It is my second day here at Hana Tropicals on Maui and I already feel at home. It is so lush and full of life, I'm still having a hard time believing that this is actually my home now.
I arrived in Kahului on Thursday at 1pm HST after about 28 hours of travel. As soon as I stepped off the plane, I was hit with a wall of humidity and heat. I was greeted by two other wwoofers, one of whom is my roommate. They both gave me big hugs and welcomed me to the island.
Krista and Ian picked us up in their truck and we piled into the back. It is legal in Hawaii to ride in the back of trucks and I was so excited to be able to see, smell and feel Maui on my face. We drove down the Road to Hana which takes about 2 hours. It was full of towering trees and jungle vines that looked like they belonged in a storybook. The weather changes all the time and it can go from scorching sun to heavy rain in an instant. The entire ride back to the farm was an adventure itself. There would be sun one minute and then we'd drive around a turn and get dumped on with water. Luckily there was a tarp in the back and the four of us huddled underneath it at an attempt to stay dry.
When we got to the farm, I met the other 3 wwoofers who were all so warm and welcoming. I unpacked all my stuff (2 small backpacks) and then decided to go to bed. Even though it was 6pm I ended up sleeping for 13 hours. It was a much needed rest!
On Friday we went out and weeded the very overgrown Heliconia plants. After, Ana and Andrew (the 2 wwoofer who met me at the airport) gave me a little tour of the farm. It's over 400 acres but they only farm on about 10 acres. The flowers look unreal! Walking through the jungle you see these spots of bright orange, red and yellow of the flowers that pop out against the green foliage.
The view from my window of the backyard.
Beautiful hanging heliconia picked fresh this morning.
This morning I learned how to harvest and wash heliconias and red ginger. Both seem like they belong in a Dr. Seuss book. Their colors and shapes are too beautiful.
We finished at 12 just as it started to rain. It's been and afternoon inside listening to the rain and the lullabies it sings.
Aloha a hui hou
