USA

Much to my surprise, the best and cheapest doctor I ever visited was in the USA. Read this article to see my costs to visit doctors around the world.

Although my layover in New York City (on the marathon journey between Australia and Toronto) was a measly two days, I managed to experience a side of New York that I had never experienced before in my half a dozen or so visits: I saw the city as a local. … Read More

Every trip has its trials. Every adventure its ups and downs. Every crisis an advantage, and every blessing a price. Here in Hawaii we’ve learned just that. This post was originally published in 2008. It has since been updated for accuracy of links and content. Hilo Side On the other … Read More

Although I have a history of conquering fears with competitive skydiving, motorcycle racing, worldwide bungee jumping, mountaineering, caving, and multi-pitch rock climbing, I am not without my fears. And as with most fears, they are irrational. One such fear is a bit of a phobia around the ocean. Here’s how … Read More

Aloha in Hawaii: When you picture Hawaii you likely have images of beautiful exotic women in grass skirts, donning you with fresh flower leis as you step off the plane onto the hot tarmac. There is a soft breeze and rustle of the tall coconut palm trees that line the … Read More

We’ve been working on our new travel plans for a while now, but now it’s official – the i’s are dotted and t’s crossed – and it’s time to announce them! By the end of April, we’ll have been in Hawaii (and the U.S.A.) for 6 months, and are required … Read More

We thought that we covered off everything we needed to see while driving around the Big Island of Hawaii the first time. We were wrong. After spending over two months staying relatively close to the Kona area, and speaking with dozens upon dozens of travelers coming to the hostel we … Read More

I’m coming to realize that an adventure for Kelly & I isn’t complete without a trip to the emergency room. See also: How to Stay Healthy on the Road This post was originally published in 2008 . It has since been updated for accuracy of links and content.  One night … Read More

You know those little itches you get? Those itches that could be itches, OR creepy crawlies climbing up your arm? Sometimes, that’s exactly what they are.

An exercise in Hawaiian pronunciation, we decided one day to hike up Hualalai Street to the town of Holualoa. (I challenge anybody to pronounce these names correctly the first time and then not to confuse them later on. It’s taken me weeks)! Being on the side of a dormant volcano, … Read More

Upon picking up a local newspaper or listening to local radio programs here, you will become intimately acquainted with all criminal reports in Hawaii, including recent arrests and convictions in the last week. “Joe Smith was convicted of driving under the influence in Hilo on March 1st”.“Jane Doe arrested for … Read More

An article about animal rights in Hawaii has been brewing in me for some time, but came to a head yesterday. First, let me share with you a sad story: This post was originally published in 2008. It has since been updated for accuracy of links and content.  I awoke at … Read More

What comes to mind when you think of Hawaiian food? If you’re like me, you conjure up images of fresh fruits (bananas and pineapples being the most prolific in the image, but generally anything that will fit on top of the Tropicana girl’s head will do), seafood (Hawaii is, after … Read More

Although Hawaii is an English-speaking US State, it comes with its own very distinct culture, identity, and Hawaiian language (or rather, languages). Before I came here I tried to get a handle on some of the Hawaiian words and phrases, but in practice here, integrating into and learning Hawaiian language … Read More

First, it was traveling across the island with a crippling migraine. Then, it was a black eye gracefully received while boogie boarding. Now, toxic poisoning with neurological and gastronomic effects. Excellent. First, let me tell you about a new sport Kelly has adopted with all the enthusiasm of a child … Read More

This, my friends, is the story of how a deaf guy gave me a black eye at the beach, while boogie boarding This post was originally published in 2008. It has since been updated for accuracy of links and formatting.  During the winter, many of the normally calm and serene … Read More

When we were remotely located, seemingly on the edge of the earth (but in reality on the edge of an island in the middle of the ocean), we occasionally felt trapped. The nearest town was 11 miles away, the nearest road and mailbox was over 1 mile away, and everything … Read More

After living so remotely in a corner of Hawaii while volunteering off the grid and milking goats on a permaculture property, we were eager to see what else was out there during our week-long adventure around the island. And we knew that there would likely be a dichotomy in lifestyle … Read More

No….the nomad in the title isn’t me. While at the library the other day, an unassuming book jumped off the shelf at me. (One of the great things about a library: the ability to test run books you know nothing about written by authors you know even less about). And … Read More

This post was originally published in 2008. It has since been updated for accuracy of links and content. Well, as it so happens on the river of life, we are moving along in our travels and away from our little paradise, which was in reality a piece of (somebody else’s) … Read More

This post was originally published in 2008. It has since been updated for accuracy of links and content. Living on lava landscape in this part of Hawaii is quite unique and different. Kapoho is located on hardened lava that flowed as recently as less than 20 years ago, and at … Read More

Most people pay for long and arduous whale watching boat tours off the coast of their chosen vacation spot to catch a glimpse of a whale breaching or a pod feeding. When I was in South Africa, one of the towns I stayed at was entirely a tourist destination, developed … Read More

Lonely planet describes the Puna district as: “the fastest growing district in the state, and home prices have doubled and even tripled since the late 1990’s. Most newcomers are mainlanders, many of whom are gay. It’s a maverick district, well represented by hippies, Hawaiian sovereignty activists, and pakalolo [marijuana] growers”. … Read More

Convenience: Things as simple as getting drinking water, cooking dinner, and watching a movie are very different events where we are, living off the grid on this permaculture property in Hawaii, where we are volunteering in trade for free accommodation. And although it can be debilitating and very isolated at … Read More

Being as remotely located as we are on a permaculture property on the east coast of the Big Island, we haven’t had a chance to sample some of the local Hawaiian fare as much as we’d like. But slowly and surely, we’re getting around to it. Even besides prepared foods, … Read More

This post was originally published in 2007. It has since been updated for accuracy of links and content. HHThe word Kipuka has a number of different Hawaiian meanings; the one we are most acquainted with is that of “sacred forest”. And we are blessed to have it as a very … Read More

Natural Foods from Hawaii: The act of walking up to a tree or bush, picking the fruit, and eating it right then and there (or preparing it to go in a delicious meal) is a new and wonderful thing for us to have discovered. There are so many wild and … Read More

In a short space of 36 hours, we experienced the best and worst of Sea Turtles, Cheeseburgers, and Car Alarms. This post was originally published in 2007. It has since been updated for accuracy of links and content. Having completed the lion’s share of the Open Water Scuba Diver’s course … Read More

Every Sunday morning at 10am at Kalani resort there is an event called the Ecstasy Dance. An eclectic selection of dance music is played for the 100 or so attendees, and the cost is a donation of whatever people can afford – generally $5 or $10. Here’s my first experience … Read More

Every day here on the Big Island of Hawaii, we see, smell, and hear more signs that we are in a completely different place from where either of us have ever ventured. Even just the other night, the ocean sounded substantially different from previous nights (without any different weather patterns … Read More

Just in case anybody was wondering, the Hippie culture is alive and well here in Hawaii! This post was originally published in 2007. It has since been updated for accuracy of links and content. It’s worth noting that this was my first encounter with hippie culture, and it was a … Read More

This is the ferro cement yurt where we live, about 11 miles outside of the town of Pahoa. It is approximately 20ft in diameter, which may seem small, but truly (and especially with all the space on the property, which you’ll soon learn about) it’s all we need! See also: … Read More

Panic. Sheer Panic. That’s what we felt after settling in (if you can call it that) at our new home in Kapoho, Hawaii. First, let me go back to tell you how we landed here. This post was originally published in 2007. It has since been updated for accuracy of … Read More

After 18 hours of travel (including layovers, shuttles, and Sonia’s poor car almost not starting at 6am!), we arrived in Honolulu tired but excited. We enjoyed some of the sights of Waikiki beach at sunset and a lovely dinner, before hitting the sack for a well-deserved night of sleep.Halloween day … Read More