Chilling in the Jungalo

I started calling my little hut the Jungalo, you know because it’s kind of like a bungalow in the Jungle.

The water situation is still pretty scary and we’ve even been going through the house water supply pretty fast. It’s crazy, it seems to just not be raining here. Yesterday, it rained really hard up the hill and we could see the threatening clouds overhead but the water just wouldn’t fall. I’m going to have to get into the Hawaiian spirit more and do a rain dance or something…

This morning, I planted companion grass in the tomato troughs in the greenhouse in order to help re deliver nutrients to the soil. Also I prepared some planter bags by mixing together horse manure, compost, cinder, etc in these little black bags. I think that the cakies ( Hawaiian for baby) that I planted yesterday are going to eventually go into them and that I might be in charge of a few plants. We’ll see. I really am enjoying this farming work. I get to play with dirt, which is really fun and the 5 hours in the morning go by really fast.

Apparently, no one around here is really a fan of Eric and for good reason. Becky told Erics friend Mike that he could come live on the property in a little jungalo that her daughter used to live in. Except that a chicken has been living there and Becky’s daughter, Abby’s stuff is still in there. Mike sort of rightfully thought that he was going to have a little bit of time to clean it out and fix it up before he was to move in, but yesterday when Michael and I got back from the hot ponds, Mike was here because Eric wanted some alone time and he was pretty pissed about the lack of common decency. Anyway, Becky and Michael are tired of him too for various reasons. It’s interesting to meet a whole new set of people with their own drama and history. I don’t know, it’s sort of interesting to observe but probably not so much to read about.

I’ll post some pics of the greenhouse soon. I think I’m going to take an evening walk to the lava, so that I’ll be able to see it in the dark.

Kehena Beach

 

Yesterday, Sunday, I decided to go to the beach and apparently Sundays are when all the extroverted young and old hippies come out to play and have a drum circle and such… As one guy put it “I come every Sunday, see my friends and family and it’s like our church”

First, here is a picture of the tree house from the driveway. Sorry, these were all taken with my phone camera, something is wrong with my digital camera- but i’ll try and fix it, so there’ll be better quality pictures

And this is Teta (Dog) and Mavis Brown and Mocha (horses) and Mabel (Donkey)… We’re already friends.

In order to get to the beach I had to hitch hike (so much safer out here then on the mainland…) but first had to walk about 1.5 miles to get to the road that goes towards the beach. These next two signs are at the beginning of the lava viewing access road, which our drive way comes off of.   

A nice guy picked me up and took me to the beach even though he wasn’t going there… I tell you, I am really digging the Aloha spirit, but anyway, the Puna coast (where I am) doesn’t have many beaches and it’s mostly pretty rocky and cliffy but Kehena beach (where everyone goes) is a black sand (duh) beach that was formed by an earthquake at some point so to get down to the beach you have to take a pretty steep climb down a cliff but the view onto the beach from the top is amazing:

You can see that it’s a pretty small beach and on Sundays it's apparently crowded but I tell you- this place was beautiful. The water is really rough too and this beach has taken many lives. I went out into the water for many 10 minutes and got whipped around pretty good. It’s definitely not a place to go relax in the water, it’ll take you out to sea pretty fast. I mean I definitely will go back in, but the currents are stronger then I’ve ever experienced.

Here are the waves crashing on the breakwater and on the right hand side, where the guy is, is the path to get to the top.

 

It was a clothing optional beach, which I always enjoy, but I tell you- my pale pale shade of skin stood out tremendously against that black sand. I can’t wait until I tan up a bit (safely of course and by wearing a lot of sunscreen) so just by looking at me I don’t scream “fresh of the boat”. I’m excited to hang out here more and become friends with some of the locals/slash old hippies. They’re very entertaining, but my favorite was the old guy who shared a pipe with me that he had fashioned out of a microphone. Oh, it was too funny. I didn’t feel comfortable taking pictures of any of the people yet because I feel like it would have been intruding some how. Except this lady on this really cool tree at one part of the beach…

   

Then, it was totally easy to find a ride back- but he only dropped me off partially to the access road, so I walked the rest of the way back and I’m getting really excited to be walking so much. I’m excited to really get in shape and be active. But I was so tired from everything yesterday, that when I got back I fell asleep at like 7:30. I really enjoy getting excessive amounts of sleep. Woke up just fine and had a great morning working. I started to prepare some troughs for cakies (Hawaiian for babies) by sprinkling the tops of the soil with ground shrimp shells (to provide calcium and also a bacteria that kills nematodes) and azumite ( essential minerals from  rocks in Arizona) and tomorrow, the soil will be tilled and we’ll plant. Also- I started some new seeds for some bag planters that I’m going to prepare this week.

I really like this farming thing and I’m excited that I got to start a new batch and I’ll be able to see them all the way through. I even don’t mind getting up early, which I never thought I would ever say. I’m going back to the hot ponds with Michael this afternoon and then later, I think I’m going to head to the Kalapana cafe, which is only a couple miles down the road.

Tempting Pele a little too closely…

 

So, I went out for my first hike this afternoon and definitely tempted the fates a little too closely. No worries though, everything is alright and I have sincerely learned my lesson...

I will definitely upload a lot of pictures of this place. It was awesome, you can only really see the plumes of steam and gas from where the lava is entering the ocean, not the lava it's self.

But it was really really cool to walk over the old lava and see all the shapes that it makes and the collapsed lava tubes and the cracks and such. It's incredible. I played a game called what do you see in the lava, my favorites were: alligator, heart, turtle, ribbons, and a bulls horn.

So, I decided to walk through the lava fields to instead of down the lava viewing access road, which is connected to the driveway. So I walk for awhile and I come across the properties that people have bought cheap on the old flows. It’s private property so firstly I was trespassing, but then I walk closer and closer to the plume and I realize quick that I probably shouldn’t be there. There was steam pretty close by and my boots were getting a bit warm, so I jutted backwards with where I thought the access road might be. I walked past a picnic bench in the middle of the place and I thought “oh, that’s weird- why would someone just bring a picnic bench out here?” Turns out it was from a house that was taken by the lava at the end of July and I was walking on fresh flow! eeeeee. Once I got to the viewing area, the lady who worked for civic defense was not amused with me being out there and she had to call off some people who were about to come out and get me. Oops. I definitely tempted Pele on that one and I will not do that again. Unclear what I was thinking, but it was really cool and I’m totally fine, so…

I really don't understand why people would build houses on an area that has already been destroyed by a still active volcano... Unclear- the farm is up a hill though and sort of out of the direction of flow... hopefully.

Very glad that I made it back safe and so happy that life has been handing me tropical fruits...

Peach, Plum, Pear or Young Coconut, Papaya, Pineapple

Just want to see if I can still upload a video....

Sweet. It worked. And for the record, I gave the other half of the coconut to the chickens and the other half of the papaya to the donkey.

Hot Ponds, Eric, Gaga, Habaneras, Boozler

 

I tried to up load a video and a post yesterday before I went to the hot ponds but it just wouldn't work for me. And the video won't work now either. They were good. You should be disappointed.

First here is a picture of the hot ponds:

This place was soooo incredible and Eric found me an extra snorkle mask so I literally floated and looked at all the fish for two hours. And it’s really cool because up at the breakwater, sea water mixes with fresh water and you can see that brackish action underwater. Michael goes every week day- so I think I’ll be spending a bit of time here.

Second, the tree house…

Okay, so yesterday was my second day of farming. It didn’t rain very much the night before or since, but Eric borrowed a 250 gallon tank that fits into the back of a pick up truck and we down the road to a free spigot from the county and filled that tank up and brought it back and rigged some hosing down into the pond. So, if it doesn’t rain- there is an option. We’ve already hauled about 4 loads since yesterday.

So, Eric is another affiliate of the farm and the funder for the greenhouse.

He is a character- I'm sure this blog is going to get a lot of time about him.

Oy, he is very particular which is a nice way to say anal and he's just got a lot of energy and ambition but sometimes he seems to direct it in such an intense way that it puts people off.

So, he was and is and will probably continue to test me.

I really could go on about this guy, but the one thing that I know will get to me fast is his incidence on reminding me that I'm a "girl". He keeps asking me stuff about decorating his place and shit and how "girls have comon sense" or whatever and I told him it had nothing to do with being a girl. Ugh. We'll see..

But, he also came with this guy Mike who is sort of like his side kick- excpet Mike is going to move here to the property and fix up a little bungalow. He's cool too- he lost everything, his job and his house in Seattle WA and came here 6 months ago, then he got into a bad motorcycle accident, but things seem to be looking up for him.

After the hot ponds, I ended up going to Erics place and I stayed the night, which he is turning into a bed and breakfast that he wants my friends and family to stay in…. (he’s sort of a scheming business man, did I mention he’s also a mortgage broker?) But anyway, he grows habaneras, so I made delicious omelets with them this morning. He also has a sauna that we went in last night. He was naked though. Interesting fellow.

The other thing that happened yesterday is that I gained an appreciation for Lady Gaga. I thought that I would be able to get away from gaga- but I was working outside the greenhouse yesterday and grown men put it on. So, after listening to the album about three times, I decided that it really did have substance. It was funny though because Michael- the old hippie guy who works here- he didn’t realize how popular gaga was on the mainland/the world. I told him I would show him the Bad Romance video- and I know it will blow his already tripped out mind.

Eric also has a dog named Boozler and we instantly got along. I wish I could have him. But… Eric did offer to give me this other dog named Maggie who is a white pit bull type thing. Its really tempting and I really wouldn’t be surprised with myself. eee. I kinda want her…

But this is booz and I- he’s a JRT…

Going to go on a hike this afternoon and see some lava from 1991.

DROUGHT ;/

Kalapana is going through a drought right now, since last November.

This a rainforest and Becky estimates that its only rained 10 inches this year.
That is bad news. The farm relys on a rain catchment system but when it doesn't rain, there isn't any water to water the plants. There are water trucks that deliver fresh water- but no companies will come out here and up the windy bumpy drive way..
It is raining a bit now so here's to hoping that it rains all night.
I just recorded this video because I am really into this webcam capability. How is the video quality?
Pictures to come soon.

Also- for the record, I don't normally like bananas and that was the fourth one that I've had today...
Also- There was a lizard in my room earlier :) and there have been a bunch of toads and frogs. And you know, I love catchin me some frogs

Nani O Pele

So I made it the rest of the way just fine and the traveling couldn't have gone more swimmingly.
When we were touching down in Honolulu though, I had this sudden thought that I hadn't had before : "I must be fucking crazy to move to this island in the middle of the Pacific away from anything familiar"
Becky, the lady I'm working for picked me up at the airport and I could tell that we were going to get along and any hesitant thoughts subsided almost instantaneously when I arrived at the farm in the town of Kalapana.
The main house is a literally a treehouse and there is a deck on top that you can see the plume of steam coming from where the Pu' u' O' o lava tube is spewing lava into the ocean. The tree house has the kitchen and bathroom including an outdoor shower.
I'm staying in a little screened in cabin off of the main house which is spacious enough for one and keeping with the theme, there is a small tree in the middle of it.
Also, jet lag hasn't been bad at all since I'm having to go to bed and wake up here about 6 hours before I have been. So, I went to bed last night at 9pm and woke up this morning at 7am and started working at 7:30am. I'm expected to work Monday-Friday 7:30am-11:30am and then I have the afternoons and weekends off. I'm pretty excited for this schedule.
This afternoon, I'm going to settle in and unpack and I will get to putting lots of pictures up soon.
For now, here is a video that I made before I went to bed last night:

Okay, here's one of my cabin too:

OH oh halfway there...

I'm en route to Hawaii and so far so good. I took a flight from Baltimore to Charlotte and then one to San Francisco. I have a three hour layover and then another 5 hour flight to Honolulu and lastly a puddle jumper to Hilo!
This is me being excited and feeling good after some nourishment of a breakfast burrito and a corona. It's past noon in Baltimore- so it's cool, right?

I can't believe this day is finally here! And I'm halfway through my journey! The last flight was really pleasant even though I was sitting next to a 6 month old baby. He was so freaking cute though and he held my finger/hand for most of the flight. And on the other side of me was this cool girl who goes to Wellesly who had this crazy red outfit on. And I saw the great unconformity in the grand canyon!

I'm going to need to get better and making these posts more coherent...

Commitment

I'll be leaving Baltimore in about 5 hours to go the airport and journey to Hawaii.
I have been waiting for this moment for months and I could not be more excited about all of the upcoming possibilities.
I'll be taking four planes to get there and the trip should take about 19 hours. I'm hoping for the best of travel karma and an easy voyage. It really does feel like  voyage- I've packed fairly minimally and am excited to travel with my life on my back.
I've decided to keep a blog of my adventures in order to elucidate my adventures and experiences to friends and family.
However, I'm a bit nervous since I've never been really good at keeping up with this sort of thing. But- I'm going to give it a try and join the ranks of 20 somethings everywhere who chronicle their everyday lives on the interweb.


my bags are packed and I'm ready to go...