Disaster on Lana'i: An Island Hopping Adventure

For President's Day/Valentine's Day weekend, Jay and I decided to go on our first island-hopping adventure. We chose the small island of Lana'i because it's not one that most people go to (or have heard of) and we want to get to all islands, if possible, while we live here.

Also known as Pineapple Island, Lana'i is the sixth largest Hawaiian island and the smallest publicly accessible inhabited island. It has no traffic lights and one city where most of the 3,100 inhabitants live: Lana'i City. It was brought to prominence in the 1920s as it was turned into a pineapple plantation by the Dole Pineapple Company. And although agriculture is no longer the main driver of it's economy, Lana'i is beginning to thrive on increasing tourism thanks in part to the two Four Season's resorts located at Manele Bay and the Lodge at Ko'ele.

We started out our trip by getting up early Friday morning to make our 10am flight. A front was coming through the islands around lunch time Friday, bringing high winds with it, so I was glad our flight would get us to Lana'i before then. Unfortunately, the weather on Lana'i was cloudy and windy, causing poor visibility and the cancelling of our flight at 11am. The airline was able to re-book us on the 3:30pm flight, but with 4.5 hours to kill and Evie's car seat checked, what were we going to do? Luckily, the airline was very accommodating and retrieved her car seat from the plane. We put her in the car and drove around Waikiki for an hour to let her nap.

Our afternoon flight was on-time and pleasantly without turbulence, and we were on Lana'i by 4pm. Our rental car was a Land Rover, as a four-wheel drive vehicle is necessary to access most parts of the island. We get the car and find it has a thin layer of reddish dirt all through it, which we slowly realized is normal for this rural island. We loaded up and drove the 6 miles to Lana'i City to find our rental home. We had considered staying at the Four Seasons, one of the only hotels on the island, but with rates starting at $699/night, it was hardly affordable (though I later learned they have "kamaaina", or local, rates that were cheaper). The "city" is less than 7 square miles, but we still struggled finding our rental house. We ended up on a dirt-covered street with homes that looked overcome with either foliage or junk. We eventually located our rental home, and realized that the huge wall and dense plants around it obscured it from view on our drive-bys.

Once inside, we found ourselves in a quaint plantation-style home that had new furnishings and decor. It was small but perfectly suited our needs. We headed down the street to the only market  on the island to pick up food for dinner. I thought the prices were pretty good ($5.41/pound ground beef) but maybe I've been living on an island too long. Once back in the house, our cute plantation home quickly turned into a nightmare. The bathroom consisted of a small room for the toilet with a curtain door and bugs crawling around (although they were not numerous and were likely due to the high humidity of this part of the island). The shower was also occluded only by a curtain and was a cement stall with no lights and a mirrored ceiling. It looked like something out of a Jason movie and coincidentally it was Friday the 13th (a bad omen?). We also had no bathtub, so we had to give Evie baths in the sink.

As I'm preparing dinner, I realize I have to cook with a gas stove. A gas stove that has had all the markings wiped off of it so we don't know which knob controls which burner nor how to turn anything on. We placed a call to the owner (who lives right up the street) and he came to the house to help. We discovered that only one burner works and the oven did not work at all. I made do with one burner to make spaghetti sauce and noodles, but Jay had to grill the garlic bread outside. There was no high chair, so we were stuck holding Evie on our laps to feed her.

After dinner, I noticed that my feet were exceptionally dirty. We got out the Swiffer (the only mop we could find) and had to clean the entire house because the floors were so dirt-covered. There was a sign posted on the fridge stating that any dirt brought into the house was grounds for an extra cleaning fee, so we figured either the house hadn't been occupied in a while or the cleaning lady was not very good. The hot water I used to clean dishes was initially yellow, but cleared-up by the time bedtime came around (whew!). Bedtime was a disaster as Evie had to bathe in the sink and then sleep in a pack and play in an unfamiliar room. She threw up from crying and about an hour into bedtime, had to be bathed again and the sheets changed. This is when we noticed that the stuffed nose she had on the plane was turning into full-blown congestion. Great. We had to clean the barfy sheets, which is how we discovered that the washer was broken. We had to manually advance each cycle, and if we missed advancing the rinse cycle, water pooled on the floor (thank God for the drain in the room!). We finally got Evie to sleep and soon after put ourselves to bed as it was an exhausting first day.

Saturday we woke up to overcast skies, high winds, and a sick baby. The forecast called for 100% rain and 60 MPH wind gusts later that day, so we wanted to get out and see the island while we could. We decided to head to the Four Seasons at Manele Bay, as it was one of the places my book said to see. The hotel was beautiful and had great views of Manele Bay despite the poor weather.

Manele Bay

Lobby of Four Seasons

We looked around the hotel for a while and decided to head down to the beach. What is usually a serene, picturesque beach was windy with rough waters. The sand was stinging our legs, so we only walked around for a little while. By this point, we were getting hungry so we headed back into town for lunch. We stopped at the local diner, The Blue Ginger Cafe, and ordered some Loco Moco and shrimp stir fry. By the time the food came, Evie was throwing a tantrum so bad we had to pack up and head home for nap time. A nap which did not come easily and only lasted 45 minutes. By the time she woke up, the rains had started.

The rain quickly turned into torrential downpours with wind gusts that knocked out the cable and cell phone service. Evie woke up extremely congested, and with the rain and wind not letting up, we knew our Valentine's dinner plans would have to be cancelled. Our weekend got even better when we discovered two leaks in the house's roof, one in the bathroom and one in the living room. This was our breaking point and we decided between the bad weather, sick baby, and bad rental, we needed to head home early and salvage our weekend. After several poorly connected calls, we got through to the airline and changed our reservation to Sun afternoon. Evie woke up three times that night due to her cold as well as the cold temperatures. The rain brought with it cooler temps, and at an elevation of 1,600 feet with no heat, the house was quite cold that night.

Sunday morning we woke up in somewhat better spirits, knowing the torture was ending that day. It's too bad the weekend wasn't like Sunday, because we had a great day!

We checked out with the owner's of the house and car, who we kind enough to refund our money for the day. We drove around the mountains of the island while Evie took her morning nap. I read that the golf course at the Four Season's lodge was a world-class course where Bill Gates got married and that the views were amazing (which I later realized I confused this course with the one at Manele Bay). We had to get back-road directions to the course because it was closed and we soon found ourselves driving along the golf cart path and looking at a long-closed golf course that was overgrown with weeds. It would have been beautiful if it was up-kept, with views of the ocean and mountain valleys, but as of now the course is closed with rumors of it reopening in 2016/2017. We found ourselves on a back road that led down the mountain on the windward side. It was a hazy day due to vog, but you could make out Molokai to the right and Maui to the left (with the peak of Haleakale sticking out above the clouds). It was a beautiful site. We ended up turning around and heading back to the Four Season's Lodge and Lana'i City since driving around the island this way would have taken a long time.

We drove to Manele Bay and had lunch at the Four Season's oceanfront restaurant. The day was clear and calm with an unbeatable view and delicious food. It salvaged our weekend and helped us realize why people love coming to Lana'i.

Much better weather on Sunday!

Pepper look-a-like

After lunch, we had one more stop before going home: the famous Lana'i cat sanctuary! We knew this would be a hit with Evie as she loves cats. They foster 300-400 cats at a time, and we were surprised by how well-behaved and friendly they were! One in particular, Kelsey, would jump in my or Jay's lap every time we crouched down to pet her, and she let Jay hold her like a baby. So sweet! Evie couldn't get enough of the cats and although we left covered in dirty paw prints, it was probably the best part of our weekend.

After our fun Sunday in Lana'i, we labeled this trip a small success. We learned that Lana'i is a little too rural for us, that Evie has difficulty traveling right now, but that a small get-away is good for everyone. And: there's no place like home! We had a much better night once we were home (only one wake-up) and Evie's cold has been more manageable. Time to get back into our routine.

Product Review: Califia Farm's Iced Coffee

One of my favorite things to do is shop at natural grocery stores (i.e. Whole Foods, Trader Joe's) and try new products. They always have the most interesting flavor combinations and on the whole, the foods sold at these stores are healthier. Plus, shopping at the smaller stores allows you to support small businesses and, often, the local economy, win-win!

I recently visited Down to Earth in Pearlridge while I was out shopping. I have passed this store several times and I finally decided to go in and see what they had to offer. They had a cooler near checkout full of various drinks, and my eyes fell upon Califia Farm's Iced Coffee.

The packaging reminds me a lot of Starbucks, which I'm not sure is good for distinguishing yourself in the marketplace. But maybe it's good to get people to try your product.

I chose the cocoa noir with almond milk, which was soy and dairy free. The coffee was cold-pressed and was definitely the dominant flavor of the drink. Once swallowed, you tasted a hint of the bitter dark-chocolate before creamy almond milk rounded out the flavor. It was not quite as creamy as regular creamer, but just as tasty. At only 120 calories for the bottle, it was a tasty treat that also gave me some pep to get through the afternoon. For those used to the high-sugar content of most coffee drinks (like Frappuccinos), this will definitely be less-sweet, which is why I enjoyed it so much! Those sugar-filled drinks are usually too much for me, and I liked how this drink was basic enough that you only tasted what was meant to be tasted: coffee, dark chocolate, almond milk.

I bought a few other things during this trip, so stay tuned!

Getting settled again

After a very long holiday in MD, we are back in HI and getting settled in. It was so nice to spend the fall in MD, watching the leaves change, feeling the crisp air, being home with family and friends for the holidays. But it's also nice to be back at our home with the sun and warm weather (especially since MD is now cold and snowy!).

Our first weekend back, we took an afternoon and went to Hale'iwa on the North Shore. We got some original shaved ice from Matsumoto's, which Evie was not a fan of. This dietitian mommy was secretly thrilled inside, but don't tell Jay! Then we took a walk on the beach where we had spent the afternoon for Evie's birthday in September.

Hale'iwa Beach Park, Sep vs Jan

What a difference from summer to winter! What was a calm beach was now rough surf and chilly wind. We took a walk and found a calmer area that we decided we would come back to another day. Little did we know, that the baby who loved the beach in September would have a fit and refuse to touch the sand in January! Oh well.

The next weekend we went to the Honolulu Zoo. It's not the nicest zoo I've ever been to, but Evie seemed to enjoy the animals. We had lunch as soon as we arrived, where they let birds and peacocks walk around. Obviously people are not obeying the "do not feed the birds" signs, because these things were aggressive! A peacock actually bit Jay when he was inadvertently holding out a french fry. Needless to say, I was a bit worried about Evie. We quickly ate and left that area.

Spam musubi

 The fox was Evie's favorite animal for this visit, probably because she was able to see it from where she stood. She was less impressed with the zebras and giraffes, and I think Jay and I were more excited about the swinging orangutans than she was.

It's very hot in Honolulu and Evie hadn't napped all morning, so our trip didn't last very long. But I definitely think she'll enjoy it even more the next time we go.

Since Evie had to nap and it was early afternoon, we decided to take a drive around part of the island we hadn't seen yet. Here are some pics.

These pictures don't even do justice to how beautiful this island is. We made it to the Eastern side of the island that has tall mountain ranges that the clouds just hang on. I can't even describe how amazing they look, and I would have taken pictures but they were too tall to get in the frame! We can't wait to explore that part of the island more.

Still alive

Yes, we're still alive here in Hawaii. I apologize for the long time between posts.

As most of you know, Evie and I were home almost the entire fall and have been back in Hawaii about 5 weeks. To be honest, I haven't thought about this blog until the past week when I finally feel settled at home and like things have fallen back into a routine.

We've been keeping busy here and have had an adventure or two; I'll post about those at a future time. I hope everyone on the mainland is keeping warm this winter. We're surviving here in these frigid temperatures. It's gotten into the upper 50s a few nights and I've had to cover Evie with a thin blanket- we're struggling here!

But it's already February, so hopefully no more than 6-7 weeks of cold weather are ahead and then we  (you) get to look forward to spring!

Labor Day Weekend

A little late, but better late than never. Right?

We decided to use Labor Day weekend to explore the island and have some family fun. On Friday, we had our first official beach day.

Waimea Bay Beach

We went to a small, cozy beach on the North Shore called Waimea Bay Beach. It's a small cove with the highway on one side (seen above) and cliffs on the other. There was even a large rock the went out far enough into the ocean that you could jump off of it. The water was beautiful and clear, but there was a strong tide. Apparently, in the winter months this is where all the big waves will be. We set up our new SPF-50 baby tent and gave Evie her first taste of playing in the sand.

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She and Jay went into the water and she loved it! She really loved sitting in the shallow areas and having the waves rush up over her feet. We saw turtles swimming near shore but I wasn't able to get a good shot of them. After a bit of play, she got hungry. So like a true island Princess, she took her bottle in the tent with the sea breeze blowing and the waves crashing in front of her. She lasted about 2 hours at the beach before getting sleepy, so that's when we left. We stopped at Giovanni's shrimp truck on the way home and had some garlic shrimp for lunch. Delicious, but stinky! I think we smelled like garlic for at least two days.

We didn't do much Saturday; I think it was too rainy. I was up early to watch ESPN Game Day (I refuse to DVR it). Jay worked on pictures for our damage claim from moving. After everything was submitted, we had $4,500 worth of items damaged! Not sure how much we'll actually get to fix/replace things, but it's still annoying to have to deal with.

Sunday we had pool day. There's a pool less than a five-minute walk away so it's easy to go there without having to lug a bunch of stuff. They have lanes for swimming laps, a high dive, and a kiddie pool. We took a float and put Evie in the kiddie pool, where she was just tall enough to touch. She bounced all around the pool and had a great time. Unfortunately, we were able to stay only ten minutes or so before it started to rain. 

On Monday, we headed to Waimea Falls to go hiking. Located on the North Shore of Oahu, there's a beautiful waterfall and rainforest park as well as a restaurant. Lots of movies have been shot there, including the second Hunger Games.

Lily pads

Waimea Falls

We hiked up to the falls with Evie strapped to Jay's back in the baby harness. She seemed to enjoy herself, although she got fidgety after a while because she wanted to get out and move around. It was a beautiful hike and we saw a lot of tropical plants. At the falls, a tour guide offered to take our picture and was very friendly with the baby.

After we returned to the entrance to the park, we had a quick lunch at the park's restaurant, The Proud Peacock. The food was decent and just what we needed after spending the morning in the sun. There were peacocks walking all around the outside deck, but they didn't bother you if you didn't bother them. Jay and I split a snickerdoodle ice cream sandwich for dessert, which was made of all local ingredients and definitely worth the calories!

Labor Day weekend was a lot of fun and I'm looking forward to more adventures this fall.

Honeymoon Beach for Daddy's work picnic

Settling In

Not much new has been going on here. We finally received our household goods last week, but that'll be a separate post. We survived a hurricane, which turned out to be a little rain and a six-hour power outage. We're still waiting on Jay's car to arrive, which limits Evie and I to walking everywhere. Luckily we live close to a lot of things and I've been too preoccupied with unpacking to think about going out anywhere.

The weekend before our household goods came we took a drive to the North Shore, which will probably be the beaches we go to as they are closer to us than Honolulu or the other beaches. We passed fields of sugar and the Dole Plantation, and once we crested a hill we saw the beautiful ocean in the distance. Unfortunately, we didn't plan ahead and got so frustrated with tourist traffic that we ended up turning around and coming home.

We had our first experience with letting the neighborhood kids do yard work for us. Ten bucks and our backyard was mowed/weeded. They were so cute and did a really good job, although I was a little nervous watching the little one use the weedwacker...

Evie figured out how to climb the steps one night. I turned my eyes for ten seconds and when I looked back, she was no longer sitting at the base of the stairs, but was sitting on the first step, going for the second! The baby gates went up quickly after.

The commissary has a lot of neat foods that I've never seen before, especially Asian foods. I love cooking with ginger but hate buying ginger root; it's a pain in the butt peeling/grating it yourself and I always end up throwing out most of it. Imagine my delight when I found minced ginger in a jar! It's been great for cooking fish, which there are all kinds of here at great prices (thick ahi steaks are $4.99). Our only surprise so far has been buying sweet potatoes. Apparently, they're white here, not orange like we're used to buying back home. We've messed up twice now, buying and cooking the white ones. They don't cook like the kind we eat back home, but instead turn out dry and mealy. I've recently cooked ahi belly, swordfish, and opah (aka moonfish, starfish). All were very tasty and I look forward to really learning how to cook them while we're here.

Last weekend we had Tropical Storm Iselle come through. It hit the big island and Maui harder than us, and some people on the big island are still without power. We had a little wind and rain, but nothing big. We had worse thunderstorms in MD than this tropical storm! We lost power for about six hours, but with all the unpacking we had to do we kept very busy. We had plenty of water and canned foods stocked just in case, and we ended up eating Vienna sausages and fruit for lunch. The sausages gave me a stomach ache and I'm glad I won't have to eat them again for a while. At about hour four without power, we scrambled to get our fridge foods in a cooler, and luckily everything was just fine.

A hurricane-style lunch

We're still getting settled in the house, but we have a daily routine and have almost found a place for all of our stuff. Now, if we can just get Jay's car here, Evie and I can start exploring!

Helping to un-organize the hangers

Our New Home

We have a house!

The process of finding a home, signing a lease, and moving in was actually one of the easiest we have done ever. We moved into a home on-post, which is something we initially thought we wouldn't want. Usually, living on-post means bad housing (the Army is known for it's crappy accommodations), significant distance from the outside world and activities, and an overall pain-in-the-butt lifestyle. Finding housing off-post was becoming difficult so we decided to cover all of our bases and see the on-post housing. 

View from front porch

I'm so glad we did! We got to see two different homes, one that was new construction and one that was historic. While the historic housing was beautiful, it is further away from things and we kept getting bit by bugs while looking at the outside of the home (we took that as a sign). So we chose a new-construction home near the middle of post. We figured out that living on-post only added about five minutes to our travel time to go places and actually put us closer to the North Shore, which is where we'd go to the beach. Plus, on-post housing was available right away and living in that hotel room was getting old.

This home is two-story, which is a bit of an adjustment as well as a great leg workout! It's in a neighborhood with other majors and colonels. Outside our front door is a huge lawn for kids to play on as well as a playground, and less than two blocks away is a huge park and the community center. We can walk to the Commissary and PX as well as one of the five pools available to us on Schofield.

Future eating area and back yard

We have a detached 2-car garage, a decent-sized back yard, and a back porch. The kitchen has an eating area off one end and a potential family room on the other. The oven/microwave unit has a delay start function which I'm looking forward to trying out (it's the little things). As a side note: the house looks cluttered and disorganized now. We haven't gotten our household goods yet with no delivery date in sight, so we're living bare-bones with plastic covered furniture.

One of my favorite features of this home is the screened front door. It gets warm here but not really hot, so we can have the front door open with a nice breeze coming through and we listen to the kids playing outside.

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The upstairs has three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a linen closet, and a huge storage room. I'll spare you pictures of our clothes laying everywhere (no hangers!) and suitcases piled in one room. It will be nice to have our household goods delivered so we can finally settle in. 

So far, we are really happy with our home. The neighborhood is quiet and the renter's association is very responsive to work orders/concerns. It'll also be nice to have a second car here so Evie and I aren't housebound all the time. We've taken walks to Starbucks, the Commissary, and the park. Multiple times. We're ready to see some things in the town next to post. But for now, we're happy to be in a home, with cable that gets Bravo (I was starting to go a little stir crazy from missing my housewives).

This is an historic home on Pearl Harbor that we drove by yesterday. It's part of a neighborhood that was built in 1914. We couldn't get much closer than this to the houses but they were all so beautiful and really well-preserved.