Aloha Maui!

I can't believe I am writing this but, my time here in Hawaii is coming to an end. Today I said goodbye to my beloved Maui and am writing from a hostel in Honolulu. Tomorrow I leave for South Korea! As sad as I am to leave such a paradise, I am ready for my next great adventure. Here is a recap of my last week and a half in Maui!

A couple days after my last post, the farm owner surprised a couple of us with a snorkel adventure. A friend of his chartered a boat and had some extra space so Kali, Liz (another woofer) and I got to do 'PR' for the farm while hanging out on a boat all day. We snorkeled at Molokini (the best spot in Hawaii to snorkel) and it was incredible. The water was blue, the fish brave, and the whales whee singing. I got to see a baby whale hamming it up with his mom and a school of spinner dolphins (about 60 dolphins or so) doing tricks in the water. The whole day was incredibly magical and I couldn't believe how lucky I was. Most of my time in Hawaii has been a series of "most amazing moments" that are just expanded on by the next "most amazing moment!"

Another amazing moment was seeing the sunrise at Haleakala. Four of us woofers camped at a campground on the mountain. We woke up at 5 and drove to the top to see the sun coming up through the clouds. It was memorizing and even though I wasn't quite prepared for the cold at the peak (my toes were a bit blue in my sandals) we stayed until the sun was high in the sky. We then spent the morning hiking and enjoying the park.

A couple days later, Kali, Liz, and I went to Little Beach. I can't capture this experience with words or with pictures, but I will give it a shot! Little Beach is an unofficial nude beach in Maui. If you climb over a rock cliff on Big Beach, you will find this gem of a place. During the week, Little beach has few nudes and is usually occupied by people who want a calm experience. On Sunday however, the Beach is transformed to a Hippie party extraordinaire. There are people everywhere, many nude and just as many clothed. People are happy and very friendly and they just want everyone to have a good time. They don't want this to become too touristy so it is a bit of a secret gathering. We went with an open mind... the only kind one can have in this kind of place! It totally paid off and we had a blast. When the sun set on the ocean, everyone clapped and then the drums started playing. A drum circle set the tone for a night full of fire dancers performing for the crowds. We enjoyed the show late into the night (well late for us on our farm life schedule... 10:30 ) and then slept on the beach like many of the others there. I woke in the morning to the sound of a whale flapping his fin in the water the next morning!

The rest of my off  time in Maui was spent at beautiful beaches around Lahaina and coffee shops working on South Korea stuff. This morning I enjoyed a slow morning of card playing, coffee drinking, and pie eating at a roadside dinner across from the ocean. The weather today in Maui was overcast and misty... I think the island was sad to see me go. I was certainly sad to say all my goodbyes!

On a positive note, it is off to bed for me... I have a plane to catch in the morning!

Aloha from Hawaii,

Elsa

Lahaina Family Farms

For the last two weeks I have been living and working on a farm outside of Lahaina, Maui. Lahaina Family Farms is a great organic farm nestled in a valley on the side of a mountain. It is a very young farm, started about 4 years ago by Tim and Harline Moyer and their families. The land that the farm sits on has many Wiliwili trees (a native Hawaiian tree that is almost extinct due to an invasive bug) and is very valuable to native Hawaiians! This young farm has lots of great things going for it including an aquaponics system, great outdoor living/entertaining spaces, young fruit trees, and a host of eager hardworking people to make the dream a reality. Because this farm is so young, there is not a lot of produce being sold yet... all good things take time!

View from the farm!

Farm life is pretty relaxed and structured. We start everyday before the sun comes up (at 6:30am) and end our work at 11:30. Work varies quiet a bit, but lately we have been joking that we  work on a driveway farm :) We have spent many days cleaning, fixing, digging, and fixing water problems on the mountainside driveway. Other than that, I have spent some time planting vetiver (a grass used in perfumes and handy for water erosion), propagating plants at aquaponics, weeding, and last but certainly not least... trail building!!! Kali (the friend I am woofing with) and I are both well versed in trail building from our time in AmeriCorps. We have put in a lot of time fixing and retreading tails on the farm. It is sort of our pet project... and I have to be honest- we are awesome at it! Breakfast is on our own (but all the ingredients are provided), lunch is made for us by other woofers, and dinner is usually lunch leftovers. Two nights a week we have a meal for all farm folks and other guests. Monday is pasta with homemade bread in a brick oven and Thursday is pizza night with handmade pizzas in brick ovens!

Trail Work

 In two weeks, I have met many new woofers and in a very short time, have created some great friendships. Everyone here comes from some place else and has a great story to tell. Working, eating, sleeping, and playing alongside these folks has been my favorite part of this journey thus far. My first weekend in Maui I went to Hana with 8 other woofers. We rented two cars and made the winding journey, stopping at waterfalls, pools, beaches, fruit stands, and ice cream shops along the way. Some of the woofers were braver than me and jumped into the pools... I had just as much fun wading in :) We spent the night camping at the Seven Sacred Pools park and went on an incredible hike in the morning. The plant life here continues to amaze me! My favorite thing thus far has to be the bamboo forests. Their dense shade creates an air conditioning effect and the bamboo bumping together makes a soothing hollow sound. I could enjoy their beauty for days!

Beach Fun with fellow woofers

Yesterday our boss treated all the female woofers to a spa day! The boys wanted an estrogen free Super Bowl party, so we ladies had an incredible time taking hot showers, getting our nails done, sitting in saunas and jacuzzi, and being pampered. We then went out for an incredible lunch with fruity drinks. All of us farm girls are pretty tough, so it was fun to be super girly for a day.

Girls at the Spa

  Finally, I am knee deep in applying for my VISA for South Korea. My contract came in the mail on Thursday and I sent it to the embassy Saturday. Today I got a call saying all was received and my Visa was being processed. I am flying out of Hawaii on Feb 17th and will be in Korea by the 18th!!!

Hope all is well and warm wishes!

Elsa