Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Hey, weren't they up to at least the '91 building codes? I think they migrated from the maroon '83 to the blue '91 sometime in the really late nineties, didn't they?
Yes, they were on the '91 codes until very recently... albeit heavily modified. A couple of years ago the state mandated an upgrade to the 2006 UBC. There has been a lot of upset and controversy over this, because until this change each county set their own standards, and the County of Hawai'i had fairly relaxed standards compared to Honolulu.
I would still encourage you to go and spend some time there before moving blind. You just can't learn most things about experience over the internet, no matter how much time you take. Belize may be awesome, but it's not like Hawai'i and a month isn't a very long time. Personally, I wouldn't call spending a month anywhere "living there" but that's just me. From one Austinite to another, go visit and take your bike and see what it's like firsthand!
I read that article and it looks as though it might pertain to the east side of the island? I am curious from this poster and others as to how the cycling infrastructure is in and around specifically Kona and nearby surrounding areas.
More specifically, aside from sharing the bike lane with scooters and mopeds and as pertains to Kona and surrounding areas, are there marked bike lanes? How wide are these bike lanes? Are there sections that have no bike lane and possibly no shoulder? Are there omfg tunnels like on Oahu (Pali, Likelike) that cyclists need to go through and pray for survival? Are the bike lanes and/or shoulders maintained at all or are they infested with potholes, ruts, loose gravel, broken glass, and debris? Last but not least, for this area, how are the drivers in terms of attitude and treatment of bicycle riders? Do they have zero consideration and try and knock them off the road, door them, or hit and run, are they fairly tolerant, or perhaps considerate?
Thank you for allowing me to dig this thread back up? eeek
I have considered WWOOFing and actually was on the brink of doing it before we decided to head to Belize instead. Now, all I find are places you have to pay to stay and volunteer! So that's definitely something that has changed, I've noticed.
We are getting closer to leaving and will be heading out with (hopefully) 2 suitcases and 2 carry-ons of belongings, later having everything shipped by family once we find a place to live (and this will be 4 pieces of living room furniture and art/books/records, so not very much at all). I do want to make it clear that we are aiming to live a very minimal life - farming, slow food (we're both HUGE in the slow food movement and any opportunities to participate are awesome), building/making anything we want/need in lieu of paying for something (like baking bread instead of buying, furniture we'll need, etc).
And no, we are not planning on building, or buying for that matter. We are selling our car before we leave, so any recommendations for walkable areas (yes, we are going to rent a car as well)/bikeable areas. Again, we are from Austin, so we have PLENTY of hills big and small, so we're used to that kind of terrain.
All the help/tips/discouragements are welcome! Keep 'em coming.
Maybe the Pahoa area might be suitable. Living costs are less there and jobs will be less there, but there is a lot of folks "living off the grid" although in some areas it isn't by choice but by lack of access to the grid. Theft in that area is high, though, so keep your stuff secure. That area is pretty flat so you can bicycle in areas, however it isn't recommended along the Keaau-Pahoa highway since you are likely to get run over.
It doesn't seem like there is any one area that will fulfill all your criteria. I suppose the best thing is to visit and wander around and see which one is the best compromise.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
