Day 55: Dance Parties and Bucket Lists

Today marks my 55th day living and working at Huelo Lookout. Where the heck has all the time gone? Seriously, I am convinced I got here last week. Last night we had a party celebrating the 15th year of this property being operational, and I felt the same sentiments from everyone who has been around significantly longer than me.

Why yes that is me hula hooping on the dance floor mid party.

I cannot believe that in 31 days I will be getting on a plane, headed through Vancouver, and then settling back in Winnipeg for the remainder of April, then running off to Victoria, BC for at least 2 months, but quite possibly the rest of summer. Life has been such a glorious whirlwind lately, I'm feeling so peaceful and spiritually found while running around with pretty limited direction other than keep moving and make sure there's wifi.

This is for the 8 billion tourists every day that ask me where to find a waterfall.

I have yet to make it all the way to Hana, but depending on weather that may just been an attempt for tomorrow. I still need to hike the Bamboo Forest and explore Twin Falls more.

What's on your free Maui hotspot list? Any activity suggestions? Let me know in the comments!

Cheers,

Day 49: Chasing Waterfalls and No Money March !

Oh so many wonderous life updates! Where to begin? Firstly I suppose, Maui continues to be great. This island has continued to fill me with positive thoughts and good vibes only. Secondly, I've officially got a summer job in Victoria, British Columbia, so my return to Winnipeg will be wonderfully short lived, at least until September when I go back to champ out another semester at good ole UofM. Thirdly, and I promise I will expand on this, I've declared March a no spending month or "no money March", and will be endeavoring to literally not spend any cash while saving all my tips and side business money, since my food and lodging are covered, it's the most opportune time I can think of.

sunset on the beach

First off, I am consistently in awe of the beauty that is all of Maui. I admittedly spend most of my time off the beaten path given that I have no car and live in the middle of the jungle, but ermagawd. Everything is pretty.

random stream/waterfall/pool off of the Hana Hwy

Seriously, if I didn't remind myself off all the pretty places in Canada I would seriously be considering burning my passport and becoming a beach hobo. I also really like the internet so beach hobo might not be the perfect lifestyle for me. A girl can dream.

The decision to move to Victoria for the summer came from literally online polling my Facebook friends on Vancouver vs Toronto and then being told Victoria is the land of the hippies. Never been but that's enough of an incentive for me to test it out and a potential Canadian home base a few years down the line. 

coconuts are literally everywhere and fair game. eat them all!

Lastly, No Money March. So working out here, all my food and lodging expenses are covered. I make tips from work, which average to around $30 US a week, and I'm going to start selling friendship bracelets on the beach for some extra cash. Mostly, this money hides in a very sneaky location inside of my tent, the rest of it goes to me buying postcards, souvenirs, and booze. However, I've recently come across the idea of doing a month free of spending money on Pinterest (aside from a tiny budget for essentials) and thought, hey, I literally have all of my essentials covered, I should challenge myself to not spend any money on shit I do not need for an entire month. So that's the plan. Feel free to join me and get your spending habits under control (I'm looking at you my online shopping addicts club).

Anywho, that's my life lately. It's pretty freakin great if I do say so myself. Build yours to be equally lovely in your own eyes and tell me how you're doing it!

Cheers,

Day 34: Spinning yarns and omnomnoming

tiny lizard friend I made this morning

 Today was another blissful day off to enjoy living in paradise. I decided against adventuring, mainly because I felt lazy, and also crafty as all hell. My inner housewife is still lacking the love earned from feeding the ravenous masses I called roomies and neighbours in Winnipeg (love you all). I breakfasted on some super simple but delicious french toast and devoured the majority of a coconut toasted in the same pan. My belly is happy.

Cinnamon Raisin Toast made into french toast with fresh coconut (also toasted). I like toast.

Next step: Crafternoon. Finally pulled my test yarn out of it's several day solar dye bath in old moldy Spriulina/water/vinegar solution! Also harvested some more cotton, carded and spun for literally 4 hours with time flying by.

Who knew Spirulina dyed so pretty?!

I cannot get over the wonderful shade of teal the cotton changed into, and the unevenness and multi-dimension to the color is basically making me fall over from sheer joy. #dying. Next step, trying to get a pink with avacodo pits and skins. The internet told me it was a thing. Also basket making.


Cheers,

1 month in Maui !

Cannot believe I've already been in Maui for an entire month! Time flies ! Yesterday I had the day off and went to Jaws. Absolutely a must see on a big swell day. Nothing quite like the peace of watching 30 foot waves and surfers. Personally I advise catching a ride in though as 4 of us walked it and it is about 2.2 miles each way on a narrow gravel road. I fell and scraped up my foot and knee, but that's more of a "I'm hella clumsy" moment then a "this road is trying to kill us all" moment.

Meditation Pad view at Huelo Lookout Workawayer's area

View from Jaws

so so so pretty

Cheers,

Day 22: Refelctions on living your best life

I had the day off today, but it was raining in the morning so I opted out of the beach and in to sitting in our kitchen sending off applications for summer jobs. Looks like I'll be headed back to Winnipeg until December at this rate. Sigh.

But I've been thinking about people who seem to come out of the woodwork of my life, old facebook friends I went to school with or met once or twice and then never talked to. For some reason, these type of people always tell me the same thing, how incredibly jealous of me they are. To some extent, I totally and completely get that, you're in winter, I'm posting bikini pics. But at the same time, I always have to remind them, you are an adult, you are in control of your life, live your best one. If you want to travel, get on workaway, find a gig that says yes, sell your shit, and book a flight.

I just hate that people are so conditioned to feel like they can't just take a break for a year and run off somewhere, particularly in their 20s, though seriously ever. So this is for all you non-travelers. If you want to go, dedicate yourself to that. Pick a place, set a date, and make every decision in your day to day life lead you one step closer to your trip. Take the plunge. Do something crazy.

So far, I've learned to play with a machete safely, chased down a roster and several chickens unsuccessfully, made hawaiian shaved ice and some epic crepes, juiced sugar cane, and hitch hiked with some of the chillest people I've ever met. I have zero regrets about leaving. Just do it.

Cheers,

Day 18: Shaved Ice and Sun!

Today was another one of my blissful days off, and I decided to venture into Paia in my usual lovely hitch hiking fashion, to check out the bead store and just generally adventure and relax. Got a ride in with some lovely hippie types bringing their dad back from some dance your emotional pain away for 12 hours a day retreat that sounded pretty chill. The local bead store is well stocked and reasonably priced for beading supplies, but be advised they don't cater to other forms of crafting and I was disappointed by a lack of embroidery needles which were what I was questing for. Ah well, to Amazon I go. Shaved ice from Tobi's in Paia is epically delicious, I opted for Mango and Tiger Blood with cream on top, so freaking good. Highly recommend.

2 Weeks in Huelo Lookout !

Holy crap, I cannot believe I have already spent 2 weeks living in a tent in Maui. Life is crazy, and I am for sure still in a state of shock. This workaway has been a really great experience so far, though less farming and more renovation projects than I expected to be doing. All is well though, and I've really had fun blasting country music while painting a rental property out here.

I've been working 5 days a week, usually 9-330 with a half hour lunch break at 1230, as this is the standard "Land" shift (this are the property cleaning and renovation shifts I'm more into), but there are also day or afternoon shifts available at the fruit stand we run, making smoothies and crepes as well as selling fruit. Reno work is much more my thing as I have to talk to fewer tourists and can be a lot more physically engaged with the land itself.

my tent in "the mansion"

I would have heaps more photos, but alas, yesterday I lost my iPhone while hitchhiking. So. Those are lost to the struggle of life. Backup phone on the way from home soon, with an international sim card which may or may not prove to be an awesome investment. Planning on spending a pretty limited time in Canada over the foreseeable future so probably one of my better plans. Anywho, that's my mini update for the moment.

Cheers,

First Night in Maui - Courtyard Marriott Airport

I arrived safely in Maui on Monday night, and although I had planned to stay in a hostel and review it instead, my mom decided that my leaving for 3 months warranted her booking me a more upscale venue. The Courtyard Marriot near the Maui airport also offers a shuttle service, which makes transportation a little less of a headache (I tend to be very cranky when trapped inside planes for long periods of time).

That being said, the hotel in gorgeous, I was upgraded to a suite, full kitchen, lots of space. No complaints here. No free breakfast in the morning, but Krispy Kreme is a short walk away as well as Costco and Kmart. Personally I opted for a couple greek yogurts from kmart, I'm not a big breakfast person unless I'm hungover.

Pretty pool area as well, I just didn't have the time to take a dip, I'm presently packed and waiting on my ride over to the farm.

Cheers,

Justifications to Travelling NOW and Finishing School Later

I know when I finally got around to breaking the news to both of my parents that I was taking another

semester away from my University to take a working vacation, they took it... alright. Thankfully, they both were bitten by the travel bug pretty young as well, and tend to be wonderful supportive people. However, I would be crazy if I didn't walk in with a few reasons other than "wanting to see the world" and "insatiable wanderlust", otherwise I would get the dreaded lecture about "abandoning my education and destroying my future". 

Study Abroad

This may seem like the obvious one, but it has to be said. Many schools offer excellent opportunities to work on your classes while abroad. I know in my case, tutition is the same, and you just need to finance your cost of living/flights/etc., which is often cheaper outside of Canada. Check in with student services and see if this works for you!

     

Working Holiday Visas

Working holiday visas are a great way to get yourself into a country for a full year and still be entitled to work legally wherever you want in the country, however they usually have age restrictions at 30 or 35. As someone with the intent of life long travel on a limited budget, working while I'm gone is pretty essential. This might mean being a waitress or bartender and less of a focus on classes for a semester, but everyone needs a break sometimes right?

Online Classes

I'm lucky in the fact that my university offers a good selection of classes online, so for example, I'm still technically going to be a full time student while I'm in Maui this semester on a WorkAway project. If you can pull off being location independent while not actually putting off your education (or not putting it off as much by only taking one or two classes), why not? Online classes are often actually a bit cheaper as well!

Summer Classes

I know this is a bit of an odd sidebar, but many people don't consider that most schools offer intense summer classes where instead of spending a semester on a course, you crank it out in a month. Traveling during the Fall and Winter off season can be a lot more affordable than going in summer prime time, so picking up courses in the summer can be a great way to offset missing time during other semesters.

Travel Interning

Chances are, at some point in your college career, you're going to be doing an unpaid internship. It's great for resume building and has kind of become an expectation (I have my qualms with it, but that's me). If you use WorkAway, go WWOOFing, volunteer overseas, or any combination, PUT IT ON YOUR RESUME. Most long term hosts will be more than happy to write you a simple reference letter if you get along, and you'll be gaining valuable skills in your placement, even if they don't seem to directly correlate with your chosen field.

Maui!

So I'm very excited to announce that I've accepted my first WorkAway offer! In Maui ! Goodbye Winnipeg winter and hello tropical paradise!

You can see the listing for the post I've accepted here.

Omygosh I'm so excited. Hence very short and immediate post.

Cheers,