I haven’t received the quiz results yet ,but I was in the Navy 2 enlistments ,after I retired I worked in Alaska, Russia,( all over ,( many Samoan friends ,phillipino,Asian….) On commercial fishing boats .I get along w/ wife and I live on around 125,000 a year after taxes what do you think of my possible choice of moving I crazy ?? We just like being home relax and enjoy the winding down of life ( we r 53 and 55) my wife still likes to http://www.loansolution.com/installment-loans-wy/ work ( bartender….) So I’m retired please give your honest opinion ! Thanks have a great weekend! Richard aloha.
It will likely happen to you if you do not look like a local, so you have to get used to it
We retired to the Big Island in . It has been a big adjustment and I felt depressed and anxious most of the time. Hawaii was not as I expected…and it wasn’t because of the lack of competition (true), poor services (also true), higher prices (depends on where you lived; property taxes and sales tax are lower here than my mainland home). Costco, Target, and Walmart all have prices comparable to the mainland and like the mainland, you wait for the sales. Shipping here is extremely expensive ($595 to ship four chairs from the mainland). It is crowded, but not so different from any major city. Middle class living is at a level lower here. If you are an East Coaster like I was, you’ll have to get use to year around bugs (I am okay with that).
But you’ll have to adjust to lizards with their sharp little toenails jumping on you unexpectedly and geckos getting inside your house and poo’ing all over everything – walls, ceilings, floors, upholstered furniture, your lampshades…and they lay eggs. For the first several months, I would pull out the cushions on the sofa and chairs on a weekly basis looking for those darn eggs, because if they break, they leave a bloody mess. We went through and really sealed our house. The comment about being treated as an outsider is 100% true. People will be downright mean to you and for no reason.
I stood outside a butcher shop waiting to pick up my Thanksgiving turkey, standing 6 feet from the guy in front of me who was getting waited on at the time
He turned around and gave me a sour look. When he picked up his order, he walked right by me within inches (this is during the pandemic) and said to me “get out of my way”. The people nearby were horrified. He was dark and I look like I came directly from Iceland with my pale skin, blonde hair, and blue eyes. Talk about racism. This was not a one-and-done either. And the road rage here is terrifying. Forget about waving or throwing a shaka. True, most people who live here will appreciate it and let you in. Others will hold their hands on their horn, flash their bright lights at you, and drive up and back on your bumper.
I’ve witnessed this happening to other people too. It’s just downright sad. Then there are the trucks and motorcycles with the illegally enhanced exhaust systems who will rip your eardrums, even at 1:30 a. It’s illegal, but it’s not enforced by the local police. So be prepared that this is NOT paradise. That said, this is the most beautiful and exotic place I’ve ever seen. I’ve survived because of the people I’ve met who work here and the downright hilarious sightings of animals in their natural environment. Where else are you going to see a feral pig with one tusk on the main highway, or the feral goat posing on a huge rock next to an “Aloha” sign, or an egret hitching a ride on the rollover bar on some guy’s truck, the meandering roosters, or the funny mongooses, or a band of huge wild turkeys gathering in the middle of the sidewalk or walking through a parking lot, or the beautiful pheasants that show up in your yard, and all the other exotic birds….
