Being busy in paradise:

To start this post off right here are some beautiful views.

I worked the Saturday market again this week, last week was Hawi (havvie) this week was Waimea!

This week I worked at Waimea market which is bigger, there are more booths, more variety, and more tourists. Great to shop at, but it looses the hometown Hawai'i feel a little; its a mixed bag. 

Let me explain,

Last week I met new people that knew about the farm and knew about the people I was staying with. Everyone knew everyone else and all the booths were trading. We came home from that trip with tons of fruits and veggies and chocolate. We didn't sell as much, though.

This week food sales were booming! We sold out of all 8 sacks of lychee. We almost sold all of the macnuts and we made BANK, but we didn't know anyone else and people were not excited about trading. 

I had an amazing time at both markets and if you ever come to Hawai'i you MUST go to them both and then go cook an amazing meal. 

Oh, and I ate a lot.. 

Eggs Benedict for breakfast.

Cone sushi, this is tofu skin rapped around white rice. 

The BEST chocolate cake that I have ever had. It shouldn't even have been called cake, lets be honest people, it was fudge. 

That wasn't enough? I also had a Belgian waffle with nutella and whipped cream on top. 

Almost forgot, a strawberry smoothie pop too. 

Whats better after a long morning of eating? Beautiful views!

This is a view of the Kohala coast. 

Waking up at 4:30am, working all morning, and coming home at 12 feels like the day is over, but not it Hawai'i!

We went on a little hike... meaning walking though this grass. 

Guys I'm kidding this was not little. 

Silly Winton 

The walk was so worth it! Waterfall, refreshing ice cold water, sick jumps, cannon ball contest. The whole bazang. 

We are in Hawai'i, of course a machete was taken on our hike to open coconuts. 

This is Nick when he is cold and being attacked by mosquitoes. 

This is Nick taking a normal picture. 

This is Nick enjoying himself. 

Technology these days.. this is the field we walked through. 

Dinner time!

Jyoti smile!

Veggie stir fry with fried rice. 

And poached quail eggs? Yes please. 

Didn't think that was enough? My cousin shot a pig. 

So we took this pig,

-de-gutted it

-skinned it

-butchered it

AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN

Don't worry guys, they had light because I held the flash light the whole time!

Little piggy in the freezer. 

Stay tuned to find out what we did with this beast!

Paradise day 1:

July 8^th, 2012

Hawaii: 4:30

New York: 10:30

It’s four thirty in the morning Hawaii time so everyone else is asleep and it is still dark. You could say I am jet lagged.. It is 10:30 New York time and I feel weird knowing that everyone I know is waking up in their cozy New York City beds and I am here. By here I mean sleeping in one of two guest beds in my cousins two children’s playroom on their lands on the big island of Hawaii.

I recently broke up with my boyfriend of over a year, Irving and just wanted to get out of the city. I was looking up some teen wilderness programs but it was too last minute. Then duhh we realized my cousin is a freaking organic farmer with his wife on the Big Island. I don’t know what we were thinking before that but we booked a flight and I left the next day.

My day of travel was not fun. I’ve never flown alone before and I get freaked out by planes. Luckily I knocked out on my second flight and was here in no time. But first I flew to LA. My plane ride wasn’t actually that bad, I met a girl named Sarah from Australia who was my age. She had been in America traveling up the east coast with a model UN conference. She told me about her adventures in central park and I told her about my daily bike rides in central park and it amazed her that people actually lived there. We bonded over trying to break into the Internet on the plane. Really American airlines 18 dollars for Internet for a 6-hour flight?

Once we landed in LA we said our goodbyes and I was left in the airport with nothing but a burger king, Starbuckes, duty-free shop, and a Chilies. I hadn’t eaten much on the plane other then a back of Crunchy Cheetos, my plane junk food shh. So I toughed up and went to chilies I needed to get something substantial or at least close to it so I didn’t pass out on my way to paradise. I don’t know weather to be proud of embarrassed but I ordered off the healthy menu.. I got a grilled chicken breast on whole wheat bread with lettuce tomato and honey mustard. It was.. eh. Seeing the size of that poor chickens breast I should have protested that animals rights but instead I devoured it. Oh and they gave me a side of steamed broccoli, thanks Chilies.

So here I am, it’s almost 11 o-clock New York time and its dark. I haven’t yet seen Hawaii in the light but I honestly cannot wait. I have been promised oh so many lychees for breakfast. Oh they pronounce lychees differently here, the “y” had an “I” sound. But as along as I can eat as many as I want it is fine.

I will be blogging about my whole adventure so stick with me!

How is everyones summer going? Is anyone else in paradise?