Aloha everyone!

As of mid-April, I’ve moved my blog … you can find all the past and current posts here:

www.BigIslandHawaiiBlog.com

See you there!

Mahalo,

Kelly

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kelly H. Moran, CCIM, CIPS, REALTOR
Hilo Brokers, Ltd.
www.KellyMoran.com

HERE ON THE BIG ISLAND

The Pidgin You Need - Part 2

          As promised in Part 1, here are some “pidgin” words and phrases.  Most were originally Hawaiian, but have become colloquial expressions, familiar in everyday conversation.  You will probably want to try them out, sooner or later, when you’re here.  Just be prepared: some people may respond to your first attempts with indulgent smiles or amused exasperation.

          “Pau” - A multipurpose word for finished [doing something], as in “pau hana” - done working.   But “pau” or “all pau” can also mean empty or used up.

          “Hui” - a group [of people].  Many local organizations use this word in their names, as it implies having a common purpose.

          “Hana hou” - Although “hana” means work, audiences will shout “hana hou,” meaning Encore! - do it again.

          “Opala” means trash or rubbish, but is not used in a negative sense.  When something is inherently dirty, or at least smells bad, it’s “pilau.”

          “Keiki” is literally the offshoot of a plant (e.g., bananas reproduce that way), but it’s affectionately used to mean child.

          “B’m bye” - or “bumbye” - is a contraction of the English “bye and bye,” generally construed to mean “sooner or later but probably later.”

          “Shibai” is Japanese for B.S., and is used remarkably often by contending politicians.

          “Chicken skin” is the goose-bumps you get when you’re scared or awed.

          “Shave Ice” is shaved ice, but nobody pronounces the “d.”  It’s a snowcone, dredged with sweet syrup; try one, sometime, with sweet adzuki beans inside.

Until next time ….

This list price has been reduced on beautiful Kawainui Estate.

For up-to-the-minute pricing, virtual tour and full details, go to:

www.Kawainui-Estate.com

HERE ON THE BIG ISLAND - Pidgin - Part 1

 ”Eh, Brah - you kaukau a’ready?”

 ”Nah.  Bumbye.”

 ”Get grinds?”

 ”Shoot!  Brok’ da mout’.”

After you’ve been here a while, that exchange will make perfect sense.  It’s spoken in what’s locally called pidgin, which has a long history in Hawaii, and is still heard, though not as much as it used to be. But before we get into translations, let’s clarify something: it’s not really “Pidgin English.”

          Linguists consider a pidgin to be an abbreviated form of a standard language, with a tiny vocabulary and a very regular grammar, neither of which changes much, over time.  A pidgin will also have been deliberately imposed, to enable speakers of different languages to conduct trade and other business.  The word “pidgin” itself was coined because it sounds a little like the English word “business.”

          In the European colonies of Southeast Asia and the western Pacific, there is a true Pidgin English (also a Pidgin Dutch and a Pidgin French).  But that Pidgin English does not resemble Hawaii’s pidgin, because - as linguists insist - what’s spoken in Hawaii is actually a “creole.”.

          A creole, they say, is a real language, which is fairly complex in both vocabulary and grammar; and although it may be rooted in one or more conventional languages, it’s continually evolving and expanding on its own.

          In the 19th century, Pidgin English was introduced to Hawaii to enable communication between sugarcane field-hands and overseers from diverse backgrounds: Hawaii, Japan, China, the Portuguese Azores, etc.  But that early (true) pidgin quickly became a creole, as it absorbed vocabulary words and grammatical constructions from the workers’ own native languages, and especially as it became the first language of local children.

          Until World War II, pidgin was the lingua franca (pun intended) of Hawaii’s people.  Everyone who’d grown up here, and quite a few newcomers and regular visitors, could understand it.  But it was always disdained by sophisticated people, and actively discouraged in schools.  Anyone who wanted a white-collar job had to be able to speak “regular” or “standard”
English.

          But in the 1970s, when historically significant art and music styles were being revived, many local comedians began doing routines in pidgin; and local writers began creating skits, pageants and plays in pidgin.  They did this not only to keep the language from dying out, but to revel in its innate charm and colorful idiomatic expressions.

          The dialog above can be rendered as follows, but I think you’ll agree that it loses something in translation:

          “Hey, Brother [or friend], have you eaten?”

          “No.  I will, later.”

          “Do you have any food?”

          “Of course.   And it’s delicious.”

          Be forewarned: it’s not advisable to try speaking pidgin with strangers - you will probably “make A” (make an ass of yourself).  But there are several pidgin words and phrases that everybody in Hawaii does know and use - I’ll give you some, next time.

          If you want a head start on that, go get the book called “Pidgin to da Max“ - a humorous guide to this intriguing, enjoyable pid - oops! - creole language.

 Stay tuned for Pidgin - Part 2 ……

Market Conditions Report - Hilo Update

AREA CHARACTERISTICS

Hilo is the second largest city in all of Hawaii. Most of the services and businesses on the east side of the Big Island are located in Hilo. It is also home to the county seat and includes the county, state, federal, and judicial buildings. While Hilo tends to be a rainy place, the weather patterns are not always predictable. Several weeks or months may go by without any substantial rainfall. Nearly all of the important educational and financial institutions are located in Hilo. The University of Hawaii at Hilo was ranked one of the top twenty small universities in the nation and has a very diverse, international student body. Visitors and residents find Hilo to be a “local” town with warm and friendly people. While tourism is very important to the east Hawaii economy, it does not dominate, as in Kona. Cruise ships regularly dock at the Hilo Harbor and Hilo Bayfront frequently has canoe paddling regattas with statewide participation. The world renown “Merrie Monarch Hula Festival” is held in Hilo every Arpil and draws contestants from all over the world. Hilo is a very diverse  community that is low key and very modest.
 

BUYER’S OR SELLER’S MARKET
(Ratings: 1=Strong Buyer’s Market; 5=Strong Seller’s Market):
 
Current Rating: 2
 

RECENT PRICE TREND

If a new listing came along today, would you expect it to sell for more or less than if it had come on the market one or two months ago?  (1=Down significantly; 2=Down; 3=Unchanged; 4=Up; 5=Up Significantly)
 
Current Rating: 2
 

MARKET REPORT NARRATIVE

Hilo is a relatively conservative community and sees less volatile market swings that other areas of Hawaii. Some first time home buyers and renters are taking advantage of the soft market conditions and relatively low interest rate environment to purchase Hilo homes. This is an excellent time for first time home buyers to negotiate a deal. Builders and contractors are sharpening their costs and overhead and looking to provide lower cost and more value in the new home construction market, which has seen a downturn in volume due to the slowing market. Several new residential condominium projects in Hilo are being readied for construction, with a targeted buyer profile of baby boomer and retirees. Most existing condominiums in Hilo were built over 25 years ago.

Here are the MLS statistics on the greater Hilo area (tax map key 3-2) from Jan. 1 to March 21, 2008:

• There are 220 homes listed for sale, with a list price range from $165,000 to $3,490,000 
• The median list price of homes is $397,500
• There are 29 homes in escrow, with a list price range from $218,000 to $2,399,000
• There have been 30 homes sold, with a sold price range from $73,200 to $650,000 
• The median sold price was $349,500
• The median days on market to sell was 55 days. Selling price to Listing price percentage was a median of 95.1%

HERE ON THE BIG ISLAND - One if By Sea

Until about 50 years ago, you could go from island to island on either an airplane or a steamship.  If you went by sea, there was regularly-scheduled service to all the deepwater ports, and you could take as much stuff with you as you could pay for.

Today, you can only fly inter-island; and if your stuff is too big or too heavy to fit on the plane, you have to send it on a barge hauled by a tugboat, and wait for it to get there.  And although cruise ships go from island to island every day, they won’t take you on for just one hop.

Of course, there is an inter-island “Superferry” now , that can carry people, freight, autos, trucks, buses and tanks.  It began service from Honolulu to Maui and Kauai last fall, but the first sailings were public-relations disasters.  The Superferry’s operators had been assured by state officials that they wouldn’t have to file an environmental impact statement.  But protesters who massed on the shores, or dove into the water, were insisting that they should - and in court, a judge agreed.  Service was trimmed; but stormy January weather kept the ferry in Honolulu, and in February it was suddenly sent to drydock for repairs, and likely won’t sail again until late April.

This is an unfortunate development for all concerned.  There are environmental impacts to inter-island seaborne transport.  Harbors accustomed only to ocean liners and containerized freight must be re-configured, possibly even dredged anew.  And car-carrying ferries do increase the risk of accidentally spreading pests, such as coqui frogs, bee mites, or fountain grass.

But surveys have found a majority of Hawaii’s people would like to have the option of taking a ship instead of a plane, especially if it were cheaper.  And many would, at least once in a while, like to drive their own car around another island.  The State’s economy would benefit from being able to simultaneously move school groups with their buses to historic places; visitors with their tour-vans to hotels; construction crews with their equipment to public works sites; growers with their produce trucks to farmers’ markets; and soldiers with their armored vehicles to training grounds.

One can only hope that, when the Superferry starts running again, operators and protesters can agree to give it the one test it did not get a chance to meet: providing regularly scheduled service.

But we on the Big Island can only sit and watch . . . and wait another year or two, at least, before a second Superferry arrives, that will serve Kawaihae.

Rarely available! Secluded 4.8 acres near Akaka Falls, with mature trees and pasturelands, forested stream and waterfall. Ocean views from hills and knolls. Paved driveway leads to private, estate-size cleared home site beside a shady fern grotto.

Located near Akaka Falls State Park, several miles above Honomu, a vibrant plantation town on the Hamakua Coast. It is a twenty minute drive to downtown Hilo. Property is located at the end of a private road.

Akaka Falls Rd., Lot F, Pepeekeo, HI  96783 (Honomu Homesteads)

For a virtual tour, downloadable flyer, additional images and information, please click here.

HERE ON THE BIG ISLAND

Farmers’ Markets Rock 
          Hilo foodies have not one but two farmers’ markets for fresh fruits and vegetables.

The Hilo Farmers’ Market, which was started ten years ago, is held in an empty lot downtown on Kam Ave. at Mamo St., across from the bus station and the bandstand.  The variety of produce there is enormous, although some offerings, such as sweet Maui onions, come from other islands.  A few stalls open every day, from dawn until about mid-afternoon; but on Wednesdays and Saturdays the market is enormous, with dozens of stalls that spread across and up Mamo St. into several other empty lots.  Besides food, on those days, vendors offer aloha shirts and muumuus, collectibles, and handicrafts - some of which are locally made, though most are imported from Asia and other Pacific islands.

          The market has some ongoing issues.  The nearest restrooms are across Kam Ave. in the bus station.  Tents and tarps overhead have to be set up and taken down so often that many of them leak in the rain, creating huge puddles.  And the rough gravel underfoot, uncomfortable for many people, is an obstacle course for the physically challenged.

          In 2007, a competing market opened on Kinoole St. near Puainako St., in the parking lot of a small shopping center.  The Kinoole Farmers’ Market is much smaller than the downtown market, but its vendors are required to offer only locally-grown produce.  Shoppers there also find more exotic varieties of fruit and vegetables, and a wider selection of garden and orchard plants in containers.  Though it’s far from the center of town, it’s easy to park at, and - being on pavement - easy to get around in.  It’s open only on Saturdays, from dawn to noon; so dedicated foodies usually go there first.

          The downtown market, however, is due for improvement.  Keith De La Cruz, the “Market Master,” recently obtained permission from the County to erect a two-story market building on the main Kam Ave.-Mamo St. lot.  It will have a smooth concrete slab floor at ground level; restrooms and a restaurant upstairs, along with some offices, including his.  Almost no one is opposed to this project, and if it gets built - as De La Cruz hopes, within in the next year or two -  it would be a new “anchor” for downtown businesses, and could even spur improvements to the bus station and bandstand park across the way.
 

HERE ON THE BIG ISLAND  -  VOG

          Every once in a while, here, you will be reminded - in a way that you would rather not be reminded - that you are living on a living volcano.

          It looks like haze, but you sniff it, and . . . you’re reminded.   It’s the volcanic smog known as “vog.”

Wherever Kilauea erupts, sulfur bubbles out.  Hot lava cooks it with water vapor from the air (you may have done something like this over a Bunsen-burner in high-school chem.) which produces two noxious gasses.  One is hydrogen sulfide, a.k.a. “rotten eggs,” which is bad enough.  But the other is a choke-hazard called sulfur dioxide.  When you visit Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, and the rangers have put up warning signs to keep you back from an eruption site, it’s not only because the lava crust may be too brittle to walk on.  It’s also because too much hydrogen sulfide is being vented, and you’d be walking right into it.

          Sometimes there’s hardly any vog from Kilauea; other times there’s a lot.  The prevailing Northeast trade winds will send vog southwest over Ka’u; and if there’s enough vog, it will eddy around the southern end of Mauna Loa and drift north up the Kona coast.  But once in a while the wind shifts, and a warm southerly breeze sends the vog up through Puna to Hilo, Hamakua and Kohala.

          One reason people say they like to live here is that there’s no air pollution.  It would be more accurate to say there are no smoggy industries here.  Vog is, uhh . . . air pollution.  But hey, it’s “natural!”

          For current visitor access to Kilauea, The Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is at: www.nps.gov/havo

          To find out what’s happening inside Kilauea, the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory is at:  http://volcano.wr.usgs.gov/kilaueastatus.php

          And to know which way the wind blows, the National Weather Service is at: www.prh.noaa.gov/hnl/