I knew to expect the gorgeous beaches, lush rainforest, and toasty weather, and I found them. But what I found and didn't expect was a whole semi-permanent community of tenting homeless along the Waianae Coast of Oahu, the least touristy area.

After reading about a volunteer garbage pickup here, I drove up along the coast to see it for myself. There's a recent huge resort development that has started nearby, which is causing a big stir.

Associated Press has an interesting article about it. Everyone seemed to have a pickup truck and lots of stuff. This image of homeless was different from what I'm used to, living in downtown Vancouver.

A related thing of interest is these baskets I found attached to some of the garbage cans. The point would be to not through food in the bins in the first place so that people don't have to dig through garbage to pick it out again. Their website about "eating in public" www.nomoola.com is a bit out there but an interesting read as long as you're ready to skim.