Kaua'i Camping Trip - Day Two: Thursday Punished (Part 1)

After worrying about the van accident as I fell asleep and using a folded up towel as a pillow, I felt less than refreshed as we all trekked off to the Waipa Foundation at a quarter to eight.

The Waipa Foundation was started by a family who bought up a bunch of land to keep it from being developed, and it now also does environmental education and Hawaiian cultural education. So, we were there to help a bunch of auntys and uncles make poi for the whole community.

We split up to help at the different stations, some of us cooking taro, some peeling it, and some cleaning it. Peeling it basically entailed scooping the chunks out of water and rubbing the charred skin off of the taro with your hands. Needless to say, these were all messy jobs.



It was really a wonderful experience. The elders were all so lovely and happy to share their traditions, especially Uncle Calvin (in the red board shorts). When we said goodbye he told me I had to come back and that he loved me. I felt very special to have been included in such a longstanding tradition. The kids really enjoyed it as well. Plus, we were treated to a delicious lunch of chicken stew, rice, and poi of course.



Waipa was an amazing place to experience being a part of the community that Kaua'i is. Everyone who entered made sure they gave an aloha, hug, and kiss on the cheek to everyone present. The older men did the traditional greeting with each other where they put their hands on the back of each others' necks and pressed their foreheads together. This was a part of Hawaii I feel like I never would have been privileged to experience on Oahu; it's too developed and spread out.

The Foundation's land was awesomely beautiful, and they're doing their best to run a sustainable farm. All of the taro peel and scraps were put into tubs for pig slop. We all got a kick out of the piglets! And, between working and lunch, we were sent across the street to a beautiful beach. Unfortunately I was unprepared for the possibility of beach time and just got to stick my feet in.



Oh, and I definitely still hate poi...even though M said this had a nice smoky flavor, it still basically didn't taste like anything to me and had the texture of elephant snot or something. Not my cup of tea. The Hawaiian girls dug right in though!



So, after having an excellent morning, I thought maybe my luck was turning.

I was wrong.