Is the grass greener in Maui? Contemplating relocating from Saint Paul. (Hilo: living, move)

[maui-intoxicated]

Originally Posted by aqua0

It's easy to just focus on what you love about Maui as the motivation to move here. But that is not going to help you balance your decision. What you need to focus on is what drawbacks you can tolerate. Because I know of people who have sold their property, moved here, bought, and resold to move back to the mainland. Maybe the hassles are worth it, but it's prudent to be aware of:

Vog (you may have severe allergies or asthma -- read that post about it)
Cane burning (same as above)
Mold (mostly an upcountry problem, including Haiku)
Isolation, lack of friends (common problem)
Skin cancer (common problem)
100-legged creatures and their 4-8 legged friends in unexpected places
Noise (dogs barking, catfights, all hrs of the night unless you sleep with your windows shut and a/c on)

If you and your wife can put up with dealing with all of these, then I think you are definitely ready for Maui!

Vog - We have a ton of seasonal allergies here in Minnesota, it is hard to know if this will affect me or my wife. I sneeze during our season changes and blow through kleenex as it is, when I was in Maui...I actually got a break from that...now granted they were not burning sugar cane the 10days I was there. The time my wife uses her inhaler, is honestly a shot before she goes to bed, and a shot in the morning when she goes to work...oh and she smokes cigarettes, so what could be worse than that?

Cane Burning - How often do they do this throughout the year, and for how long? Do residents really suffer THAT bad?

Mold - I think we would stay away from Upcountry then if there are all these problems...

Isolation - I've been isolated before...does it suck...yes...but after about 2weeks to a month I usually meet someone who has something in common with me. I understand there are only 250,000 people in Maui but we will find things to do, and people to see. As for the wife, she honestly prefers isolation... yeah she likes jumping in the car on a weekend to go do something, but mon-fri she likes to keep to herself as hard as that is for some to understand. Will it be a DIFFICULT adjustment for her and I... that remains to be seen. I think if one constantly thinks about how lonely they are, rather than fortunate they are...sure it could be a lonely place. I've been to VERY lonely places, some would say hell and back...

Skin Cancer - I wear sunscreen...you need to be smarter than the sun... I will die of lung cancer before skin cancer...again this is an interesting point but I do not live day to day in fear... Everyone is born and dies, but not everyone LIVES. It might be god's will that one of us dies or gets skin cancer... who knows...but I think using sunscreen 30minutes prior to being in the sun, and reapplying has worked well for me...sure I've been burnt a few times but who hasn't.

100 legged creatures - Are they filming "when creatures attack" over there in Maui? I once hit the lights in one of my rentals and I saw 100's of cockroaches scurry...then I realized there were 100's more stuck to the painters tape I left around all the trim When I was a child, I was raking leaves (Another thing I won't miss) in my lawn and I backed into a hornets nest...I believe there were too many bites to really count. I was stung by 2 yellow jackets mowing my lawn last year, both times in the foot. It kinda made me a little sick I'm not going to lie. You ever sit on a fire-ant hill? That was fun, and when I had to lay in MULTIPLE fireant hills in the service...that was a pleasure too, I swallowed a bee once that was hiding out in a coke can too... got stung in the mouth. I broke my collar bone skiing down a black diamond, I separated my shoulder putting my motorcycle down to avoid collision, I got whacked in the head with a Big Bertha Driver...all of things hurt, could happen to anyone...and unfortunately happened to me. So I am pretty much expecting to get bit by a widow, have to walk around with a mask on all the time and will probably have centipedes sleeping with me in my bed. We do have centepeds in Minnesota, I killed a couple last year...those suckers pretty much don't die...you have to whack em, slow em down and snatch them with a glove/paper towel and flush them back into the septic.

Noise - Do you have the BNSF rolling through 4x a day...with ever dog in the nieghborhood barking? We get that here... yes we open our windows a lot...but who the heck is paying attention to the dogs barking when you have a beautiful little thing laying next to you?? TONS of dogs barking all the time, and like I said, a railroad track that honks 3 long times...4 times a day uncluding 7:30am and 9:30pm


Keep the constructive criticism coming.... I like a good debate! The vog is probably the thing I am most curious about above all...where do I go to avoid it?

Someone once said to me "I don't want you coming to me with a problem unless you have a solution for it." I like that attitude.

[aqua0]

To me, living here is like camping. You don't really live indoors. it doesn't matter if it is a multi-million $ home or some shack in the hills. THEY WILL GET YOU.

But, it looks like you're pretty tough and have critter experience.

As for a solution, there is no solution for those who are allergic to vog except to take medication that may or may not work or move. No part of the island is spared really. It isn't seasonal but just whenever the Big Island volcano decides to spew and the trade winds don't blow it away, which is frequent. You can look it up and see how often it is, I'm sure.

The worse thing is for you to stay indoors when it happens which seems to help a lot of people. Though if your wife smokes, it's a wash.

Otherwise, I think you are good to go. Life is an adventure after all and one can't prevent everything. Having no regrets is key.

Good luck!

Oh, try to live in a cool dry area or warm dry area. My experience with mold was really bad so that is the first thing to avoid on my list.

[whtviper1]

Originally Posted by maui-intoxicated

Main reason I would not bring the truck is my dog has a tough time getting in/out of the truck because its up so high. I would probably get a V6 that sits low to the ground. A Camaro perhaps?

I wouldn't get a Camaro - besides the huge blind spots unless you get a convertable - that is the common rental car vehicle here - and that means a target for break ins since it screams tourist.

[MitchTempo]

Originally Posted by whtviper1

I wouldn't get a Camaro - besides the huge blind spots unless you get a convertable - that is the common rental car vehicle here - and that means a target for break ins since it screams tourist.

This is true, unless you put tints or rims on it to make it look like the norm. lol

[TwoByFour]

I spend part of the year on the mainland. The area where I live there has rattle snakes, poison oak, ticks with Lyme disease, bats with rabies, summer time temps that are often around 100 degrees and roaring grass fires that consume a thousand acres in a couple of hours. Vog, centipedes, cat fights are really nothing.

[CyberCity]

Originally Posted by MitchTempo

This is true, unless you put tints or rims on it to make it look like the norm. lol

You mean, to make the Camero look like a police car (at least on the Big Island).

[maui-intoxicated]

Originally Posted by TwoByFour

I spend part of the year on the mainland. The area where I live there has rattle snakes, poison oak, ticks with Lyme disease, bats with rabies, summer time temps that are often around 100 degrees and roaring grass fires that consume a thousand acres in a couple of hours. Vog, centipedes, cat fights are really nothing.

So before I left for work this morning I mentioned the centipede thing to my wife...she came back...yeah there a lot bigger in Maui... she is more versed than I am lol. If she's not worried about it I'm not worried about it...she can spot a critter from across the room...than she deploys me. Did I mention she used to make y-incisions on cadavers...and then punch-out for a quick lunch break. She is a tough lil lady! Even that would gross me out haha.

As for the Camaro, the only reason I thought of it is because right now my wife has a SS Monte Carlo and the dog can easily get in and out of that... the wife would NEED a V6...deep down inside she loves the V8 power of my truck, but it's just too big for her to control...she likes the low-to-the-ground sporty V6's and since it's no longer about me, and we will be a 1-car household...I will have to keep her in mind lol.

The car is the least of my concerns at this point...asking the Prez if I can make this move and keep my job today... wish me luck!

[nightlysparrow]

Originally Posted by maui-intoxicated

I understand there are only 250,000 people in Maui

Only 158,000 population, 2012 estimate

Maui County QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau

[whtviper1]

Originally Posted by nightlysparrow

Only 158,000 population, 2012 estimate

Maui County QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau

And that includes Lanai and Molokai which is part of Maui County.

[Dthraco]

Originally Posted by maui-intoxicated

...asking the Prez if I can make this move and keep my job today... wish me luck!

Good Luck!