The Road to the farm
One of the things that has surprised me about Hawaii is the number of small subsistence farms there are. Many are run by people who have come here to take advantage of Hawaii’s gentle climate and bountiful tropical fruits. And there are lots of folks here living in little sheds and shacks very cheaply and simply. The weather lets people live with very little. One can live very cheaply by bartering, trading work for food or living space, and the like.
From what I’ve seen, living the simple life in Hawaii is not easy. It’s hard work living with few modern conveniences. And it’s even harder work to carve out a farm here. Many farms have very limited facilities. Getting electricity and water can be costly. And it’s hard work growing things here. You work in heat and in rain. Because of the frequent rain, weeds and jungle grow like crazy as well as the crops. Everything must be kept tended or the wild takes over quickly.
In the middle of nowhere
Up hill all the way
We reached the farm, safely. The house was small and simple. There were no outbuildings in sight. Linda asked me if I would like to go with her to surprise the 2 woofers (a young couple Working On Organic Farms, exchanging labor for room and board) at their little shack. We walked 5 minutes from the main house, climbing over 2 fences to get there. The shack had a double bed in it and nothing else. Outside there was a small kitchen and a “deck” with 2 chairs overlooking a green vista.
They had no electricity, no plumbing, not even an outhouse, and no car, so if they wanted to go somewhere they had to walk 2 miles down the hill just to get to the highway (and of course 2 miles uphill to return).
The woofers were a young couple from Winnipeg. They had been on the farm for three months and are going home to Winnipeg tomorrow. While they had quite an adventure working on the organic farm, it was also quite difficult and challenging for them. I don’t know if I could have done what they had did, when I was young, but I do know that I wouldn’t have wanted to, even then.
I am so impressed with the adventurous young men and women who come to Hawaii willing to work hard, live simply, and without many comforts or conveniences, simply to be able to travel and learn about another place. The kids I’ve met are much braver than I’ll ever be!
Woofers at the farm outside their living quarters
Justin (one of the woofers) is a musician, and in his free time he taught himself to make traditional Japanese flute called Shakuhachi. His first 2 Shakuhachi he made were not as perfect as he would have liked, but with each flute he made, he improved.
Playing hand-made Shakuhachi (Japanese Flute)
Farm Cat – Isn’t she pretty?
Inside of woofers place
Outside of woofers place
Kitchen area
Kitchen with a view
View from the “deck”
1 Comment
trusttheflow · December 13, 2012 at 5:10 pm
Wow, Marilyn. Really enjoying reading these. Happy trails to you!