Where's the beach?

Can you believe that we've already been here 4 days, and we haven't gotten to the beach yet?!  If we were on vacation, we would have arrived here at 12:00 and been on the beach before the lunch rush was over.  But that's just it -- we're not on vacation.  After arriving on the 10th, we've been pretty busy everyday.  

On the 10th, we moved in to our new house and crashed.  Later that day, we went down to Costco and spent $500 on various things we need in the kitchen and food to stock our empty cabinets and refrigerator.  That, alone, is a concern.  Just how much is it going to take to get this house up to "running speed?"  We didn't send a lot of our stuff because we figured it would cost less to just buy it new once we got here.  Good choice, or no?  Probably not a problem -- we've got enough utensils, dishes, pots and pans to last us at least until the lady of the house arrives.  And we seem to have enough food to last us a year, although I know that's not the case.  These kids eat like there's no tomorrow.

On the 11th, we crashed.  No, it's not going to become a habit.  We're just very tired from the last few days in Japan -- the rush to get ready to leave -- the plane trip and jet-lag.  So after we managed to get moving, we tried to get the house in order.  I also popped over to my friend's place to say 'hi.'  Very important.  This friend is our connection in Maui.  Our only source of information on where to live, where to find work, where to buy food we can afford, etc.  In Maui, you can't possibly live without inside information.  Just an example, a gallon of milk bought at a grocery store in the tourist area cost me $9 with the sales tax.  Not kidding.  But if you know where to go and have the membership card, you can get it for $5.  Granted, on the mainland, it's probably only $3, but here in the islands, that's as cheap as it gets.  This is part of the price of paradise.  

On the 12th, we scoped out the local shopping mall.  It's cool.  It's basically got everything a regular shopping mall has.  That is to say, it wasn't especially touristy.  Duh, I guess.  Even Maui has to have a place that doesn't cater to tourists.  I just didn't think about it until I went there. I also got a bank account.  That's kind of cool.  I now have checks that say "Bank of Hawaii." That is such a stupid thing to get excited about.  Nonetheless...  And I bought a car.  That was kind of a story in and of itself.  While I was in the dealership, a Japanese man brings his car in for a trade-in.  The salesman knows that I'm just off the plane from Japan, so he introduces us.  He's a nice fellow, and his car has been impeccably kept.  So I bought it.  It's actually like new, but without paying the price for a new car.  Serendipity.  

On the 13th, we did a little more shopping.  "A little."  Ha.  Walmart should give us V.I.P. status.  But now we're good.  We have a microwave.  We have a toaster oven.  And most importantly, we have a coffee maker.  I can survive.  I also spent a great part of the day working on my resume and pouring over the classifieds in the past three days' newspapers.

So today is beach day.  Just have to figure out where it is.  I know, I know, I live on an island.  Walk any direction and you'll hit a beach, right.  Not that easy.  A lot of beaches are private beaches that you can only get to if you're staying at that hotel (or own that house).  And, of course, not all shoreline is beach.  So today's lesson in "life on Maui" is how to find the beaches that only the locals know.  Wish me luck.  Depending on how secret the beach I find is, I may not be able to tell you about it.  Sorry.