When you live on an island, you have to flow with the breeze. When a crowing rooster wakes you up at 5:00 a.m. you either turnover and go back to sleep, or head to the beach with your surfboard to catch the early morning waves. Or you could, hop on your scooter in your slippers, sans helmet, and head to Starbuck's for a Carmel Maccioato. (yes, that scooter in the picture is moving!)By the way, "slippers" are those flip-flops everyone wears to the beach. And it is a custom to leave your slippers at the door when entering a home.
Although food is expensive in Kauai, (cereal is $7.00 a box and a gallon of milk can be as high as $8.00) one never has to worry about starving. That's what our friend Steve said, one evening when he handed me a bag, grabbed a flashlight and stepped into the blackness of the backyard. Mozart and I followed him around feeling our way through the shrubs and around trees...stepping over plants...while Steve picked fruit. Steve would toss the fruit in my bag and miss. But by the end of the evening I had mangos, guava, grapefruit, one ripe tomatoe and a star fruit.
Mozart and I re-visited his backyard in the daylight. (below)
While Sheryl, Steve's wife, prepared dinner, a pork roast, green beans and a scrumptious salad, she told me about the various serving dishes and plates she inherited when they bought the house. Apparently someone had just left them. Which lead to the comment..."Nothing really leaves the island, you know. It has no place to go. So things just circulate...even the trash." She told some humorous stories about how the same items have turned up again in various homes, shops and rummage sales.
Yes...life on an island can have its idiosyncrasies.
Coming up next...a beach barbecue with the locals
6 comments:
Did it live up to its name while you were there, or was it a dry season? I didn't realize you had friends there you were going to visit. I can't believe the prices are so high - it wasn't that bad when we were there last. We stay at Bed and Breakfasts, so we don't have to worry about the one meal of the day at least. We have several favorite spots to eat on the Kona end of the Big Island. I can't wait to go back, but we also want to experience Kauai.
Sounds divine!
In a place like Hawaii, you can grow most of your own food. What about chickens? Do most people have their own and use their own eggs?
I think I'd enjoy living there.
Sounds like fun...I have to wonder about the trash circulating, though...a lot of recycling, I bet....
It rarely rained at Poipu (the south end of Kauai), because they were having unusual weather. But the day we traveled to the North end, it rained.
For food, we bought milk and had cereal in the room For lunch we made our own sandwiches. For dinner...we went out or ate with our friends.
I don't have definite answer about the chickens, but I heard a young man talking about raising chickens and selling eggs to make some extra money.
Yes, they raise many chickens on the islands...In fact there are few regulations about chickens in the backyards like here in Canada.
Sounds like you have had some fantastic weather and amazing experiences.
We will be heading out next week.
What fun fruit adventure! And interesting about how items turn up!
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