I'll take you in my backpack

6/22/19 With only one weekend for fun stuff and exploring while in Hawaii on a business trip, I knew that I had to make the most of my very limited time. There was no doubt that hiking would be a major part of those plans! I had intended on waking up around 4:30 am and heading to Koko Crater to kick the day off, but a week full of battling jet lag finally caught me and sleep won in the end. Hike 1: Makapu'u Lighthouse Trail Starting a little later than planned (6:30am) I headed off to a my first destination, Makapu'u Lighthouse Trail. The drive from Waikiki to the light house was beautiful, along the coast, with several scenic stop offs that I took full advantage of, putting me even further behind schedule but with some added in Hawaii experiences too! This park opens at 7am (something I hadn't previously known) Makapu'u Trail is completely paved the entire way up. I wore my hiking shoes but would have been very happy doing it in my Chacos. It's a pretty steep inc...

1/6/18 I had a pretty packed itinerary, and if you choose to use the driver/company that I used they are more than willing to provide you with an itinerary. I customized mine because there were specific things that I wanted to see, but you can go into things blind and have a totally kick ass time. Buuuuut. There are a few places that I would say, absolutely DO NOT skip when you come to Bali. This was my Bali dream team. The elite, the all stars. The ones that stood out above all others. I hope this helps with vacation planning of your own! Also, they are NOT in any particular order! Monkey Forest: This gives you the opportunity to interact with monkeys in their natural habitat (they ARE NOT confined in any manner, nor are they drugged) Holy Spring Temple: Go with a driver/guide so you know how to do the prayers, and which 2 fountains to skip (2 are for death/funerals ONLY) Hidden Canyon : Hidden Canyon of Sukawati (Beji Guwang), NOT for small children, people afraid of ...

12/28/17 Shortly after my delicious breakfast this morning, but before Made arrived to pick me up for adventures, Ogy's mom came in with a basket full of flowers, holy water, incense and other goodies. Mystery solved. She is the sweet person who has been leaving all of the offerings throughout the villa. This was the first time I noticed them inside the villa. She left one poolside, one in front of the steps, one on the kitchen counter, and many outside.  These offerings (not just in my villa but everywhere in Bali) are something that I will never forget. The beautiful flowers, the sweet smelling incense, the little woven palm baskets that they all sit in, how they are all swept into a pile at the end of the day. The second that I laid eyes on Made this morning I started in on Mt Batur, he tried diversion tactics, he tried flat out "no", he tried refocusing to today's itinerary (waterfalls, a village, and a temple), the man used some of my own tactics I was impres...