Dear Hawaii,

Here are some of the things that I learned about Hawaii the hard way.

Information (aka, asking the right questions)- Now pay attention here because this is VERY IMPORTANT! In Hawaii, whether it is with natives or non-natives, it does not matter. If you want to know something specific, then you have to ask something specific. I don't know if it's due to years of tourists asking a million questions or what, but important information seems to be left out if you did not specifically ask for it. Let me give you a few "for instances".
FOR INSTANCE: Let's say you are going to a far off land to work on someone's farm or gardens. You find them on a website dedicated to finding people to work on their farms or gardens. You wouldn't think to ask the very, what I think is, obvious question of, "Do you have any gardening tools?".

The only two tools we had to work with...yikes

FOR INSTANCE: Again, let's say that this same, alleged, farm or garden person advertises and confirms through your communication that they are located close to town, shopping centers, beaches and buses. Do you assume that this means that you can get to these places easily? Especially since this person is not providing food for your stay, and you touched on the food accessibility topic many times in communication? In other places...maybe. But in Hawaii, you need to ask specifically, "You are close to town, yes, BUT...will we be able to get to town? Or will there be a large switchback hill with no sidewalks and treacherous cliffs on either side that is absolutely impossible, and extremely dangerous if you try, to walk?".
FOR INSTANCE: If you were going to work on an organic farm in rural Hawaii, with the agreement of house and animal sitting for a few dogs and cats, for a few weeks, would you ever think that the "animal" sitting would be 4 dogs, 18 cats and about 50 chickens who all roam free INSIDE the house? Would you also think to ask the question about what specific type of "organic" plants they are growing?  And if they are legal or not?
FOR INSTANCE: When you are renting a car (granted from a local establishment), would you think that they only take cash and only have standard transmission cars available? And would you think that if both of those were the case, that the establishment would inform you of this before you showed up to pick up the car? 
One last for instance, because I could go on all day with these.
FOR INSTANCE: Say you want to rent a vacation home for a week on your first time to Hawaii. The location, price and ammenities are exactly what you want. Do you assume that the person renting the place to you is legally allowed to, based on the fact that they are the ones advertising the rental? Or do you ask if their renters lease allows them to sublet their place out to strangers for money? Do you assume that when they advertise it as a house, that it's not an in-law apartment attached to the Landlord's house, who isn't to know that you are renting from THEIR renter? Not usually. And do you think to ask if they believe in electronic devices such as TV's and microwaves for your stay over THANKSGIVING?!?!?! Nope. 

Anyway, like I said, MANY examples. Just make sure you know exactly what you want to know, before asking the questions. But no matter how well informed you think you are, chances are, Hawaii will throw something at you that you would have never thought of.

Sidewalks-there aren't any. Well, I guess if you're in the city, or bigger town, they have some downtown, but anywhere else, good luck. There's barely a shoulder on the road and the people don't drive very safely.

Public transport on Oahu-(there are many points here)
     -They are NEVER on time. I would say the average was 15-20 minutes late, but there were multiple times we waited for an hour or so.
     -Transfers-I got a different explanation of the transfer tickets by many people. For the longest time, I was under the impression that you could only use it for continuous travel in the same direction. It wasn't until the very end of my time on Oahu that I found out that you could use the transfer for your return trip as well. Thank you Hawaii for unnecessarily taking even more of my money.
     -Why do you change some of the bus numbers halfway through their route? There was a time that we sat in Haleiwa, waiting for the #55 bus forever, while a million (slight exaggeration) #52 buses went by. I finally called THEbus (yes, that's their catchy name) and asked if the #55 came through there and when. When the operator stated that the #55 did in fact come through Haleiwa, he was ready to wrap up the call. I had to think quick to find out the more important, hidden, information. "Does the #55, by any chance, change numbers anywhere before Haleiwa?", I asked. "Oh yea, yes it does! It changes to the #52 bus right before it hits Haleiwa". Good to know! Just sayin'.
     -The no luggage rule. How in the world can a place that is KNOWN for it's tourism industry have a bus system that does not allow luggage on it? The buses in Seattle (and quite honestly in many places I've been) either have a shelf above the seats, or an opening in the middle for people with luggage to stand, etc. This was quite possibly the single most inconvenient aspect to traveling independently in Hawaii.

     -Transfer points-HAHA! This one makes me laugh. Dear Hawaii, In my mind, a transfer point would be where I could get off one bus to wait for another bus to get on. A transfer point is not where you drop me off on the meridian of two intersecting highways and have me walk a quarter mile (crossing over said highways) to the bus stop where my other bus has already passed me by. The only thing I could think of when I was at these "transfer points" was an elderly person trying to make use of the public transportation system. Good luck!

Public transport on the Big Island of Hawaii- Get rid of what you have. It's useless. (At least on the Hilo side)

Descriptions-
-A "gentle incline" is not something that makes me want to die by the time I reach the top.
-A Shrimp truck and a few white plastic tents selling Hawaii souvenirs, does not a "Town" make.
-A BARELY two lane road that averages a speed limit of 35 MPH is NOT A "HIGHWAY"!
-The ability to rent old junker cars out of your dilapidated barn, in the middle of nowhere, is not a "Business".
-Hilo is not a "city"
-and I'm sorry, but the Hilo Farmers Market is not (or should not be) "World Famous"!

Camping- You'd think that camping would be a big thing in Hawaii. That there'd be a nice supply of private and public campgrounds and campers. Alas, no. There are many state parks and state run campgrounds but a reservation and stay at one of them does not come without jumping through a few hoops. There are camping permits, but the permits vary depending on when and where and how long you want to stay somewhere. There are also rules about when and how you can get the permits themselves. Each facility has different rules pertaining to length of stay, tents, cars, pets, food and ALL of them are closed on Wednesdays and Thursdays for "maintenance and cleaning". I was told this is to keep people (mainly hippies and homeless) from being able to live in the campgrounds and on the beaches, but I have news for you Hawaii, it's also making it EXTREMELY difficult for the financially challenged to enjoy a non resort Hawaiian experience. Thank you again. (p.s. for anyone wanting to camp, there is ONE great campgrounds we found called Malaekahana campgrounds, www.malaekahana.net, on the windward side, between Laie and Kahuku. Chickens, roosters and cats galore roam free and they have a different idea of "comfort zone", but the location, sites and staff are great! Just make sure you bring your own toilet paper and know that Wednesdays and Thursdays are PACKED!).

Campsite 2-I at the Malaekahana Campgrounds A tent, a hammock and a Martzy fashioned windscreen

Rental cars- If anyone refers you to a man named Aaron, on the Big Island, around the Pahoa area, say "No thank you.".

When the directions include two and a half miles of mango grove and a blue paint chipped gate, it should raise a red flag or two. If not, then when you can't tell which building is the one you're supposed to go to because they are all over grown with weeds, roofs and walls collapsing with piles of old car carcasses scattered around, then you should turn and leave. But if you proceed and a white haired, barefoot man with a two foot long beard comes out, of what I suspect is a house, to greet you, smelling suspiciously like a certain glaucoma prescription medication, a light bulb should surely go off in that dense melon of yours. At that point though, you've already invested so much naivete that you might as well seal the deal, but thank your lucky stars (in retrospect) when critical details are just now being revealed that bring the whole adventure to a screeching halt.  

Shuttle buses vs. Taxis-Oh man! Where to even start. Lauren and I got an earful from one very discouraged shuttle bus driver about the corruption in the tourism industry between the resorts and the taxi companies. First, do not ever ask the front desk of your hotel to arrange a cab for you. It will be OUTRAGEOUSLY expensive! Second, do not use a taxi at all, if you are going to/from the airport. They will take whatever you have in your wallet. Third, if any form of transportation, taxi's or shuttles, try to charge you for your luggage, they are pocketing that for themselves. You should NEVER have to pay for your luggage to be transported with you. Other than on an airlines, who is probably doing the same thing. Anyway, take a shuttle. There are Hawaii information guides all over the place that have coupons in them and you can find quite a few shuttles that way. They charge anywhere from $7-$12 one way and some will let you purchase roundtrip transport for a lower rate. I had nothing but good experiences with shuttles, especially these guys- www.mahaloshuttle.com. Although I would have rathered take the bus, if I would've been allowed to take my LUGGAGE on with me!

Japanese tourists- There are thousands, if not millions of them. You just have to keep reminding yourself that they have a different culture. They may not be used to personal space the way we are, or choosing a side of the sidewalk or door to go through. But no matter how strong the urge, you have to remember that elbowing and punching your way through a crowd is rude in any culture.

Hostel dorm ettiquette-I'll get into that at a different time. In my three hostel stays, equaling about 5 weeks total, I had 51 roommates. None of which were Hawaiian, so I have no beef with Hawaii about any of that.

I think that might be the bulk of it Hawaii. All in all, I had an amazing experience! But you sure do make it hard to visit on a budget. It's too bad that the big resorts and car rental chains dictate so much of the tourism industry, because there is so much more to Hawaii than that. I am thankful for all of these glorious tidbits of knowledge that I am now the proud owner of. I met many wonderful (and some not so wonderful) people. I got my hands dirty, literally, in the soil of two of your islands. I ate the most amazingly delicious and exotic fruits, smelled a perfect medley of tropical flowers and saltwater that I wish could be bottled. I swam with and meditated with sea life that I thought only dreams were made of and soaked in the bountiful, love drenched rays of the Hawaiian sun. I connected with Mother Nature and most importantly with myself on your beaches, in your jungle, on your back roads, in the lava ponds and in the sea. You tested my patience and my will, and I came out the other side a stronger, more adaptable person for it (even if you did rape my bank account).

I thank you, Hawaii, for every moment, whether it be joyful or tearful, of my two and half months with you!