I recently made the rounds on the Kauai bus to my doctor and to run a few errands. I have not used the Bus much the past few years and to my dismay, the buses are now overcrowded. Like the
I recently made the rounds on the Kauai bus to my doctor and to run a few errands. I have not used the Bus much the past few years and to my dismay, the buses are now overcrowded. Like the airlines, seats are closer together giving you no personal head space between you and the people sitting in front, behind and next to you. As my luck would have it, the person in the seat behind me was a chronic cougher who did not cover their mouth, not a pleasant experience for this germaphobe.
My doctor’s office was filled with out of town walk-ins causing a 90-minute wait. This used to be a small ma and pa doctor’s office used by the community but now with tourism at an all-time high, I cannot even go to my doctor’s office without tourists and large crowds. Great for visitors, not good for kamaaina. I bite my tongue because I believe I have the best doctor in the world, so I put up with it.
Driving is also out of control with bumper-to-bumper traffic and when you do mange to gain momentum on the open road, you will most likely be tailgated.
Nobody on Kauai seems to follow the simple rule of one car length for each 10 miles per hour.
The public pool is no longer like Cheers bar. It used to be a place where everyone knew your name and they were all glad you came. No longer are there the friendly hellos, head nods and small talk. Everyone is waiting for a lane to swim laps and yes, most lanes are now occupied by visitors.
My favorite place to shop has become a mecca for visitors, too. I believe the concierges at the local hotels are now telling visitors on rainy days to go to the local big box store and wheel around an empty shopping cart and pretend your shopping and eat all the free samples of food.
I no longer recognize as many people at the grocery store and the wait at the checkout lane is out of control.
Restaurants are charging an arm and leg and the quality of food does not reflect the high prices being charged. The restaurants make money off visitors with no worries about return business. Most restaurants after 7 p.m. cater primarily to visitors. There is no incentive for our restaurants or food trucks to pass on reasonably priced meals since tourism is peaking and every night there will be new people, here today, gone tomorrow.
Real estate is out of control. Many locals live with two or three generations in one small home. A fixer-upper home in Hanamaulu on Kauai can cost upward of $500,000 with no garage or basement. Hanamaulu is no resort, more of a working class neighborhood.
The only thing that hasn’t changed I cannot write or talk about, because soon it will be discovered by the masses and I will be neglected for a more wealthy-looking visitor.
I have only been here 15 years and can hardly believe my eyes on the changes and overcrowding. I can only imagine how those born and raised here feel.
It’s somewhat a shame since fast food restaurants are about the only affordable places to eat on Kauai. The long lines prove the fact that reasonably priced dining is desired and needed. On a positive note, there is a new sit-down Mexican restaurant in town offering fish tacos for only $2.75 each! I hope this is a new trend?
Times are changing, it’s time for more roads, more hiking trails, more franchised restaurants and some good, cheap buffets. For now, I’d settle for a nice Wendy’s with a salad bar.
This past year has been a banner year for tourism on Kauai. My friends in visitor related business are delighted. They tell me January and February had a record number of sales in everything from bicycle rentals to shaved ice.
Things will never be what they were, everything changes, sometimes for the good and at times for the bad. For many reading this, these are the good ol’ days, for others and myself, the good ol’ days are long gone.
Sometimes we complain about family, yet still love them. Kauai is like family to me, I love you Kauai! Oy, the problems of living in a small tourist-ridden community.
• James “Kimo” Rosen is a retired professional photographer living in Kapa’a with his best friend Obama Da Dog, Rosen also blogs as a hobby; http://www.dakinetalk.blogspot.com/
