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<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nThis post was originally published in 2008. It has since been updated for accuracy of links and content. <\/em> FRUGAL TRAVEL & CHEAP SLEEP<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Upon picking up the car we reserved (which was the cheapest most compact car we could find), we immediately asked if they have any free upgrades available. Kelly didn’t really believe me when I said all you have to do is ask, so when the lady behind the counter tossed us the keys to a brand new blue Solara convertible with free gas, I garnered a new kind of respect! (The next form of respect came when, after stewing on our exorbitant insurance fees overnight, I realized that by charging the rental to my Visa card we had free insurance – hence a trip back to the rental counter to save an additional $30\/day)! <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n See also: How to Travel on a Budget: 14 Creative Tips that Nobody Talks About<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Once our rental details were sorted out, we had the island to ourselves to enjoy thoroughly.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n In the spirit of adventure and frugality (seeing that my oh-so-lucrative writing career doesn’t exactly pave the way to the Hilton just yet – well maybe it does, as you’ll learn later), we decided that it might be kicky to sleep in the car every other night. To us, it justified the cost of renting a car for the week, as well as the environmental impact of driving after two months of none such extravagances. Don’t ask – it made sense to us at the time. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n (In our defence, and much to my surprise, we discovered that many hostel\/frugal travelers employ the same strategy).<\/span> Although we had already seen a bit of Hilo, venturing beyond the downtown area was new to us. After taking care of some business and errands on our first day, we found ourselves looking for a place (I mean – parking spot) to turn in for some rest.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n “Ooh! Let’s sleep in the Rainbow Falls parking lot (near Hilo), so we can wake up to see the falls at sunrise! I hear the morning rainbows are legendary,” I said enthusiastically. Seemed like a good idea. Really, it did. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n But after two hours of trying to sleep and being disturbed by truckload after truckload of local “kids” pulling in to drink, smoke, and do donuts, we realized we had chosen a pretty poor snoozing spot. Off to the next parking spot. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n An uneventful six hours later, we were bleary-eyed and bushy-tailed (and a little smelly), but no worse for wear and ready to kick it into high gear for the day.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n Check out my Travel Lifestyle Guides<\/span><\/a> for more ways to earn money remotely, spend it wisely, and balance the two so you can travel as long as you wish, in a financially sustainable way.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n JUMPING OFF 12-TON BRIDGE<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n “You have to take the 4-mile scenic drive on your way out of the city,” a guy at the local hostel<\/span> told us. He gave us a few further tips on small hiking trails to take from this road for awesome views, as well as the low-down on 12-ton bridge. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n “Just past the Botanical Gardens – don’t bother (our kind of guy) – you’ll see a white-washed bridge with a 12-ton sign: that’s 12-ton bridge”. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n No. Couldn’t be. “Okay, what next?” I asked, wondering what the punch line was. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n “Next? Jump off it!”<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n Hmmm. This could get interesting. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n We arrived at 12-ton bridge, already awed by the spectacular scenery and impressed with our advice received so far. But when we took a look over the rails of the bridge ready to jump, we paused. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n “How many feet do you think that is?” I asked Kelly, trying to mask the slight tremor in my voice. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n “Ummm,” he said, trying to do the same, “Maybe\u202625 feet?”<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n Right. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n “Is that a rock I see just below the surface of the water?” was my next question. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n “Yep.” <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n Right. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n Needless to say, instead of jumping off (we decided that’s how dumb tourists die), we scrambled down the wet slippery rocks to play in the waterfall down below. In retrospect, our choice of rocks to scramble down was even more treacherous than the jump would have been, but our spiffy rock-climbing skills saved the day. The other side was practically wheelchair accessible, of course. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n The waterfall ran through an old lava tube, and although the water was chilly, it was a fun frolic and a great way to cool off. Before we left, some local Hawaiians came by to play, and they indeed jumped off. Seeing where exactly they jumped from and how they landed in the water, we figured we had no excuse not to jump in ourselves. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n So we left.<\/span> THE NORTH SHORE<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n Much of the northern shore of Hawaii has very little to offer in terms of stops, beaches, towns, and accommodations. The first half (north-eastern Hawaii – we were driving counter-clockwise from Hilo) is known as waterfall alley, replete with postcard-perfect lush mountain waterfalls and deep valleys. It all meets the ocean quite abruptly and although it makes for many stunning scenic points, there are very few other reasons to stop. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n Except for Tex’s Drive-In. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n No, it’s not a movie, nor a fast food joint. Okay, it is a fast-food joint, but that’s not what they’re famous for. People make the long drive here to stop for their hot Malasadas. A malasada is a square-shaped Portuguese donut, with layers of soft sweet dough covered in sugar. For extra decadence, you ask them to inject Bavarian cr\u00e8me into it.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n After inhaling one each, we looked at each other, silently played rock-paper-scissors, and (despite the result) walked back in for two more. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n The second half of the drive on the north shore (the north-western section of the island), is all owned by the Parker empire. John Parker, one of the original “settlers” in Hawaii, after making great strides to put Hawaii on the economical map with trade and farming, was given this section of the island by King Kamehameha as a token of his thanks. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n To this day, the Parker “empire” (I’m not sure if it’s still a family or just a conglomerate) still owns the land, and what is not run by them, is leased by them. And all of it is ranch-land. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n This is an amazing part of Hawaii to see\u2026.rolling green meadows and pastures, coffee fields, cows grazing, snow-capped volcanoes in the distance, and ocean 3,000 feet below on the other side. But\u2026all in all, it’s not much more than a day trip.<\/span> SLEEPING AT THE HILTON<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n After some excellent body-surfing at one of the most beautiful beaches in the world (by reputation – not just my opinion), we searched for our next parking-lot-hotel. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n Once the darkness set in, it became difficult to determine exactly where we were, and we were getting pretty tired. We turned into what we later discovered was the employee parking lot for the ritziest group of hotels on the island. We were behind an upper-crust plaza full of expensive brand name stores, so we figured the riff-raff wouldn’t be bothering us tonight. At worst, security might ask us to move. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n It was when we arose the next morning that we realized just how ritzy the area was, and a certain feeling of proud rebellion set in. We slept at the Hilton\u2026for free! <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n Well, sort of.<\/span> KONA<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n The drive south along the west coast of Hawaii sees beautiful ocean and beaches on the right-hand side (with distant views of Maui’s mountains on a clear day), and Hawaii’s coffee-country, ranch land, and beautiful mountains on the left. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n Almost every day, rain stalls over the mountains and coffee-country (located about 1,000ft above sea level), and leaves beach-lovers beautiful sunshine for the day. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n During our stay in Kona, we enjoyed more beaches, beautiful drives, and a taste of Kona’s traffic. The small highway on either side of the highly populated tourist destination is jam-packed both ways, pretty much regardless of the time of day. We silently thanked our lucky stars that once we settled in Kona we wouldn\u2019t have a car to contend with this traffic.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n An interesting diversion from the traffic of Kona, however, is the roadside graffiti. Instead of spraypaint, the rebellious defacers of property don’t even deface property – they use white stones! Their designs (usually initials or proclamations of love) stand out against the dark lava background, and although it is a little controversial among the locals, I like it. Heck – it’s better than spray paint. I managed to attend a Rotary meeting in Kona, and we enjoyed some relaxation time and acquainted ourselves with the hostel we would be work-trading at<\/a>, where we would be hanging our hats after we finished our trip around the island. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n We also enjoyed beds, showers, free internet, and the other perks of sleeping somewhere that isn’t on wheels.<\/span>
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<\/p>\n\n\n\nDriving Around Hawaii, First Stop: Hilo <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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