We're a Getting Warmer...

We have been staying at a farm in Pahoa for a meditation retreat, it's a free event that goes from Thanksgiving to Sunday. The yoga has been amazing and the free vegetarian meals and fruit trees have been excellent...more about the people here at a later time, Mike has some interesting comments about them.

Anyway, we all hopped in a van and participated in a yoga class at the local community center. The yoga was intense and an excellent workout! I thoroughly enjoyed it. When I took a momentary break to look around at the beautiful surroundings I saw something that I have been eager to find...Rainbow Eucalyptus trees!! I found them and they were exquisite! So much better then I could have ever imagined and of course I didn't have a camera...I hugged it and felt its energy, I'm in love! ....just got some new picture so here they are...

When I was coming out of the rainbow haze one of the guys said he was heading to the hot ponds for some swimming and if we would like to come along....ahh, yeah! It was a very long short cut that the guy took but I didn't mind, the scenery is interesting. In a matter of minutes we had driven past an old lava field, then a thick overgrown mango grove and past a house that had a small fruit stand, Mike got a hunch of plantains for free!!! He was super excited about that. Hawaii is so amazing. The hot ponds is a man made structure with natural hot water vents that they said was warmed by lava tubes. With a little searching you can find hot spots along the wall and enjoy some extra heat. The ponds felt so good and there were little tiger striped fish swimming with us.

We swam for about 45 minutes and then decided that we wanted to go to the boat launch for some
snorkeling, I got in the water and tried snorkeling but the waves were pushing me around too much
and I got kind of nervous so I got out and took some pictures and videos of the people and waves. Mike stayed in, enjoying the water and the fishies. It was such a great experience, I want every day to be like this!

Maholo!

Michelle

Dave's Kava Bar

We had some new additions to our share co-ed room last night, a couple and a lady from Pahoa. She has a house here in Hilo but has rented it out...she was headed to the Kava bar down the road and asked if we wanted to come with.

As we were walking down the street we got to know each other a bit and discovered that we were all vegans! There's a moment when vegans meet and it's like you've found family and someone who understands you, we were instantly connected.

Kava is a traditional herbal drink made from the root of the tropical shrub, Piper methysticum. This soothing beverage has proven medicinal effects, including alleviating stress and anxiety and combating fatigue. Kava is also used to treat migraine headaches and cramps. Best of all, the drink keeps the mind alert even as the body relaxes.

The bar was a unique outdoors setting and the man behind the bar didn't disappoint with his long beard and hippy persona, he was very knowledgable about the effects of the kava root and suggested we take the Kava Flight which involved 3 varieties of kava tea. The first was the traditional, the second a more potent brew and the last (my favourite) was mixed with fresh coconut water for added sweetness. Before starting the flight we did a little ceremony that involved clapping in unison to create the circle, dipping our finger in our drink and giving the first drop to the land, dipping again and throwing over your shoulder for the past and a third dip for all our new friends. It is suggested that the kava be drunk like a shot for rapid intake and then you clap again to close the circle. 

The kava had a very distinct flavour, it was very rooty and pungent. The middle, most pungent one tasted a little dirty...but still interesting. 

Dave also makes kava tinctures and we were offered a free sample...it was like he was feeding us little birds with an eye dropper. All I could taste was the roots and the alcohol.

When we started do the second drink of our flight the singer on stage started singing the Neil Young song Helpless....the first line in the song is, There is a town in North Ontario...I said, that's where we're from!!! It was slightly trippy, and kind of cool.

Overall, I felt relaxed from the Kava but didn't feel anything too drastic...I did sleep really good last night, which is a bonus. It was a fun experience. 

Toodle ooo!

Michelle

Hilo Hostel Heaven?

On Saturday November 21st we landed in Hilo, we proceeded to walk to the downtown core from the airport...Mike told me it was only 3 miles but I have a sneaking suspicion that was a bit of a fib, seemed like it took forever especially with a 40 lbs pack strapped to my back. Felt like I was carrying my whole life in that pack...well at least all my possessions.
It took us about 2.5hrs to get to our destination, the Hilo Bay Hostel. I was beyond exhausted and this was the last leg of my journey, scaling steep stairs that tested my resolve.

I was so exhausted that it's taken me this long to put up a post about it...might also be the jetlag.

The guy at the front desk when we first arrived was very nice and helpful, we didn't actually see the lady that owns the place until we were here for a couple nights...she seems nice but also seems a little grumpy and annoyed all the time.

The people we've met have been very nice and helpful with giving suggestions on what we should see and do. When we first got here there was an American that asked us if we get polar bears just 2hrs north of Toronto...he said a Canadian told him that, he got tricked on that one. We've also encountered a really nice lady from England that is taking a year to see and explore the world, I think tomorrow she is headed to Maui. We had a very interesting discussion about nutrition and getting over addictions to food.

The hostel is a nice place, it's tidy...the only thing I have to get used to is the cockroaches. I've never seen one before and they kind of give me the heeby geebies.

When we first came here we had a private room but yesterday it had been booked so we had to move to a co-ed room...not really my cup of tea but you gotta go with the flow. Everyone is really respectful and kind here.

Looking forward to seeing what's next on the journey,

It's been a slice Hilo Bay Hostel!

Later!

Michelle

Somewhere Over the Rainbow....

It's is a beautiful day in Hilo town and after hearing about the spectacular Rainbow Falls from all the other hostel residents...we decided to make the half hour trek to the falls. It was hot and I was sweating more then I'm used to, my legs hurt from all the hiking we've been doing but when we finally saw the falls it was all worth it.

The trees and foliage were incredible and we even found more wild fruit such as bananas, papayas, tangerines and coconuts...we couldn't reach any of it so that was a bummer.

Yesterday we went for a walk and saw the biggest citrus tree, we went to ask the owner if we could pick some...he said we could have a couple. He asked us if we knew what it was and Mike excitedly replied, No! (I think he was secretly hoping it was something exotic), the guy replied, we were waiting..."it's a tangerine..." Mike burst out laughing, we must have seemed like stupid tourists, doesn't matter it was a kickass tangerine!

Anyway, back to the falls...after looking at the falls and observing the tourists we decided to explore and found some pathways that were secluded and mystical. The banyan trees are gigantic and have a canopy the size of half a football field. It felt like I was in the middle of wild jungle, there were wild koi fish swimming in a cove above the falls and we came across some locals taking a much needed dip...even though signs said no swimming...an American in the hostel told us earlier that a tourist went over the falls just earlier in the week sometime, who knows...

The only thing was I didn't actually see a rainbow because the sun was hidden by a slightly overcast sky, still great non the less...

Tomorrow we are headed out for Pahoa to see what we can find there...

Ta at for now

Michelle

Feeling a little nuts!

Our first wild food experience!
We found an old coconut laying on the beach and used it as a projectile to knock down a young Green coconut from the cluster above us...success!!

A couple quick bashes on the rocks, and Michelle and I were sucking on the sweet nectar of the first wild coconuts we've found...perhaps a bit too young still, as the inner flesh had yet to form, but overall it was yet another awesome first.

Can't wait to see what else is in store...we're nuts for coconuts!

Mike

HOME AT LAST

Ah, that feeling of stepping into a world you know you've always belonged to...it feels comfortable, it feels familiar, it feels right...the feeling of coming home. That's how it felt stepping off that last airplane and into a land that seems to perpetually smell of fresh blossoms...a fragrance I will never tire of. Even under the dingy underpass leaving the airport, there was no stink of diesel or urine or Kentucky fried chicken...just flowers...HOME!

Still much to learn and much to organise, but life is about taking one step at a time and learning not to stress future events that we ultimately will never have control over.

The prices at the supermarket were somewhat disheartening until we finally discovered a small Farmer's market in Hilo.
Bananas for a buck, a bag a papayas for a buck, a trio of jumbo avocados for a deuce...HOME!

The market open daily is just a skeleton version of the main show, which we have yet to see, open Wednesdays and Saturdays. Hundreds of vendors from all over the area. Even the small market version we visited today had a half dozen varieties of bananas...not one of them the north american standard Cavendish. HOME!

Fruits we've never seen or heard of just ready for the munching after the exchange of a few measly paper dollars. Golden pineapples and soft juicy papayas the likes of which a Canadian supermarket will never see.

The sun is out and this morning we wet our feet for the first time in the ocean - Michelle's first time ever seeing or feeling the ocean...a magical moment! Coconut trees dropping ripe nuts down on black volcanic sandy beaches a hundred yards from where we slept last night.

Much more to talk about and share, but that can wait for later as it's time to go back out and explore...

It's good to be home!!

Mike

Just when you think....

The plane left Chicago a bit late because of a tardy flight attendant. We're pretty sure Eduardo wasn't the culprit because he was far too in love with his job...although somewhat detached and mechanical when demonstrating the flight safety routine...but who wouldn't be after performing the seatbelt unbuckling ritual after the billionth time...

The highlight of the first flight from Toledo to Chicago was the free cup of water. Sweet! The flight took less than a half hour in a zippy little jet that looked like a toy compared to the next machine we were to get on. The walk to the connecting flight was an adventure unto itself. O'Hare is massive! It's freaky to walk past 3 McDonald's in under 10 minutes.

Before we knew it we were on the next leg of the adventure. A 4 hour stint to LA, this time with a free movie and cup of apple juice. Sweet!! The movie Paper Town was a mediocre affair, but enjoyable nonetheless. Though it was dark outside, there was enough moonlight to catch glimpses of the Rockies and snow-covered peaks as we passed them. The endless glow of small town lights that covered the land was a rare sight for us to see. People are everywhere! The entire nation seems to be a Borg hive of human activity. Not too many places to run and hide to get away from it all.

Arriving over LA was a sight to behold. Talk about a massive city! A shame we don't have more of a chance to get out and explore. Perhaps in the next life. Or perhaps we've done it to death in a previous one. Either way, a 9 hour layover awaited us, so we prepared to make ourselves cozy.

An attendant mentioned we may be able to get hold of a couple cots for the night, as we rolled in about 2 am by our time, now 11 pm local time. We needed to go to customer service to get more info, which also serves as the flight rebooking and customer complaint venue. If you're ever in the airport looking for some angry drama or entertainment, this is the place to be, bar none! We waited until the line dwindled to just a few disgruntled couples before joining the fray. I was listening to the angry rant of the pair in front of me before I decided to ask what happened to them. Apparently a woman in front of them started a fight with the boarding attendant over luggage size and things became physical. Security came and they refused to admit the remaining stand by fliers in line which included them, being the next to board. They were somewhat irate to say the least. Eventually he asked me where I was from and why I was so laid back and chill, so I began telling him a story involving a deer, sleeping in fields, cancelled flights, and before I could finish, having received the attention of the remaining people in the room, the guy behind us said 'okay, you win', and I think everyone's level of general animosity towards their respective predicaments came down just a notch. But only a notch, and not for very long.  Seems a lot of humanity defines itself by its suffering and rage. These people seemed happier to be pissed off at circumstances that really weren't so bad. Perhaps another reminder from the universe to us to accept what is and roll with it instead of poisoning our bodies with the emotions of frustration and anger.

After a brief nap on the floor, a kindly attendant came by with some complimentary blankets. And before we knew it, another kindly soul came by with a dolly of Coleman military style cots. Sweet!!
Catching some Z's while a muscly-armed airport employee pushes an industrial sized vacuum repeatedly by your head is bizarrely soothing. And just when I think things can't get any better (sleeping in my hand-knitted wooly lama hat, on my crappy kiddie-sized airport made pillow, wrapped in a free American Airlines blankey), I reach down by the cot for my phone to check the time and, lo and behold, two free bottles of water!! Woohoo!!

It's the little things in life that count!

Plane from LA leaves here in 2 hours. Next post from under the Hawaiian sun!
Rock on peeps!

Mike

FREE WATER!!

But no bloody peanuts!

THE INNER SANCTUM

At last, we're through the gates!!
The only munchies available are a subway and pizza place, but the bar has mango smoothies, woohoo!!
In the hours waiting for the baggage check to open, we sewed pillow cases that we plan to stuff with clothes when we're tenting it. Not a bad plan unless your pillow case ends up being too small even for a newborn...bah!!

We have a couple hours now before a quick flight to Chicago and then off to LA.

The view from the airport is stunningly beautiful...as am I...

More fun on the way, next blog from warm LA!

Mike

Oh, the look of horror...

Imagine the face of the buxomy, one-liner blonde stereotype from any early 80's slasher film about 2 seconds before a masked psychopath begins a morbid infomercial-style slice and dice of her major limbs...that about adequately describes the look of horror on Michelle's face upon hearing the words at the airport 'all flights for the next 24 hours cancelled due to high winds'.
Something about living in a field and not showering for a week seems to put a damper on the spirits of some people for whatever reasons...maybe it's the 'living in a field and not showering for a week' thing, I dunno...

After the initial shock dissipated, we spent the next 20 minutes negotiating flights and connections to get us out of that lonely cavern. The Toledo airport seemed eerily reminiscent of the Woodland Mall...definitely not the hub of international travel we hoped for. But nonetheless, we sorted out a couple connections which include a 9 hour layover in Los Angeles...finally putting us in Honolulu Saturday morning!
Well take it!

Met a funky and excited woman who shuttled us to the nearby Day's Inn and gave us a cheap rate and late checkout on a much needed room with a shower...let the good times roll!

Flight leaves Toledo at 7pm bound for Chicago.
Gonna go check out the hotel's pool right now then repack our gear for the flight.
We'll have a few hours to wait at the airport this afternoon, so we'll see what kind of silliness we can come up with later...

Lick it up!
Mike

SETTLING UP AND SADDLING UP

Ah, how wonderful to receive the phone call you've been waiting for...the truck claim has been settled and we're free to fly the coop! Bowling Green has been a cool and interesting place, but it's time to get the hell out of Dodge...

The rental car place still doesn't have a machine for us, and at this point we no longer give a rat's ass. Gonna grab the next shuttle express to the airport in Toledo and make for some palm trees. Not sure what Toledo has in store for us, but the next leg of our quest begins in less than half an hour when our taxi gets here.

We unloaded the remainder of our belongings today at the local Goodwill, and met the bizarro version of ourselves...someone who grew up in Florida and seeks to move to Canada...the opposite of our quest. He had nothing good to say about the people in Miami, leaving us somewhat surprised as everyone we've met to date has been super friendly and helpful. I guess there's something to say about small towns no matter where you go in the world. We feel grateful to at least be leaving mainland USA with nothing but words of praise about the people we've encountered.

Anyways, almost time to go...the excitment is heavy in the air! So far our plans have unfolded nothing like what we've expected, but that's half the fun of venturing into the unknown. I have a sneaking suspicion that some interesting stories await us at the airport...

Ta for now!
Mike

NO TIME FOR 'STAG'-NATION....

Still waiting for resolution from insurance. We finally got the green light from them to rent a car and they even made a reservation at Enterprise for us...but when we got to Enterprise...no cars! Memories of a crummy Seinfeld episode come to mind...

Fortunately when you have no job and no agenda, waiting isn't much of a chore as it is a chance to ponder and reflect on what life throws your way.

Sitting in the library yesterday, the conversation turned to 'what lessons do you think we are here to learn?', and 'why did a giant stag end up in our path at this particular time?'
The simple answers involved personal growth, learning to let go of certain comforts, conveniences, materials belongings, routine, etc etc, blah, blah, blah - the standard psycho-spiritual analysis involved with being manipulated by a higher being for our own greater good. We realised this was somewhat fatalistic and disempowering.
Does free will actually mean anything if some grander entity is always pulling your strings, no matter how well intentioned?

So a new line of thought developed - what if our thoughts and our emotions brought the energies of the animal into our path? What if on a subconscious level we wanted or needed to be stranded in Bowling Green for several days?
Emotional catalysts were definitely present - a desire to stop for the night, a desire for unexpected adventure, a desire to meet new and interesting people, a desire to let go of routines and habits...the list goes on...
So what if life is about taking responsibility for what is created before you, instead of always deferring to being the puppet of a manipulating god?

If anything, every thought, feeling, emotion, and habit running through our meat-suit bodies from the day we entered this realm have led us quite intentionally to the exact point each of us are currently at right this very second. Our thoughts and our free will choices are being reflected back to us in the external world surrounding us. It is the greatest summation of the quality of our conscious awareness. May sound cliche, but the external world is our best insight into the present state our growing souls.

All these thoughts end up leading to an obvious conclusion most people choose not to consider since it means taking responsibility at all times for our thoughts and actions, be they positive or negative - WE ARE THE MASTERS OF OUR OWN FATE.

The external world did not create for us a random accident in a chaotic, mechanicalistic world to leave us to deal with the aftermath and wonder, 'why us?'
Our energies, our thoughts, and our feelings manifested exactly what we sought.
It's time for us to take back the power and responsibility of our thoughts, and direct those creative energies exactly where we want them to go.
Our thoughts generate our emotions and perspectives. No outside source can force us to think, do, behave, or feel in ways we choose not to. We are not victims, we are not puppets, and we are not slaves. We are the creative masters of our own destinies, and it's time each of us takes back the power and awesome responsibility of the thoughts we think and the actions we choose to perform because of those thoughts.

Time to stop 'stag'nating, and time to start creating our paradise on earth.

Thanks, my deer.
Mike

WELCOME TO WOODLAND MALL...

...the most depressingest place on earth...

While waiting for resolution on our insurance claim, we wandered across the street to check out some of the local shops. Entering the Woodland Mall seemed reminiscent of stumbling into a movie shoot of a creepy zombie apocolypse. 90 percent of the shops were closed with bars over the doors, yet the Jackson 5 tunes continued to happily blare over the PA system.
The theatres seemed open, so we asked the kid working there what the deal was...he replied he was going to school here and wasn't sure why the mall was 'slow' today...obviously he stays really immersed in his passion of buttering corn to not realize the mall he works in has less action than the local cemetery.
All of a sudden behind us, seemingly out of nowhere, piano music and a group of 15 uncoordinated ballerinas begin performing in a defunct food court. Disturbing and entertaining simultaneously.
The visible employees of the Sears, a store actually open, are huddled together at the entrance in an attempt to ward off loneliness and insanity...our guess is that the suicide rate here in the mall is among the highest this nation has in the ol' statistic books...
The lady working the perfume section of the Elder Beerman shop keeps trying to make eye contact with us...we may yet befriend her out of pity's sake...
At least the flies in this mall are happy to land on you repeatedly without shame.
The best feature here is the free playland for kids (where we keep expecting to see tumbleweeds blow by) that features riding cars and slides, and also features a sign saying 'do not climb on the toys'
I will say this though, it has one helluva good wi-fi signal.
We're still tenting it tonight. The guy at the auto body shop is letting us sleep in his field.
Everyone we've met here has been super friendly and pleasant to talk with, far more so than most encounters back in Canada. Bowling Green has been pretty awesome to us so far, and we have at least one more night, so we're off to do some more exploring...
Hopefully heading to Toledo tomorrow to sort out some plane tickets.
In a fit of happy insanity, we may even check out the local Walmart tonight...we're hoping to coerce a greeter into letting us use their shower facilities as our body oils seems to be attempting to rebalance themselves in strange and odiferous ways...
Like, later, eh!!
Mike

H

Roaming in the "Wild"

Our day in Bowling Green yesterday was very interesting... Before leaving the hotel, which was beside a McDonald's :s, a McDonalds patron saw the front of the car and exclaimed you guys hit a deer! And proceeded to tell us that it was still on the I-75. We had another guy come up to us and offer to help us divorce the hood from the engine, they were kind of attached but eventually came loose. After that we roamed around the town looking for some cool stuff. We found book store/coffee shop called "Grounds for Thought", Mike had a decaf coffee (not a usual thing for him to do, he strictly gave up hot beverages lately) and I sat and did research on what our options are.
One thing we noticed is that every store, even the craft store all had food! There was popcorn and candy options next to scrap booking materials...guess creativity and eating go hand in hand.
By this time it had started to get dark and we needed to figure out sleeping options. We have an amazing tent and we wanted to put it to use...no need to rack up ridiculous hotel bills. We asked the front desk people at the hotel where we could camp and the lady said that her ex boyfriend had camped behind the Meijer grocery store for 3months and no one batted an eye. Hey why not!! We went to check it out and found a nice spot in a field and set up shop. The Meijer store, which is currently our home, is pretty cool. It's like a Walmart on crack, we have everything we could possibly want...a bathroom, WiFi, food, entertainment and nice place to sit down ( in the bean bag chair section). It was kind of like sleeping in a fridge last night but it was okay we have very have good sleeping bags...
We've spent the day sitting in Meijer researching and eating, its pretty sweet. Tomorrow we finally get to the repair shop to see about the car and call the insurance company... Both of which are closed on the weekends, go figure I guess people aren't supposed to have accidents on the weekend.

More to come on the adventures of Mike and Michelle
Peace out...
Michelle

GOOD MORNING STARSHINE

Hello world!
It's day 2 and we witnessed a stunning sunrise on a chemtrail free day from the indoor whirlpool in the hotel we found...literally the last room available in this entire area!
There a strange confluence of events going on that has Bowling Green booked solid...from arm wrestling championships to a chemistry conference...more on that as we discover it...
We are going to spend the day regrouping and coming up with a new gameplan. This town is extremely artsy and extremely cool. Maybe the best place we could have broken down.
Really interesting yearly festivals happen here. Definitely a place to check out in the summer.
Rad fluid has drained out, and the hood seems to be married to the engine in an Ohio-style shotgun wedding.
We have lots of additional supplies in the vehicle that need to be prioritized and ultimately discarded. Toledo is only a 20 minute drive away, so if it comes to boarding an early flight to Hawaii, so be it.
A lost animal running on the highway has brought us along an unforseen path...but as Michelle and I discussed this morning, a fork in the road is simply the universe's way of providing us with another doorway into an unforseen and unexpected dimension of possibility and excitement - it is the ultimate gift and blessing.
Rock on people!!
Mike

FINALLY ON OUR WAY!!!

It's been a long, hard fought battle to get to this point, but we're finally on our way! Left London this morning after a final visit with the parents and just hit the 1000 km mark on our trip...and a FUCKING DEER!!!
Less than 20 minutes ago we hit the biggest stag I've seen since hangin' out in my uncle's backyard...
Rad is toast...
Lights are toast...
Hood is toast...
And engine is now overheated enough to cook actual toast...
Luckily we've rolled into a Tim Horton's in Bowling Green, Ohio. The town seems big enough that we can come up with a new gameplan for travelling.
Backpacks are rarin' to go, and the tent needs a good workout...
A strange twist of fate, but we're alive, unhurt, and thankful the situation wasn't as bad as it could have been.
Michelle is freaked out, and suspects I secretly still want to have a venison burger before we get to Hawaii...
More to write on this story, but definitely an interesting beginning....
We'll be skipping along that yellow road a little sooner than expected....
Peace for now!
Mike