It's been fun

The past two weekends have been camping adventures :) We drove up to the very North-most part of the island until the road ended and then we hiked down into this spectacular valley- Pololu Valley. The hike down is STEEP but less than a mile so all in all it's easy. (However I can't say the same about the way back up, haha) The view is just breathtaking. 

Looking from camp towards the water. This valley is perfect for camping because of all the tree cover. It blocks a lot of wind and gives plenty of shade. 

Camp :) This picture was taken the first weekend when Matt and I went alone. The next time we went with a group.

Breakfast time! This was our first attempt at campfire pancakes. We were cooking over the flames and using aluminum foil to block ash from getting into the batter. The next time we went Brian and Sydney showed us how much easier it is to cook if you just set your whole pan into a bed of hot coals (no flames= no ash). Now we know! 

I wish we had taken pictures along our many miles of hiking, but we didn't. So here is a photo of our final destination- a waterfall at the back of the valley! We had just arrived and I was taking down my hair. Totally unaware that my picture was being taken. 

The pool of water at the base of the falls was only about a foot deep, so we couldn't swim. We had followed the dry river bed for a long ways until we reached here. Along each side were fruit trees with their branches stretching over.  Mountain apples (taste and feel more like a pear than an apple), guava (sour), and LEMONS were abundant. (I use CAPS for "lemons" because these were Jurassic lemons, seriously! Bigger than navel oranges, with bumpy skin. Why I didn't bother to take a picture, who knows. Just imagine though! We made lemonade :P)You could tell that there used to be plenty of water flowing there by the width of the rocky bed and the color of the lava rocks- they were all bleached pastel colors, which is really unique. Sydney said that at one time the water flowed right into the ocean. Now the river has been diverted too many times upstream and the water stops here.

The boys decided to be adventurous and climbed up the cliff to find the pool that was feeding the waterfall we  first came upon. Us girls weren't strong (or brave) enough to make it- they had to climb the cliff using just guava trees as supports and even shimmy across a ravine using just a fallen-down tree. To get to the pool they had to drop down a 25 foot rock wall, grabbing tree limbs as they fell. INSANE. But they say it was worth the effort because the pool here was very deep so they stripped down to their undies and jumped in. This waterfall is twice as magnificent and you couldn't even see it. I don't think many people have ever been up there, that's for sure. 

In the middle of the forest we found an area that had been inhabited. Sydney said it was for sure a Hawaiian settlement because of the trees that were found there and no where else in the valley. HUGE mango and coconut trees surrounded a grove and there was fencing made of piled rock. This huge banyan tree had vines hanging down from its branches that were strong enough to support our weight. Fun!

After camping we had a beach day and it was just too much for my pale complexion. I texted this picture to Bridget so she would know that life can be rough in Hawaii :P 

I took this picture last night. These are orchids that I picked myself from an area about 15 minutes outside of Hilo called Fern Acres. It is a rural housing area that is abundant with plants because of the massive amount of rainfall. I was thrilled to find these orchids growing WILD. Some were as tall as me! I couldn't believe my eyes. These are unlike any that we've brought in the shop... small like dendrobiums but with a lip like cattalayas.. maybe they're even a variety unique to the island, who knows!

This picture makes me smile so I had to post it. A sweet little old lady named Mrs. Nishimoto brought this twin banana into work the other day. Isn't it just the funniest thing?? Siamese banana. 

So my time here in Hawaii is coming to an end... I fly out next Thursday which means I have just one week left. To be honest I just don't want to talk about it. I know I'll transition just fine but man,am I going to miss this place! I have had the time of my life and at the same time I know I've matured and learned so much. I don't know how I'm going to fall asleep without the sounds of rain hitting ti leaves and coqui frogs singing all through the night.  I tear up every time that I think about how I'm going to say goodbye to Sydney because we both know that our goodbyes last longer than most goodbyes do... than any goodbye should. Gosh, I need to change the subject or I won't be able to finish this post. The reality of leaving so soon still hasn't quite set in and all that sadness  is bottled up right now. 

Instead let me list some things that I've learned. Since I'm writing it on a whim right now it can only be a small representation of an ever-growing list of things:

• Ants won't cross petroleum jelly. So when they find their way into your kitchen, follow their trail and cover their entrance with a little glob of it. 
• If you try to make homemade macaroni and cheese, be sure not to over-stir the melted cheese. It will make a stringy mess that you never imagined possible.(the fix? Turn the pasta into a frittata using beaten eggs. It's like a quiche but with pasta as the base. Yum!)
• Always carry a rain jacket.
• When it comes to sunscreen: reapply, reapply, and reapply. Sunburns are inevitable on Kona side, clouds or no clouds. 
• NEVER order flowers from Teleflora or FTD or any other middle man flower delivery service. They keep a portion of the money you spend so your flowers are sure to be under value! Call the florist directly.
• Don't underestimate the power of a pleasant speaking voice on the telephone. I've been able to close sales quicker and diffuse difficult situations easier just by using my most polite and friendly voice.
• When a customer is unhappy: first listen to all they have to say, then sincerely apologize (no matter whose fault it is), and then immediately start offering some solutions. Excuses don't make customers happy, solutions do!
• Florists make the most profit on funeral work. The prices are high and the designer will choose the oldest flowers because they know that the arrangement only has to last for one day, the service, and then it is likely disposed of. 
• There are NO large mammals living wild on the Big Island. There are mongoose and boars but that's it! Thus it is very safe to go camping, exploring, etc. 
• .... Just watch out for centipedes! The centipedes here are BIG and when they sting/bite you it is extremely painful. I got bit on the top of my foot and it was a throbbing pain with a lot of swelling and there was nothing I could do. I just put ice on it and went to sleep hoping it would be better by the morning. (it was)
• Boar hunting with just dogs and knives is FUN. The biggest adrenaline rush I've ever had was when we heard the boar screaming and the dog barking and we just started sprinting towards the sounds and chasing the dog that was chasing the boar. The dogs latch on to the pig, Forrest pulls the boar's back legs out from under it, Brian pins it to the ground, and Sydney stabs it in the throat. Fun, fun, fun. (Carrying a bloody 160 lb boar home through the wilderness is the not-so-fun part. Skinning it is not for the faint of heart.) Also sow is tastier than boar because it has a much higher fat content. But boars are more fun to catch because they have tusks! 
• Orchids are air plants which means that their roots don't like to be in soil; they like to be exposed to the air. They don't like to be watered much because they naturally absorb moisture out of the air. There are SO many varieties and there are some that are unique to the Hawaiian islands. The weather here is perfect for growing them so I have seen more orchids than I could have imagine existed. 
• Downtown Hilo has been hit with two big tsunamis in its recent past. The first time they completely rebuilt the bay front shops and all. Very soon after another tsunami hit and wiped out all their hard work. So when they rebuilt again they didn't put much effort (or money) into it. This explains why the buildings downtown look so crappy and why there are wide expanses of green grassy areas for parks and ball fields all along the road.
• A similar story can be told about the railroad that was built around the island. The 1946 tsunami wiped out key parts of the newly built railroad that had a short life transporting sugar cane. Investors then backed out and the railroad was never rebuilt. The main road that circles the island, Hawaii Belt Road, was built on parts of the old tracks.
• Speaking of roads, you would be surprised to know that there is one main road that goes completely around the island and only ONE road that crosses through the middle- Saddle Road. This road is permanently under construction and is frequented by military convoys so most people stick to Hawaii Belt Road. It is a quicker route from Hilo to Kona, though. Well, as long as it's daylight. No one drives Saddle at night because of 1- the legendary Night Marchers (ghosts!) and 2- the vog from the volcano makes it very, very difficult to see at times. 
• The neighborhood I live in used to be a sugar plantation! I actually live in an old plantation house, believe it or not. I talked to an elderly lady on my street one day and she was telling me that she remembers what it was like before the shopping center and all the houses were here- it was all sugar. She has lived in the same house for that long!
• The Big Island is located over a geological hot spot that has created ALL of the islands in the Hawaiian chain as the tectonic plate they are on has been gradually shifting over time. The Big Island is the newest and biggest of all the islands and it is actually the newest land in the world because it is constantly being made by the active volcano here. The Big Island is actually the product of a total of FIVE volcanoes. All but one (the southern-most, Kilauea) are dormant now. Eventually the Big Island will drift off of the hot spot and a new island will rise up from the ocean floor. Scientists have already named the seamount that will one day become the newest Hawaiian island "Loihi". 
• The Big Island's tallest mountain, Mauna Kea, was once one of those 5 volcanoes. It is the tallest mountain in the world (MUCH taller than Everest) when measured from the sea floor to its tip.  There were many occasions this year when Mauna Kea was snow-capped and it was easily visible from Hilo town.

Okay, I've got to stop. I think I could go on forever! There is so much more that I have learned about Hawaiian culture, history, and language but I can't do it justice by listing it in bullets. And then there are the things everyone learns about cooking and cleaning and prioritizing. You know, adult stuff :P That's too boring, haha. I hope everyone has enjoyed reading this blog and sharing my adventure with me. It's been fun :)