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Perspectives on Living Da Life in Hawaii

I recently got caught up in a conversation with some visitors about traffic in Kona.  It was an interesting discussion and, like a good drive, travelled through several topics by the time we said good-bye.  I think I sold them on doing one of our Nature Adventures at least.  But the one thing that struck me later in thinking about our talk, was how much interpretation on daily life in Hawaii we do on our tours.  Our guests want to know why the traffic is so bad in Kona, is it really expensive living here, do you get island fever, how are the schools, what do you do for vacation, where’s Costco, how often do you go to other islands, the mainland, and of course, how’s the real estate market?

Our Interpretive Guide staff come from a diverse background and demographic make up.  And while our core topics and themes on our tours are very consistent from guide to guide, I would imagine the discussions about living in Hawaii are as diverse as our staff.  A kamaaina and “more mature” Interpretive Guide like Danny Almonte, I’m sure has a different perspective on Kona urban growth than someone like Anne Michels one of our newest and youngest guides who was raised on the mainland.

I’ve been in Hawaii almost 18 years now.  When I first started HFT, I could leave my home (and at the time HFT headquarters) in Holualoa, drive down to Buns in the Sun and pick up lunches, then head back down to Keauhou and pick up guests all along Alii Drive and be at the Waikoloa resort in about an hour.  Can’t do that anymore!  But still, despite the growth and challenges that growth has brought Kona,  I can’t help but be thankful I live in this place.

It’s easy for us here to be frustrated by the changes happening.  But that change is happening everywhere to lesser or greater extent.  Yes, it’s expensive living here.  Yes, the traffic is a pain in the butt at times.  Yes, a gallon of milk can cost seven bucks.  And yes, people not only want to visit our home, many would also like to make it their own home.  Hawaii, like the rest of the world will get more and more crowded—people are living longer and still making babies—and this is a great place to be.  And yes, I still love my island home.

How do you feel and what do you think about living in Kona or Hawaii in general?  Please feel free to comment and share your perspective on Da Life in Hawaii.

With Aloha,

Rob P.
Posted by Rob Pacheco at 2:28:23 PM in Blogs by Rob Pacheco, HFT Founder (16) | Comments (3)

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