Camp sitting

The camping setup

When you arrive in the Valley you can decide how close you want to set up your camp to others. We very much had our own privacy in the two different camps we were in during our five weeks out there.  Both were a short walk from other people so it was easy when we wanted to socialise or cook with others, yet the shrubbery and bushes provided the perfect shelter from the main trail and other camps when we wanted to just have our own space or to retreat.

Our first camp located in the forest just back from the beach

The camping options were:

Along the beach - for a wonderful sea view and the soothing sound of the waves to send you to bed. Though this is the most popular option, so it's the busiest.

In the woods - slightly set back from the beach, you have a bit more privacy and space but you miss the sea view.

In the jungle - if you follow the trail up the Valley into the jungle you can really get some alone time and be surrounded by nature.  This is where the longer term residents hide out away from the tourists and build their super camps. 

Can we keep you please?!

People were really generous with lending us things such as comfy padded mats to sleep on and cast iron pans to explore cooking things like bread.  But the best thing we shared had to be Kiki the kitten!  Kiki used to live in the wild but Mike, not his real name, would put leftover food out for the few wild cats that were dotted around.  He also added a few tins of tuna into the mix and before long a cat called Tipsy was the first to gradually become domesticated.  She was confident coming into the camp, but came more for the food than the attention.  However Kiki was younger and became the cutest and tamest of the cats, she certainly got her fair share of affection and I am sure she must be one of the happiest cats alive as every visitor comes with new admiration and interest in her.  

Kiki the Kitten!

She is the cuddliest, most docile kitten I have ever met, who would even let me carry her around in a sling around my neck (yes a bit keen I know) and would miaow at our tent in the morning for cuddles and attention.  What a treat to have around, and so nice that she spent a lot of her time at our camp as it really added to our experience.  I love having animals around as it makes me think that perhaps there isn't that much we 'have' to do as human beings.  Most creatures are just living, doing their thing and even that can create a great deal of joy.  It also reminds me of the satisfaction and happiness that comes from building relationships, whether that be animal to human or human to human - isn't that ultimately what matters in life and is what you remember?

Spot the kitten...

Our dream camp

The beach camp we had the privilege of inhabiting during the second half of our stay was wonderful.  We'd been told by a local that we could care take that spot whilst the long term resident was away. The camp had it all - the sound and view of the sea, sunrise and sunset, lots of handy equipment like nice bedding and a mosquito net and of course Kiki the kitten.  

However not only did we 'cat sit' and 'camp sit' but we also 'garden sat'! The person who had set up the camp had started their own mini garden containing lots of edible plants including chili, basil, papaya, spring onions and tomatoes.  We planted mint, squash and avacado whilst we were there.  It was just incredible that it was so easy be able to grow food using the seeds we'd find in the jungle or by taking cuttings.  The squash seeds we planted grew 3cm in just the first week of being planted. Already in the camp was a date palm, with so much fruit on it and within two seconds walk were orange and lemon trees as well as java plum trees.  It really is so satisfying to be able to eat what is growing around you.

Garden Sitting

Making the most of what's out there

Time and time again I was amazed and surprised at how easy and rewarding it was to make the most of what was already there.  Scott and I would keep commenting how much we really were living in abundance.  

When we needed basic food supploes, someone who was about to hike out would turn up and donate the goods they didn't want to carry.  When Scott cut his toe on a rock we decided flip flops would be useful - half an hour later I found a pair left behind on the beach, perfectly intact in the right size.  When we talked about how useful it would be to have a chopping board - lo and behold Scott found a long abandoned camp with loads of items that would make our living more comfortable such as a fold out chair.

The abandoned camp full of goodies for the taking

(has since been cleaned up)

The abandoned camp came in handy though it upset us all that it was left in such a state and the owner hadn't even bothered to make a rubbish pile or give the stuff to others.  But I must add that this abandoned camp was an exception, overall camps are left in good shape either with no stuff, or in a tidy way with items that the next person staying there might want (like pans or cooking utensils). Apparently the person who stayed at the now abandoned camp had had to leave in a hurry - a bit of a dodgy character!  Somehow the Valley has a way of weeding out the people that shouldn't be there. 

We were lucky to find the camp before it had been disbanded by the long timers who clean up the place and collect anything that could be of use to them.  

I certainly felt like we were 'glamping' (glam-camping) as the norm for me when camping at festivals is that I have to catch a train and thus only bring what I can carry in a large rucksack on my back.  I usually waddle along with this backpack, guitar in hand and another bag of food and try to bring only the basics  (apart from glitter but luckily that is light weight so doesn't count!).  I jealously eye up fellow campers who have arrived by car as they bring out their double blow up air mattress and camping chairs!  But this time, it was us with that plush set up - the list of things we aquired whilst there, it's really quite absurd....

Living in abundance

Living with little

I don't often meet people who really want to live in the middle of nowhere; the idea of being without electricity, mobile phones, internet, hot showers and the protection of a home doesn't appeal to most.  Perhaps the idea seems just terrifying or too hard to even conceptualise.  Yet I found it to be one of the most enjoyable and fulfilling experiences of my twenty eight years on this planet and recommend a period of simple living to all as a way of appreciating what you have and what you really need to live.  It's refreshing to take a step back from everyday life to get perspective.  

Our dream camp on the beach

Two major factors meant the experience was a pleasurable one - 

Great weather - being in Hawaii meant that the weather was generally sunny and warm, making outdoor living and sleeping pleasant.  This becomes a drudge when it's cold or wet as you are spending so much energy on staying dry and warm.

Great people - the fact that a brilliant community of people has formed in the Valley meant that I didn't feel isolated or lonely, which I have experienced in the past in remote areas which is really difficult.  I also enjoyed going there with another person, as it was quite out of my comfort zone and having someone to live it with, means you can appreciate the good bits and work out any difficulties together.  We were surrounded by people who could teach us how to live in this environment and to be resourceful and the fact that everyone is really generous means it is a place of harmony.

These factors allowed us to get the most out of living a simple, outdoor lifestyle without what most see as the 'bare essentials'. Thus if it is something you ever want to try, great weather and people are important factors to bear in mind when deciding how and where to do it!  However I can't sugar coat it, there are always difficulties in any situation which will be covered in the next blog............ 

Aloha Spirit Alive and Well

Yes I've returned back to England, ready for the next adventure; aka living back with the parents and job hunting! However I'm continuing to finish and update the blog of my travels as writing my experiences down is a chance to relive them, remember what I have learnt and it serves as a reminder that it really did happen and wasn't just a dream. 

Community is everything

One of the things I was most curious about prior to reaching the Valley was the way people would organise themselves and how they'd live together away from roads, shops and electricity. I had my reservations - would it just be hippies living out there in attempt to escape society? How harmoniously can people really live? Would I have enough space, privacy and time to myself or would I be inducted into some kind of cult?

Exploring the Valley

Despite these reservations, I very much felt, and feel more than ever, that community is important. Over the past few years I became fascinated by ways in which people could unite, realising the potential of what humans can achieve together is far greater than alone. I'd been trying to encourter different types of communities to understand what works well and not so well. My dad's tales of kibutz living in his younger years had somewhat disheartened my idealism about group working and living situations and I heard tales from others of reasons it can't work - personality clashes, power struggles, varying levels of commitment, different beliefs etc. The politics sounded exhausting and it's easy to see why people would prefer just to live their own lives.

Yet my personal experience in the past three years of community situations (including those where people live or work together) has proved otherwise and all of the different types of communities that I've been part of or encountered are flourishing, growing in size and are creating richness for the people involved.

Aloha Spirit Alive and Well
The Valley was no exception and I was pleasantly surprised by how respectful and sharing people were. The sense of community, or as they'd say in Hawaii - 'Aloha Spirit', is very much alive and thriving, despite the unusual dynamic of it being a fairly transient community. This was a good reminder to me that you can find great people wherever you go.

At any one time there are between ten to twenty long term residents who live in the Valley permanently.  Their camps tend to be far from any other people, impossible to find without being shown.  Camps were amazingly sophisticated and charming, created with a great deal of thought and effort.   Residents had created incredible wooden structures to sleep under, they'd collected and carried stones from the beach to create patios, walls and walkways and had built fire pits and cooking facilities. The 'hardcore' Valley veteran, as I like to call them, leave only a few times per year to fetch supplies. The still dedicated (but more sensible ones!) leave for the challenging wet months escaping the constant rain and thus avoid having to spend months preparing by ensuring they have enough wood and food supplies.

The cooking facilities

A handful of people, myself and Scott included, stay for a good chunk of time such as a few weeks, or a month. These are those who are 'in the know' and come with proper supplies planning to stay. However for some that go there, the beauty of the place just draws them in and their other plans to visit the rest of the Hawaiian islands melt away. Why go else where when you are already in paradise?

'David' (not his real name) was a popular character who had made it a tradition to visit for a month every year in October and saw it as a vital part of his sanity! The long term residents look forward to him coming every year and have built deep friendships with him. Each visit he opens up his camp to everyone, hosting bonfires and providing people with morning coffee and pancakes. People come with their instruments to play music and bring offerings of fresh fruit, foraged from the jungle to contribute. It's a wonderful atmosphere.

It can be hard for people to leave when this is the view!

The majority of people staying in the Valley hike in, stay just a night or two and then depart again, which is a shame as there is just so much to see and experience there, but it does keep it dynamic and interesting. If they are unlucky (or lucky depending on how you look at it) they can be stuck there for a few days if the weather is too wet to hike out because the trail gets too dangerous.

No going hungry in the jungle
One wonderful aspect of the community there is that regardless of whether you're there one night, one month, or even one year, you're welcomed with open arms; so long as you're respectful of others and the nature around you. There's the most amazing sense of sharing what you have - the wisdom of 'you give and you shall receive' rings true.

There were just so many nights that Scott and I had the most delicious dinner made for us that you just wouldn't expect living in the wild; from pizzas (jungle style cooked on an open fire) to fish stews, pancakes, fruit pies, curries to freshly caught goat and prawns. The list goes on. The food was of such great quality and you just felt so truely nourished. In return, whenever we cooked and whatever it was, we would welcome others to join us or we would bring our meal to another camp to share.

Jungle cooked pie made of pastry, fruits and topped with raw chocolate

I was astounded by how organically this worked - there was always enough food for eveyone without lots of formal planning. It was an adjustment to share our food as there is this innate want to cling to what you have to ensure you can take care of your own needs. It's not that I don't ever share, but I have always had limits, this experience broadened my sense of generosity because others were so generous.

In the Valley in particular your instinct is to protect and hold onto your limited supplies to ensure you never go hungry and can stay as long as possible (as it's not like you can pop to a shop out there!). Add to that the fact that getting your supplies there in the first place takes blood, sweat and tears and you want to know that in times when you seek your creature comforts that yes there will be some hidden supply of chocolate to dig into!

Yet letting go of this thinking, was extremely rewarding and beneficial. I learnt that once you start sharing what you have, however little that may be, you just can't help but continue . We all need a good balance of giving and receiving - if we're always giving we exhaust ourselves, yet if we are always taking, we don't feel fulfilled and others will grow wary of us. I truely think that deepening our generosity whilst also being able to accept other's hospitality and help is such a great way to live.

Food I foraged from the jungle; a selection of salad leaves, lemons, chillis, papaya, taro root

In the past my thinking around this was that it would be just me giving, giving, giving and others would take advantage of this, but it was the opposite in the Valley and it was just unbeleivable how much people were giving away things all of the time. My theory is that if you give generously to all, only a small handful of people wouldn't reciprocate in some way. Another way I've heard it being described is as 'paying it forwards', doing good deeds, which you'll later reap the benefits of at some point when you need the help or support. Yes, I am a dreamer and an idealist, but it makes life so much nicer! And so this is the spirit I will try to continue.....

Food in the Valley always felt abundant. Those that came for just a few days would want to hike out with as little weight as possible thus would donate their remaining food to share among the community. We aquired all sort of goodies this way - from smoked salmon and nori sheets, to macaroni cheese and teas. As I said, we were eating very well.

Sushi Wraps (with avacado, salmon & quinoa) for lunch

I was reassured knowing that if your hiked in supplies run out, that was always going to be food to forage from the forest as this is just so abundant with fruits and vegetables. Not necessarily what you would want to live off for a long time, but then again, eating only fresh fruit and vegetables is what the Hawaiians would have done when they lived here and it would make you extremely healthy!

For me food is a major part of my enjoyment of life and having eaten so well for every meal in the Valley meant that despite the fact I was living very simply outside, without electricity, I still felt like I was living well and richly, better than ever in fact. The satisfaction of sharing meals together, sharing stories, sharing music, cooking for others and being cooked for in itself felt like nourishment for everyone creating such a positive environment to live and learn in.

Paradise on earth

What if I told you that paradise on earth really does exist? That there is the most beautiful of valleys filled with rich jungle, situated by a white sandy beach, bursting with nature, abundant with food, where you can drink the water straight from the rivers and where there are no dangerous predators and the weather is just great for outdoor living....... Where there is a sense of community, with people caring for one another and living in harmony with nature; not taking too much without giving back, ensuring the environment is clean and treated with respect by passing visitors. Where people live by the sun (as there is no electricity), time slows down (as there are no clocks), where every waterfall is a handy shower (as the water is so clean) and where there is no pollution or traffic (as there are no roads).

Just a dream or was it a reality? 
I am fortunate enough to have been taken to this magical valley by Scott who lived there for three months during his last trip and insisted I go.  I was somewhat apprehensive given I would be heading into the middle of nowhere without any phone or internet signal, or road access with a man I'd not seen for two years.  On top of that, living in the jungle sounded pretty hardcore and I wondered what kind of community would be living there.  How would they be organised? Would I still have my privacy? Would it be a commune of crazy hippies avoiding the real world!?

Yet, it was adventure that I wanted from my time away:  I knew I could trust Scott from the short time we'd spent together on our previous trips and so I felt in safe hands and took a leap of faith into the unknown.  I just hoped no one would worry about me given I would not have any contact for a while but I made sure I warned the family of my absence to avoid any concern and they were surprisingly relaxed, having grown used to me going off radar from time to time.

Full of history and ancient ways of living
The valley was previously home to the ancient Hawaiians and was an abundant food growing region.  We learnt that in it's hey day the valley was producing enough food to feed thousand of people on the nearby islands. You can still see the remains of the ancient, stony terraces throughout the valley which they built to grow and irrigate their crops of bananas, taro and fruit trees. They are now very much overgrown by trees and bushes but it is incredible to think that this peaceful jungle was once a bustling home to many families and you still find food growing everywhere you go once you learn to recognise what is edible.

We spent a total of five weeks here, leaving once after three weeks in order to stock up on supplies and recover from injuries and ailments, which you notice so much more living outside. Five weeks genuinely felt like about three months. Life becomes so much more spacious when you are just making sure you have the basics - food, water, shelter, good company, warmth. I find this way of life to be deeply satisfying and the beauty of the place is that you leave the valley full of life, charged with energy or 'mana' as they call it in Hawaiian. The challenge and adventure will be bringing this spirit of simplicity and sharing, back to the everyday living experience.

The valley is one of the few places on earth that I know of where it really is possible to live off the land, be completely off grid and live outside all year round. There is nothing better for the soul than spending all of your time outside, rising with the sun, staying fit from the physical activity required to live in this way ( collecting wood, trekking to get food, washing clothes in the river etc ) and going to bed when the sun has set. There were no dangerous animals to be concerned about, the wild animals were goats, pigs and feral cats. The most harmful creature was a stinging centipede which we never encountered. Nature provided us with it's own entertainment; our version of tv was watching the sun set and looking up at the sky packed full of more stars than I have ever seen. All of this with the ocean soundtrack in the background.

Energetic Charge
The valley is said to be highly charged with an intense form of energy or 'Mana'. Local legend says that the intense energy manifests in different forms depending on the people that are visiting and their state of being. For example, it is not uncommon for relationship break ups to happen within a few day of arriving in the valley, when couples are finally away from their creature comforts and routines and are facing just one another au natural.  For those who don't want to be there, and there are a few (those dragged along by friends, or those with injuries) it can be utter torture with no distraction, just your own thoughts and can certainly send you pretty loopy! Others develop an incredible knowledge of how to navigate the jungle, barefoot jumping across the rocks, up steep slopes and hopping across the rivers, mastering the art of flourishing in the jungle.

Whatever your beliefs, it makes a lot of sense as things are always more intense when contained in a small, isolated area, away from distraction. However other also frequently accredit the strong energy to the spiritual force of the island, creating a visceral feeling of high energy.  I most certainly experienced this for myself, often times feeling super charged and alive and bursting with ideas. For a few weeks I found it hard to fall asleep in the valley as my mind was whirring away and my body was just not ready to sleep. However it's hard not to feel charged when you live so much in nature, in the moment, nourished by the sun.

For me the intensity and energy came in the form of musical expression which was just so exciting. I ended up writing nearly an albums worth of songs, pretty good for someone who wasn't intending to write. I actually had hoped to facilitate singing workshops, my passion in England, but this never quite happened for many reasons.  Yet I am so grateful for that burst of creativity with songs just coming to me and then having the time to develop my singing and guitar playing to a level where I felt comfortable performing and sharing these songs. I so much enjoyed people asking me to play for them as I find it one of the most satisfying ways of being.

My time in the valley gave me many gifts and experiences to learn from but I now truely believe that whatever may come in life I can take solace in my singing and guitar playing, and in writing my own music. I can literally have the right song for any emotion or situation I encounter. Songs are also wonderful reminders of past events, ways to celebrate, give gratitude - whatever is needed I can create. So it really was a very inspiring time and I am pleased that my songs are a good mixture of styles, moods and topics. For a glimpse of my songs, see my you tube videos, unfortunately the sounds is not great due to wind and helicopters but it gives you an idea.  More to come in the future......

In every little thing -  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1ng9ClqYZI

If these trees -  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-G_yCm6Frg