I arrived on the Big Island in Hawaii on January 9th. I flew into Kona, spent the night, and then took a free bus to Hilo on the other side of the island. The bus dropped me off at a huge public park right across the street from Hilo Bay. I had 4 hours to enjoy the sunshine, light ocean breeze, temps in the upper 70's, and a great farmers markets with tons of fresh fruit across the street. In order to reach my final destination, Kipuka Temple, I needed to take a bus ride to Puna District and then a 20-minute car ride. This mapquest link shows exactly where I am on the Big Island. I had reasearched Kipuka Temple shortly after leaving Costa Rica and was attracted to the location, near perfect weather, and idea of community living. Here's a shot of the main house which consists of a main floor with kitchen, living area, 3 bedrooms, and bathroom with shower. The upper level has another kitchen, large bedroom, sun deck, and community space used for yoga/eating/socializing.
The community consists of 14 adults and 3 kids between the ages of 2 and 5. Ages range from low 20's to upper 40's. In addition to the bedrooms in the house their are 10 huts scattered around the property. My hut is approximatley 16 X 16 and has a comfortable bed, shelves, and night table. My favorite aspect of the hut is the fact that it's open air. Screens go all the way around the hut providing wonderful fresh air and the serene sounds of the coqui frogs.
The people in the community are predominantly vegetarian or vegan as well as health conscious in other areas. Most of the people belong to the "food sharing group". Each person contributes $50 per week and then shares in the preparation and cleanup of meals. Much of the produce is grown on the property including citrus fruits, tomatoes, collards, argula, kale, basil, cilantro, beans, coconuts, and avocados. Additional food items are purchased from farmers markets and health food stores. My most inventive recipe so far is a simple breakfast dish of fresh papaya, avocado, and cilantro picked from the garden. My typical schedule during the week is to wake up around 5, work until lunchtime with a short break for a walk or watch the sunrise, and then go to the local black sand beach, hike, bike, run, or take a yoga class in the afternoon. The weekends present free time for mini roadtrips. On sunday I ventured with 4 of my housemates to the Green Sand Beach. A 2 hour card ride through lava fields followed by an hour hike along the ocean and we were body surfing at Green Sand Beach. Am I really in Hawaii?
Community living has been interesting and rewarding to say the least. I've been here about 10 days and feel I've made many connections with the other people here. For the most part the group is harmonious and easy to get along with. There's a weekly meeting to discuss all aspects of the community, strengthen communication, and build bonds between housemates. There's also the occasional birthday shindig as seen below.
