Time does not change us. It just unfolds us. - Max Frisch

 

And on Friday the weekend begins...

.. and we met up with my friend Bobby from Kailua for lunch. Bobby and I met online during COVID and met in person for the first time here last year. So, of course, it was a given that we would see each other again this time. I'm always surprised that you can meet people online, feel an immediate connection, and then realize in real life that it's real. But hey, you don't always have to find an explanation for everything. Some things are just the way they are. In any case, we spent a nice time together and exchanged what's been happening in our lives lately. 😊

The rest of the day is pretty quick to tell. In the afternoon, I had my appointment with Nico, the tattoo artist from 808 Tattoo in Kane'ohe. We discussed my design and made an appointment for the following Tuesday, as we had booked a "water activity" on Monday. I'll talk more about that later. Oh yeah, we also went to the post office here in Kane'ohe and sent off a thick stack of postcards, all of which are going to Germany. It made me think again of the clerk at Long's Drugs who, after we bought such a thick stack of postcards last year, commented on our purchase of such a thick stack with the following sentence: "Who doesn't want a postcard from Hawaii?!" Yes, that's true. 😆

Saturday was also relatively boring with us. I mean, vacation isn't just for nonstop action, is it? We headed back to Honolulu to drive the entire length of Tantalus Drive again. By chance, we stopped at a spot where we found—in my opinion—the most impressive view of downtown Honolulu. 🥰 If I hadn't gotten out of the car at that point, I wouldn't have seen this amazing view at all, which once again impressively proves that it's all about perspective. Whether literally or figuratively. But see for yourself...

The view is just as impressive when you drive from the H3 onto Mōkapu Saddle Road toward Kane'ohe. The view over part of Kane'ohe Bay never fails to amaze me!

We concluded Saturday with a cozy get-together with our hosts, Thom and Recce, sitting under the gazebo in the garden, eating delicious pupu's (Hawaiian snacks or appetizers) and enjoying a good glass of wine. There's always a lot to talk about; somehow we never run out of things to talk about. It was the perfect end to a wonderful day. ❤

At home, I don't go to church on Sundays; I left the church many years ago—that is, the system as it's run here. That doesn't mean I don't believe in God. But I define my faith significantly differently than how it's practiced and taught here. Since this Hawaii thing began for me, my view of faith has changed. Hawaii has even changed many of my outlooks on life, especially because I feel more at home in Hawaiian culture than where I grew up and live. When my friend Mary invited us to her church last year, I was very curious. I wasn't surprised by how the church conducted its services, but I was surprised by how comfortable I felt. Accordingly, we were back in Kahalu'u that Sunday and attended the service at the Hāmama Community Church.

Sunday morning began with a rainbow over Kane'ohe Bay and ended with a rather extensive surprise in the form of a mountain of coconuts. Here's the anecdote: Thom, our host, had noticed that we liked to buy a fresh coconut along the way, drink the coconut water from it, and then my honey would later break it open so we could eat the coconut flesh. He used Thom's workshop and tools for this. A few days earlier, our host had mentioned that he was working on a construction site where a few coconut palms stood, and their nuts had to be picked for safety reasons. He wanted to bring them back, so on Sunday (while we were at church), this lovely man drove to the construction site with a ladder and left 15 coconuts on our doorstep! 😍 Unbelievable, right? So, that kept my honey busy for a while. 😇

Aloha! 🤙🏼

We do not remember days, we remember moments. - Cesare Pavese

 

And it's Thursday again, and the weekend is just around the corner!

Yesterday, Wednesday, we didn't do much. My friend Mary had invited us to her hula group's Hālau Aha'aina (a small celebration) in the evening. We picked Mary up and drove together to Kualoa Ranch, where their hula gatherings usually take place. It was exactly where we first met six years ago. One by one, the hula girls arrived, each bringing something to eat or plates and utensils. There was a big cheer when the older ladies I had already met there in 2019 arrived. It was another wonderful moment! ❤

Mary, as a Kumu hula (hula teacher), called for dance practice and began singing and playing her ipu hula. To explain: An ipu hula is a traditional Hawaiian percussion instrument made from a single gourd, which provides time and rhythm for the hula dancers. It is a fundamental instrument of the art of hula. It helps the dancers synchronize and tell their story. It's always a wonderful experience for me to listen to Mary. 🙏🏼 I could do that for hours! After a while, the training ended, and we moved on to the social part. The result was a crowd of chatting women of all ages, with my honey and the fiancé of one of the young women among them. Time flew by again, and soon we were on our way home.

I almost forgot to mention that before meeting the hula girls, I went to my favorite tattoo studio. Yes, I'm going to get another tattoo here and take it home as a souvenir. 😉 Unfortunately, Nico, the tattoo artist who did my first tattoo last year, wasn't in. But I have an appointment with him tomorrow (Friday). I'm really excited to see what he'll create with my ideas. 🌺

My tattoo from 2024

Today we went on another little road trip. Inspired by a short video I saw on Instagram, we wanted to visit a very specific beach above Lāʻie. So today we went to the Mālaekahana State Recreation Area, and the beach there turned out to be almost deserted, as we had hoped. It was wonderful to sit in the sand for a while, watch the waves, feel the wind, smell the sea, feel the sun on my skin, and even take a quick dip – as far as the surf allowed. Later, back in Kane’ohe and back at our apartment, I realized that I (felt like) had the entire sandy beach in my swimsuit. I say it all the time: The sand from the beach combined with the salt from the sea is a really nasty combination. 😂

The best way to end a day is with a BBQ. Yes, exactly. We fired up the grill outside, put fresh corn, and a couple of juicy T-bone steaks on the grill. 😋 Just like it's customary here. To go with the meal, my honey had a Longboard beer and I had a Big Wave. Yes, we're really having a good time!

Aloha! 🤙🏼

Wir erinnern uns nicht an Tage, wir erinnern uns an Momente. - Cesare Pavese

 

Und schon ist wieder Donnerstag und das Wochenende ist zum Greifen nahe! 

Gestern, am Mittwoch, haben wir nicht viel getan. Meine Freundin Mary hat uns abends zum Hālau Aha'aina (einer kleinen Feier) ihrer Hula Gruppe eingeladen. Wir holten Mary ab und fuhren zusammen auf die Kualoa Ranch, wo ihre Hula-Treffen grundsätzlich stattfinden. Genau dort haben wir uns vor sechs Jahren zum ersten Mal getroffen. Zug um Zug trafen die Hula Mädels ein und jeder brachte etwas zu essen oder Teller und Besteck mit. Ein großes Hallo gab es, als auch die älteren Ladies eintrafen, die ich bereits 2019 dort kennengelernt hatte. Es war wieder so ein toller Moment! ❤

Mary als Kumu Hula (Hula Lehrerin) rief zum Tanztraining auf und begann zu singen und ihre Ipu Hula zu spielen. Zur Erklärung: Ein Ipu Hula ist ein traditionelles hawaiianisches Schlaginstrument aus einer einzigen Kürbisflasche, die den Hula-Tänzern Takt und Rhythmus verleiht. Sie ist ein grundlegendes Instrument der Hula-Kunst. Sie hilft den Tänzern, sich zu synchronisieren und ihre Geschichte zu erzählen. Für mich ist es jedes Mal aufs Neue ein wunderbares Erlebnis, wenn ich Mary zuhören darf. 🙏🏼 Das könnte ich stundenlang tun! Nach einer Weile wurde das Training beendet und wir gingen zum gemütlichen Teil über. Das Ergebnis war ein Haufen schwatzender Frauen jeglichen Alters und mein Schatz und der Verlobte einer der jungen Frauen dazwischen. Die Zeit verflog mal wieder und bald schon waren wir auf dem Heimweg. 

Jetzt hätte ich doch fast vergessen zu erwähnen, dass ich vor dem Treffen mit den Hula Mädels im Tattoo Studio meines Vertrauens gewesen bin. Ja, ich werde mir hier ein weiteres Tattoo stechen lassen und es als “Souvenir” mitnehmen. 😉 Leider war Nico, der Tattoo-Künstler, der mir letztes Jahr mein erstes Tattoo gemacht hat, nicht da. Aber dafür habe ich morgen (am Freitag) einen Termin mit ihm. Ich bin schon sehr gespannt, was er aus meinen Ideen kreieren wird. 🌺

Mein Tattoo von 2024

Heute haben wir wieder einen kleinen Roadtrip gemacht. Angeregt durch ein kleines Video, welches ich auf Instagram gesehen hatte, wollten wir einen ganz bestimmten Strand aufsuchen, der oberhalb von Lāʻie liegt. Also waren wir heute in der Mālaekahana State Recreation Area und der Strand dort entpuppte sich wie erhofft als fast menschenleer. Es war herrlich eine Weile im Sand zu sitzen, den Wellen zuzusehen, den Wind zu spüren, das Meer zu riechen, die Sonne auf der Haut zu spüren und letztlich auch noch ein kurzes Bad zu nehmen - soweit die Brandung es zuließ. Später dann zurück in Kane’ohe und in unserer Wohnung musste ich feststellen, dass ich (gefühlt) den kompletten Sandstrand in meinem Badeanzug hatte. Ich sage es ja immer wieder: Der Sand vom Strand in Kombination mit dem Salz aus dem Meer ist eine echt gemeine Kombination. 😂

Der beste Abschluss, den es für eine Tag geben kann, ist ein BBQ. Ja, genau. Wir haben draußen den Grill angeworfen, frischen Mais und ein paar saftige T-Bone Steaks auf den Grill gepackt. 😋 So wie es sich hier gehört. Dazu zum Essen ein Longboard Bier für meinen Schatz und ein Big Wave für mich. Merkst du was? Wir lassen es uns echt gut gehen! 

Aloha! 🤙🏼

Life doesn't come with a rewind button. Enjoy the moment while it's still here.

 

And the second week of our stay is already over! 😱

It's Sunday, and we've just returned from Sunday service at my friend Mary's church. We attended services last year as well. Religion is lived so differently here than it is at home. On our trips around the island, we've seen countless churches and buildings belonging to religious communities. There are Baptists, Methodists, Catholics, Protestants, and others I can't think of right now. There's at least one religious community in every town, no matter how small or large. The Hāmama Community Church is connected to approximately 47,000 other churches across America—as we learned today. This church is open to everyone and tries to help wherever they're needed. They place particular emphasis on missionary work, wherever they're needed. My friend Mary has been with them several times to Arizona to the Navajo Nation, and every time she talks about it, she gets really emotional. Today, we were once again welcomed there very warmly and with open arms. They also remembered us from last year, when Mary had already invited us there. ❤

Link to the Hāmama Community Church

Well, I'll start with my little recap of the last few days (while Hawaii Five-0 is playing on TV – like every Sunday on ion TV). 😉

On Tuesday we were on Secret Island, on Wednesday I wrote on my blog, and we took a rest day. On Thursday, after a leisurely start, we headed north again. Our destination was the North Shore Soap Factory in Waialua. I'd actually wanted to go there for a long time, so I was really happy that we were able to make it happen this time. Handmade soap, bath salts, and a variety of skincare products made with coconut and kukui nut oil. The highlight is that you can customize the soap bars you buy there with your own stamps. If you find that interesting, you can check out the following website:

Link to the Soap Factory

The Soap Factory is located on the grounds of the historic Waialua Sugar Mill, which was another interesting aspect. Sugarcane used to be grown on O'ahu, and a few of the old sugar mills from that time still exist. Also on the grounds in Waialua, you'll find Old Sugar Mill Brand Waialua Coffee. The smell there is incredibly good because coffee beans are roasted live. If you've ever been to a roastery, you'll know what I mean. You can even taste the coffees they produce there and, of course, buy them. As you can imagine, the prices are quite high – although they're certainly justified (500g of coffee beans cost around $60). They also sell cocoa beans, tea, and plenty of souvenirs. The historic sugar mill is definitely worth a visit!

Link to the Old Sugar Mill Brand Waialua Coffee Factory

Next, we drove back to Hale'iwa and treated ourselves to another delicious Thai food from the food truck we'd visited last week. The food was simply so good that we didn't even consider trying another food truck. 😍 Meanwhile, it had started to rain, and while we were eating our delicious curries under the shady umbrellas in front of the food truck, it poured with rain. Parasols aren't umbrellas, I can tell you that. But we were in good company, because besides us, there were a few other young people there, chatting and laughing loudly as they also enjoyed their food under the umbrellas, not bothered in the slightest by the fact that they were getting wet – just like us. It rains here every day, sometimes for longer periods, usually only for a short time. The big advantage is that the rain isn't cold. 😊

On this very rainy day, we actually saw our first rainbow on the way home. We've had that before, haven't we? Rain + sun = rainbow. I'm as happy as a child about every rainbow, whether at home or here. It's technically very simple to explain, but I think there's something magical about a rainbow.

Oh, by the way, I've just remembered something I've been meaning to tell you. I've heard a few times from people who have been to Hawaii that they find the weather, or rather, the climate, simply terrible. Yes, it's warm here and the humidity is high. Currently, it's so high that the locals are complaining about it. But for us Europeans, it's a completely different story than for those who live here. And here's the thing: you can get used to the weather here! Temperatures fluctuate less than 10 degrees Celsius from night to day. Yes, at first you feel like you have to shower four times a day, but it really does get better after a few days – even without air conditioning in the apartment. After two weeks, you're already coping quite well, and I know it will get even better. Of course, your body doesn't have a chance to adjust to these weather conditions if you're only on the island for a few days. So much for that. 😉

Aloha! 🤙🏼

Drive with Aloha

Es gibt keine Möglichkeit, das Leben zurückzuspulen. Genieße den Moment, solange er noch da ist.

 

Und schon ist die zweite Woche unseres Aufenthalts vorbei! 😱

Es ist Sonntag und wir sind gerade vom Sonntagsgottesdienst in der Kirche meiner Freundin Mary zurück. Bereits letztes Jahr haben wir an den Gottesdiensten teilgenommen. Hier wird Religion so ganz anders als bei uns gelebt. Bei unseren Fahrten über die Insel haben wir bereits unzählige Kirchen und Gebäude von Glaubensgemeinschaften gesehen. Es gibt Baptisten, Methodisten, Katholiken, Protestanten und noch andere, die mir jetzt nicht einfallen. Es gibt in jedem Ort, egal wie klein oder groß, mindestens eine Glaubensgemeinschaft. Die Hāmama Community Church ist mit ca. 47.000 anderen Kirchen in ganz Amerika verbunden - wie wir heute gelernt haben. Diese Kirche ist für jeden offen und versucht überall zu helfen. Besonderen Wert legen sie unter anderem auf Missionsarbeit, egal wo sie gebraucht werden. Meine Freundin Mary war bereits mehrfach mit ihnen in Arizona bei den Navajos und wenn sie davon berichtet, wird sie jedes Mal richtig emotional. Auch heute wurden wir dort wieder sehr freundlich und mit offenen Armen empfangen. Man erinnerte sich auch an uns vom letzten Jahr, als Mary uns bereits dorthin eingeladen hatte. ❤

Link zur Hāmama Community Church

Nun gut, ich werde mal mit meinem kleinen Rückblick auf die letzten Tage beginnen (während im Fernsehen Hawaii Five-0 läuft - wie jeden Sonntag auf ion TV). 😉

Dienstag waren wir auf Secret Island, Mittwoch habe ich an meinem Blog geschrieben und wir legten einen Ruhetag ein. Am Donnerstag sind wir nach einem gemütlichen Start wieder mal nach Norden gefahren. Unser Ziel war die North Shore Soap Factory in Waialua. Da wollte ich tatsächlich schon sehr lange mal hin und somit habe ich mich echt gefreut, dass wir es dieses Mal umsetzen konnten. Handgemachte Seife, Badesalz und eine Menge Hautpflegeprodukte, hergestellt mit Kokos- und auch Kukuinussöl. Der Clou ist, dass man die Seifenstücke, die man dort kauft, eigenhändig mit Stempeln individuell bearbeiten kann. Wenn du das interessant findest, kannst du ja mal auf der nachfolgenden Internetseite gucken: 

Link zu Seifenfabrik

Die Seifenfabrik ist auf dem Gelände der historischen Zuckermühle Waialua untergebracht, was ein weiterer interessanter Aspekt war. Früher wurde auf O’ahu Zuckerrohr angebaut und aus dieser Zeit gibt es noch ein paar der alten Zuckermühlen. Ebenso auf dem Geländer in Waialua findet man Old Sugar Mill Brand Waialua Coffee. Dort riecht es unglaublich gut, weil live Kaffeebohnen geröstet werden. Wer schon mal in einer Rösterei gewesen ist, weiß was ich meine. Man kann dort die dort hergestellten Kaffeesorten auch direkt probieren und natürlich auch kaufen. Dass die Preise nicht ohne sind, kannst du dir denken - auch wenn sie sicherlich gerechtfertigt sind (500 gr Kaffeebohnen ca. 60 USD). Es gibt außerdem Kakaobohnen, Tee und jede Menge Souvenirs. Die historische Zuckermühle ist definitiv einen Besuch wert!

Link zur Old Sugar Mill Brand Waialua Coffee Factory

Als nächstes fuhren wir zurück nach Hale’iwa und haben uns ein weiteres Mal leckeres Thaifood von dem Foodtruck gegönnt, bei dem wir bereits in der letzten Woche waren. Das Essen war einfach so gut, dass wir gar nicht darüber nachgedacht haben, einen anderen Foodtruck auszuprobieren. 😍 In der Zwischenzeit fing es an zu regnen und während wir unter den schattenspendenden Schirmen vor dem Foodtruck unsere leckeren Currys aßen, goss es in Strömen. Sonnenschirme sind keine Regenschirme, das kann ich dir sagen. Doch wir waren in guter Gesellschaft, denn außer uns fanden sich noch einige junge Leute ein, die lauthals schwatzend und lachend ebenfalls unter den Schirmen ihr Essen genossen und sich kein bisschen davon stören ließen, dass sie dabei nass wurden - so wie wir auch. Es regnet hier täglich, mal länger, meistens nur kurz. Der große Vorteil ist, dass der Regen warm ist. 😊

An diesem sehr regnerischen Tag sahen wir tatsächlich unseren ersten Regenbogen auf dem Weg nach Hause. Das hatten wir ja schon, nicht wahr? Regen + Sonne = Regenbogen. Ich freue mich über jeden Regenbogen wie ein Kind, egal ob zuhause oder hier. Es ist zwar technisch sehr einfach erklärt, aber ich finde, ein Regenbogen hat etwas Magisches.

Ach übrigens, da fällt mir wieder etwas ein, was ich dir schon längst erzählt haben wollte. Ich habe schon das eine oder andere Mal von Leuten gehört, die in Hawaii gewesen sind, dass sie das Wetter beziehungsweise das Klima einfach nur schrecklich finden. Ja, hier ist es warm und die Luftfeuchtigkeit ist hoch. Aktuell sogar so hoch, dass die Einheimischen darüber klagen. Aber für uns Europäer ist das nochmal eine ganz andere Hausnummer als für die, die hier leben. Und jetzt kommt es: man kann sich an das Wetter hier gewöhnen! Die Temperaturen schwanken weniger als 10 Grad Celsius von der Nacht über den Tag. Ja, anfangs meint man, man müsste viermal am Tag duschen, aber es wird wirklich nach ein paar Tagen besser - auch ohne Klimaanlage in der Wohnung. Nach zwei Wochen kommt man schon ganz gut klar und ich weiß, dass es noch besser wird. Natürlich hat der Körper keine Chance, sich an diese Wetterbedingungen zu gewöhnen, wenn man nur ein paar Tage auf der Insel ist. Soviel dazu. 😉

Aloha! 🤙🏼

Auf dem Schild steht: Drive with Aloha (Fahr mit Aloha)

The solution is simple: Just add beach time

 

I'm often asked if we visit other islands in Hawaii. I always answer openly and honestly that we're far from seeing everything on O'ahu and that I'm not really that interested in the other islands at the moment, not least because we've made such lovely friends here. 💗

We tackled one thing on my to-do list yesterday: a trip to Secret Island. Secret Island is part of Kualoa Ranch and is a peninsula at most, but since you can't just drive there, the name is quite fitting. We had booked the afternoon tour and, as mentioned in my last post, stocked up on some snacks. It was supposed to start at 12:30 p.m., but check-in at Kualoa Ranch was 45 minutes earlier. So we were loaded onto a big old bus and taken within a few minutes to the spot, from where an open boat transported us across Moli'i Pond to Secret Island. After a two-minute walk, we reached a wonderful beach with a fantastic view. 😍

Moli'i Pond

Path to the beach

Secret Island is located practically at the northernmost end of Kane'ohe Bay. There are beautiful palm trees, a light sandy beach, and shallow turquoise water—what more could you want? 💙 Plenty of water sports equipment is provided. You can go kayaking, try stand-up paddleboarding, snorkel, or simply swim in the ocean. Under the shade of the trees, you can play volleyball, table tennis, and much more. There's even a children's playground. Several Kualoa staff members are on-site to look after guests, assist with the use of water sports equipment, and are happy to have a chat. It truly is the ideal image of a paradise beach: clean, cozy, peaceful, and simply beautiful. While my honey tried out the water sports equipment, I sat in the shade or went swimming. The atmosphere was incredibly relaxed, and we could have easily spent more time there. It was a very successful trip. Perhaps we'll repeat the tour—we'll see. 😊

Click on photos to enlarge

I know that Kualoa Ranch is privately owned, but I'm only slowly realizing how vast the entire property is. You have no idea! I know a bit about the background from my friend Mary, the Kumu Hula, and I also hear a lot of what she tells me about the owner, John Morgan. If you're interested, you can read the article about him linked here.

to the interview with John Morgan

I'm honestly fascinated and very impressed by what the term Kuleana (responsibility) means to the people of Hawai'i, because you come across this expression again and again here. This culture is so different, and I hope that my blog can bring you a little closer to this part of the world. Of course, there are more than enough problems here. But the people don't let them get you down and are friendly and open. Solutions can always be found if you just look for them. 💪🏼

Like us today. We were both sluggish this morning and had a late breakfast. It was a very quiet day, and I used the time to continue writing my blog while my honey was out kayaking in the bay again. When I told my friend Mary about it, she wrote back with a laugh: "Love that you're living on Hawaiian time!".

Aloha! 🤙🏼