Oy oy oy! What a day. I hiked about 3.5 miles to the nearest beach (Pohioki), on what is possibly the most beautiful stretch of road that I have ever walked. The road winds through the Puna area of Hawaii, eventually narrowing into a grove of mango trees just before the beach. Le sigh. Along the way, I made sure to watch for traffic, because although the posted speed limit is 25-35mph, the average speed of passing cars is 40-50mph. There are no sidewalks, so attention to detail es muy importante.
When I arrived at Pohoiki, there was really no beach, as is typical of this side of the island. Lava rock prevails, as do some pretty big waves. I swam near the boat ramp, which seemed like the norm. After about fifteen minutes in the surf, I decided it would be safer with a surfboard, which I did not have, so got out to wander around the area. Luckily for me, I stumbled upon a geothermically-heated pool not far away. I floated around nature's hot tub for about forty-five minutes, staring up into the palms. It was M.A.G.I.C.A.L.
When I decided to leave, I took my neighbors' advice and threw my thumb out at passing vehicles. Got a ride in two minutes that saved me the hour walk back home. Mahalo!
I got an odd look from one of my neighbors because of my lunch of lettuce and sardines, which amused me because they just killed, gutted and ate a pig the day before, but se la vie.
After a glorious but sweaty nap, I did something I have not done since high school, perhaps. I went for a run. Yeah, you read that right. I ran. With no destination and no one chasing me. Don't get too impressed though, I'm not sure I even made it a mile. But I did it! Any step forward is a good one.
Tomorrow I start the volunteering aspect of staying at this hostel, which I'm excited about. I'm ready to learn about the sustainable farming that is utilized here, and to contribute to this community. I hope they let me use some machinery. Not sure why.
Oh, last thing. Update on the pig situation. Tonight as I walked to my tent from the barn (150 yards approximately) I let those pigs know who was boss by continuously yelling the word pig the entire way. I could have done without this, though, because the pigs were (delightfully) RIGHT IN FRONT OF MY TENT when I got there. Shit. I didn't scream this time, I barked at them and those pussies ran right into the jungle. Pshhh they know there aren't any dogs around here. ;) Seriously though, I'm going to try to get used to them, because I love where I'm staying and don't want to cop out and move closer to the main building. It's just a pig in the dark, right?
