Mainlanders Living Off The Grid

[pentecostalsquirrel]

Hilo Diver,
I was home a couple years ago back to the parents houe in STT and saw the prices then. Being Retired Army, I've had the incredible oppurtunity to live around the mainland US, Japan, and of course some visits to the sandbox and even was stationed at Fort Schafter in Oahu and still the Big Island calls my name. In all races one will find outright prejudice...even my birthplace of the VI. My family goes back 7 generations in the Islands and as a child I remember Fountain Valley. Plus the VI does have a legacy of plantations which even to this day has left scars within the people. In some respects it sounds like the Big Island is the St Croix of the Hawaiian chain. It is more rural, less touristy, and unlike The USVI, there are some great deals on land and real estate to be found. From the threads thus far, it sounds like Hawaii County run much like STT or STX except maybe for bribing local officials to "expedite" permits and the like and you KNOW what I'm talkin about...LOL.
Where in STX did you live and how long were you there? Are there any comparisons you can make between STX and the Big Island and as far as dealing with red tape? I ask because my other half and I will be buying land and building. Lets face it, I can buy decent Real Estate in Hawaii for a fraction of what I'd pay if I decided to move back home to the VI and probably less crime too. Both you and I know some in Hawaii would definitely have a heart attack if they saw how much it was to ship things in, even from PR! It is enough to make a Crucian or St Thomian to drink massive amounts of Cruzan Rum..LOL! MY S.O. is from here in the Midwest and thinks my family and I make up stories about how things really run in the VI because 1.) the USVI is a US Territory and 2.) It just can not be a "third World mentality".
When I come I'll make sure I bring some good ole Cruzan as a care package for you and you can let me know where some of the good diving spots are on the Big Island
Mahalo!

[HiloDiver]

We can't compare Big Island to St. Croix, just for starters there is the crime, the filth, the lack of pride (i.e. dilapidating cars and buildings everywhere) and the horrific potholed roads. There certainly are RE deals to be had on STX now that a huge percentage of the population has fled, but who wants to live there? The murder rate, always high there, is crazy this year, crime has escalated exponentially. IF you can get things, that's a big IF, it will cost you a fortune. Despite living there 34 years, my spouse never ever wants to return.

LOL, the difference in competencies and attitudes is night and day comparing HI and VI government employees. Getting my USVI driving license was a 2-1/2 hour affair and there were only six people ahead of me, and two people waiting on us, and I didn't even need a time-consuming driving test which I imagine would have taken all day; the person who eventually helped me had an extremely sour personality. When we showed up at HI's driver license office, we were greeted with an aloha from a woman who handed us a pen that had a silk hibiscus decorating the top of it. There were cookies and punch available, and despite being about twelfth in line and then learning we had to take a written test, we were out the door with new driver licenses in about an hour, smiles from everyone along the way.

I used to post on the USVI forums here but people kept telling me that I was too negative or was making things up or whatever blah blah blah...it pained me to see them lying to new CD posters, telling them come, it's safe, everyone is wonderful, blah blah blah, because they are so desperate to get tourists that they will lie. I don't know a soul who hasn't been a crime victim there, we were burgled twice in our home while we slept (thankfully we didn't wake up!) and a huge number of my friends there have been victims of armed robbery and everyone has had a few of their friends murdered.

I could go on and on but we are trying to put our USVI chapter behind us. I wish you the best and yes, let's go diving!

[CyberCity]

Originally Posted by HiloDiver

When we showed up at HI's driver license office, we were greeted with an aloha from a woman who handed us a pen that had a silk hibiscus decorating the top of it.

The Kona folks are nice, too. But, the silk flower isn't for aloha, it is so people don't walk away with the pen (the flower is too bulky to easily/accidently slip in to a pocket or purse).

[HiloDiver]

LOL..still, it made us smile!!!

[Robin Rossi]

Originally Posted by HiloDiver

LOL..still, it made us smile!!!

That's the important thing.