Travel Writing

 Travel writing has not exactly gone as planned, and I promised myself to refrain from writing horribly cliché shit like, it’s because I feel so at home here, but it’s true – to an extent. That, and I’m absolutely beat at the end of every day after chasing around a very precocious three year old and trying to keep a teething one year old happy. I don’t know how Monica does it. The endless patience she has with her kids is admirable and likely unattainable for most of us, but ever since we became friends when we were ten, Monica knew she wanted to have kids and to be a teacher. Lo and behold, she has two kids and is a teacher. Back then she wanted like, six kids, but Ryan has whittled her down to two, at least for the time being.

So yes, kids have been at the forefront of the beginning of my “hero’s journey,” or so my friend Will calls it – protagonist's journey just doesn’t have the same ring. We have had a few good beach days, a Costco run, done a bit of farm work and did a yoga class yesterday morning in quite possibly the most stunning studio I’ve ever been to. But for the most part, everything seems strangely normal. I could get used to this island life.

Our yoga “studio” and a very gnarly wave out the back

As you can see from this photo, the waves were also FIRING. I’m embarrassed to admit that I did not paddle out. The waves on the Big Island tend to be heavy and unforgiving, breaking on lava rock and coral in shallow water. This isn’t to say that I won’t surf, but my arrival coincided with one of the biggest swells of the winter, and I was hoping to get my feet back in the wax on some keiki (kid) waves before charging da big ones. I paddled out at a break yesterday, watched a double overhead set roll through, and promptly paddled back to the beach. Way to call me out, Mother Nature.

I scored an old Subaru from Monica’s step sister, who is kindly renting me her beater car for adventuring. I’m staying in the cutest little cabin studio on Monica’s farm, which is about 10’ x 20’. It has a mini fridge and running water, and with more amenities than my boat, it feels pretty luxurious. My roommates are two very tidy geckos. The only thing is that there is no bathroom, so I have to walk to the main house, which is maybe a 45 second walk from my cabin. But there are wild pigs known to roam through the land, so occasionally at night I’ll pee in the jungle right outside my door. I just hope the people staying in the Air BnB on their property don’t notice. I can only imagine those reviews…

The ol' Subie

I promise the next time I post I will have much more exciting news, or at least a funny kid story or two. In the meantime, here is a picture of a keiki pineapple growing right outside my cabin:

Alohaaa

 Hey Mom, I got fired from my job and am going to Hawaii to be a travel writer! I mean, maybe. The great thing about being a travel writer is that all you have to do is travel and write, right? And thanks to the internet, anyone (for better or worse) can be published. 

I didn't exactly get fired, and I'm not exactly going to Hawaii to be a travel writer, but it makes for good dramatic effect. Three weeks ago my position with a start up was "eliminated", which freed me from a tedious and unfulfilling job. They did me a massive favor by letting me go, because I have been known to be loyal to a fault and wait too long to cut ties with things that aren’t a good fit for me. Also, yay unemployment. 

Going to Hawaii isn't by total coincidence, either. I've known Monica since we were 5. We became best friends around 4th grade and have remained close ever since. When she and her husband Ryan were looking for a home to buy, Monica's mom, who moved out to the Big Island when we were 18, suggested she look at property in Hawaii. As the story goes, Monica and Ryan bought a 3/4 acre organic farm in Captain Cook sight unseen, and it has been one of my favorite places to visit ever since. Now, between the farm, their three year old boy, Bodhi Kai, one year old daughter, Mahina, and full time jobs, they have their hands full. Monica and I worked out an agreement where I get to live in a badass little cabin on the property in exchange for a day a week of childcare, plus or minus a bit of cash. I couldn't ask for a better set up. 

So while I believe my job title at least one day a week will be super auntie, the rest of the time here I intend to write, explore, surf, snorkel, make friends, write some more, farm, read, jam on the guitar, learn how to meditate and all those other things that one generally doesn't have time for with the normal hustle of life. Judging by my last endeavor at travel writing, which lasted exactly one post, writing (or doing anything) while taking care of kids proves difficult, but I’m hoping with discipline, structure, spreadsheets and lots of lists, I’ll stick to the plan.

What is the plan, you might ask. I don't know! I'm hoping to spend at least a few months in Hawaii, and I've committed to my brother and brother-in-law's joint 40th birthday in Barcelona this coming August. So Hawaii and Barcelona are my goal posts. I hope these posts are wide enough to give me fodder for this blog. Do people even read blogs anymore? I know I could do Tik Tok videos and Instagram posts, but I really hate that shit. For some reason, writing seems  less egocentric and shallow than Tik Tok, but I know that is just my self righteous inner monologue. 

Self absorbed or not, I love to write when I travel. Before I left San Diego, I did a thorough clean out of all my possessions and realized that, given my privileged life, I have been a travel writer for most of my life. Here is an excerpt from my journal of sailing in Mexico with my family 25 years ago to the day:

Not much has changed since '97, not the quality of my handwriting nor the content of my journals (generally). Squishy beaches, sailing, more beaches and pan dulce. For whatever reason, traveling has always inspired me to write. Whether or not it is good writing remains to be seen, or judged by previous posts – some decent, some mediocre, some absolutely cringeworthy. In any case, regardless of quality, I will be posting about traveling, farming, auntie-ing, surfing and all the good things that come with Hawaii. Follow along if you’d like.