Go Big (Island): Is This a Vacation?

Hello everybody,

This post might be a contemplative one, as that is the mood I am in. Please excuse this, it may be a bit rambling.

Rachel on a cool bridge near the Kamehameha statue

Recently, the three of us have had discussions concerning our time here on Hawaii. We've lived here now for over a month, with two more months to go. None of us have jobs (Tamarah quit hers, story will follow.) None of us do anything all that productive with our time (as far as contributing to our larger society.) We work on the farm, sure, but that definitely does not take up the majority of our time. We explore the island a little bit, and that's always fun (there really is no end to what you can explore while you're here.) But largely we spend our days just spending time with each other (and sometimes Sanji.)

Sunset in Kona

Our mornings are now mostly the matter of a slow and steady routine. We wake up early (now we are all usually awake at 6:30 or 7,) which is good. Rachel will go on a run or a bike ride (Tam's starting to run now too, on occasion.) Then the two of them usually do some sort of workout (as Tam addressed in her post...I prefer to work out in a solely incidental manner) While they're busy refining their bods, I usually wake up slowly and leisurely. I stretch, write, and sometimes meditate; sometimes I play music off of my device or play the ukulele, to provide some sort of inspiration for them. Then we walk down to the kitchen and eat our breakfast. Then we usually garden for a bit. Then we do WHATEVER WE WANT FOR THE REST OF THE DAY. That often means just talking to each other. A lot, about everything. Boys, our health, our futures, our dreams (both the sleep kind and the ambition kind,) our bowel movements (nope that's not a joke,) our insecurities, our families, our interests. The 3 of us spend just so much time together. All of our time. If we are apart for ANY amount of time, we require an update on anything that happened while we were separated.

So that is what we do. We are learning about ourselves and eachother. Personally, I love it. Having had anxiety for the past 6 years of my life, I'm relishing this time where I am so completely fortunate to not have to work, to spend my time freely with 2 of my best friends in one of the most beautiful places I've ever been. I'm sorry if this seems like I'm bragging. I am a little bit. But mostly I just want to express my gratitude for my situation.

Rachel with King Kamehameha the Great

Sometimes the 3 of us talk about how much we miss home, and how excited we are to go back. We miss our friends (they're simply the best friends,) our families, our dogs, the mountains, the change of season, the things we've grown to be comfortable with (and not being subjected to ants ALL OF THE TIME.) We need to remind eachother of where we are. Of what we're doing. Of how just unbelievably fortunate we are.

Anyways, here's what we've been up to for the past week or so (in a more focused manner):

Rachel and I have been going on little dates while Tamarah was at work. We had to do something while she was there, so we would go and do little touristy things, such as visit Coconut Island (mentioned in a previous post.) We also went to the King Kamehameha statue, commemorating the first king to ever unite all of the Hawaiian islands as one kingdom. We took walks around ponds, climbed banyans, took photos on cool bridges.

Rachel (in the blue shirt) starting the 10k

Last weekend we made yet another trip to Kona. Rachel, who is a beast, decided to try her hand at a 10k. The 10k was held at Pu'u Wa'awa as a fundraiser to help save the Dry Forest. On Friday Rachel and I waited until Tam was done with her shift at Cronies, then the 3 of us drove to Kona. We spent the night sleeping in Lil Red again (more comfortable with 3 instead of 4 people,) then woke up at 6 to drive to the race. The 10k consisted of running up and down a steep hill; roughly the first 5k was a pretty gnar incline, with the second 5k being a steady decline followed by a sharp decline. She did awesome, 2nd in her age division. We nabbed some free food (croissants, bananas, coffee and the like,) then headed out to explore around Kona a bit more.

Rachel's race results. We're so proud of her!

We had breakfast at a cafe (Kona is well known for it's coffee, supposedly some of the best in the world, naturally not as bitter as other coffee beans,) stopped by Creative Costumes to find stuff for our Halloween costumes, then went across the street to Original Donkey Balls Factory and Store to try some donkey balls. Donkey balls are a favorite dessert in Hawaii; they consist of a macadamia nut covered in chocolate. We personally really liked the "Chocolate Peeper-mint" chicken balls, which had a minty center and chocolatey exterior and were smaller than donkey balls.

Yummy Chicken Balls!

We decided to check out Kealakekua Bay, where Captain Cook landed on the Hawaiian Islands (the second time,) and where he was killed. The Captain Cook/Hawaii story is completely fascinating to me, and I'll probably tell it in full in a later post for people unfamiliar with the story. There is a monument for Cook in the bay, at a site that can't be reached except for by a two mile trail. We were going to try to hike to it, but ran out of time (there's supposedly astounding snorkeling in the ocean by the monument.) A weird fact about the monument: the patch of land that the monument is on is owned by Great Britain. Anyways, we were going to go swimming in the bay but the tide was really rough, so we went swimming at a public beach park right down the road. We went shopping at Costco (which was very exciting,) then went out to dinner at Kona Brewing Company. Kona Brewing is definitely the most popular micro-brewed beer in Hawaii. I personally LOVE it (neither Rachel or Tam really like beer.) I'm a big fan of wheat beers and they have an excellent selection. Their most popular beer is their Longboard Lager, which is delightful. I also really enjoy Big Wave Golden Ale and Wailua Wheat (which has passionfruit in it and is unfortunately only available in Hawaii.)

Kealakekua Bay (Captain Cook monument is white obelisk on left)

On Monday Tamarah and Rachel decided to do the lemon juice cleanse. Rachel did this cleanse when she first got here, so by now it was old-hat to her. For Tamarah, on the other hand, it was a new experience. Tamalam is usually a sweet little bumble bee of a person, but on the cleanse she became a bit of an adorable grumpy puss. She was so tired and hungry from the cleanse that she quit her job on the first day, then promptly gave up the cleanse the next morning. It was quite funny and endearing. So now Rachel and I have Tam all to ourselves again, which we quite enjoy.

Tamarah and Rachel with a lava tree

On Wednesday we decided to check out the South-Eastern side of the island a bit more. Our first stop was Lava Tree State Park. This is a state park created to showcase lava trees, which are literally trees that were caught up in lava. It was a nice little park with a quick loop that took us about 10 minutes to walk. We really wanted to check out Champagne Cove near Pahoa, which is a calm inlet pool that has some hot springs pouring into it, to make it an entirely pleasant swimming temperature. It's not really a hot springs, more tepid, but still very nice. Champagne Cove is sort of inside this private sub-division, however; but we got around that by driving a mile or so North of the cove to this light beacon on the coast, and then walking along the coast until we got to the cove. While we were there we noticed a helicopter consistenly hovering over the beach, and men on skidoos searching the waves. We later learned that a local girl had gone missing while snorkeling there a few days before, which is pretty scary. Sanji knew the girl, she was his friend's girlfriend.

Tamarah at Champagne Cove

That night we went to Kalapana Night Market, a hidden farmer's market that occurs on the now lava-covered town of Kalapana on Wednesday nights. It was a truly wonderful experience. There was live music, craft and food booths, and a collection of wonderfully eclectic Hawaiian locals. We all got really yummy food (Rachel broke her faste at the market,) I got some beer, and we just sat and absorbed the pleasant atmosphere. The road to the night market was single lane for most of it, and wound through these really beautiful forests right along the ocean.

Yesterday we went to Kolekole Beach Park, right down the road from Honomu. It was pretty neat. It is located at a junction of a river joining the ocean, and has a lovely waterfall. We enjoyed a nice picnic there of this sort of kasava salad we made, to which we added artichoke hearts, and artichoke heart/mustard salad dressing that Rachel made, tomatoes, hot sauce, avocado, and hummus.

Rachel and Tamarah at the waterfall at Kolekole

Rachel's friend Riley is coming to visit for 9 days tomorrow. Today is Halloween, and we're going to watch Rocky Horror Picture Show at the legendary Palace Theater. Tamarah is Ariel (The Little Mermaid,) Rachel is an 80s rocker chick, and I'm a stormtrooper. My costume was made for an 8 year old boy, and so doesn't fit me super well, but I wanted it SO BAD.

Some Notes from the Past Week:

• There is an invasive frog species on the island called "coquis," and they sing throughout the night every night. When Tam and I first got here we thought they were birds, only to be corrected by Sanji. Frogs makes more sense.
• The cop cars here look like normal cars, with a blue siren light on top. We've been told that this is because the police department pays for half of the car and the cop pays for the other half. This is supposed to encourage the cops to take better care of their cars.

  

  The Dry Forest at Pu'u Wa'awa'a

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

Fruit of the Week: Abiu

Fruit of the Week

Abiu

The abiu is an interesting fruit. It enticed me at the Locavore store in downtown Hilo--it's round, yellow exterior seemed promising to me as a fruit full of adventure. As it turns out, I was not the biggest fan (Rachel really liked it though.) It is very, very sweet. Too sweet for my taste, but that is just me. It has a sort of caramel-y flavor, and to me tastes somewhat milky. The skin, for whatever reason, makes our mouths go all tingly. The fruit itself is somewhat like a slimy peach, with less texture. Rachel and Tamarah think they taste a little bit like a rambutan (a notion I don't agree with.) They both also think they're very sweet. Tamarah thinks that it is a little interesting; kind of like pudding, really mushy. She says it looks like it could be cut like a lemon. Rachel enjoys how the peel make your lips numb, she thinks it's a fun feeling. It's not something she would want to eat all the time, but she would like it as a treat for every once in a while, for a little variety in the ole fruit repertoire. She likes that the texture is a little slimy and weird.

Hawaiian Language

The Big Island is still very much authetically Hawaiian, esecially the Eastern side (where Hilo is.) Some quick facts about the Big Island:

• The island of Hawaii is considered to be its own county. According to a 2010 census cited on Wikipedia: "The racial makeup of the county was 34.5% White, 0.7% African American, 22.6% Asian, 12.4% Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, and 29.2% from two or more races; 11.8% of the population were Hispanics or Latinos of any race."
• The population of the three largest cities on the island are: Hilo, at just over 40,000; Kona, at almost 12,000 people; and Waimea, at just over 9,000.
• According to Newsmax, Hilo is the third largest city in Hawaii, and the only of the big Hawaiian cities not found on Oahu: "Of all cities on this (5 Biggest Cities of Hawaii) list, Hilo has the largest concentration of people of only 'native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander' heritage."

With all of that knowledge now available at your fingertips, you might better understand why I felt this post might be apt; the Big Island in general, and Hilo in particular, has a real sort of tangible attitude of it being first and foremost Hawaii...The fact that it is a state in the United States of America is a distant second in determining its identity. Hawaiian is spoken frequently, often in the form of some sort of pidgin, and the language is a notable part of Hilo's character. 

Now to the real meat of this post: the words that we hear often around us in our daily lives on the island. This will be a list of true Hawaiian words in combination with some pidgin. I'll start off with the most common ones:

• Aloha--This one will be familiar to most; it works as a greeting, as a form of thanks, as a goodbye, and just in general an expression of friendliness. There is a real emphasis on the "aloha spirit" here on the island, which essentially means being laid back, going with the flow, being friendly and giving and kind. The "aloha spirit" in many ways is what shapes the culture of the island.
• Mahalo--Thank you. This is used often as well, even in chain businesses that exist elsewhere besides the island (for example, it said "Mahalo" on the trash bins at Burger King instead of "Thank You.")
• Keiki--Child. This is also fairly common. Pretty much any instance when the term "your child" would be used, it is instead "your keiki" (pronounced "cakey".) The "baby on board" signs that hang in the back windshields of peoples' cars will often instead say "keiki on board."
• Wahine--Woman. Bathroom signs will oftentimes say "wahine" instead of "women." (Pronounced "wa-hee-nay".)
• Kane--Man. The male wild cat who lives up near our house is named Kane. (Pronounced "kah-nay.")
• Pau--Done/finished. Waiters and waitresses will sometimes ask if you're "pau" with that instead of finished. This is often incorporated in pidgin expressions as well; a common one is "pau hana," which means "done with work" (for the day.) (Pronounced "pow.")
• Mana--The energy of the island and its people. Mana had huge importance in the traditional Hawaiian religion. Sanji's oldest daughter is named Mana. (Pronounced "ma-na".)
• Haole--white people/foreigners. This I suppose is somewhat derogatory, if you take offense to it, which I think would be a silly thing to do, as that is what we are. (Pronounced "hay-oh-lay.")
• Da Kine--A pidgin phrase that means "the kind/that kind." It gets dropped by locals a lot in their conversations (at least by the locals I've been around.) Sometimes I don't understand the context in which the phrase is used. 
• Paniolo--a cowboy/rancher. Surprisingly common, but most often associated with steaks/burgers on restaurant menus. We learned from Sanji that a fair amount of Mexican cowboys immigrated to the island to work as cowboys here. Sometimes local music has a definite Mexican flavor to it (such as heavy tuba.)
• Tutu--grandparent. Sanji's daughters call his mother, Mala, tutu.
• Aina--The land (Hawaiian land in particular;) Technically means "That which feeds us" (isn't that sort of lovely?) There is a pretty prominent environmentalist culture on the island, and this word is often associated with their movement. A common phrase around here (on bumper stickers and such) is "Aloha Aina," which I believe means "Love the Land." (Pronounced *I think* "ay-ee-nah," although it might possibly be "ah-ee-nah.")
• Pono--Righteousness. Associated, I believe, with the movement for Hawaiian sovereignty. It is also used in the Hawaiian state motto: "Ua Mau ke Ea o Ka Aina i ka Pono" or "The life of the land is perpetuated by righteousness."
• Mauna--Mountain. The two largest volcanoes on the Big Island are Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa. I thought it was interesting that the Hawaiian word for "mountain" is so close to our own.
• One--Sand. I don't really have an anecdote for this one.
• Kai--The sea/tide/ocean, etc. 

There are obviously many many more Hawaiian words not mentioned here; these are just the ones that I noticed with any sort of consistency. 

Hawaiian is a language that places an emphasis on the vowels to express meaning. It is common for every vowel in the word to have its own prominent pronunciation, which actually makes pronouncing never-before-seen (to me) Hawaiian words rather easy to pronounce, once you get the hang of it.

Life After College

Alright my dear family (and friends), that want me to add to this blog, this is where I'm at: Life after college. First of all it's amazing, especially when you go gallivanting off to Hawaii with two amazing friends, (so close I’d call them family). Not only do I get to wake up to their lovely faces and enthusiasm, but I get to see the ocean and eat tropical fruit right outside my window. My favorite so far would have to be the bananas, especially when they’re fried. They're lovely things that Rachel has grown quite accustomed to making in the mornings. A tablespoon or two of coconut oil and some diced bananas in a pan, and out come delicious nuggets of goodness. Definitely a great way to start out the morning, especially when Rachel continuously wakes me up with her enthusiastic energy for working out. We've got three different types of workout days, tossed in with some running on the side. We’ve got arm day, (can't lose that climbing muscle), butt day, (because of course), and you can't forget leg day, (because you just can't).

I've grown quite fond of living on an island, especially this magical thing we call island time. Meaning we rarely know what time it is--or the date-- as we often leave our phones elsewhere. The biggest thing I've realized about living in a place without easy access to internet or really even electricity is that we don't resort to our computers or phones in our downtime. We often sit together and hang out, talk, stretch, or read. We're all in the moment together. With computers it's so easy to be everywhere at once, but now we just enjoy our time in the now, with the people we're with.

Between swimming In the ocean, discovering waterfalls that exist in our backyard, cooking with weird exotic vegetables, fixing our car, and getting my butt handed to me waitressing (I got a part time job at a local restaurant), I've learned a lot being here. Unfortunately, one of the things I haven't learned (yet), is surfing. I was able to go with my sister in Oahu, but it's been a bit harder to find a board than I thought, especially one that will fit on top of our 92 Nissan. It is  still on my list though. Hopefully my next post will be full of surfing tips and pictures of me flailing around in some waves.

However, as this amazing adventure continues, big life decisions loom in the distance; and this is where I reach part two of my post. What happens next when we leave this beautiful tropical island? Being 22 and done with college is not only a beautiful thing, it's terrifying. The world is my oyster. After growing up and going to school for the last 18 years of my life, the sudden realization that that's over is overwhelming. I'm lucky to have a plethora of options my life can take, but it's stressful to say that I literally have no boundaries. I find myself flying through life altering options like a fine dessert menu. Something sounds amazing and I think I've decided what I want to do, until I read the next option and find it equally as tantalizing. Why is it we feel like we need to know what it is we want to do with the rest of our lives right outside college? This is a question I keep asking as I find myself putting so much pressure on all my decisions. Is it because we have become accustomed to too much structure? Since the age of five we’ve been put into school, and year after year we’re taught that summer is the time for freedom, as the other nine month are planned out for us. Now, out of school for the first time in 18 years, and being exposed to so many options, im finding it hard to latch onto one.

I've been thinking about this a lot lately because I was recently offered a job teaching first graders in Tanzania. An amazing opportunity where I would get to immerse myself into a new culture for an entire year. But here's where the panic sets in...I would start in January. Two more short months and I could be living in Africa and I have to make the decision soon. But then there’s South America. Ever heard of Pucón? It’s in Chile and apparently it’s the “mecca for adventure sports” (surfing, climbing, skiing, rafting…).  Living somewhere where I could teach english and learn Spanish would be amazing. Which lead me to Colombia, where I know a lovely woman who’s been helping me get connected with some schools, and has even offered me a place to crash for a bit. I feel like a dog chasing squirrels if squirrels where my career options. Lets just say i’m going through a bit of a quarter life crises here.  Anyways, there’s my spiel, as they say keep it classy, hang ten, mahalo and aloha, until next time, yours truly,

-Tam

The school sent me a picture of the kids
I would be teaching. You know, just to make it
that much harder. 

My possible classroom. 

Blog Name Change

Hello everybody,
We changed the name (and URL) of our blog from "Aloha Mountainsand" to "Go Big (Island)." We did this for reasons threefold: 1) Aloha Mountainsand was the title that Tam and I came up with while she had food poisoning and I was tired to the extent that I was hallucinatory 2) Although "Mountainsand" sounds kinda neat (our intention was for it to sound like a combination of "mountains" and "sand",) it is not a real word, and thus a silly thing. 3) "Go Big" has been our motto during our time here since we discovered GO BIG wine (as mentioned in a previous post.) I only recently realized (yesterday) that this is actually an unbeliveably accurate slogan for our Hawaiian escapades as we live on the BIG Island. Get it? Go Big...Island. Anyway we thought we were very clever and talked about making bumper stickers and tshirts with "GO BIG ISLAND" printed on them to sell to tourists so we can become the next Zuckerberg(s). We'll settle for changing the name of our blog for now.

Fruit of the Week: Chico Sapote

Fruit of the Week

Chico Sapote

This fruit is an odd one, to say the least. It's texture is a bit like that of a potato that hasn't quite been boiled to completion. It tastes simultaneously a bit sickly sweet and bland. With all of that being said, it's not an entirely unpleasant fruit. It is somewhat reminiscent of a bosc pear, but without that good ole familiar pear taste. I'd give it a 4 out of 10. 

Rachel thinks it's an interesting fruit for sure. She says that the first bite is the best, because at first there's a brown sugary taste. However, the texture isn't good, and as you eat it the taste gets less good as well. She also stresses the importance of letting it ripen correctly, or she says the taste is all off. She'd eat it again if someone offered it to her but wouldn't go out of her way to buy it again.

Tamalam did not consume this fruit to the best of my knowledge and is currently unavailable for comment.

Go Big (Island): A More Laid Back Week

Aloha.

We seldom (if ever) say aloha out loud, except ironically. We're not locals, and so we don't feel it's appropriate. Nor do we say mahalo (thank you.) Nor do we do the stereotypical "hang loose" hand sign, which is, in fact, entirely common around here.

Our view driving down from the farm into Honomu

Driving into Honomu

We (at least, Tamarah and myself) have already lived in Hawaii for a month, which is crazy. I know that I've mentioned this before, but time in Hilo has a rather indefinite feel; things happen at their own pace in their own time, and days and weeks don't feel nearly as confined. Also, as two girls from Colorado and one girl from Alaska, we have definitely noticed a lack of season change. Every day is basically the same. I know that back home now the Aspens are changing to their vibrant yellow, and everything is becoming cool and cozy. Here it is rainy and humid and sunny and hot. I used to think that the weather changed dramatically in Colorado, but let me assure you, that however quickly thunderstorms come and go in The Rockies, it is nothing compared to how it changes on

this island. TORRENTIAL downpour comes followed by full sunlight in less than five seconds. It sometimes makes working in the garden a rather anticipatory venture.

Rachel working on Lil Red

Anyways, from where we left off last post, things have remained fairly mellow. No new adventures, in the grand sense. Erica finished off her visit here with less than a bang, unfortunately (because it started off so well! Waterfalls! Beaches! World class athletes!) This is due to our good ole Nissan going and pooping out on us again. It is near impossible to be able to do things without a car; we once more had to rely on the kindness of Sanji and strangers while hitchhiking to go anywhere or get anything done. Luckily Lil Red (as we now affectionately call her) decides to break down in a way that's entirely affordable to fix. This time, it was our rear passenger-side control arm, which somehow had neatly snapped in two, and was just kinda dragging around and making Lil Red shake something fierce.

Rachel attaching our new control arm into the Sentra

We went into the local O'Reilly's Auto Parts and were assisted by a very patient man who tried to help us find the part we were looking for without a description, a name, or really any idea of where the part fit into the car or what it's purpose was. This proved to be unfruitful. We later returned to O'Reilly's with a photo and found out the name of the part. We also found out that the part could only be ordered from the dealer in Japan. So we then briefly considered just welding it, only to realize that that was maybe not the most practical means, and instead decided to check junk yards. We ultimately found the part at Ryan's Towing and it was luckily very affordable. Rachel was the mechanic on this enterprise (with some assistance from Sanji and our neighbor Eric.) She was a beast and effectively wrestled with some deep penetrating oil on the car's nuts until the piece just came right out. She also got it back on, all by herself.

Essentially the scene during all of the car reparations

Other than that whole car escapade, we've been working. Tamarah nabbed herself a job as a waitress at Cronie's Bar and Grill right in downtown Hilo. Both Rachel and I are still unemployed, so we spent our days largely working in the garden. The garden consists of 8 beds, all of which (except for the second) were entirely in need of some new vegetable and flower life. Under Sanji's supervision we've planted flats of lil baby veggies to go into the garden, as well as planting some seeds straight into our freshly weeded beds. We're planting a lot of things, but I'll list the things I remember right now: daikon radish, spinach, broccoli, cabbage, chives, parsley, cucumbers, marigolds, sunflowers, and some strange Japanese green none of us had ever seen before or can ever remember the name of. Erica helped us out on the garden a lot when she was here, which was very kind of her.

Rachel working in the garden

One of the many fine chickens puttering about

We also enjoy scavenging around the farm and eating fresh fruit that we find (it's literally everywhere.) I think I'll do a more comprehensive post later about all of the fruit and other edibles growing on the farm, but here's a little sampler list: avocados, bananas, passion fruit, tangerines, guava, basil, ginger, figs, and lemons. There are also semi-feral chickens who definitely lay their eggs somewhere...we just don't know where. We've found their cache only twice. We've been trying to get them into this existing chicken coop to lay, but have thus far been unsuccessful.

We really are lucky. I'd say blessed, if I believed in God, but essentially that is what we are.

These are red ant bites, on me flesh. Gnar.

That is not to say that there aren't downsides to living on the island. It's not always paradise; it'd be boring if it was (who wants perfection, really?) Things are damp here. Really damp. All the time. Nothing dries. We realized we definitely need to use a laundromat to do our clothes, but the laundromat has a mega sketchy feel that I'm not always vibing (but they have driers, so I boldly press on.) People actually steal things here all the time. It's an actual problem (especially in regards to cars.) As a wee sheltered lass who's lived in the Roaring Fork Valley and then Boulder, and that's it, I'm unused to actually having to keep an eye on my belongings in a serious and focused way. Finally, there are SO MANY BUGS (but thank goodness no snakes.) We have a little treat hopefully planned for a later post to go into more detail on the creepy crawlies we're subjected to all the time, but let's just say that we've become very well acquainted with the likes of cockroaches, slugs, ants, and giant spiders.

On Erica's last day in Hilo we went downtown. Tamarah was at work, so Rachel, Erica, and I explored a few of the buildings, namely the Mokupapapa Discovery Center, which was really neat. We learned all about the oceans around the islands and sat down to watch Disney Nature's Oceans, which was very interesting. We also discovered Locavore, a store that only sells local produce and products, which was likewise super neat. We also went to Hilo Public Library, which is a place where we spend A LOT of our time. It has the best free internet. It is, we all agree, the busiest library that we've ever seen. The parking lot is always full. It's always a struggle to find a table. It's where I am currently writing this post. Maybe it's something about living in a sleepy rainy town, but people are definitely drawn to this place. When Tamarah got off work we decided to check out Two Ladies Kitchen, where we bought DOPE mochi. So so so good. We ate way too much of it.

Courtyard in the middle of Hilo's Public Library

As a testament to the kindness of the people here, Erica found a ride to the airport when a random kind stranger saw us walking in hardcore rain after leaving Two Ladies, and asked if we needed a ride somewhere. Right after that serendipitous occurrence, the three of us decided to counteract the excess of sugar slopping around in our stomachs from our mochi over-indulgence with some Middle Eastern food. We stopped into The Oasis Cafe, right down the street from Two Ladies, and met another very kind person, Ilana, the owner of the establishment. She made us some yummy food, and asked for our story. She offered Tamarah a little side job, which she promptly took, and offered all of us a trade of working in her garden in exchange for lunch, whenever we're in Hilo. Something that Ilana said that stuck out to me is that Pele (the Hawaiian goddess of volcanos and fire, who is very important on the Big Island with all of its still-active volcanos) either accepts you or spits you out. I *tentatively* think that she accepted the three of us. She brought us to Sanji and all of the other kind people we've met. It's kind of her to not spit out us three naive haole.

Pagoda bridge in the park next to Coconut Island, on top of destroyed Waiakea

Tree marking past sea levels during tsunamis

Rachel and I have also visited this cool place called Coconut Island (when Tam was at work.) It's out in the bay in front of Hilo. There's this large park right next to it, which we learned was once a town called Waiakea that was destroyed by tsunamis. There's a perfect view of downtown and Mauna Kea from Coconut Island. There are also trees that mark the water levels during each of the main tsunamis that have impacted Hilo. It was as educational as it was beautiful.

Now that Lil Red's back in working order, we'll hopefully be puttering around the island once more soon, exploring this enchanting place.

Some notes from this past week:

• Ginger toothpaste actually grows on you after a month of using it. It's quite refreshing.
• All of the streetlights (and shop lights, parking lot lights, etc.) on the island are orange and point directly at the ground. Rachel taught us that this is because of the observatories on Mauna Kea--the island is dedicated to not making light pollution, so that the observatories can, in fact, have the best view of the stars in the world.
• Something else that Rachel taught us is that the Hawaiian language only has 12 letters, which is apparent when living here. Those letters are, in case you're interested, these: a, e, i, o, u, m, n, p, h, k, l, and w. 
• On another note, I'd say that 90% of the license plates here start with either a "z" or an "h." (i.e. ZZW 056 or HPH 678.) I don't know why this is and am consistently distracted by it.
• The UH Hilo mascots are The Vulcans!!!!!!!! I find that very exciting (because I really dig Star Trek, for those who don't know.)
• There are way more opportunities for senior discounts here than in any other place I've been.
• We are quite often struck by the sort of weird realization that we are, actually, still in the United States. The culture is so different, they still speak Hawaiian a lot, and we often feel like minorities, being haole. It feels like we're in a different country consistently. Natives still just assume we're tourists straight off the cruise for the most part, which is fair but frustrating. 
• I for whatever reason have a serious handicap when it comes to shooting videos on Tamarah's iPhone. I consistently put my thumb over the microphone. If anyone ever watches any videos from our time here and is like "Why can't I hear what's going on?" it's because of me.
• The street signs are all really long Hawaiian words and predominantly start with a "K" or an "H." It took us quite a while to get a hang of it, and still struggle sometimes. There's just so many vowels used in the Hawaiian language!



A view of downtown Hilo, as seen on Coconut Island

• On that note, Kamehameha (as in the Hawaiian king,) is properly pronounced "Ka-meha-meha" and not "Kame-hame-HA" as I was taught by Dragon Ball Z.

Flavorin and Savorin

Hello all, Rachel here, I am finally contributing to this fine blog of Catherine’s creation. I am doing this in the form of recipes. This may be a bit dry unless you’re as into food as I am. We’ve been eating pretty well over here and we thought it would be a good idea to share some of our delicious creations. Most of our fresh food we either get from the farm we are staying on, the farmer’s market in town, or occasionally, the woods by our house. Also it’s all vegan besides a couple eggs from the chickens around the farm and some honey, also from the farm. I don’t remember the names of everything, but I’ll do my best, and I don’t really measure things, so amounts will be largely absent. Also some ingredient may be missing, I’m doing this all from memory, and it’s been awhile for some of these things.

I began my Hawaiian experience with a three-day lemon juice cleanse (with lemons from the farm), which was a great way to begin the healthy lifestyle we have been following here, and I definitely recommend it. The first night off of the cleanse I made a lovely stir-fry using ingredients from the farmers’ market unless otherwise noted.

Peanut Chili Stri-Fry

·        Eggplant

·        Zucchini

·        Purple sweet potatoes

·        Onion

·        Garlic

·        Sweet chili peanut sauce

·        Salt and pepper and other random spices that were left in our house

·        Lemon juice (from lemons on the farm)

For breakfast I have been making granola, we have to keep all the ingredients in the freezer so the ants can’t get to them. We tried leaving them out in tightly sealed bags and soon learned that ants can chew through plastic. And thus our sunflower seeds were infested. We picked out as many as we could and then put them in the freezer at Sanji’s suggestion. Ants are much easier to pick out when they’re frozen, however they do start to come back to life as they thaw out.

Granola

Mix the following:

·        Mixed grains (oats, buckwheat and spelt I think) – several cups

·        Sunflower seeds – maybe a half cup or so

·        Pumpkin seeds – same as sunflower seeds

·        Flax meal – probably a half cup, maybe a bit less

·        Chia seeds – quarter cup or so

·        Almonds – half cupish

·        Cinnamon – enough

·        Ginger – minced – I probably use about a half cup, but I’m obsessed with ginger, also we used wild ginger that we found by the river by our house and it’s not so strong

Heat and stir the following briefly on the stove:

·        Coconut oil - just a couple tablespoons, maybe a quarter cup

·        Maple syrup – quarter cup to half cup, depending on how sweet you want it

·        Blackstrap molasses – Probably about a quarter cup

Pour the liquids over the dries and stir. Since our ingredients are cold from the freezer you have to do this part pretty quick otherwise the coconut oil solidifies and then you just have coconut oily granola chunks and nobody wants that.

Spread all that out on a pan and cook it, I think I used 375, stir it part way through, take it out when its brownish and a bit crunchy. Then stir in some chopped dates, or whatever other dried fruit you want. I sliced some bananas and cooked those on top of the granola once which was pretty delicious.

Speaking of bananas, they grow everywhere here. I recently harvested my first couple racks of them. Banana trees only produce one rack of bananas, so to harvest them, you just chop down the whole tree. Unfortunately, the Big Island has been invaded by red ants, and they frequent the banana trees, so harvesting bananas here tends to be a rather painful experience. BUT no pain, no fried bananas. These have become an essential part of our morning routine. Simply slice up some ripe bananas and fry them in some coconut oil and they basically turn into candy. You can sprinkle on some cinnamon and/or vanilla extract for a little extra flava flav.  

For a raw breakfast option, I’ve almost made some protein bars. These are basically the same as the granola, but you also stir in some mashed banana and peanut butter and take out the maple syrup (the banana provides enough sweetness). Then just press all that into a pan, cut it up, and keep it in the fridge.

Sanji and I tried baking some ripe plantains today. We just sliced them up and baked them on a greased cookie sheet with some cinnamon sprinkled on top, and they were a delicious low-fat alternative to the fried option. I specify that they were ripe because you can also fry unripe bananas or plantains. They turn out kind of like French fries and are good with ketchup. 

Our next major dinner undertaking was soup. This began at the farmer’s market where Tam, Catherine and I each bought two ingredients and then we brought them all back and made soup from them. This resulted in food for the three of us for over a week and each night we varied it a little, adding noodles, quinoa, peanut butter, or eggs. The eggs were from the chickens on the farm, but they’re basically wild so you’ve got to find where they lay, which we’ve only managed to do twice. We also tried cooking ice cream beans that we had picked one night, but they didn’t turn out great.

Ice cream beans (they have another name that I forgot) come in large pods, about 2 feet long. Harvesting them involved a combination on Catherine picking them from atop my shoulders, and us whacking the pods out of the trees with bamboo poles. The beans themselves are covered in this squishy white stuff that you can eat and tastes a bit like ice cream. I tried making some juice out of it and it was sickly sweat, but was pretty good once I watered it down and added some lemon juice.

I found some old leftover soup in the back of the fridge tonight, it was a peanut butter quinoa version and surprisingly, it hadn’t gone bad, so I ate it. To be honest it brought back some good memories, that was some fine soup we had there, some real fine soup.

Curry soup

·        Some type of summer squash – I don’t remember the name, but it was over a foot long and green and harder than a normal summer squash, but pretty similar once cooked, maybe a little slimier

·        This weird squash thing with a zigzag-y outside that got real squishy when cooked

·        Carrots

·        Onion

·        Eggplant

·        Japanese? eggplant - may have been Thai, they were round and harder than our eggplants

·        Zucchini

·        Tomato Puree

·        Coconut milk

·        Curry Powder

·        Cumin

·        Salt and Pepper and stuff

Sometimes I also added molasses or agave to counteract the acidity of the tomato paste, sometimes some apple cider vinegar or these vinegar soaked hot peppers that Sanji has, sometimes lemon juice, that went especially well with the peanut butter. 

The soup was pretty delectable, we all ate it every day for about a week and a half and didn’t get sick of it. Catherine even missed it once it was gone.

Finally, we have been eating a lot of salads. Often times it’s all we have for dinner. The salad usually contains the following, all of which can be found at the farmers’ market and we’ve found that if we go at the end of the day, we often get free food thrown at us, last time we came home with three free papayas.

Salad

·        Kale

·        Spinach

·        Lettuce

·        Tomatoes

·        Avocado

·        Carrots

·        Cucumber

·        Sunflower seeds

·        Flax meal

·        Chia seeds (we love our seeds)

There’s two salad dressings I’ve been making for this exquisite base. The first was inspired by the copious amount of ginger we found.

Ginger Lemon Honey Dressing:

·        Ginger

·        Lemon juice

·        Oil – whatever type you fancy

·        Balsamic vinegar

·        Apple cider vinegar

·        Garlic

·        Honey

·        Salt and pepper

Blend until smooth

 The other dressing came from some pesto I made because Sanji came back with two shopping bags full of basil one day.

Pesto

Blend the following:

·        Sunflower seeds – soaked overnight

·        Lemon juice

·        Oil – olive is probably best

·        Basil

·        Apple cider vinegar

·        Optional – avocado, artichoke hearts

·        Salt and pepper

Pesto salad dressing

Add the following to the pesto:

·        More oil

·        More vinegar, probably apple cider and balsamic

I think that’s basically it

As I’m sure you’ve noticed, we have a limited set of ingredients, so we use the same things in a lot of our dishes. But we also cook largely based on what we can find around the farm or at the farmers’ market, which means almost all our food is local and in season resulting in deliciously fresh dishes with a low carbon footprint.

Local Issue: TMT on Mauna Kea

Mauna Kea is a sacred mountain to Hawaiians. Now a dormant volcano, it stands proud in the middle of the Big Island. It is the tallest point on Hawaii, at almost 14000 feet above sea level. It is also, arguably, the best place in the world for stargazing, as is made testament by the 13 telescopes on the mountain's peak. The telescopes are funded by eleven different countries, and observatories such as Keck Observatory are responsible for some of the most comprehensive astronomical discoveries and studies in human history. The observatories atop Mauna Kea are an important issue for contemporary Hawaiians. The people of the Big Island are still very much mystically tied to this land. Many still honor their ancestors and the way they cared for the Hawaiian environment and spiritual realm. However, many modern Hawaiians likewise realize the incredible academic advancements that the observatories provide. They allow us to understand our universe--an academic feat that no one underestimates.

View from side of Mauna Kea

This brings us to the TMT (Thirty Meter Telescope). TMT is a collaboration between 4 governmental research institutions (China, Japan, India, and Canada,) and Caltech here in the US. It is what it sounds like--a telescope that has a mirror 30 meters in diameter (about 98 feet.) This is a ginormous telescope. The observatory will be 18 stories high and go 2 stories beneath ground. It likely will enable us to probe deeper into space with more accuracy than anything we've had before.

Protectors hugging in front of Queen Liliuokalani

Rachel, Tamarah, Erica, and myself stumbled upon this issue on a spontaneous drive up to the information center  mid way up the mountain. We happened to arrive on the 200th day of the people's protest against the construction of TMT. Although we had heard about this issue briefly here and there (Mala, the matriarch of the farm, frequents the protests,) we were unfamiliar with the details. We approached the protesters with questions, and were directed to a passionate individual who informed us of the situation from the protestors' view (I regrettably cannot remember his name.) He stressed to us how sacred Mauna Kea is to the people of Hawaii, not only spiritually, but historically, culturally, and ecologically as well. He talked about burial grounds on the summit that are disturbed by the construction of the telescope, and the water reserves under the surface that are contaminated by the observatory's construction and operation. 

He also stressed how the protestors (who called themselves "protectors") felt that scientific discovery and exploration was a good thing, but they didn't want it at the further expense of their beloved mountain. They felt that 13 observatories were enough.

Protector with her grandchild in front of Queen Liliuokalani

He was also making claims that not only was the construction of TMT illegal, but so was the construction of 12 of the current telescopes. I want to say here that I haven't found any sources validating this claim; TMT's website states that they have all of the correct permits as required by the state of Hawaii. Anyways, the protestor said that only one observatory was legally supposed to be there, and the others were constructed with the government just turning a blind eye, because of the revenue brought in by the telescopes. TMT itself is projected to cost $1.4 billion dollars. The protestors for a long time were living in tents at the information center, so as to catch bulldozers heading up in the middle of the night to start construction, which they claim has happened several times. About a week before we arrived, the protestors' reached an agreement with the state to take down their tent and no longer sleep at the site as long as the state warns them of when construction is planned to resume again. So far the protestors have been effective in preventing the construction of TMT.

Protectors celebrating their 200th day of preventing the construction of TMT

A portrait of Queen Liliuokalani watches over the scene of protest. She is a common figure amongst Hawaiians, often associated with rebellion, protest, and  Hawaiian independence. She was the last ruling monarch of Hawaii, and was deposed during an American coup that led quickly to America's annexation of Hawaii as a territory.

This struggle, in many ways, is one for Hawaiian independence and sovereignty. The people want a say in what happens to their lands. They're not even asking for control, but are just looking for a means to converse with their government about what happens to things they find important. That should be something afforded to them, even simply from the perspective that they're American citizens, and at its core that is what a democracy should be. The issue of TMT on Mauna Kea is a clear example of American hypocrisy: our government is willing to turn a blind eye to the desires of the people in the name of progress.

Clouds that surround Mauna Kea

It is unclear what will happen here.  It is tempting to believe that a group of passionate people can cause pause in the giant footsteps of intergovernmental institutional progression. However, the scientific opportunities made possible by TMT are tantalizing...but perhaps they can find some other mountain, not sacred to its people, to put it on. Unfortunately I think we all know what's going to happen. There is too much of a desire for mankind to progress into the stars, and not trivialize over ancient beliefs and burials. In with the new, away with the old (it hurts the soul a little bit, though, doesn't it?) We'll just have to see.

The road leading down Mauna Kea

Sources I used for this post (and some further links in case you're interested in knowing a bit more):

TMT website: http://maunakeaandtmt.org

Protectors' website: http://www.civilbeat.com/connect/mauna-kea/?gclid=CjwKEAjw-vewBRDH1-b52Lig1hkSJACTPfVFEGQcLJb7ckoiYTA6vjv94FFjh3AM_1VKiCdDf2R-8RoCd7bw_wcB

Scientific discoveries made by Keck Observatory: http://www.space.com/20234-keck-observatory-amazing-space-discoveries.html

Significance of Mauna Kea to Hawaiians: http://www.mauna-a-wakea.info/maunakea/F3_culturalland.html

Wikipedia article (yes, I referenced Wikipedia, I'm sorry professors): https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mauna_Kea

Article about tent: http://www.usnews.com/news/science/news/articles/2015/09/17/telescope-protesters-agree-to-take-down-tent-on-mauna-kea

Article stating that TMT supports Hawaiian cultural heritage: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-to-resolve-the-fight-over-telescopes-on-mauna-kea/

Article about Joshua Lanakila Mangauil, a leader in the protest, and his fight: http://www.nature.com/news/the-mountain-top-battle-over-the-thirty-meter-telescope-1.18446