Aloha and all that

That Starbucks gift token had turned us into sort of fiends for hunting out Starbucks – not something we'd been accustomed to before! It was quite a fun mini-adventure in itself. We became quite attached to our Starbucks quests. Our last was sipping cold Frappucinos in Honolulu airport (we had rather a long time between flights) and tentatively nibbling the only morsels of food we could afford to buy there. Turned out our flight from LA to Honolulu, despite being over a lunchtime, did not offer us any food, and we'd only scrounged a blueberry muffin from that accursed hostel.

Arriving in Hawaii we were suddenly back to that humid heat we'd left behind when we arrived in winter. It took a bit of getting used to. The airport was like a whole new world. So laid back, with all the staff in Hawaiian shirts – even the little icons on the toilet signs. We flew from Honolulu to Hilo on the Big Island, and were met there by our first couchsurfing host, Robert. He seemed to be the king of couchsurfing there. As we travelled round everyone we met had either stayed with Robert, had heard of him, or were hosting surfers who had already stayed with him. As he drove us out of the airport he pointed out Obama's plane just casually parked – the spare one he uses when it's not Air Force One. I suppose it makes sense that he spent the holidays in Hawaii!

His house was full of Basque/Spanish girls who seemed to have been busily checking out our profile and already knew everything about us. We were a teeny bit jet-lagged, but for these guys it was party time. They gave us beers and hot food and we played music videos on YouTube until Paul and I finally caved and went to bed. Next morning the Spanish girls gave us some thoughts about where to go, and warned us about centipedes. I kid you not. I thought they were joking, but apparently if a centipede bites you it could go pretty badly. We never saw a centipede, but just thinking about them made me giggle a little bit.

Robert gave us a lift into downtown Hilo to have a look at a great farmer's market and meet a Scottish friend of his who ran a ukulele shop. Hilo's a hippy and tourist paradise. Some lovely shops with merchandise way too expensive for us to think about buying. We found a free bus (dominated by an unhinged Hawaiian girl) and went to wander along some beaches. We even saw a turtle just swimming around a secluded little pool, which was cool.

Back at Robert's was a whole new set of couchsurfers to replace the Spanish girls – Emily, Billy and Grace. Billy and Grace were musicians who were spending a while trying to earn money playing on the Big Island, and Emily was WWOOFing on the island for a few months. She had just had a bike accident and seemed worryingly spaced out. Seemed like she needed the doctor to check her head over again. That evening we were going to the Hilo kava bar to see Billy and Grace play. He does gypsy fiddle type stuff, and she does a sort of folk-rap. They put on a really good show, and Paul got to join in with a bit of fiddling now and then. Kava is this stuff native to this part of the world which you grind up and drink as a tea, or put in brownies, or whatever you can think of, and has a similar effect to marijuana. It was a great night, and afterwards we headed back to Robert's to eat a curry I'd made and have guacamole which Robert seems to have on tap. We'd also made use of these crazy tiny red Hawaiian chillies which we'd completely underestimated the strength of. People were gasping for more yoghurt, but we found the chillies very exciting and I bashed the remainders up the next day to make a powerful hot sauce. I was so entranced by it I took a photo.

We woke on New Year's Eve to find the Spanish girls back. They'd been rumbled by the police for camping without a permit and had crawled back into the welcoming fold of Robert's living room. With our new wheels we took a drive up the island, stopping at some gorgeous botanical gardens (in the rain – this side of the island isn't so lush and green without reason) and looked at beaches and views. That evening the Spanish girls had decided to organise a party at Robert's. Emily, Billy and Grace were back, and then a couple more people turned up. There was great food, dancing, musical times (got to have a bit of a jam with Billy and Grace, and do a few songs as well). The Spanish girls did some Basque dancing, and Paul made shortbread and sang Auld Lang Syne with everyone. Probably one of the best New Year parties I've been to, in fact. It was a weird feeling to be among the last people in the world to celebrate it.

We finally managed to prize ourselves from Robert's hospitable arms on New Years Day and took the car to Volcano to meet our new host, Seth. Robert had invited Seth to the party, but he seemed to have had an adventure of his own that night. It was amazing he was alive and in to receive us! His house was one of the most unusual we've stayed in. It's a series of wooden-frame domes covered with tarpaulins, plus an outside toilet shack and outside shower. No electricity or light – basically camping indoors. It was very cool. We were staying on the top floor of the main dome which had ropes for swinging on hanging from the roof.

After a bit of coffee with Seth we drove to the volcano national park. It was so very cool to hike around an actual live volcano. We went round the rim and across a crater floor and the frozen lava. So surreal, like being on another planet. A scene from Star Trek or something, with all the rainforest-esque landscape around it. We saw steam vents, sulphur pits, and the glowing crater after dark. It was quite an adventure finding Seth's place again because there are no street lamps around Volcano, and moreso when we found it and fumbled around with candles for a while because he wasn't in to turn the generator on.

The next day we were all feeling very optimistic about sunshine coming out (it always rained heavily overnight, but was often sunny for at least some of the day) and so went for a beach theme. We started off at another very cool farmer's market (in the pouring rain), and then went snorkelling in some tidal pools. Because of the rain there was no-one else there, but it let off for a bit so Paul and I could take it in turns to use Seth's snorkel. Neither of us had done it before, and I really wasn't expecting how beautiful it was. It was actually amazing, despite the rain.

Then we went to some naturally hot pools and were nibbled by some fish, before going to a local hippy beach where they have a big drumming session every Sunday. On our way down to the path a guy asked us, 'want any bud?' and when we all politely declined, angrily shouted, 'what the fuck are you coming to the beach for, then? Just to look at naked people?' There wasn't much going on as the rain had chased many away, but there were a good few naked stoned people and drums. The waves looked lethal – you've got to worry for the hippies. I wouldn't be surprised if that place had its share of Sunday deaths

We waited for darkness at the place where the lava from the volcano flowed across the road and into the sea. Despite our optimism, the rain had not let off and was pummelling down harder than ever, and us in our skimpy beach clothes. The volcano area is not really a warm place, either. We did try and wait for a break in the rain before heading for the flow, but could not avoid several bone-chilling drenchings. It was worth it, though. We arrived quite early and got front row seats (the people behind us constantly moaned about it – 'maybe the front row should move to let people behind have a look... that guy in the hat is in the way...' etc. Well maybe they should have got there earlier and waited longer in the rain like we did. We deserved our view). It started off as a vast volcanic landscape with a little glow. Then suddenly the glow erupted as a whole flow of lava broke through the crust and trickled down. It was a bit like watching paint dry, but in a fun way. A bit more exciting. And as it got darker more glowing trails appeared all over the hillside. It was amazing to watch the flow approach. Another surreal moment. We filmed it so along with the New Year party and some of our other adventures in the USA, it's part of our USA video.

We ended the evening with some songs, tunes, and quesadillas with Seth, and then prepared to leave the next day. That morning we finally braved the outdoor shower (as I mentioned, Volcano is not warm), and then headed up Saddle Road across the centre of the island. This road is normally out of bounds to rental cars because sections of it are loose gravel, but we were determined to cross it because in the middle was the highest mountain in the world, Mauna Kea. It's not actually the highest mountain above sea-level, but as its base is on the ocean floor, it's technically the tallest. It's very important to the Big Island because it is home to all the observatories. And with some of the clearest skies available, these are top observatories. Anyone who's anyone has an observatory there. The UK has 2. We reached the visitor's centre and immediately noticed the colder, thinner air. The next bit of the road (to the summit) was definitely out of bounds to us, but the Spanish girls had managed it fine in their rental, and we were feeling a bit daring. Although the couple stranded at the visitor's centre because their rental car had been totalled on loose rocks was a bit of a concern.

The summit was about as high as the highest point of the Inca Trail (with no chance to get acclimatised) and it was freezing cold and windy. There was a bit of hiking to do, and then a breathtaking view of the volcanic rocky landscape below. It would have been stunning to see at night, but it might have been a bit much for the car. Taking it on that road was nerve-racking enough in the daytime. On the way back down we noticed that Paul's iPod had stopped working again (hark back to Peru and Bolivia). It worked again at a lower elevation – so it seems as though it doesn't like certain altitudes as it had stopped when at altitude in Puno before.

The other side of the island was nice and sunny, and we found a nice beach with some historic ruins, and watched the sunset. Then to our next couchsurf hosts – Shannon and Ronja. They're both massage therapists and live in a fancy condo complex in Waikoloa Village. They had access to a hot tub and a pool, and let me into their store-cupboard to do some cooking (I love other people's ingredients). They'd also heard of Robert, and were meant to be hosting the Basque girls next. Funny. And out at night from there, being so close to Mauna Kea, the stars were amazing. I've never seen so many, or the sky so dark.

Next day we'd discovered from a sign at the Observatory visitor centre that the BBC was filming at a nearby beach LIVE. What's more it was a Prof Brian Cox show (sadly he wasn't there). So much excitement was not to be missed. We hurried down and watched for a bit, talking to some of the amateur astronomers who were being featured in the special on sun-gazing. To our joy they invited us to come and see their telescopes. We got into conversation about astronomy and science communication, and soon found ourselves manning telescopes and being in the background of the shots. So very surreal – live on British TV from Hawaii. We learnt a lot to, and saw yet another facet of Big Island life with the astronomy society people.

Now, for us this trip is one big liminal zone – a transitional year if you would. That means we're a danger to ourselves and others in ethnological terms. Oh yes, we are.

After the sun-gazing we drove to a place recommended by Ronja for a hike. Truly it was beautiful, but possibly one of our most dangerous times of the trip so far. That bit of the island was another rain zone, for a start. Despite that it all began well with an amazing view and a steep walk down to a nice beach. After that there were paths (unmaintained, we later read). The direction we took was to be my decision, and even though it was muddy and bugs bit us everywhere, it was still going well. Still lovely views, still a nice walk. But then the path we were following got a little steep. To the extent that if we were to keep following it we would have to abseil down the cliff-side using ropes that were tied to some trees. A normal person would turn back, especially someone with our low level of fitness, but Paul seemed confident he could make it and I trusted him. I did, however, have quite a fear of death as I backed down that valley-side with no idea how long I would have to be doing it for. In fact, it was a teeny bit terrifying and I decided that there must be another way round once we reached the bottom which would mean we wouldn't have to go back up that way.

We actually made it down in one piece, and I had a bit of an adrenalin high from it. The path led to a bamboo forest, through which was one magical-looking corridor. The bamboo tunnel spat us out onto a dry river-bed paved in boulders. We followed it down towards the sea and found a camp surrounded by ropes of the same ilk as the ones we'd climbed down, with tarpaulins hidden in the bushes to cover the ropes at night. It looked like it had recently been inhabited. We had a look at the sea, and then I got it into my head that if we followed the river bed in the other direction, we would find another way round and back into our original valley. Wrong. We scrambled over the rocks in the river bed for about an hour before Paul put his foot down and turned back. His shoes were split and he was not a happy bunny. I was a little bit concerned about the lateness of the day, and had to accept the inevitable of scaling back up that rope path. For the record, it was a nice walk through the valley! So peaceful, secluded, green, etc etc.

We were making good time and found the rope camp in half the time it had taken to get as far as we had. But then we couldn't find the bamboo tunnel. No matter how hard we searched the river bank, we just couldn't find a way back onto the path, and without that we'd never find the ropes again. We were stuck, and Paul panicked. Plus we were both tired and weak from not much food. We searched around in a whirl for about half an hour, finally pushing our way through forest in a rough direction, hoping we'd find the ropes again. I was beginning to wonder if anyone was meant to use the rope path except for the people who had made that camp. Perhaps this was their secret spot. It all seemed a bit dodgy and weird. We even stumbled across a ruined village down there. We were at the point of despair – we were lost and it was starting to rain again – but then I saw the entrance to the bamboo tunnel, and we were saved.

Except now it was really pissing down with rain, and what had been a risky abseil was now a slippery death-trap of mud. I realised how badly prepared we were for this hike – we had no first aid kit and no way of getting help if one of us got injured (which was very possible, even in the river bed) save going out and waving at a helicopter. Hopefully the girls would call someone when we didn't come home, and they'd discover our forlornly abandoned hire-car. We had no desire to stay the night at the dodgy rope-camp either, so we were very pleased to find our way again.

I think it was only a rush of adrenalin that got me up the rope path. At one point my sunglasses fell out of my pocket and rolled down the hillside behind me. And what did I do? I lowered myself carefully backwards to get them, kicking stones loose which fell and knocked the glasses further out of my grasp. I don't know how we both managed it. I really thought I was going to die, and the rain all the while was hurtling down making the path more and more dangerous. What if our strength failed? What if we slipped?

We made it back up (with an hour and a half's walk still to go). I was so relieved. I'm NEVER doing that again. We warned some passers-by – if you see a path with ropes hanging down it, don't be tempted. Just turn back. I think we must have looked very dishevelled. When we reached the car again on the other side of the other valley, what did we find? There had been a way round the valley by the beach. And there was us risking death going up and down. Very funny. Anyway, we got back alive, tired, muddy, and bleeding just a little. Back in time for tea, as is the rule for all good adventurers. The girls had invited their friends round and our first words through the door: epic. They all laughed, because they were making 'epic cookies'. I was enlisted to make another couple of store-cupboard curries, which was fun. One of the visitors, Bonnie, had violin, and was interested in Scottish music. We had some tunes and some good craic generally.

The next day was our last on the Big Island. We drove back to Hilo to kill time before taking the car back to the airport. Paul bought a Hawaiian shirt (well, you couldn't expect him not to, could you?). I had acquired a Hawaiian dress from Grace, so we were all kitted out. We even bought Paul new walking boots. Our last stop was Honolulu, which most people had warned us was a rubbish place. But we only had a day there so we weren't bothered. Our final host, Kimberly, picked us up and presented us with garlands of flowers like in the movies. We spent our Honolulu day walking around the beaches and the city. It was big and touristy, and indeed it was a bit like Miami. But it was much nicer, and was situated among some very different style mountains to the Big Island. We went to Waikiki beach, and were glad we didn't spend our whole trip around there. But all in all we were pleasantly surprised by the place. I even found a gallery showing the paintings of this artist I'd become obsessed with when I was 12 or 13 (Christian R Lassen).

We left early in the morning, and as a result Paul managed to lose yet another useful thing – the power adaptor. That definitely put a dampener on things. But no matter – next we were to be crossing the dateline (oh the confusion!) and heading to Fiji.

All in all, Hawai'i was amazing. It's a beautiful place with none of the difficulties we found in places like Cuba, and it didn't feel like a part of the US either. We met some great people and had some great times. What's more, we managed to stay in budget! What a triumph!