Hawai’i Paradise?

The Honolulu Gold Coast. Home of some of the most expensive property in the state.

To the average tourist it is hard to grasp what Hawai’i really is all about. To most it serves as an exotic destination where time stands still and all worries are left behind on the tarmac of the person’s departing airport. Many imagine an island chain where the weather is always sunny, warm and beautiful, in other words, paradise.

The stereotypical deserted white sands beach.

However, Hawai’i is not all swaying palm trees and mai tais as there does exist a not so pleasant side of paradise. When I tell the average “mainlander haole (which means white or foreigner in Hawaiian) about this “other side” of paradise they look at me bewildered like as if I just told them there was no such thing as Santa Claus. How could it be nothing less than lush green valleys, rainbows, grass shacks and deserted white sand beaches?

Another day in paradise!

When I told one person about the daily traffic that clogs the Honolulu freeways (yes as hard as it is to
believe Hawai’i does have freeways) and streets, he commented, “well at least there are palm trees and it is warm”. I suppose the same could be said for Compton or Inglewood, California. However, there’s a certain mystique about Hawai’i that separates it from the rest of places where it’s warm with palm trees.

So, about that other side, the side that HVB (Hawai’i Visitor’s Bureau) does not want you to know about! One of the biggest problems facing Hawai’i, particularly the main island, O’ahu, is overcrowding, urban sprawl, and choking traffic. But wait a minute you’re thinking, isn’t Hawai’i just grass shacks, dirt roads and one lane roads

Classic example of urban sprawl in Honolulu

winding along beautiful coastline? Not really, but one can find such bucolic roads on some of the more rural parts of O’ahu and the outer islands like on the island of Kaua’i. Believe it or not, according to a study done by GPS Navigation Company Tom Tom, Honolulu aced out such traffic heavyweights as San Francisco, New York, Boston and even my hometown, Seattle for the dubious title of third worst traffic in North America! There are preliminary plans to build a new light rail system to take the pressure off of Honolulu’s busy freeways and streets. However, this is still at least another decade or so from coming to fruition.

People seem to think that just because one lives in Hawai’i life is somehow easier. This “the grass is greener on the other side” philosophy is perfectly illustrated through the 2011 Best Picture Nominee “The Descendants” which stars ubber mega-star George Clooney. I highly recommend watching it! Not only will it give you a perspective on life in Hawai’i or “paradise”, but also has an incredible plot and of course features some of Hawai’i’s best and most stunning scenery!

Rabbit Island off the East Coast of O'ahu

Not only is traffic a problem in Hawai’i, but the cost of living, otherwise known as “The

Paradise Tax” serves as another example of how life in Hawai’i may not be all it’s cracked up to be. Since everything is shipped in from the United States Mainland, naturally things are going to be much more expensive and combine that with a heavy tax burden one can understand how Hawai’i earned the dubious honor of being named the worst place in the United States to make a living.  

Another “fun” part of living in paradise is the seemingly endless and at times unwinnable battle against insects! Being that Hawai’i is located in the tropics you are almost always fighting against cockroaches, termites, ants, mosquitoes

Sumo cockroach!

and many other lovely critters that inhabit your home rent-free. I used to fight these battles daily when I lived in Honolulu, fighting to keep my beautiful apartment free of these pests. Unfortunately in the end it was always the insects that won the battle since I had to call in the spray company!

I have come to the conclusion that tourism in Hawai’i likely is not the number one moneymaker; instead it absolutely has to be the insect control/spraycompanies who are the kings! Think about the millions of hotels, houses, businesses and other places they must have to treat in a year! The number has to be in the tens of thousands, if not the millions.

Long and windy road into a "lush green valley"

Twilight in Hawai'i

There are many other real world problems that plague Hawai’i that are too large and deep to discuss in a single article. Even though Hawai’i is far from perfect it still is mostly paradise, it just does not feel that way when you’re crawling on H-1 at 20 MPH through downtown Honolulu on a voggy (more on that later) day! A hui hou kakou…translation = till we meet again everyone!

World famous Waikiki Beach

Sunset