sailboat capsized, being in a channel with large waves.
I wasn't ever worried about that....at least for me.
Drowning in less than 10 feet deep of water just a few hundred yards off shore surrounded by other boats is not how I'm going out.
Another interesting piece to this story was that video of a great white had been shot just a day before, a few miles north of us and a few miles off shore. So some on the boat were freaked out about that.
Here's that video. Warning, foul language.
Shortly after we launched, I had asked my roommate aboard the boat if she'd ever seen "Open Water 2".
She hadn't, but I told her it's about a group of friends whose sailboat capsizes and they are unable to climb back aboard, all the while being encircled by a group of hungry sharks with no help in site.
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
looking
not much to report on. just looking....for a room, for a job, for places to hang out.
my first preference is Kailua. If you read the first blog you know why.
Honolulu is very bike friendly. I rode over 12 miles today. Not very long on a trail or empty road, but a vast distance in a big city.
Bike lanes on some roads, signs that tell drivers "share the road".
And they do a pretty good job of doing that. Kailua seems even more bike friendly, with wide bike lanes on seemingly every road.
There's no way I could travel the distance I've gone around Oahu without the bike.
Already, three dudes have told me "Nice Cannondale. "
One was a homeless guy, but it still counts. He was impressed by the amount of
spokes on the wheel. This bike was built in the 90s. If you ever want a fast bike
that lasts forever, buy Cannondale.
I paid 150 to ship it.
150 would probably buy me a kids 1 speed mountain bike here.
Well worth it.
There are these black pipes welded together on the street to form the silhouette of a bike every block or so, to lock your bike onto. Very convenient.
Currently I live with 3 girls. One works at night at night, I rarely see her. The other is a student from Minnesota. The one I know from Fort Worth works full time.
We hung out a lot the first few days but since then they seem very preoccupied talking and hanging out with
the young men that serve our country based in Hawaii, particularly the Navy and the Marines.
Very popular among them these two are.
Until now, I never realized females were "allowed" to stay overnight at marine barracks....
If you're thinking, "what if they see this?!?!", don't worry.
I've joked with them about it plenty. The worst they could do is kick me out, but then who would do their dishes, take out their trash, throw dead mice away, and even, sadly, take off their nail polish?
Either way, I plan on leaving soon and I'm very gracious to them for letting me crash here while I get on my feet. I know the bus routes and two of the cities rather well by now.
The knowledge is there, time to use it for action.
I promise to get to the sailing story next blog. Mahalo.
my first preference is Kailua. If you read the first blog you know why.
Honolulu is very bike friendly. I rode over 12 miles today. Not very long on a trail or empty road, but a vast distance in a big city.
Bike lanes on some roads, signs that tell drivers "share the road".
And they do a pretty good job of doing that. Kailua seems even more bike friendly, with wide bike lanes on seemingly every road.
There's no way I could travel the distance I've gone around Oahu without the bike.
Already, three dudes have told me "Nice Cannondale. "
One was a homeless guy, but it still counts. He was impressed by the amount of
spokes on the wheel. This bike was built in the 90s. If you ever want a fast bike
that lasts forever, buy Cannondale.
I paid 150 to ship it.
150 would probably buy me a kids 1 speed mountain bike here.
Well worth it.
There are these black pipes welded together on the street to form the silhouette of a bike every block or so, to lock your bike onto. Very convenient.
Currently I live with 3 girls. One works at night at night, I rarely see her. The other is a student from Minnesota. The one I know from Fort Worth works full time.
We hung out a lot the first few days but since then they seem very preoccupied talking and hanging out with
the young men that serve our country based in Hawaii, particularly the Navy and the Marines.
Very popular among them these two are.
Until now, I never realized females were "allowed" to stay overnight at marine barracks....
If you're thinking, "what if they see this?!?!", don't worry.
I've joked with them about it plenty. The worst they could do is kick me out, but then who would do their dishes, take out their trash, throw dead mice away, and even, sadly, take off their nail polish?
Either way, I plan on leaving soon and I'm very gracious to them for letting me crash here while I get on my feet. I know the bus routes and two of the cities rather well by now.
The knowledge is there, time to use it for action.
I promise to get to the sailing story next blog. Mahalo.
Sunday, January 15, 2012
aloha y'all
This is my first blog entry from Hawaii. I did a blog while traveling in Costa Rica that
a few people liked, and those same people have requested I start one here in Hawaii.
The title of this entry was inspired by my current roommate, who once said it to her coworkers that now repeat the phrase "aloha y'all" constantly.
Why Hawaii? Because I'm a US citizen and therefore legal to work. And it's beautiful.
I picked Hawaii over the US Virgin Islands because of its statehood, economy, and education. The surfing is better too.
Costa Rica was great and cheap, but sooner or later everyone runs out of money
because you can't work.
It's unlikely I will be able to have the time and effort to pour into this blog
as I did in "pura vida en costa rica". I will be much busier here with work and school.
The pace of life in Costa Rica may be the slowest anywhere.
Everyone seems to have endless amounts of free time. Time passed very slowly. Not here.
In fact, the pace of Honolulu and Waikiki seem much faster than anywhere I've ever been in Texas.
The traffic can be a nightmare and the sidewalks are packed with people.
Bars close at 4 am. There is always a party somewhere no matter the day.
Currently I'm staying at a friend's house in Palolo, neighborhood of Honolulu.
This was not the original plan but has worked out great. Originally I had planned
to live out of a hostel, so this is much better.
I paid an extra 150 to ship my bike here from Texas. After a rough start, has turned
out to be a great investment. I've traveled all over Waikiki and downtown Honolulu on the bike.
Today I rode about 5 miles to the Ala Moana bus stop to take a bus across island
to Kailua.
Kailua is a smaller town located on the windward coast. The beaches in the area are postcard perfect, the water is turquoise and the sand white.
It's a nice change of pace from the hustle n bustle of Honolulu..
Still there are many restaurants and stores, plenty of houses. today I looked at a room for rent in a 5 bedroom house a block away from the beach.
4 guys and 1 girl live there now.
1 guy is moving out to return to Japan after his student visa expires.
The windward side is cooler, wetter, and cloudier than the leeward side.
The summers will still be hot and sunny most of the time.
I rode my bike around town and scoped out potential employers as well as beaches to spend time.
Later I caught the next bus into Honolulu. I got off that one and chased down the #6 on my bike to return home. Five dollars round trip. Not bad.
Today was my 5th day here. Seems much longer.
I have already met many people and have several good stories,
one includes being on a sailboat that nearly capsized off the coast of
Waikiki. I look forward to sharing those with you shortly.
a few people liked, and those same people have requested I start one here in Hawaii.
The title of this entry was inspired by my current roommate, who once said it to her coworkers that now repeat the phrase "aloha y'all" constantly.
Why Hawaii? Because I'm a US citizen and therefore legal to work. And it's beautiful.
I picked Hawaii over the US Virgin Islands because of its statehood, economy, and education. The surfing is better too.
Costa Rica was great and cheap, but sooner or later everyone runs out of money
because you can't work.
It's unlikely I will be able to have the time and effort to pour into this blog
as I did in "pura vida en costa rica". I will be much busier here with work and school.
The pace of life in Costa Rica may be the slowest anywhere.
Everyone seems to have endless amounts of free time. Time passed very slowly. Not here.
In fact, the pace of Honolulu and Waikiki seem much faster than anywhere I've ever been in Texas.
The traffic can be a nightmare and the sidewalks are packed with people.
Bars close at 4 am. There is always a party somewhere no matter the day.
Currently I'm staying at a friend's house in Palolo, neighborhood of Honolulu.
This was not the original plan but has worked out great. Originally I had planned
to live out of a hostel, so this is much better.
I paid an extra 150 to ship my bike here from Texas. After a rough start, has turned
out to be a great investment. I've traveled all over Waikiki and downtown Honolulu on the bike.
Today I rode about 5 miles to the Ala Moana bus stop to take a bus across island
to Kailua.
Kailua is a smaller town located on the windward coast. The beaches in the area are postcard perfect, the water is turquoise and the sand white.
Lanikai Beach near Kailua, where I went my second day with the four people up ahead.
It's a nice change of pace from the hustle n bustle of Honolulu..
Still there are many restaurants and stores, plenty of houses. today I looked at a room for rent in a 5 bedroom house a block away from the beach.
4 guys and 1 girl live there now.
1 guy is moving out to return to Japan after his student visa expires.
The windward side is cooler, wetter, and cloudier than the leeward side.
The summers will still be hot and sunny most of the time.
I rode my bike around town and scoped out potential employers as well as beaches to spend time.
Later I caught the next bus into Honolulu. I got off that one and chased down the #6 on my bike to return home. Five dollars round trip. Not bad.
Today was my 5th day here. Seems much longer.
I have already met many people and have several good stories,
one includes being on a sailboat that nearly capsized off the coast of
Waikiki. I look forward to sharing those with you shortly.
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