FEATURES

Kona Recovery...

Monday, 19 December 2016 23:10

By Erin Klegstad (sweetsweatlife.com)

Kona recovery started with a jump off the end of the world.

It took me a full three minutes to gather the courage to willingly jump – it was scarier than lining up to race Kona! – but whoa… it was worth it. So exhilarating!

We crammed in a few other activities on the Big Island after the race, including a trip to the black sand beach at Pololu Valley Lookout (the Jurassic Park views!), Hapuna Beach (the sunset!) and an estate coffee farm tour (more on this soon!).

On Tuesday after the race, after one last swim in Kailua Bay and an açai bowl (obviously), Nick and I hopped a flight to Kauai for another week of R&R with my sister, her bestie and my cousin....

KAUAI

Incredible beaches, magical light and overall chill vibe aside, my favorite thing about Kauai is what it taught me: That life’s too short to be stuck sitting in traffic for 90+ minutes a day. I want my real life – the one with a job, responsibilities, Costco trips, the one that affords me to take trips to Hawaii – to reflect more of that laid back, TV-less, let’s-slow-it-down lifestyle. So, on Kuhio highway near Hanalei, I accepted a job offer that gets me closer to that by eliminating more than half of my crap commute. Needless to say, we had a lot of celebrate while in Kauai!

On our first full day on the island, we met up with Nick’s good buddy, Kris, who’s a police officer there. Nothing like our own personal tour guide showing us off-the-beaten-path Kauai! Top picks: dinner at Saiman, breakfast at Java Kai in Kapaa, Papaa Bay beach, the King Kong açai bowl Kalalea Juice Hale(!), poke from a hole-in-the-wall market and Polihale State Park. It was a ridiculously potholed adventure to get to the beach at Polihale, but when the road opened up to the ocean… whoa. The beach was incredible… the start of the Nā Pali Coast on one side and sand for miles on the other. And, the stars! I could have stayed there forever. We’re camping there for sure on our next visit. READ MORE