Kapolei, Oahu, Hawaii

Germaine's Luau, on the beach in Kapolei.

K is for Kapolei, nicknamed "Second City," on the west side of Oahu. Kapolei is Second City to Honolulu in that Oahu is making an attempt to decentralize state services by locating some in Kapolei.

Walt Disney Company liked Kapolei so much they built Aulani, their first resort not related to a theme park, on a lagoon at Ko Olina. Mickey made it to Hawaii.

We lived and worked in Kapolei, 40 minutes west of Honolulu, for five years. During that time we lived in a great 1,400 sf home with a terraced backyard. Our tropical plants included hibiscus, bird of paradise, orchids, gardenias, night-blooming jasmine, ti, orange tree, red grapefruit tree, tangelo tree, palm trees, and a fantastic butter avocado tree. Here are some pics of our backyard.

Our backyard terraces.

Flowering palm trees lined our back fence.

Close up of palm tree flowers.

Lanai.

Fishpond with waterfall coming down terraces.

Dining room looking toward kitchen.

Living room.

Kitchen with tropical fruit from Kapolei farmer's market.

We had lots of friends and even some relatives on Oahu as well. Bob's youngest brother, sister-in-law and niece lived in Waialua on the North Shore. The tropical weather was pleasant most of the year. We hiked, Volksmarched, snorkeled (my favorite activity), went sightseeing and traveled to the other islands a few times a year.

Mom and Jan at Laie Point, North Shore.

Byodo-In Temple, Kaneohe

Honolulu as seen from a sightseeing boat.

Waikiki Beach.

Susan & Bob, top of Diamond Head. Photo looking toward Waikiki.

Snorkeling with dolphins,
Ko Olina Ocean Adventures

Ko Olina Ocean Adventures along
the Waianae coast.

Thank you to my brother, Frank, for the excellent dolphin photos above.

Why did we leave, you ask? Both of us lost our jobs within five days of each other due to budget cuts. We could no longer afford our home and had to sell it. When that happened we had a decision to make: stay in Hawaii, rent an apartment and get new jobs *** or *** sell everything, move to the mainland, buy an RV and travel the country and work as we went.

After much pro and con discussion, we opted to sell everything so we could travel and work. It was a whirlwind of selling the house, packing, discarding, garage sale, craigslist sales, trips to the dump, booking a cargo container, shipping my car, finding a storage unit in Oregon, and organizing a change in our lives.

We loved our time in Hawaii and are thankful for the years we spent there. Now we are on a new adventure living full time in our 5th wheel and loving this too.

Anything is possible if you put your mind to it.