Learning The Hawaiian Language

The Hawaiian Language alphabet only has 12 letters… The five vowels of a A E I O U and seven consonants  of HKLMNP and W.   Although I'm definitely not an expert in the Hawaiian language, here are some tips that may help you practice the Hawaiian words. Some words you are already familiar with such as aloha and mahalo. Aloha can be used for hello or goodbye and also for a feeling of affection. Mahalo means thank you.   I bet you've also heard of Luau and Waikiki. See you're already becoming an expert.

Keiki (kay-kee)- child or children

Lanai (la-nigh)-porch or veranda

Lei (lay) necklace of flowers, shells or feathers

Ono (oh-no) delicious, the best

Pupu (poo-poo) appetizer 

Wahine (wah-hee-neh) woman

Kane (Ka-neh) man

Kamaaina (Ka-ma-eye-na) local resident

Ohana (o-ha-na) family, related by blood or not.

 Street names can be a bit intimidating, but once you hear the name several times you'll be repeating it like a local in no time. Since living here, I pay attention to the local news cast on their pronunciation of Hawaiian words. It helps me place the accents in the correct place.

 Here are some street names for you to practice on. Good luck!

Outer Island Cruising

 For any of you who have gone on a cruise, you understand the importance of being near the departure port. It is essential for keeping your cruise cost down. While living in Hawaii there are a few opportunities for cruises in and out of Honolulu. There is a weekly cruise to three outer islands through NCL which hubby and I took last summer. Since we are living on Oahu we took advantage of a last-minute price reduction and jumped on board. The Pride of America is a bit different from other cruising ships. Because it only operates in American waters, it has mostly an American crew.  There is no gambling in Hawaii so this ship  does not have a casino, and any other ships passing through Hawaiian waters will close their casino during this time. The Pride of America is also a smaller ship compared to some of the luxury cruise liners.  It has a distinctly American theme.

Pride of America grand staircase

 Even though hubby and I have previously been to the outer islands, this gave us a chance to see the islands from a different perspective. Arriving by ship to the different ports gave us views of Maui, the Big Island, Kauai, and Ni'ihau that we had never seen before. There are many excursions to do on all of the islands. It is just a matter of narrowing down the many choices.

 While on the island of Hawaii, also known as the Big Island we chose to go snorkeling at a black sand beach. We had been to the volcano twice before and that excursion is not to be missed if you've never seen an active volcano.

Tender to Kailua-Kona dock.  This is the beach area that the Ironman Triathalon begins.

 On the island of Maui we chose an excursion to Molokini crater for snorkeling. This is a 30 minute boat ride to a crescent shaped island where boats dock for some excellent snorkeling. We were able to see lots of fish and could see all the way to the bottom of the ocean floor.  Don't worry if you're not a strong swimmer, they will give you a noodle to keep you afloat while swimming.

A walk along a park in Maui

 On the island of Kauai, Waimea Canyon has been called the Grand Canyon of the Pacific and it's very beautiful. Another excursion that's popular is the helicopter tour. Most islands have helicopter tours but in my opinion, Kauai is the island you'll want to see the beautiful sites that are not easily accessible by car.  Before leaving the island of Kauai, there is scenic cruising of the Napali coast. The only way to see this area is by plane, boat or hiking into the area. This is a very unspoiled part of Hawaii.

 Each island has something different from the other islands. If you have a chance to visit an outer island, you'll enjoy it. If you have a chance to visit three outer islands in one week, you will certainly find which island is your favorite.   We felt this cruise was an outstanding value. The price of flights, hotel rooms for seven nights and all meals would have easily cost much more than our cruise price. In fact we enjoyed ourselves so much we plan to take it again next year.

Retirement Lifestyle

Waikiki Beach

I've had many people ask me how I can live in a 600 square ft. condo.  Here are my short answers:

1. It's in Hawaii and it's paid for.
2. We probably won't live here for the rest of our lives.
3. We want to travel while we're still healthy and a condo is easy to close up and leave at a moments notice.
4. We have a great view of Pearl Harbor and the Arizona Memorial.  I feel lucky and grateful when I look out the window each day.
5. I'm not spending my retirement years cleaning and/or repairing a large square footage home.
6. We refurbished it to our liking and we love the location.

People waiting for Friday night fireworks to start

Another question I'm often asked is how can we afford to retire in Hawaii since it's so expensive.  Let's break it down into the most expensive categories:

1. Housing - Our condo is paid for.
2. Utilities- Hawaii has one of the highest utility rates but once again, living in a smaller space means smaller utility bills.  We run our air conditioner often and our utility bill is about $100.
3. Food- Yes food is expensive since almost everything is shipped to the islands. Luckily we can shop at the military commissaries on the island. We only eat out about once a week and that really helps our food budget go farther.
4. Gas- Gasoline might run $.50-.75 more per gallon, but remember, we are on an island so we don't drive long distances at any one time.
5. Entertainment-Here is an example of our recent Friday night outing.  We had a Mexican dinner at a "mom and pop" restaurant. $27   We then walked along the Waikiki beach and watched the sunset...  Free.  After sunset on Friday night there are fireworks on the beach...Free.  And finally we treated ourselves to ice cream after the fireworks...$3.    After paying our $4 parking fee, our evening out came to $34.00 for an enjoyable night on the town.

Another amazing sunset

There is no perfect place in the world for retiring.  If there was, everyone would move there.  I suggest finding the perfect spot for you. A place where you find yourself smiling a lot and feeling lucky that you found your own paradise.

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