The Overwhelming Homelessness in Hawaii

Hawaii is different from mainland America. One of the first things I noticed was the large amount of homelessness unlike anywhere I had seen before! 

After arriving, I walked out of the airport and decided to take a long walk and explore. During the beginning of my walk, I was next to a highway with overpasses. Underneath one of the roads that rose up was what looked like a homeless city. Many people lived underneath that road. 

Up ahead I saw a homeless man walk out of the darkness from underneath the large road and he turned and looked at me. He was a large man and had no shirt on and looked mean from a distance but when I got closer, he smiled and asked "hey, are you Amish?" Haha, I probably looked a little Amish because of my facial hair and my straw hat.

When I went to Hawaii my plan was to technically be without a home myself. Hawaii can be an expensive place and I did quite a bit of camping to save money on accommodation, however, that turned out to be a lot harder than expected because of legal shit. The government hates it.

I hope I don't sound mean or ignorant but from what I've seen in mainland America, I've always got the impression that the majority of homeless people are crazy or not quite right mentally. 

In Hawaii, I got a different impression. It actually seemed "normal". 

One day I was walking in a mall and I also was carrying my big backpack. A man working behind the counter of a Baskin-Robbins ice cream shop asked me where I was from as I was walking by. During our conversation, he told me that he sleeps under the bridge. I was shocked to learn that he was employed and homeless! He informed me that a large percentage of people are homeless in Hawaii. I asked why. "because It's easy!", he said excitedly.

I guess It's easy to see why. There is lots of fruit, It's warm and It's beautiful.

Me chilling in a secret spot.

 As I was walking along the beach in Waikiki one night, I was surprised to see many people were sleeping on it. I even saw a mother with her kid wrapped up together in blankets and sleeping. I usually try to hide when looking for a spot to sleep but from what I saw, It didn't look like many people even made an effort to hide. Waikiki was a generally crowded and touristy place and not very easy to find a hidden spot on the beach in that area. 

Seeing so many sleeping on the beach gave me the impression that it might be safe... 

But, please don't sleep on the beach in Waikiki, you might get woken up by some extroverted tweaker at 4 a.m. like I was.

I know now the importance of hiding.  So, I was shocked when I was walking around and saw many people camping in the city, On the sidewalk!  What the fuck???  Why? 

 Later, I read somewhere that in 2008, they passed a law in Hawaii that forbids people from camping on the beach which is what a lot of homeless people were doing back then. Of course, the reason for the law is about money. The government was afraid that people camping on the beach would look bad to tourists and tourism is a huge industry in Hawaii. 

So they all got kicked off the beach and now they camp on the sidewalk in the city and technically there is no law that says they can't. 

Some people are pushing for a law to keep them from pitching a tent on the sidewalk too but luckily for the homeless, they haven't been able to get that law approved yet. 

I was able to camp on the beach successfully but I had to be super careful and hide and I was caught and kicked out of my tent once even though I was about a mile away from a town. I was surprised to learn that some people are paid to search for campers.

However, the extreme strictness is mainly in Oahu. Oahu is a touristy island. I also went to Kauai which is a lot different from Oahu. Still had a lot of homeless though.

As you can see from the picture above, Kauai is the garden island.
There are no big cities like Honolulu. It has more towns and more countryside and a lot of the tourists that go there go there for hiking. 
When I first arrived in Kauai, I was very paranoid about cops because I had just come from Oahu. I had gotten chased by the cops in Oahu for simple things like starting a fire on the beach(not allowed), drinking pineapple wine on the beach(also not allowed), and one other minor third thing that I'm not going to put in this blog post(yet again, not allowed).

Alright, so the beach is public and it's fine to be on it but not legal to set up any kind of structure, even if it rains.

That would be considered camping.

 So I just decided to dig a big hole. Here's a pic of the shelter I made...  

The hole I slept in for 2 nights.

It was comfortable and dark and it even did a decent job of protecting me from rain. 

After spending a couple nights in my special sleeping hole, I continued to explore the island and walked to the next town. That night I searched the beach for a good camping spot. I walked a little far and found a very dark area of beach. It was quiet and seemed like a great spot. Just when I was about to open up my backpack, I heard a voice say "hello"
"Whoa! I didn't expect anyone was here" I replied surprised. 
"Yeah, I sleep here sometimes" she said. "really?, I was thinking of sleeping here tonight too." I said. 
 When she learned that I had a tent,she seemed very surprised. "You have a TENT?!! I just have a tarp". She got out her tarp and unfolded it and spread it out on the ground and then with a distressed and sad voice she said, "Oh No! It's wet"
Even, though Hawaii is a warm place, it was December at the time and can get a little chilly at night. 
I was standing there awkwardly looking down at the homeless woman who was lying down on the middle of a wet tarp in a fetal position. 
She had a light jacket on but no sleeping bag or anything.
"... uh, you look cold" I said. "Yes, I am cold" 
Even though my vision was limited from the darkness, It was a pathetically sad looking scene. I knew there was only one thing I could do to help and I felt uneasy about suggesting it to this person I just met.       
"Well, my tent is big enough for 2 people if you want to share".

She was extremely grateful and when we got in the tent she said,
"It's so warm in here, wow, this is First Class!"
We both agreed that sand is a very comfortable substance to sleep on. Beaches are very enjoyable places to camp, well, if I don't have to worry about cops kicking me out. 
If you wish to read and have not already; I wrote about some of my camping struggles in an earlier blog post.
 --> Be-careful-when-camping-in-oahu.

I got the impression that homeless people don't get as much sympathy in Hawaii. A friend who I met in Kauai and who was also homeless at the time told me that his Mom had been homeless in New York City before and had to steal food to survive. Obviously, it was a lot colder there too. So he got 0 amount of sympathy from her.  
He said that his Mom would always tell him something like, "So what? You're in Hawaii, go pick fruit."  

In this post are just some of my experiences with homelessness in Hawaii.
Thanks for reading.

Oahu Activity Recommendations

Oahu is an island filled with many tourists and many activities. Here are a few that I enjoyed:

Pearl Harbor

Of course visiting Pearl Harbor was an important must do activity while on that island.  When I arrived, I was surprised to find that the famous USS Arizona memorial was free! 

First they show everybody a video which explains a lot of history and has actual footage of Pearl Harbor during that time.

I was surprised how much I didn't know before that video. I didn't truly understand how tragic it was.  People swam through burning oil and many drowned with their sinking ships.
For example, The USS Oklahoma, a submarine that turned over with hundreds of sailors inside; they were trapped and never got out. 
There's a lot I could say about that video but it would be better for people to watch it themselves than for me to describe everything here.

After the video, We all got on a ferry which took us to the sunken USS Arizona.
Parts of the top of the ship were sticking up out of the water.

I also noticed rainbow spots on the water. "Is that from oil?!" I asked someone who worked at the memorial. She told me that it was indeed from oil that is still slowly leaking up from the sunken ship. I was shocked to hear that it was even after all those years! It was a reminder how big an impact that event made.

Luau

I got a deal to a Luau from Groupon.com,  It was $50,  which included pickup

from Waikiki and transportation back, the buffet dinner, 3 alcoholic drinks and a show.  
The sun was setting when we arrived and we watched Hawaiian men pull lift up the big pig that was cooked in a hole in the ground. After that we ate, drank, and watched the show. 
One thing I noticed during the show was that the women were ALWAYS smiling
I mean to a point that it was creepy. Their face was constantly in a smiling position and I never saw it leave. I don't actually believe they are that happy. They are probably not allowed to not smile. Even when I'm happy, I'm not smiling Constantly.
Anyway, the luau was a great experience. here are a few pics..

                           

Shark Cage

The Shark Cage was awesome! It cost $100 and the boat departed from a town called Haleiwa.  The company has been operating for years and with a perfect safety record. so relax. They also told us that these type of sharks did not see humans as prey and that the cage was more just for us to feel more comfortable about it. 

under my foot

They could have gotten his foot if they really wanted to

Vine trees

 One of the first things I noticed when I arrived were these large amount of... vine trees?  I'm not sure what else to call them but I enjoyed climbing and swinging on them so much that I didn't want to leave them off the list! 
And It's free! 
                             



                             

           

Dole Plantation

Yes, this the location of Dole. They had a free How to grow a pineapple demonstration inside and also free samples of pineapple.  

What wasn't free but really delicious was pineapple juice! It was so fresh.

They have tours of their massive gardens of fruit and a Giant maze. In 2008 it was the largest maze in the world.

Pineapple gum!

Stairway to Heaven

There are several hiking trails in Oahu. The one pictured above is Diamond Head. It's near Waikiki, and cost $1. It was alright but my most memorial hike on that island was the Stairway to Heaven, Also called Haʻikū Stairs. It's a bit less on the legal side. It's technically not allowed but many people do it and many people know that many people do it. There's over 100 hikers a week.

The stairway is a long metal staircase going up into the mountains. 3,922 steps. Most start this hike in the middle of the night, like at 2 a.m. or so to get past the guard (whose shift doesn't start till later) and to watch the sunrise from the top. The stairway is near a city called Kaneohe and you will have to walk through a residential area to get to the main gate.

 However, I have heard there is a legal way to access the stairs from the other side of the mountain and that also makes it  longer and harder.

So If you do decide to trespass (which I'm not necessarily recommending)   keep quiet and a low profile. 

Also, be careful. When I hiked it, it was in good condition even after years of being closed of thousands of hikers later but since it is closed to the public, there might not be anyone maintaining it if it does ever get damaged. It also got really slippery when it started raining on the way down.

highway from above

Nearby the start of the stairway is a building that was used in the T.V. show Lost. Since the filming, It had gotten a lot of graffiti. Also, it was completely empty inside.

Thanks for reading

Be Careful When Camping In Oahu

The great thing about being a vagabond with no obligations is being able to have a flexible schedule and flying on whatever day is cheapest. I was able to find a special deal to Oahu, Hawaii for $192 one way from San Diego! the only condition was that I had to leave on a Monday in November(it was October at the time)and that was no problem for me. Hawaii is in the middle of ocean and for such a big distance that was a cheap flight.
I had actually originally planned on going toward Europe, however, It didn't matter exactly where I go to me and I decided to take the flight deal to Hawaii.

I was wondering if someone would put those flower necklace things around my neck when I excited the plane but no one did.  :(

Oahu is a very touristy island. It is sometimes called The Gathering Place because that island has the most people on it compared to the other Hawaiian islands. I flew there with no reservations and my plan was to camp to save money. 
It seemed like a good idea since the island has a lot of nature and beach, however, I had quite a bit of trouble with it at first. It can be done and be enjoyable, however, there are a few things to keep in mind especially in Oahu. 

1. Territorial 
Practically everywhere I looked in Oahu had some type of No Trespassing signs. I have never seen so many No Trespassing signs anywhere else in my life! Every house and even forests seemed to Always have one of those damn signs. Certain public parks were also forbidden to be in after a certain time at night.

2. Mountains may be further than they appear

I had a terrible first day in Hawaii. I wasn't even going to write about it on this blog because I'm a little bit embarrassed but I just now changed my mind. 
I made a spontaneous decision after getting off the plane to walk to some mountains I saw in the distance. Those mountains were a lot further away than I expected.
I thought that because I could see the nature in the distance that it couldn't be TOO far away and also that I was tough and could walk a far distance and was in the mood for a long walk anyway.
I felt like I was so cool to be wandering around without a plan because I was a Real traveler! but then I eventually felt stupid and frustrated. It took me all day to get over there. I was also carrying my backpack and it was hot. I finally arrived where the nature was but there was one problem.. I was unable to get to it. Along those hills were houses everywhere and although the place I needed to be was right in front of me, I couldn't get there without going through someones backyard first!  I would definitely be seen or heard if I climbed over someone's backyard fence! I looked for a path or opening of some kind but it was a long hopeless road of houses, fences and No Trespassing signs. 
I was exhausted and shortly before the sun started to set, I was able to find a decent spot to sleep. It was near a bridge and a stream, however, I could not find anywhere that wasn't within eyesight of someone's house. I stayed quiet and hidden within the trees, bushes, and darkness. 

The next morning I woke up early and decided to go back to the airport and pretend that I had just arrived.

3. It rains.. A Lot

I took a few buses around the island and learned where they go and how to get around. I decided to take a bus to a beach and explore and find a good camping spot. I got off the bus in a small surfing town called Haleiwa. I thought it was funny that it had an organic health food store and a McDonalds right next to it. It was a nice town with a big park and many surfers. There was plenty of woods and nature around to hide my backpack in and I took a very long walk along that beach.

It was a great beach to explore. I walked very far away from the town and also saw a few sea turtles along the way.
Also I came across giant bubbles!

Oh, yeah. now about the rain part. 
I wandered far along that beach. I was surprised that I didn't make it to another town. Finally, the sun started to down as I was walking back towards Haleiwa. I was still probably 1 mile away from the town when I came across some sorta survival hut that someone built from wood and palm branches. Nobody was in it and it looked a little worn down.
There was nobody around me. I was alone in the dark and listened to the waves. I felt so free. The temperature was comfortable and there was a cool breeze. I laid on the soft sand and began to drift asleep.
Later in the night, I was awakened by a sudden downpour of rain! I hadn't yet pitched my tent in that area. I quickly went inside that structure that was near me but it didn't help much. The rain was heavy and easily passed through the leaves. In hardly anytime at all, I was soaked. That was a long terrible night of being wet and cold..  Fuck!
I quickly learned that it rains a lot there. It rained every night for at least some amount of time while I was on Oahu except in Waikiki for some reason? but everywhere else on that island It always rained sometime in the night.

4. Hide!

When I first arrived to Hawaii, I was still very early in my travels and had a lot to learn. OK, the mountains and the rain incidents were tough lessons but now everything is going to great! .. well, so I thought but yet again I made another mistake. -____-  

Well, actually I did pretty good, almost. the next few days were great.
I was shocked when I learned of the strict camping rules in Hawaii! Camping on the beach is not allowed. Also camping in the woods is not allowed. The only way to legally camp in Oahu is to pay $ at a campground or the sidewalk. Yes, it was technically legal to camp on the sidewalk. But I'll save my thoughts on all the homeless politics for another blog post. The point is I needed to be hidden.
In the daytime there was sometimes a few people walking on the beach and I wanted to stay out of sight from everyone. I was about 1 mile away from the town and around nothing but nature. Behind the beach was a vast forest.

here's some pics of those woods and the area I was camping in..

It was beautiful and I found a great secret camping spot in those woods. But of course the whole forest was Government Property and I wasn't even suppose to be in them.
But I wasn't hurting anything and I camped in that spot for the next 4 days.

I bought Virgil's Root beer from the health food store. I like Virgil's Root beer.. A lot

But as I was laying in my tent one morning, something terrible happened.
Suddenly, I heard footsteps outside and a voice said "hello".
I poked my head out the tent door. It was a man who worked for the government. He seemed angry and told me he that if I wasn't in my tent he had a right to take my stuff because I was camping on government property. He asked for my I.D. and I didn't argue with him.
He seemed mean at first but somehow I was able to have a friendly conversation. I started asking him questions about his job and he seemed to enjoy hunting down campers like he was some kind of badass bounty hunter or something. When I told him I had been there for 4 days already he was surprised that he had not found me for so long.
The reason he did find me was because he could see the blue of my tent through the trees while driving on a back road through those government owned woods. 
Before I left home to go travelling I bought a cheap tent from a Walmart. I didn't care or put any thought on the color. But now I know that it's super important to always Get a green tent! not a blue one!

This picture isn't of the spot I was caught in but I'm using it to emphasize the importance of a green tent. This was my tent that I had on the early part of my journey.

That government guy also told me that the survival structure someone built from wood and leaves would get torn down because sleeping in any type of structure is considered Camping. The beach however is public and is perfectly legal to be on it and at any time of the night or day.. just can't put up a structure. That pisses me off!

The government and the very frequent rain make makes it very difficult to sleep anywhere without a tent or a structure of some kind.

The man put my information from my I.D. into a computer and took a picture of me. He said I would get fined if caught again.

He also said that I could sleep there 1 more night and to leave by the morning.

I was surprised to have been found and also that people get paid to stop people from camping. As I walk along that beach sometimes I see a few other people camping too, like couples for example but I was farther from the town and more hidden than other campers I saw.

A few minutes after the government guy left, he came back and asked "hey, you're not gay are you?" It seemed like a strange and random question to ask. "no" I said. He then told me that someone was on the beach looking for some gay guy. His eyes opened wider and he said "he don't like gay people". Then he told me that he came back to make sure I wasn't gay for safety and he left again..

Well it sucked that I could no longer stay at my special camping spot. I enjoyed it for 1 last day.

I had mixed feelings toward him. I thought that guy seemed alright and appreciate that he let me stay another night and came back to check if I was gay but I really don't know why it's such a big deal to lay on the ground with a structure over my head.

I felt discouraged and defeated but I realized the mistakes I had made.

Also, another thing to keep in mind is that if I had taken the tent down in the daytime and pitched only in the darkness of night, then I know I wouldn't have been caught. At least not in the woods surrounded by trees.

I didn't camp for a few days after that. But eventually I regained my confidence and determination and was super cautious. Even if that meant digging a giant hole. I camped several more times in different spots around that island and did not get caught again.

By the way, hostels in Hawaii are about $30 a night!

that's expensive for a hostel. 

I probably should have sent couch requests on Couchsurfing.org before going to Oahu but I didn't expect camping to be so damn difficult! It was easy when I was at Niagara Falls.

Well, Actually I'm grateful for these experiences.