Phew!

Well. We did it. We've done quite a lot actually. We left Hilo last Saturday after visiting their amazing Farmers Market. We bid our farewells to Bob and made our way down to the bus stop. And waited. And saw some buses come through And then waited some more, until our bus was almost an hour late! Eventually, when no one remained at the station, a nice older lady helped us. "Your bus already came," she said. It apparently came to the station saying one thing, and then changed its destination listing after it was out of our sight! I felt tricked. And naturally, disappointed. I wanted to be in our cozy little cottage. After a bit of discussion, we decided to call Bob. And in a weird, everything-always-works-out sort of way, Bob was already heading to that part of the island to see some music. So, not only did he pick us up right away, he took us to see some cool music in Kalapana, which is a town that was completely wiped out by volcanic eruption in the 90s. So, we walked out toward the beach, and it was craaaazy. It felt like we were walking on another planet. Dark black lava with beautiful patterns, for as far as the eye could see. This foreign terrain was accompanied only by a number of baby coconut trees, all hauled in by locals, but none reaching more than three feet tall. And that night, the stars were in full bloom, as was the moon. But only temporarily, as all were obscured by clouds, almost as quickly as they had arrived.
Anyway, I'll try not to get too wordy here. Obviously, I can't put it all in here. Or even put it all into words for that matter. So for the next two nights, we stayed in this tiny little cottage that was super sweet! And that Sunday, Rachel and I decided, might have been the best day ever. We slept in, walked & explored, took a nap, ate an avocado with Have A Corn Chips, and relaxed at Kehena black sand beach, just a 10
minute walk away. Every Sunday there's a drum circle and a bunch of hippies there. We actually went the nexy Sunday too, with our Wwoof family. It's absolutely stunning!
Speaking of our Wwoof family, that is an experience I will never forget. And frankly, I don't think I can begin to describe it right now. Maybe it's too soon. Anyway, suffice it to say, it was a real experience. One that made Rachel & I very happy that we had eachothers' company for. Work-wise, we tended a very nice greenhouse, with basil, avocado, coffee, tomatoes, marijuana, lettuce, and a few other species. They also had a bunch of chickens & roosters, and even a stallion, a mare, & their 3-week old colt! If you've never seen a horse that young, it's not as small as you think. But cuter than you can imagine :) There were also a number of humans there: Robin, her 24-year-old son, his two baby sons, her two adopted sons, and two other Wwoofers. So, it was a bit overwhelming at first, but everyone was very welcoming and accommodating. In general, my experience in Hawaii has been that of friendliness and support, with locals and tourists alike.
Unfortunately, my physical health has suffered a bit. Last Friday, Robin suggested a number of projects we could work on for the day, and one of them was to build a fire that would burn a number of invasive weeds that had been chopped down on the land. I enthusiastically volunteered for this task. Unfortunately, my confidence waned quickly. Somehow in my excitement of fire, I failed to remember how dang wet everything is. It was an observation I had already made; even the dead leaves on the ground are flexible and stretchable because everything is just so saturated in water from frequent rain. So, starting a fire was incredibly challenging. I collected some dead banana leaves that Rachel was clearing out, and they burned quite nicely. In fact, they burned too nicely, and just went up in smoke faster than anything else could ignite. Long story short, I burned the shit out of my thumb, with excessive lighter usage, and managed to produce heaps of smoke. As a matter of fact, smoking was about all I could get it to do. I will say that I felt a little better when the other two Wwoof-er dudes came over, and they couldn't get it to start either. We basically worked this project the entire morning, and were never successful. What I was successful with was inhaling copious amounts of smoke. And, I mean literally for hours, I ingested it into my lungs and stomach. By that evening, I was riddled with a severe headache and intense chest pain. The next morning it was intensified, and I was absolutely worthless all day. As a matter of fact, I still have residual stomach pain from the experience, almost a week later. That, combined with the VOG that is ever-present, impacted me more than anticipated. But, I'm still in Hawai'i. Additionally, at some point, I was bitten by a spider on my back while we were in the woods. It wasn't too bad I guess, but it did inflate a bit, which was pretty nasty. Rachel patiently drained the puss from it just a couple days ago. I think she loves me.
As stated, we again went to Kehena Beach last Sunday, though this time we went earlier in the day, so there were lots more people. This meant exceptional people-watching, one of my favorite pastimes. I didn't go in the water this time because I was still a bit charred inside. Plus, that beach had its way with me the Sunday before. Rachel and I giddily ran into the water before being slammed by large waves that look so mellow from afar. At one point, I needed to pee so I dived in further, and the water (undertow) effectively held me under until it washed my helpless body up the shore. I was coughing out my mouth and losing other fluids out my nose, so I was done for the day. Regardless, there was plenty of other entertainment anyway. Lots of drums, and some performers, and a number of other activities to watch. Plus we were offered plenty of ganga, and in many forms: herbs, cookies, ice cream, hash, and I can't remember what else. I opted for the ice cream, made fresh by the young lady who sold it to me a small tub with a plastic spoon. She cooks the herb in the milk, then makes the ice cream with said milk. Four flavors of it. I chose the Mint Chocolate Chip, made with raw chocolate. It was delicious, and made me feel silly all day.
Finally we left the woods of Mountain View on Monday, and camped in Punalu'u, on the South side of the island. Camping in Hawaii is give and take. Obviously, there's plenty of places to camp, but technically, you're supposed to acquire permits (a rather timely and inconvenient task). But, this is as far as the bus could take us before nightfall, so we explored around a bit, and found a nice isolated spot, where hopefully the park ranger wouldn't find us. After nightfall, we were almost asleep when a flashlight shone into the tent. Someone walked around the perimeter of the tent, shining their light in the whole time. Rachel and I clinched hands in suspense. The visitor eventually walked away, but needless to say, we were pretty freaked out. So, we sat in silence for a while. I slithered over to the door of the tent and tied the two zippers together with Rachel's shoelace. We were literally right on the coast, so it was incredibly windy, and Rachel was convinced that every sound was someone at the door. So, at least they couldn't get in without our consent. (I mean, it is a piece of fabric, so obviously they could, but at times like those, mental tricks result in false comforts.) About 20 minutes later, a flashlight shone in again, and we tensed up. However, this time it lingered, but with no spoken word, so I decided to go out and check it out. Sure enough, it was a local fisherman, gathering his catch and finding his way home. Fortunately, we made it safely through the night. 
Tuesday, we made it to Kailua-Kona, the (other) large city on the West side of the island. This side of the island is notoriously sunny, and the weather is considered that of "eternal springtime." Yep, it's true. Plus, there are lots of white sand beaches on this side of the island, and we're planning to travel up the coast to see a few of them. But, we went to a small beach in the city yesterday, which was actually pretty nice. Not highly populated, and pretty serene. After lounging for a bit, we decided to suit up and approach the ocean. It was a bit more tame than we had before, so I was really excited. Seriously not five minutes into our ascent, a larger wave knocked me sideways, and I put my foot down to stable myself. Unfortunately, I inadvertently chose the back of a sea urchin to place my foot. Ouch! At first, I thought I just cut my foot, so I kept swimming. But then the sting intensified so I picked up my foot in the water to check it out, and was faced by about 30 little black "splinters." I hobbled to the shore to get a better look. At first, we didn't know what it was. All I knew was that is stung pretty bad. So, once we got it all figured out, we doused it with vinegar, as suggested, and let it sit. The vinegar literally dissolves some of the splinters, but unfortunately not the pain. All I could do at that point was laugh. I feel wonderfully humbled by this intensely beautiful and intensely raw & natural place. 
So, now I'm a gimp with an aching stomach, trekking my way through an exotic island. But, it's still really great, and I'm so happy to be here. I'm sure I'll be back.
Last night, we went to the Kona Brewing Company for dinner, and I had my first beer in 11 days (not that I was counting). It was a perfect meal of veggie pizza, Mauna Loa Spinach Salad, and Castaway IPA. SO GOOD! Today we're headed North to camp at the Mahukona Beach, and eventually make our way to Hawi,  a small little town that's supposed to be delightful.
Anyway, if you'd made your way through this epic post, congratulations. Sorry there are no photos to accompany it this time. But, rest assured that many photos do exist. Maybe you'll see them one day. 
I love you all dearly, and miss you a little bit too.