Crawled out of the back of the truck this mornin before sunrise and made my way through a gathering of nocturnal feral cats. For a couple nights I've noticed these quick and silent moving black shadows running around the car... not chickens, lizards or raccoons... but mini cats.
I watched the moon settle behind the mountains and the sun rise over the seas horizon. Feeling hungry I grabbed an avocado and banana that were picked from trees nearby the beach. I mashed them together, with a dash of saltwater, in a 50 cent pottery bowl from the thrift shop. If only I had a lime, orange and some shredded coconut this 'just invented' Hawaiin guacamole would be a big hit for the locals.
Breakfast for surfers. One buck.
Reused bowl and wooden spoon. One buck.
I arrived on Friday of last week and spent a few nights camping on Haena beach. Each night was a ceremony under the stars and I let my prayers and intentions fly in sacred tobacco smoke. Come Sunday I was like, alright, dudes and dudets, I'm going to do this. I'm going to shine. I'm going to find a job, house, car and use all my lessons I've gathered over the many years abroad and kick start a rooted life here on the island on Kauai.
Sunday - no truck, no house, no job - pretty much nothing except my heart and backpacks. Sunday night I visited a friend at the Hanalei crystal shop and was drawn to a moonstone necklace. Looking for guidance. Moonstone is known to enhance intuition and help with the start of new beginnings. It's a stone of inner strength. It vibrates with the crown chakra and that's where I'm in need of... asking sky world helpers to help guide me through this. Looking for anything that will channel good luck and safety from above.
I want to be like these folks when I grow old...
Since my arrival I've sent out my resume to a dozen or so employers offering kitchen and/or farm work. I've made a few connections and without the Starbucks WiFi I would probably still be half naked on a beach this very minute wondering if I should have picked up that job in Antarctica, again. Being homeless and unemployed on a beach is the best place to be that way!
Monday morning I received an email from a guy with an island car looking to sell it cheap ASAP. The catchphrases.... craigslist + island car + cheap + ASAP = Danger, Will Robinson! Island car specifies a car that may or may not run, has lots of sea spray corrosion, might be legal, might no be legal, usually looks like it's hot out of the junk yard... 20,000 leagues under the sea. I would spend around $28/day for rental car + $30/night for cheapest room = $1740 bucks for a month of living. For $650 I can just buy a truck that I can sleep in for a month till I get enough money to buy my own sublet or temporary room. Food grows on trees here and water runs fresh from the rivers, makes it easy to eat and drink local organics (:
Within two hours after receiving the $650 island car email I had a brand new piece of junk with four wheels on my hands. He told me to water it like you'd water a garden on a hot day and pointed out 20 things that should be fixed. Since then I've found about 20 more things that need to be fixed. Two hours after that I was at the BMV getting it registered and an hour later had the thing insured. Only thing I have to do is get the safety checked... hmm... that should be a fun one. Safety first! Drive as slow as you can go :)
Taking a breather to check out the newsstand. Not a single thing on the elections. Who's running anyway? Did they really just legalize pot and gay marriage? I like how the front page the island newspaper is "Major league sports help overcome barriers to sustainability"
Tuesday morning on Anahola beach. Teeth brushing next to the sea. Smiling big time. I have a truck and a 6x4 foot room now. Next on the list is to find a full-time permanent job that's fun and healthy, and get the truck fixed a bit.
I met a few kids from Oregon that were trying to spot this monster white goat on the mountain that can only be seen at sunrise. Not sure if it's a goat ghost or what, but I saw it, and they say none of the island hunters have been able to get it. It's a goat sasquatch.
My Xplorer chill pad. Coolest thing about the truck, is the Blaupunkt stereo!
The front yard...
The front door... have to open it from the outside.
The leaky roof... patched it last night with a waterproof deck sealant.
Truck to the left, sea to the right.
Tuesday afternoon a young mama holding her big baby dropped off this next to my laptop. Check it out... just give to your local community! 5 days into a new life here and I am meeting so many new faces. Everyone is open and giving. I took my truck to Mike the mechanic last night and it turned into a three hour internship on how to repair Ford's and raising horses.
After receiving the guerilla gift I took the truck to Mike's and wound up hitch hiking while it was being looked at. The native kid that picked me up in his truck told me about his life here on the island and the work he was looking for. I gave him my story and he told me to check out Papaya's Natural Foods and Cafe. Sure. Walking to the entrance of Papaya's I saw a sign asking for Kitchen Help. I asked for the kitchen manager and of all things holy - an hour later, had the 'natural foods chef' job at the cafe. Mahalo nui loa!
I start work in four hours and am digesting all the changes that have happened over the last couple days. Somehow, I have three chef knives, three vegetarian cookbooks and a chef coat in my backpack. I guess my intuitive side saw this coming when I packed my bags two months ago in Ohio. Intentions are magnetic and my intentions are to serve healthy food to the masses to help connect humans with Mother Earth. For years I've been feeding clients heart disease, diabetes, cancers and obesity... I am sorry for serving fats and sugars and processed ickies. Unhealthy karma serving unhealthy food. You are what you serve shamans and chefs. Serve the light of creation!
All I need now is a place to call home that's sheltered from rain and cats... a yurt, hut, cottage, apartment, whatever. Sleeping in the truck is cool, but I can see it getting a bit much when it gets wet here with rain in a month.
Time to get the chef face on and brush off the sand.
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