Molokai mo’ bettah

If I have to go to another island, I wouldn’t necessarily pick Molokai first. Although I have family there and visited the island often when I was younger, I’m more of a city girl at heart. However, recently, I took a brief trip there with my San Diego girlfriends, and I was reminded of the true beauty of Hawaii that we, as residents, often take for granted.

To fly to Molokai, we took a nine-seater plane with Mokulele Airlines. It was a scary plane ride at lift off, and scary thoughts were going through my head. But as the plane flew away from Oahu and we arrived in Molokai, the lush green of the island was refreshing to see. A family friend picked us up in a pickup truck. I don’t remember the last time I rode in the back of a pickup truck and allowed the wind to breeze through my hair, but I loved it!

The island has a population of just over 7,000 people, and everyone seems to know everyone. We went into town to pick up some things for a BBQ (because most of the stores close on Sundays) and strolled through the island’s weekly market. Things on Molokai are so expensive. It cost $8 for a big bag of onion chips!

Despite the expensive cost of food, the island has beaches that are just so beautiful! Thank goodness for Marshall, Hazel’s boyfriend and a Molokai native. He brought us around where we picked opihi, encountered bugs that we never thought existed, tasted some of the best food and met some of the friendliest people. It was a nice getaway from my nonstop lifestyle here on Oahu. Being able to relax without a schedule or be obligated by a to do list was wonderful, and I’ll always remember the conversations I had with some of the most soulful people I know.