Still Alive

Aloha all! I'm sorry I haven't updated in a while, I haven't had internet access much lately!

I'm currently staying in the Princeville Hotel with my Grandparents, who are visiting until the 16th and then am planning on moving to a farm for worktrade after they leave.

On Jan 1st, I was talking with a friend, Decker, who I met through Sierra, and told him my boyfriend was coming to visit on the 16th. "Oh," he said, "my buddy John is coming that day too!" So we kept in touch and we went to the airport together in Rich's van. I'd needed a ride anyways, what luck!

Jan. 16th
Mike came in around 9pm and John at 9:30. We left the airport and headed back to Kapahi. We stopped at G.O.'s where Decker (and Tim) is staying, hung about for a bit then headed wearily to Rich and Jami's and stayed in their shack for the night. (Thank you so much you guys, if you read this!) I didn't sleep very well that night, but only because I was so happy to have Mike by my side again.

Jan. 17th
The next morning we started walking down to Kealia Beach and the bus stop that would take us into Lihue to get a month's bus pass. We got to the beach and had a little time before the bus thanks to a guy in a truck that gave us a lift about half way. Mike jumped in the water while I searched my bag for the sunscreen.

We were waiting for the bus when we saw Heidi drive by on her way to her class that she teaches and she called me and asked if we wanted a ride. What good fortune we'd had already! She dropped us off by the mall and we went to the bus stop there to find out where we could get the passes. Mike asked the next bus driver where to go and she said it was by Big Save but we had no idea where that was and thought she meant somewhere there in that mall. So we walked around for a while looking for it but no luck. Finally Mike went in and asked at K-mart. Turned out we were supposed to take that bus that he asked TO Big Save--So that's why the driver looked kind of perplexed when he got back off the bus! So, back on track, we took the bus to Big Save and there was the DMV and we bought our passes and picked up some route listings. Our next plan had been to stop at Salt Pond Beach and then head to Mike's friend/client Henri's house in Kekaha but we'd spent so much time getting those passes that we decided to go right to Henri's so we'd be sure to have some light after our visit to find our next spot to spend the night.

Kekaha is the Western-most town in the USA and isn't much to speak of after their store was finished by a hurricane several years ago and then their sugar refinery shut down just a few years back. We found Henri's apartment, Mike exchanged some broken nite-stix for some new ones and Henri offered that we could spend the night there. We spent the evening chatting, eating and went to bed very tired, but happy.

Jan. 18th
On the 18th we were hoping to get to Polihale beach on the western most coast. Henri had a couple friends he asked to take us out there but nobody was going that day. So, we spent the day at the beach down the street and went shopping and mike made sushi for everyone. Spent another night at Henri's

Jan. 19th
On the 19th we went to the beach again. We finally got tired of waiting around for someone to say they were going to polihale so we head out by ourselves on foot. We walked probably 3 or 4 miles until we were picked up by this really nice guy, Steph. We spent the rest of the the day and most of the next with him and his friend Tom out on the beach and dunes of Polihale. Steph showed us where to look for "sunnies," rare seashells named sunrise shells both for their colors and you have to get up at sunrise to find them before someone else does!

On the afternoon of the 20th we had to leave polihale for lack of supplies; mostly water. Steph and Tom dropped us off at Salt Pond beach park where we set up my hammock like a tent on the ground. It worked pretty well that way though the ground was pretty hard and we didnt have any padding.

On the 21st we set out do some shopping in waimea and went and made dinner at Henri's. I took a very refreshing shower and we went back to Salt Pond for another night.

On the 22nd
We explored the Salt Pond beach and the tide pools surrounding it. There we saw a big monk seal lounging on the sand. He was completely relaxed and acted oblivious as I took pictures of Mike lying down behind him. The woman cleaning up the park told us not to get too close though, he might bite! He didn't seem the least bit vicious but as we were leaving a man went and started roping off the area.
We then went back to Henri's and the beach nearby. I went to the bathroom accross the street and as I was walking back, Rich and Sierra drove by and saw me! I was so excited to see them, I had just been thinking about Sierra that morning and wishing to see her. She said she had just been thinking about me, too, when they drove by and she thought "hey, that looks like Heidi!" Incredible.
They were on their way back to polihale after a supply run which was just where Mike was set on going back to. Perfect. We went and got our things from Henri's and set out with them in a van FULL of coconuts. Heaven.

The next day, the 23rd, we had to move down the beach due to missile practice at the military base to the South. Mike and I walked all the way to the cliffs at the Northern end of the beach. We stayed another night at polihale, playing music, eating and swimming with Rich, Sierra and Ben.

We left early in the morning of the 24th. We picked up the rest of our things from Henri's and rode to Kapaa with the Bighams. We walked up and down and back again, all around Kapaa, figuring out what to do that night. We thought about staying at the international hostel there but decided not to spend the money. We felt rejuvinated after a well needed load of laundy at the laundromat, then took the bus up to Princeville. We stopped at the store and the library there then went down a little trail I knew to the beach. We went well around a little point and set up my hammock between two branches of a very large tree. The hammock worked alright though we were inches from the ground with both of us in it and when he tide came in the waves started hitting our bottoms. That was cold so Mike got out and slept on the beach. I was higher without him and slept for a little while like that though after a while I couldn't stand the dampness that had already started from before and got out as well. I don't think I slept the rest of the night.

On the morning of the 25th we walked back up the trail and went down to to Heidi and Anthony's. I dropped off a few things there then we went down the little cliff trail there at the condos. Mike was exuberant to see the sealife in the rocks and tidepools down there. Crabs, crayfish, opihi mullusks and some sea turtles in their cave.
We then caught the bus from princeville down to Hanalei and had dinner of fajitas at the polynesian cafe--too much to eat!
We hitched a ride intending to spend night at haena beach, but when we got a ride from Uiam (Yam, rhyming with mom) offered a tent and air mattress on his land in ___ valley. He and his parter Katrina have a nice little spot with a 10x10 shack (we learned you dont need a building permit for uner 10x10 structures, that's why they're so common). They have a beautiful daughter, Ariya (papaya), 1 year old, such a cheerful baby! Their friends Kumar and Irie Sky were there too and they were all just deciding to head to polihale the next day. We decided to go along.

So, on the 26th, we were headed out for one more trip down the bumpy road to polihale again! We stopped at Papayas, the natural foods store, and several places for coconuts along the way. We got to the bumpy road, but the gate was locked closed! We asked some locals nearby who told of us of another road to take. What a maze those dirt roads are, but we found our way and camped again by queen's pond.

The 27th was spent completely on the beach. You know, sunshine and salt water.

On the 28th we left early in the morning after I made a pre-dawn saeshell hunt. I found a few sunrise pieces.
Our new friends dropped us off by Henri's, where we both took a shower and then went to Waimea for supplies. Mike bought shirts and gifts for a box to send home as well.
Back in Kekaha (Henri's town) we went to the post office to send off Mike's things (though, now as I write this, the box is lost in the mail, probably confiscated due to one of the winebottles breaking. What a shame!) and paid a visit to the laundromat. We had dinner and spent one last night at Henri's.

In the morning of the 29th we got a ride from patrick and will to Kipu falls near Lihue. There, Mike jumped off the appx. 25 ft. cliff and went off th rope swing a couple times as well. We then hiked to Lihue, had lunch at the mall and decided to take the bus back to Hanapepe for the afternoon.
We went to a couple thrift stores and walked to the ocean then back to the bus stop for Lihue again. We rode bus to Big Save where we took seperate busses, his to the airport and mine back North. This was the end of Mike's vacation.

We both had a wonderful time those two weeks, though there were moments, hours even, of frustration and distance between us. From here we also decided to take our sepperate ways in life as well as by bus. We were not staying together in a long distance relationship. I took it kind of harsh at first, and didn't really understand, but now see how things are better this way and am enjoying my time being free. I'm in Hawaii! Life is grand.