I fall asleep with a smile on my face every night. That has never happened to this extent. There’s definitely something completely magic about this place that..it’s not that I can’t explain it, it’s just that this seems so right for me and normal that I almost feel no need to explain it..because it is just my life at this point, my everyday. But it’s 100% beautiful in every way fathomable. But I will, for the sake of sharing my life with those who wonder and dream about a life so different than theirs. This is what I am living.
So the Hawaiian organic farm life is very rustic. It’s like living in a tropical jungle away from the chaos and hustle and bustle and stress of typical society on the mainland. There are papayas, mangos, avocados, jackfruit, lemons, tangerines, pineapples, galangal (Thai ginger), coconuts (duh), rollinia, ice cream bananas, eggplant, sweet potatoes, 4 types of spinach, lemon grass, basil, parsley, taro root, kale, star fruit, abiu, peppers, chili peppers, and many other herbs, veggies, and fruits whose names escape me. So, needless to say, I’m already in heaven because its all plentiful and I can eat so freshly and cheaply and nutritiously. There are currently 12 WWOOFERS here, who have been here from 3 days (myself) to 8 months. I almost want to postpone my flight to Thailand and just stay here for a lot longer. That’s how good it is, in case I haven’t emphasized that enough. There are small rustic cabins that most WWOOFERS live in. There’s a honeymoon suite or two that are occupied as well by WWOOFERS. There isn’t much rhyme or reason for the layout of this farm, and the cabins and such are sporadically placed about the general area. I moved to the far back near no one, in a screen covering under a larger tarp covering, basically in a tent amongst the avo, jackfruit, and tangerine trees. There’s a communal kitchen area, a liberating shower area amongst the banana trees, and 2 adjacent toilet stalls with shower curtains as doors.
We work on the farm for 4 hours in the morning, more or less on our own time, everyday but Sunday and Wednesday, doing all sorts of things from collecting the ripe fruit (“Fruit Run”) to washing galangal, shucking bean sprouts, and weeding. When I say weeding, I want you to picture huge banana trees, coconut palms, Hulu grass, vines everywhere, and other masses of tropical overgrowth. It’s awesome. I’ve discovered my first allergies weeding here. I have elongated hickey-like spots all around my arms, long with other smaller red patches that burn pretty well. I tore out and old chicken wire fence today, and must claim the fact that it made me a blood donor for the day. No worries, though. I’m a big girl.
I hung my gymnastic rings from the jackfruit tree in my “backyard”, which simply warmed my heart. Yes, I monkeyed up this huge tree barefoot in my loin cloth, machete strapped to my back, reached out on a limb to secure each ring in place, hanging on with just my toes, and swung down to the ground on the huge vines that adorn it like tinsel, not too far from the way a fireman slides down a fire pole.
I was going to say yesterday was the best day I’ve experienced thus far in my life, but everyday here is the best day ever, no matter what happens or doesn’t happen. There are no let downs. They just don’t exist. It’s almost as if it were impossible to be anything less than on Cloud Nine. You can’t say that about too many places. Yesterday was our day off (Sunday), and 6 of us piled into Don (a dude who is buying a good chunk of the farm and who is basically the older, male version of me..no, seriously)’s ‘93 Toyota truck, cab and bed, and drove down the most mesmerizing road I have ever witnessed, with huge, hundred-year-old mango trees hosting vines with deep green, dinner-plate sized leaves crawling up the entire trunks, and about 50 other types of environments every 100 yards or so, mostly involving gorgeous trees reaching out over the road to hold hands with the ones on the other side, creating such a picturesque scene, I’m pretty sure my hanging jaw allowed some drool to dive into my lap. About 15 minutes into the drive, we pulled over on the side of the road, following the lead of the other 20 cars, climbed down the black rock lava cliff, and were stopped halfway down by the breathtaking sight. 80-100 colorful people, some nude, some with drums, some doing backflips, some climbing the pole-size tree trunks that scaled the 50-foot cliff we’d just climbed down, and everyone just relaxing and enjoying paradise as the waves crash against the shore of this secluded black sand beach that the locals call Kahena. I practically melted as the black sand massaged my feet and between my toes and my senses began to take in the whole realm of this exotic wonderland . The deep, dark heavy blue Pacific beckoned me instantaneously. My heart began to flutter like a butterfly as I stripped off my clothes and answered the call of the sea. I immediately felt my soul come to life, as if my life at that point was confirmed. I was where I was meant to be. A very friendly dude named Joeltita was checking out the colorful parrotfish and ahi tuna swimming about, when he surfaced with a grin and a handful of red lima (sea weed) he had just picked. With no hesitance to share, he informed me that it was great for vegetarians, and it was delicious! Talk about fresh! The drum circle on shore was thumpin’ and full of dancers, yet I couldn’t get myself to leave the water, so I danced in the thickness of the sea, as other swimmers greeted me every few minutes with an “Aloha” and a smile. The show from the water was the best seat in the house, in my opinion. I couldn’t stop watching an adorable 6-year-old boy with long blonde dreads slide down the beach with his knees on his boogie board, hit the water, and catch about 2 feet of air over and over again. If this wasn’t enough, a rainbow appeared over the caves off to the right of the crowd, and winked in my direction. Bliss. Pure bliss. The sky began to sprinkle down on us in light wet droplets as we trekked back up to the car. Ending up at a tiny local, outdoor restaurant, you better believe I had a huge slab of fresh ahi on a sandwich with a salad to top it off. I thought the day couldn’t get any better, but the conversations with the people I live with, watching Going To America with Don, and filling my lungs with air so pure I feel like I’m not breathing. I’m in the most isolated place on Earth and yet I don’t feel the least bit “alone”. If I do, it’s more like personal, alone time that is necessary for me to function in this life. And here I am. Mind, body, and soul. Satisfied beyond words.
so happy for you, babe.
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