A Hui Hou

Pronounced "ah-who-ee-ho"

...or until we meet again.

Today is my last day of bumming it at home. After 3 weeks of Maui, I'm pretty ready to head back to my everyday life, but I'm having a little separation anxiety with the...

1. Weather. Admittedly, the weather hasn't been the greatest due to our wet winter. But, I love how you can still wear shorts in the rain. And the possibility of a rainbow. And not having to bring a jacket everywhere "just in case".

2. Wailuku tap water. I don't know what it is about this straight-from-the-faucet water, but I always look forward to it. I have yet to find out what they put in that Iao Aquifer to make the water so tasty. Or maybe I don't want to know.

3. Ocean. When I first moved to California, not being able to see the ocean everyday was somewhat unnerving to me. So blue and pretty.

4. Pidgin. If there's anything that makes me homesick, it's hearing Hawaii people conversing in pidgin on the mainland. Not that it's the most graceful speaking form (far from it, in fact). But, its simplicity and ease makes me feel all warm and fuzzy.

5. Food. All the food. I don't even know where to start with this...and I don't really want to because I'm really hungry right now, and I can smell my neighbor cooking up some spam for dinner.



Loco Moco. A giant hamburger patty (hamburger steak in Hawaii) with two easy over eggs all bathed in a brown gravy with mushrooms and onions...made a complete meal with 1 scoop rice and 1 scoop mac salad. One of my favs. I usually order this up at Da Kitchen, where it coupled with a health warning...something something high blood pressure, consult your physician.



Chicken Katsu. One of the few things I won't attempt to make at home because I know I can't even come close to this golden brown deliciousness.



And of course the fish. Raw, cooked or both.

6. Roaming wild animals. I love seeing the wild chickens on the side of the road and the cows and goats grazing in open space at the bottom of the hill. For a week, I very much looked forward to seeing my llama out and about. However, that myth has been debunked. He's a goat. I'm crushed.



My chocolate brown llama/goat. More goat than llama. Ok...all goat. Sad.

This was the original sighting that made me believe he was a llama.



Slightly pixelated. But look at those ears! I didn't think goats had such floppy ears.

I decided to celebrate my last day here not at the beach, but instead cracking macadamia nuts at my Uncle Eric's house. He lives in a new development called Wailuku Country Estates, which used to just field and fields of macadamia nut trees. The lots are about 2 acres or so, but the catch is that you have to use some of the land for agricultural purposes. Hence my Uncle's 9 macadamia nut trees, handful of banana and local orange trees, and extensive herb and Manoa lettuce garden.



The mac nut cracking process. My Uncle's in-laws are in town, so his father-in-law helped me. That bowl took us 2 hours to fill...and it's not even full! Figures why they're so pricey.

All that peeling got me hungry, so my Uncle took me out for lunch at Cafe O'Lei.



Maui beef burger. I can't get enough of these. Cows that carry the name "Maui Beef" have been grass fed and allowed to roam and graze, and are only fed grain in their last few months of existence before becoming a yummy hamburger or steak.



Blackened Mahi with fruit relish. Nicole always gets this.

I had a few things to take care of at the State Office...and I saw this sign while waiting.



This was at 9:15am. I won't miss Hawaiian time too terribly.