Back to paradise we went; heart-bound to the place that first ignited our wanderlust: Hawaii. Visiting Volcanoes National Park, hiking the lava flows, driving to the summit of Mauna Kea, relaxing at Hapuna Beach, visiting Akaka Falls and Rainbow Falls, hiking the Pololū Trail, driving to Papakōlea Green Sands Beach, swimming with dolphins and whale watching – we wanted to capture it all. And so we did.

Pololū Valley

The first day was completely lost to travel, but on my 35th birthday we awoke for our first full day on the Big Island. The previous night we hunted for a good breakfast spot and decided upon Daylight Mind Coffee Company in Kona. This turned out to be an incredible restaurant that we would go back to several more times - violating our strict "no-repeat" policy. Their coffee was the best on the island by leaps and bounds. They roast the beans themselves and produce a delicate light roast that lets the Kona beans shine through. Most "Kona Coffee" as you'll see plastered about the island is a dirty dark roast that tastes burnt and requires dousing with cream and sugar. If you appreciate good coffee, make a stop at Daylight Mind and delight yourself with their cold-brew.

After fueling up, we set out to drive to the northern tip to hike along the Pololū Trail. The drive there was gorgeous - moving through lush tropical climate, to stark lava flow desert, to coastal pine trees, and finally back into the dense tropics as we neared Pololū.

Once we arrived at the Pololū trailhead, we quickly grabbed some water and fresh fruit we got to-go from Daylight Mind and set out on the trail. It was a relatively easy 15 minute hike down to the beach. The way down offers pockets of stunning views.

The beach was very different from what we expected. The shoreline is covered in large rocks rubbed smooth from the waves. Behind the shore is a pine tree forest. Scattered throughout the shaded side are swings that we imagined were left behind by some indigenous hippies who called this state park their home in the 60's. The trail winds through the backside of the beach leading to another ridgeline you can cross, but we decided to spend time in the pine forest playing on the hippie rope swings and balance beams.

After a few hours in the park, we started the drive back but not before stopping at a small smoothie trailer just a little beyond the trailhead. The place was called *Fresh Off the Grid* and they made incredible juices, teas and smoothies from fresh local fruits - a great way to cool the throat after a day of running through the forest.

Hapena Beach

On the way south from Pololuū trail, we stopped off at Hapena Beach. We wanted to be near our airbnb by sunset, so we limited ourselves to two hours there. This state park is known as one of the best beaches in the world with killer waves and whale watching. Though we didn't see any whales, we did enjoy body surfing in the huge crashing waves and soaking in the late afternoon sun.

We raced against time to try and catch sunset somewhere between Kona and our airbnb near Captain Cook and wound up at Kona Brewing Company. The atmosphere was relaxed and the food was pretty decent. They had some special brews on draft, but nothing compared to what you would get on the mainland. Nevertheless, we enjoyed a slightly obscured sunset while we listened to the lowkey music and enjoyed the friendly service.

That night we settled into our airbnb which was located on an organic farm and shared space with two other renters. Our cohorts were from Brazil and Los Angeles and we shared some pleasant conversation before turning in for the night.

Green Sands Beach

The next morning we awoke to find fresh picked apple-bananas and oranges stacked in bowls for us in the kitchen. Ducks waddled about the farm, quacking after the caretakers to be fed. After a relaxing slow wake-up staring out into the western ocean, we set out for breakfast at the renowned Coffee Shack. It was a quick five minute drive from our airbnb, so all the better we thought. Our expectations were crushed when the *Coffee* Shack had - what we realized to be - the worst coffee on the island. The food and coffee traded their substance for the spectacular view. I would say that if you haven't ventured down to this part of the island, it's a great spot to stop in for a pastry and check out the view. If you're going there because they have *coffee* in the name, you'll be sorely disappointed.

With that out of the way and Meaghan making me promise her that I wouldn't tell the multitude of people that told us to go to the Coffee Shack that it was an assault upon our taste buds, we headed south for the Green Sands Beach.

The drive there was short and once again changed through several different types of landscapes. Eventually, as we neared the narrow lane that takes you the rest of the way there, the lava flows and jungle palms gave way for grassy plains with rolling hills peppered with giant wind turbines.

Once you near the main trail that leads to the Green Sands Beach, you have a few different options. If you want, you can park your car and hop on a round-trip shuttle for $15 or $20 per person. These shuttles are run by locals and not through some company - it is somewhat chaotic and you may find yourself waiting a while for a return truck as they fill up quick. Your next option is to hike the 45 minute walk there. I would say this would be great, but there is literally no shade whatsoever, so be prepared with hats and sunscreen. Your final (and most fun) option is to drive a four-wheel drive, high clearance vehicle out there. This is why we highly recommend renting a Jeep Wrangler or the like while on the Big Island.

The shaky, uneven drive there takes about 20 minutes and is filled with fun little panic moments and near topples, but the drive to Green Sands Beach was one of our top highlights from visiting the Big Island.

Once you arrive, there is a small parking area at the top of the beach where you'll see a few other cars. We hoped out and immediately explored the entire upper area before hiking down the steep embankment of the hillside. The sweeping grassy hills are a sight to behold. There is a picturesque bench that faces the southern tip of the island that is a perfect spot to ponder your existence and question your nine-to-five.

After exploring the upper area, we ventured down to the water. Despite Green Sands being a bay, the waves are still pretty intense and a lot of fun. You can sit along the rocks and watch as swimmers taunt the waves. We spent an hour or so swimming before we decided to head back.

There are numerous paths you can take to and from the beach. We experimented a bit with our route, but we mostly recommend following the path that you see locals driving.

A short way up the main road is Ka Lae Coffee. Stop here for some cold brew, homemade pastries, and a walk through the orchid garden. We also picked up some macadamia nuts and homemade fresh fruit smoothies.

Swimming with Dolphins

The next day, we woke up early to drive to the dock in Kona and boarded a Sunlight On Water dolphin tour. We had heard from our airbnb hosts that this was the best company on the island. We were not disappointed. We searched for dolphins about an hour's drive north along the coast. Once we found a pod, we quickly scrambled to put on our goggles and drop in. The warm water and gentle waves gave us good visibility as a pod of 20-30 dolphins swam around and underneath us. At one point, a pair of dolphins came to within arms reach of Meaghan and me. It was truly exciting.

The highlight of the tour, however, was when a baby whale danced by our boat. We spotted the whale and the boat immediate cut its engines. For the next 15 minutes, we watched as the mother and baby whale made their way coming to within 20 feet or so of our boat. The baby whale crested every 30 seconds, while the mother only came up for air once or twice. This was an incredible experience that is difficult to put into words. We were both overcome with joy and excitement.

This was the end of our stay on this part of the island. After we returned from snorkeling with dolphins and whale watching, we grabbed a quick bite in Kona before heading to the other side of the island near Hilo.

Hiking Hawaii Lava Flows

We were fortunate enough to find a beautiful airbnb near the Lava Flows of Volcanoes National Park. We ended up going at the perfect time of day as we set out around sunset and reached the lava flows as it became dark.

You'll park near a protected entrance and are then shuttled in to another area. Along the way, you'll see numerous houses where adventurous people have laid claim and called home. There are many airbnb's along here for those looking to get a unique experience of sleeping in a lava field. At the main camp, you can rent bikes or simply pay the entrance fee and walk to the start of the national park on foot. The fee will get you some bottles of water and flashlights. I highly recommend you check that your flashlight is working before setting out, as mine did not. I ended up using my phone's flashlight for most of the walk back.

Protip: bring a headlamp if you want to hike the lava flows at night

The hike to the lava flows takes about 1.5 to 2 hours. It's an alien, beautiful, one-of-a-kind hike like nothing we've ever done before. You cut your own path as you make your way to the base of the mountain where the lava flows are active. Up and down you will trek across jagged, sharp, brittle volcanic rock. I highly recommend wearing hiking shoes or good sneakers – leave the flip flops behind for this trip.

By the time we reached the lava flows, it was fully dark and you could truly see the intense contrast as the molten lava flowed out of the mountain.

Watch where you step as you get closer and closer to the flowing lava as the last couple hundred feet start to get quite hot. You'll often see bright red flowing in the crevices beneath your feet. Though it may feel too hot for comfort, it is quite safe.

'Akaka and Rainbow Falls

The following day, we set out to explore some of The Big Island's best waterfalls. Rainbow falls is right within Hilo and is not deserving of much time. There is very limited parking and the waterfall is located right off the main parking lot. It's literally at 20 foot walk from your car to the main lookout area. This waterfall is over crowded and has no hiking paths to speak of.

A little further north is 'Akaka state park and waterfall. This area provides a nice scenic walk with beautiful trees and flowers as you approach a very tall, thin waterfall. This area is also congested with lots of tourists, but much more deserving of your time than rainbow falls. You can park outside of the park to avoid paying an additional parking fee, however, there is still a small entrance fee for those entering on foot. The highlight of our time there was stepping off path to explore a giant network of banyan trees.

Along the main road back to Hilo, you will see a sign that says "Scenic Overlook" or "Scenic Drive". We highly recommend taking this route as it offers stunning coastal views and a small beach that you can hike down to which overlooks Onomea Bay.

Turtle Fail

After a quick bite in Hilo, we went with fingers crossed to see sea turtles at Carlsmith Beach Park. We had read that in high season, you can see tons of turtles here. Unfortunately, when we were there in February, there were none to be seen.

We did, however, see two large turtles out in Onomea Bay as we hiked down to the beach. So once again, if you're driving to or from 'Akaka State Park from Hilo, I highly recommend you take the scenic drive which takes you right by the bay.

Sweet Cane Cafe

One of the major food highlights for us, aside from Daylight Mind over in Kona, was the Sweet Cane Cafe in Hilo. Known for their cane juice and fresh food, this vegetarian restaurant will make you want to move to Hawaii. They feature almost all of their foods sourced from local farms, many of which use the Korean Natural Farming method. I first heard about this from the documentary *In Search of Balance* which shows the incredible benefits of this technique of farming. You can taste the difference in the food it produces!

Mauna Kea

With tons of time still left in the day, we decided to drive back to the center of the island and visit the summit of Mauna Kea. Bring your warmest clothes, as when we reached the top it was below freezing with snow everywhere.

The drive is only an hour or so from Hilo. Once you drive halfway up, to about 9,000 feet, there is a visitor's center that you must stop in to acclimatize. The park rangers will not let you go to the summit unless you've spent some time here to get used to the altitude and, more importantly, are driving a four-wheel drive vehicle. Once again, the Jeep Wrangler came in handy.

As we approached the visitor's center, the ranger gestured to a young German couple that was looking to hitch a ride to the top, as they did not have a four-wheel drive vehicle. We loved the opportunity to help out fellow travelers and also to quiz them on American culture and impressions.

The drive to the top is steep and rocky and quickly goes from nice paved roads, to dirt paths with giant rocks in the road. We stopped at several points along the way to take photos of the alien landscape. By the time we reached the summit, a 'storm' of sorts had blown in which forced the rangers to kick everyone off the mountaintop. We were only able to spend a few moments in the white-out summit before being forced to leave. I can only imagine what this would look like on a clear day.

As we descended the mountain, back to the visitor's center, a pocket of clouds parted and we had a beautiful view of the sunset facing the another nearby mountain peak. The moment was fleeting, however, as shortly after we snapped a few photos and admired the beauty, an angry forest ranger came running after us yelling that we continue our descent down the mountain (despite the perfectly fine conditions at that altitude). Nevertheless, we had a fun journey to Mauna Kea's summit, exchanging stories with our German counterparts and running around like kids photographing the Martian landscape.

As we settled in to our airbnb on our final night on the Big Island, we sat in the turmeric fields and star gazed at a remarkably clear sky.

Volcanoes National Park - Kilauea Iki Trail

We island hopped across the West Indies, pausing on Antigua and Martinique before finally landing on Tortola. We had a bit of time to kill before the next ferry to Virgin Gorda. A short walk from the Beef Island airport is a little hippie art village with a couple of restaurants. A man with a British accent was welding a giant steel sculpture for their monthly "Full moon festival" as we walked by. I said, "That's wild" to which he responded, "It is indeed".

We grabbed lunch at The Loose Mongoose while we waited for our ferry over to Virgin Gorda and sipped our first Virgin Island cocktails – Rum Punch and Painkiller. The restaurant sits directly on the water, with a dock extending out into the bay for beach bums to pull ashore.

Virgin Gorda

A quick, windy ferry over to Virgin Gorda and we were met by Shorn, a big boisterous man driving the enigmatically named 'Mahogony' silver van. He took us the short ride from Spanish Town up the hill where we were staying near The Baths. We quickly stashed our things and went out for dinner, winding up at Mermaid's. This restaurant sits out on the dock and served up some delicious red snapper. We tossed food scraps into the water to feed the Tarpon that thrive there near the restaurant.

The Baths & Devil's Bay

The next morning, we biked down to The Baths National Park. The entrance fee was a nominal $3. Worth pointing out that all of the BVI is on the US dollar. We took the path to the left to descend down into Devil's Bay first, then work our way back through the Baths.

The trail there gives a few peeks at the giant monoliths that await, but is mostly a rocky dirt path covered in cacti. There is one fork in the trail - going left takes you to the furthest way around to a very rocky beach which overlooks a small granite boulder covered island. Eventually, it winds its way around to meet where the other path more quickly leads – Devil's Bay.

Devil's Bay

Devil's Bay is a small beach surrounded by enormous granite boulders that encapsulate The Baths. There is a small reef there, mostly bleached, but still fostering a vibrant fish population.

Despite how many photos we had seen of the Baths before arriving, we were blown away by their scale and the picturesque beauty of the beach.

We spent some time exploring the southern edge of the boulders, climbing and crawling through their nooks and crannies.

As the sun began to creep lower in the sky, we made our way into the maze of The Baths. We defied the yellow spray painted arrows showing the way through and carved our own path squeezing, crab-walking, and bouldering through the giant stones. All told, the area is not that large and any one path will inevitably lead to the other, but we still had fun believing we were the first to carve our new path.

Ten minutes into our walk and we stumbled upon the photo that we had seen recreated so many times.

I came back to this spot several times over the next couple of days and finally landed on the above image at around 4:00PM on this warm February day.

We emerged through the final test - a ten foot triangle shaped path that forces you to squat-walk or crawl. Having spent all day on the beach, we decided to walk up to the restaurant aptly named Top of the Baths which overlooks the entire park. The food there was surprisingly good and the views were unparalled. We hung around until about 5:00 and set back down to the beach as the clouds began to turn pink and gold.

As we reached the bottom, we realized that everyone was gone - we had the entire Baths National Park to ourselves. Most people that visit Virgin Gorda come over as a day trip and leave long before sun begins to set. Meaghan and I ran around like school kids – photographing the golden hour.

Copper Mine National Park

The next morning and my 34th birthday, we grabbed bikes provided by our AirBnb host and set out for the Copper Mine National Park. It was a short, steep, mostly uphill journey from where we were staying. As we neared, a family of goats skittishly grazed along the road and we coasted down the final hill to the park. One car passed us as we arrived and then we enjoyed the park without anyone else there.

We explored what little remains there were of this mine and stared east at the expansive roaring ocean.

After less than an hour, we set back for The Baths for a more immersive beach day. We stayed nearly all day, snorkeling in Devil's Bay, exploring the towering granite monoliths, and picnicking on the soft white sands. We stayed for sunset, then biked home.

That evening, we walked to dinner at CocoMaya, a fusion of Asian and Latin dishes. We drank delicious cocktails, swung on bar-top swings and gazed at a full moon rising over the quiet water.

Tortola

The next morning, we took the ferry back to Tortola and grabbed a cab to the north-west side of the island where our AirBnb faced out at Jost Van Dyke. The driveway leading to our AirBnb required a 4-wheel drive vehicle and the walk up and down required slow, burning steps.

We unloaded our gear and then set out on a long hilly walk to Smuggler's Cove beach. The sand was immaculate and the water was perfectly still. A small pop-up was selling some snacks and rum-infused slushies. We sat under the shade of palm trees, feeding the roosters, sipping cold drinks, and stared out at serene beauty. At one point, scores of fish began jumping from the ocean, presumably avoiding some predator. I ran into the water - hoping to see what caused this - but will ever be left wondering.

On the way back to our AirBnb, we stopped at the Tropical Fusion restaurant. We ate there several times over the course of our short stay on Tortola as the food and view were both excellent.

Anegada

Sunday morning we woke pre-dawn to catch a cab back to the Road Town ferry terminal. We then hoped on the ferry to Anegada. Anegada is a truly unique place. Only 300 residents, everyone is family, the island is basically an enlarged sandbar with one of the best coral reefs in the world. The previous day, we had booked a boat trip with "Captain Kelly" - an infamous 5-star Trip Advisor excursion. Kelly was committed to a private tour, but we met up with his cousin Kendrick who was awesome. He took us out in a small, shallow boat where the coral and fish were incredibly active. We swam in several different locations and at one point met up with Kelly's boat where he directed us to even better snorkeling locations. Meaghan was stalked by a barracuda as I dove deep to admire colorful corals.

On our way back towards shore, Kendrick asked if I'd like to go diving for conch. After a few failed attempts, I finally realized what to search for as I dove down into the ten-foot-deep teal water. Over the course of 15 minutes, I pulled out 6 conch. Kendrick told me that a good fisherman would dive and collect several hundred per day.

He then drove the boat around to Conch Island where fisherman have been discarding conch shells for so many years that it's created a man-made island. Kendrick cleaned and gutted the conch and we ceremoniously discarded their shells - making our mark on Conch Island. We ate raw conch (think tough sushi) on the boat and Kendrick bagged the rest on ice so that we could enjoy it later.

Once we returned to shore from snorkeling and diving for conch all morning, we rented scooters from Kendricks sister and took off to the other side of the island. We grabbed lunch at the Big Bamboo restaurant with our feet in the sand and ate the renowned Anegada Lobster. We've been to Boston and eaten Lobster fresh from the wholesalers, but this was something altogether different. They cut the lobster down the middle and grill it on either side. The taste and texture are out of this world. I can't recommend enough that you try Anegada Lobster.

With time to kill, we savored our last day of our trip and strolled along the white and pink sand beach of Loblolly Bay and stared out at the endless eastern ocean before catching the ferry home.

That night, back in Tortola, we descended the crazy hills and took our freshly caught conch to D'Coalpot and asked if they could serve it up. They made us a delicious conch ceviche salad along with their specialty of Roti wraps and we sipped sauvignon blanc as we relented upon returning to the Chicago tundra.

We left Chicago early on a cold January morning and landed five hours later on the friendly, tropical island nation of St. Lucia.

We had reserved a car in advance via Priceline and picked it up at the Hewanorra airport near Viex Fort. It didn't dawn on me until we were walking through the vehicle check that Lucians drive on the left side of the road. Flashbacks of driving through winding Irish roads and "Give Way" signs came rushing to mind. After a few sanity checks, I quickly acclimated to it - though Meaghan and I did have a laugh when we both went to the wrong side of the car as we exited the local Massy supermarket.

An hour or so of driving through bumpy, hilly roads and we arrived at our Airbnb in La Pointe - Kaye Mango. The views from our balcony were breathtaking. From the back patio, our horizon pool bled into the Western Caribbean and from the front, we faced the southern side of Gros Piton. All around the property were fruit trees, banana and mango with exotic flowers sprouting from every corner.

Sleep deprived and beaten down by a long day of travel, we went to bed with the doors open and the frogs and crickets melodiously soothing us to sleep.

Soufriere

We only had 3 short days - our first nearly lost to travel. On our second day, we woke early, made breakfast using local eggs and bananas, then ventured out to Soufriere. We had coffee and smoothies made from soursop, banana, mango at a local art cafe named Zaka. In the back, the owner was carving the wooden masks that adorned their walls.

As we exited the cafe, an old Rasta man chatted with us, asking where we were from and naming and telling us about each of his five kids. He asked us if we drink, to which we gladly answered "yes"; asked us if we smoke cigarettes, to which we emphatically said "no". He smiled and said, "That's good, but I hope you smoke ganja. I smoke ganja ev-er-ey-day!" He claimed that smoking weed cures asthma and is great for your health. After a few more minutes of chatting he asked us if we wanted "two stick of ganja" to which we politely declined.

The longer we continued to walk through Soufriere, the more it became clear that everyone was hustling something - be it recommendations to their favorite restaurant, guides to Gros Piton and the mud baths, or a boat ride around the bay to the bat caves and snorkeling sites. One older man that chased us down the street wanted a some money for the 'kids' to buy some 'balls'. We spent much less time in Soufriere than we had originally planned and headed back towards the Pitons to walk the Tet Paul Nature trail.

On the road back from Soufriere, we diverted to head towards the Sulfur Springs thinking we could simply pass through as it is proclaimed "the world's only drive-in volcano". As we approached, the odor of sulfur was overwhelming and we noticed a gated access to the road. Deciding that we weren't that interested in paying to stare at tan stinky rocks, we promptly turned around and headed for the nature trial.

Tet Paul Nature Trail

The Tet Paul Nature Trail lived up to what all other reviewers had stated: a must-see attraction in St. Lucia. For $10US per person, a guide escorts you through a local farm up a short hillside that gives spectacular views of Gros and Petit Piton. We hiked the Gros Piton trail the next day, but the views from Tet Paul were the best. The walk lasted about 45 minutes and was not strenuous at all.

From Tet Paul, we headed around to Sugar Beach which sits perfectly nestled between the two Pitons.

Sugar Beach

We walked out onto the pier to soak it in and were met by a local by the name of Johnny - a daft salesman that broke through our barrier and had us planning a snorkeling, sunset boat trip with him the following day. We had delicious tapas at the Sugar Beach hotel bar - a tapenade of eggplant, tomato, and guac as well as mahi mahi sushi and strong rum drinks.

Afterwards, we went and lounged on the free beach chairs (to the right of the pier facing the sea). Soon after we sat down, a couple of Rasta guys pulled up a kayak full of fresh fruits. They made us a smoothie from coconut milk, banana, and mango. He slipped a little rum in from his backpack after I asked with a joking smile.

We lounged on the chairs and watched the sailboats go by as the sun dipped low in the sky. Eventually we made our way back to our car and took the backroads to La Pointe where we caught the last moments of the sun falling below the horizon.

We went back to Kaye Mango and regrouped, then decided to head back out for dinner at Jardin Cacao restaurant. We had visited there briefly earlier that day as we went up to Tet Paul, but were not excited about spending $50US on lunch. We had decent expectations for dinner, but were heavily disappointed by misleading menu items, bad drinks, and worse service. Meaghan ordered pumpkin soup which tasted like a can of Campbell's vegetable soup. My cocktail came pink in slushy form tasting of sugar and no alcohol. We should have listened to our AirBnB host and joined them at The Mango Tree.

Gros Piton Hike

One of the primary reasons we wanted to come to St. Lucia was to hike to the top of Gros Piton. Many reviews described this as a strenuous hike, but in all honesty it was quite tame. This isn't to say you won't be sweaty and tired, but after hiking the Kalalau trail in Kauai, Cerro Chato and Cloud Forest in Costa Rica, and Nevada Falls in Yosemite, this trail was a piece of cake. We took our time, taking lots of photos and resting at each quarter marker. The entire hike lasted about four and a half hours.

The trailhead can begin from the beach or the small village of Fond Gens Libre. It cost $71US for the two of us and they do not accept credit cards. A guide is required and they will match you with someone right as you walk up to the trail. Ours was named Cullin, a young woman that had lived there all her life and has been hiking up the mountain five days a week for five years. The village relies on the proceeds from visitors as everyone in the 120 person community works to support Gros Piton.

The trail is rocky for the first half, forcing you to balance on fallen rocks and jump from boulder to boulder. The second half is a steep trail with natural dirt steps and tree-made railing going most of the way up. Compared to the Cerro Chato (a similar style hike), this trail was incredibly well maintained and built-up.

The view from the top faces La Pointe and we could easily spot Kaye Mango by way of Tete Rouge from the summit. Rolling, misting clouds turned a clear view of the southern tip of St. Lucia into a complete whiteout within seconds of us ascending. We relaxed at the top for about a half an hour before deciding to head back down. I was disappointed that our guide would not take us around to the view of Petit Piton, stating that whenever it rains, they are not allowed to take people back that way as it is extremely muddy and you must climb a ladder made of tree limbs that is very slippery. From what I can tell, the view wasn't all that different from that of the Tet Paul Nature trail.

Our Hiking Tips

I always hike with my camera holstered to my hip with my BlackRapid Sport strap as I can easily use both hands and it helps keep the weight counterbalanced between my D800 and my Thule DLSR Covert Messenger bag. After shooting with a giant 24-70mm f/2.8 lens in Yosemite, I decided to only take my prime f/2 35mm lens on this trip and my back is very grateful for it. Meaghan loves her REI day bag and 2.5 liter Platypus water bottle.

At about 3/4 the way down the mountain, Cullin pointed out the path that leads to the beach where Zion Lion Farm offers tours of their farm, a lesson in cooking authentic Caribbean cuisine, and boat tours around the bay. Had we not driven, we would have set down that path. Instead, we wound our way back through the village, eating a rewarding double scoop of coconut ice cream and then back to Kaye Mango.

Zion Lion Farm

The other path down to Zion Lion Farm is at the end of a curving road in La Pointe. A bar with an orange metal roof sits at the bend in the road and marks the trail that leads down to the beach. Thinking we were done with hiking, Meaghan wore her Chaco sandals and was ill prepared for the rocky descent down. Goats and cows stared cock-eyed at us as we made our way down the skinny trail.

As we approached the end of the fifteen minute hike down, we saw a pair of local Rasta men chopping wood with machetes and building something that resembled a boat. They looked up at us with smiles and asked what we needed. We responded we had come to get lunch from Paul at Zion Lion Farm. They pointed us around the beach and past a small river. Fisherman had their lines strung up with sticks planted into the sand. Small motor boats ferried the casts deep out into the bay. On this vast and pristine beach, there were at most a dozen people - most of which were the local farmers and fishermen.

The Zion Lion Farm has a small restaurant right on the beach. Our meal was prepared by Paul's sister Joanna. She was expecting us as I had been emailing Paul back and forth for the past day. She greeted us warmly and asked us to sit down and relax while she prepared our lunch.

The lunch was a bit pricey at $35US per person, but she explained that all of the organic fruits and vegetables were harvested that day and brought down from the mountain and cooked the traditional way using clay pots over coal. The money helps support their farm as they continue to expand into making the restaurant more accessible for visitors.

After our meal, we lounged by the beach soaking in the view of Gros Piton and reflecting upon our short-yet-filled time on St. Lucia.

We went back to Kaye Mango and watched the best sunset we had seen yet while sipping on Piton, the namesake lager. We went to bed quite early that night, as we had to wake up at 4AM in order to drive to Castries City and catch our 8AM flight to Tortola.

Hairpin drive to Castries City

At 4AM we rolled out of bed and said goodbye to Kaye Mango and La Pointe. The stars were glowing bright within pockets of clouds as we loaded our car in the pitch black. Google Maps and the recommended Maps.me apps told us to expect about a 1.5 hour drive to the George F.L. Charles airport in Castries City from La Pointe.

Based on how treacherous the driving had been thus far, I anticipated it taking much longer. I knew the roads well by this point, up until Soufriere, after which everything was new. Each turn was a blind turn zigging and zagging up and down mountains and through small, quiet towns. As morning crept on and the sky turned a deep blue, we saw men and women walking to work, sweeping the sidewalks in front of their buildings. It felt like we had traveled in time back a hundred years and we were on a carousel watching vignettes of the past scroll by us.

Nearly 1.5 hours to the minute and we were in Castries City searching for breakfast and a gas station. We entered a small bakery that was only serving the daily bread, telling us that pastries wouldn't be ready for another hour. Having given up on getting breakfast, we were delighted to find that the George F.L. Charles airport actually has a small restaurant that was serving breakfast and coffee among many other things. Thankfully, they accepted credit card as we had quickly blown through what little cash we had remembered to bring on this trip.

The airport was tiny. Two counters for the airlines Liat and Caribbean Air with a security screening that takes less than a minute to cruise through. We sat and waited for our plane in the boarding area - seeing CNN on the TV, completely removing us from our idyllic vacation. After a short wait, our propeller plane pulled up and we set out for the next portion of our vacation in the BVI. Up next, Virgin Gorda and Tortola!

The brakes are overheating

We drove white-knuckled through winding dirt roads that the ever-wise Google recommended over of the highway. A sign written in English read "No way through", yet we continued on, determined to meet up with the road ahead rather than backtrack through the hairpin mountain curves. Not long after this photo, taken somewhere in the hills near San Isidro, we pulled over to let the brakes cool lest Meaghan jump out of the moving vehicle for fear of it toppling over.

Dirt bikes and zen moments

Just then, a pair of locals on dirt bikes raced by, staring at us cockeyed as they descended the steeply grade hill. We parked at a relatively flat portion of the hill and spit on the brakes, watching them sizzle and our spit immediately evaporate. After commiserating our navigational choice, we embraced it and realized we had happened upon a beautiful place that not many gringos might have seen. After staring out at the Pacific Ocean and listening to the birds, the dirt bikers came roaring back up the hill giving us a polite wave as they passed.

After we realized the absurdity of our predicament, we decided to venture on and hoped that the brakes didn't give out. Luckily for us it was dry, as the dirt road would have certainly been impassable had it rained. In less than a mile, we were back on the main road and cruising towards our quiet Airbnb just south of Uvita.

A photo a day from our first major international trip: 8 countries over nearly 3 months across Europe & Mexico. A bildungsroman is a "coming of age" story of a person who goes in search of answers to life's questions with the expectation that these will result in gaining experience of the world.

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