the turquoise trail

Hawaii; the big island I like to think of the big island of Hawaii as the rural island; it's raw, far less developed & has lots of wide open space (relative, of course.. you can still drive across the island in less than 2 hours..).  This is the island to come to if you like getting off the beaten track and nature is more your thing!  Some of my favourite things from a week on Hawaii.. {hiking} Kaumana Caves Park I did very little hiking during my stay on the big island.. the hiking I did do was mainly short sight-seeing type hikes.  Unfortunately, the Waipio Valley was closed due to a dengue fever outbreak, but I hear it has great hiking!  Kaumana Caves Park is just outside of Hilo and has a lava tube that you can follow for at least 1km!  It's really neat to see.. I'd recommend taking a light & coming back through the lava tube - the surface trail isn't well maintained or marked.  Green Sand beach is on the southern part of the island and...

So.. the fact that the people I travelled around Barbados with are likely going to read this is giving me serious writers block.  Hence the ridiculous procrastination.  However, Barbados is awesome, so I'm going to write about it anyway and hopefully I'll still be invited back! I spent the first two weeks of December in Barbados.. and I already want to go back.  It was a very unplanned trip.. I booked the flight about a week before I left, stayed with a friend, and made the rest up as I went along.  Because it was so unplanned, I'll just give you my highlights.. East Point, Barbados {East Point} This one is pretty high up there on my favourite spots in Barbados.  The rugged coastline paired with the sound of crashing waves is nothing short of perfection.  It also happens to include a picture-perfect rustic lighthouse, and what I am convinced to be the best place to watch the sunrise.. which you have to do at least once.  Pack a picnic or a g...