I woke up this morning feeling absolutely horrible. Fewer, ear infection, sore throat and beautiful racoon circles under the eyes. To make me feel better – tree hours bike ride on the schedule for today. I never skip workouts.
Mental masturbation lasted the entire morning. On the bike ride and even after I got back home, I couldn’t decide. Few days ago I found this cool place called Tulum and made a plan to go explore it. The place is located about 75 km from the ferry dock, so you needed some tipe of transportation to get there. I booked a rental car on the mainland and set my plans to get there after my training this morning. I would arrive to the mainland by ferry ($20), pick up the rental ($30 /day) and head towards Tulum. I would spend a day and night there and come back the next day. Drop off the car and return to the island for the Christmas Day/Evening celebration. I was not feeling well, but that wasn’t the problem. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to go or not. Why? Where are you running? Why won’t you just slow down and take a breath? You can’t see everything in one day or week. Two different voices talked to me. One said – go, another said – don’t, you need a rest. It was interesting to observe two completely different perspectives within one mind. “Go explore. See new places. Meet new people. You are here only for so long. Don’t sit on your butt, pick up and go!”. The other side of Sasha said: “You’ve got a fever, sore throat, ear infection. You are weak and exhausted. Even if you go, you will not enjoy the trip. You need to rest. You need to train. Where are you always running? What are you running from? You will just waste the money. You already spent much more on this trip than originally planned”. Each side had legitimate points, which drove me crazy. I realized I was wasting so much of my energy on this mental masturbation, trying to decide. Travel is so selfish. You are hunting for new experiences to feed your forever hungry brain. More pictures! More action! The more places you visit, the more new ones open up. More, more, more… Me, me, me… Something’s not right. You can only take so much, until it stops satisfying you. Maybe instead of getting, you need to start giving…
All of a sudden I got an idea.
Christmas Eve
I’ve spent two hours going from one store to another in search for Santa Claus costume, however I couldn’t find it anywhere. I was asking anyone I could, where can I possibly find it, but people had no idea. I got a few suggestions of where to look at, so I went all around the island. Still can’t find the freaking costume. Not even a heat or beard of some sort. Only until I completely lost hope and gave up, the costume found me. On my way home, while riding along the street I spotted something red with peripheral vision. Looked over and I saw – A FREAKING CLAUS costume through the storefront!!! A maneken was wearing the costume. Jumped right in and said I NEED THAT! Got it.
I was so excited that I had the costume. I also felt so much pride in me – found a Santa costume on a Mexican Island, in the middle of nowhere.
Now I needed the presents. Went to the grocery store and bought almost all the candies they had. Did not look at the price and picked some good ones. I envisioned how great would it be to see the kids smile, run up to me and get a nice candy. I am on a mission here: BRING THE CHRISTMAS IN TOWN. Make as many people smile as possible! YAS, I felt the fire start inside of me.
As the sun went down, Santa Claus jumped on his Honda-deer and headed to the main square, where the christmas tree is. Pedestrians on the streets, drivers on the road – everyone were shouting and waving at Santa. He waved in return and replied “Feliz Navidad!” (Merry Christmas in Spanish). Main square seemed empty at first, however the “Christmas Agent” took this time to practice his combat skills.
Few kids popped up on horizon. Let’s get to work! We’ve got a lot of candies to give.
I was amazed how kids would come up to me – a complete stranger and HUG! Without a second thought they would run up to me with their hands stretched out and give me a genuine hug. I am not a hugger myself, and at first I was a little bit shocked. This little human beings totally flipped me out of balance. I forgot all the Spanish phrases I planned to say. I even forgot how to say Merry Christmas on Spanish.
I’ve met so many kids. Mexican, Canadian, American… some older, some younger. Some kids were more shy than others, however they all had one thing in common – the look in their eyes. I felt a tremendous amount of responsibility landed on my Santa shoulders. I could not break their faith in me – in Santa! My plan was working out – I WAS MAKING OTHERS HAPPY. Holly shit how great it felt. I became a hugger.
Some people would ask: “Why do you do it?” “Just to make people smile – to have fun. Isn’t it what life is about?”, I replied. “Did you buy all this: costume and candies just to give it away?”, some looked concerned. “Yes! Here, take a candy.”, I would say. “You are crazy…”
My new Mexican friend Breto – who accompanied me, kept on saying I was crazy. “Why crazy?” I asked. “In a foreign country, without even speaking the language, in front of so many people. I could not do that. You are a crazy Gringo”. He is right, I don’t even speak the language… but does it matter? Kids don’t need me speak the language. I just say Feliz Navidad!, give a candy and hug – everyone’s happy. You don’t need to do much and try to impress the little ones. They already think you are the coolest human being in the entire Universe.
Christmas Morning
Christmas in Mexico is a big deal and people party all night long. They go to church around 8 pm, then come home for a family dinner and go party from midnight till sunrise. Similar to out New Year’s celebrations. All night partying was not in my plans and I went to bed pretty early. Loud music was blasting through the night. It was a bit hard to fall asleep at first, but once I did, you can not wake me up even if you shoot from the gun next to my ear.
Today Santa operates at the beach. We went to the beach called Punta Morena. As expected, Santa on the beach attracted a lot of attention, not only from kids, but from adults. Even the owner of the beach club came up to say hi and thank me for engaging the public. She thought it was a great idea and asked to take a photo with her. Not only the business owner, but a lot of other people wanted to take a selfie with Santo Clós. It was a lot of fun, however hot! Santa stripped down into his red speedos and dove into the ocean.
I’m calm, grateful and for the first time in a while EXCITED!
Today I’m going to Hawaii, and not just for travel but for Ironman 70.3 experience. How many people get a chance to travel to the Big Island 🌴 and experience its beauty with their own eyes, not from the movies or the pictures? If you told me few years ago about all the places I’ll have the opportunity to see including Hawaii, I would laugh into your face. Impossible! I would say…
Toronto ✈️Chicago ✈️San Francisco ✈️Hawaii
All the people I met on my way to the Big Island 🌴 were really nice. Starting with the Uber driver, airport staff and border security officials – everyone met me with a smile and were really nice. I passed all the security checks in no time and there were barely any lines holding me back. Mr Gonzales – the USA immigration officer was so nice and kind. We even had a little chat about the Ironman race, after which he awarded my passport with a fresh US stamp and handed it back to me.
⁃ “Safe travels Sir!” He wished me.
⁃ Thank you mr. Gonzales!
Beginning of the trip looks promising. I thought to myself.
My flight to Chicago ✈️ got delayed, cutting the layover time down to 30 minutes. I better be fast. And I was. Running through O’Hare International Airport I was amazed by how pretty the airport is. Made it to the gate on time. 4 hours until I’m in San Francisco.
KOA airport is one of a kind. The are no roofs, no windows – it’s all opened under the bright clear sky. Planes, like cars are parked just outside of the gate.
Landing…
I loaded my spaceship with all necessities, fueled up and headed onto discovery mission. In 3 days I drove around the entire island and explored pretty much all of the most attractive “touristy” places. I did not feel rushed and was able to keep my monkey mind still.
Out of pressing curiosity, I crack-opened up the visor on my space suit… and figured that there is O2 on this planet! It is so much richer and cleaner that my head got slightly dizzy. You can actually breathe it and not die! I de-compressed my suit…
I don’t need to carry heavy tanks with compressed stinky air on my back so I threw them off my shoulders.
I felt lighter, I felt taller! I need to to report back to the base about my discovery, I need to tell everyone how great it feels, how beautiful it is here! I need… I have to…. Do I?
“No Service” on my tracking device did not give me a chance to ping back my world. It remained still for two, three, four…. eight hours. I put it away. Wait, do I really need to report back? No. I’m here on my own, there is no chief, there is no boss. I might be even dead and no-one will know. I am FREE! I felt it before, this is freedom.
For the first time in a while I felt I could finally breathe out and sit back. I felt playful and more opened to people. I did not want to listed to any of my smart-assgurus on podcasts I’m subscribed to. I did not feel the pressing need to read any sophisticated books I brought with me. I did not want to think at all. I did not care…
Scary! I am lazy! Holly smokes, I need to get my shit together and get back to work. Think of everything you need to accomplish, think of your “duties”. I am missing out. I am falling behind the bus.
Wait, Do I?
“What?! How can you even question that? Are you insane? Of course you do”, the ego has woken up and put its heavy claws on my shoulders, pressing me to the ground. It felt uncomfortable.
Quietly I began question everything that seemed so important to me in the past. Every step I took, everything I did, every thought I had, every food I ate under. I felt that I found a place to escape. I can hide here and no-one ever will hear a word from me.
I can hide from my ego that been breathing so heavily over my shoulder, pushing me hard.
As I was getting deeper and deeper into the tropics, anxiety was also failing to keep up with me. The needs to prove, to show, to be recognized and validated had softened its grips on me…
Day #1 HILO: Rainy ☔️ side of the island 🌴
North and east sides of the island are pure tropics. Deep forests, rich wildlife and rain…never stopping rain.
Waipiʻo Valley Lookout
My IronMan buddy whom I met on a shuttle bus to the race suggested visiting this place, specifically for its beautiful sunrises 🌅. On the island 🌴 sunrise starts at 5:40. Got there on time, but face a 4×4 vehicle only restriction sign. Left the car and proceeded down the steep hill on my feet. Shortly I realized that I couldn’t go all the way down due to increasing pain in my knee after yesterday’s injury. Disappointed, I turned around and went back up. Had a breakfast up at the lookout point and enjoyed the view from the top.
Akaka Falls
My next stop was the Akaka Falls. Admissions: $5 per car / $1 per person. Young man at the register kindly notified me that they accept all forms of payments, from all major banks, besides the one that has “TD” logo on it. Guess which credit card I had?What were the chances that I would have only TD cards in my wallet?
I got lucky. An older gentleman behind me in line payed my admission of $1. Thank you Sir!
It’s a short 20-30 minutes walk through the rainforest and the waterfall is worth seeing. You might also want to bring an umbrella with you’re afraid to melt.
Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden
From the falls, I continued driving along highway 19 for about 30 minutes to get to Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden.
$20 will got me on a ~1hr 30min walk averaging about 1.25 miles long.
Absolutely gorgeous place. Plants and flowers are outside of this world. It almost feel like they can bite you if you get too close.
Icing on the cake is the endpoint of the walk – the scenic view of the ocean from the rocky beach. I have no words to describe how beautiful it is up there. Unbelievable!
Rainbow Falls
20 minutes drive from botanical garden is another falls that caught my attention. It is located in the town called Hilo, on the east side of the island.
Whats the best way to explore a new city? On bike or by feet. Pulled out my bike off the trunk and went on the ride around the town up to the falls and back. Got caught up in a pretty bad rain, but it only added to experience. The rain was warm and the town was wondering. You can get from one side of the town to another in less than 30 minutes.
Got to the falls, completely wet. No hiking, no admission to pay.
Stripped down to my shorts and went into the rainforest to find the spots worth remembering.
Lianas hanging down from huge-huge topical threes. Following the waterfall sound, I shortly found the way out to the falls on the other side.
Waterfall is a-ma-zing. Upstream, there are some little ponds with clear water which I had to swim in.
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
The more south you go, the less of the greens you see. Landscape rapidly changes from leafy green to rocky black.
Admission into the park is $25 and it’s valid for a week, meaning you can go in’n’out as many times as you want for 7 days from the purchase date.
Kīlauea Shield Volcano is one of the very few active volcanoes 🌋 in the world and major tourist attraction in this park.
Steam Vents
A scenic view of the crater reminded me Grand Canyon in Arizona, but in a smaller scale. Steam comes out of the cracks inside the crater, reminding people that this is an active volcano.
I also got lucky to witness the full rainbow over the crater.
Kīlauea Iki Crater
The next stop at the park is Kīlauea Crater. Trailhead isabout20 minutes down, 30 minutes up. It’s a 4 miles moderate-easy hike. Easy on the way down and respectively hard back up.
When you reach the bottom of the crater you find yourself on another planet. It is unbelievable! This hike definitely worth the time and energy. At the bottom you continue walking throughout special hiking signs right on top or hardened lava.
Holding Sea Arch
It’s been a long day and I found myself about 2 hours away from hotel, on the opposite side of the island. I’m tired.
I’ve got some food on me. I’ve got gas and water. I don’t have any kids, commitments or anyone waiting for me back, therefore there is no need to go back to hotel. I decided to proceed exploring the island and sleep in the car tonight. I just need to find a good spot to park and figure out the plan for tomorrow.
Constant “No service” made me go back to the roots and pull up the park map I’ve been granted at the entrance. After careful consideration of all potential overnight spots I headed towards the ocean. I picked the Holding Sea Arch as a good spot for overnight stay because I can meet the sunrise 🌄 there in the morning. It’s a slow, scenic 40 minute drive along the road called “Chain of Craters”.
Woke up at 5 to meet the sun. 20 minutes hike through the lava took me closer to the pacific ocean, where I patiently waited for the sunrise 🌄. Unfortunately weather had a different plan and washed my face with warm tropical rain. Still, the view was outstanding. I’ll be back for more.
Day #2 KONA – West & Sunny 😎 side of the island 🌴
About 2 hours driving away from volcano park and you’re on the west side of the island – the sunny side. I stopped at the town called Captain Cook. Air temperature rapidly increasing and the sun puts its warm rays on my face.
Pu’uhonua O Hōnaunau National Historical Park
Captain Cook has the landmark called by the name outlined in the headline that I can’t even pronounce. It’s a national park and my first stop of the day.
The park is gorgeous! White sands, tall palms and crystal clear water makes you feel like you are back in the summer. One day entrance fee is $25 per car and $7 per person.
The park has about 10 km hiking trail that goes along the beach. You are on the wild goat’s land here 🐐. To keep my blood moving I went on an easy 7 km run through the park and hiking trail. I’ve seen at least two dozen goats jumping back and forth across the trail. I was looking at them, they were starring at me.
Jaw-dropping Snorkeling: Honaunau Beach
Right by the park is the beach called Hōnaunau and it is known for its snorkeling. Exactly what I needed after the hot run.
A little beach grants free snorkeling access to the public. All you need is a pair of goggles and the ability to stay on top of the water for at least a few minutes.
Pacific ocean is so warm! The water is crystal clear. You can see all the tiniest fish and corrals from tens of meters above.
Do not just jump straight into the water!
There are a lot of dangerously sharp corals on the bottom that look like the balls full of needles.
There is a non-official designated spot for entrance. People call it a “Two Step” place. Ask the locals if you can’t locate it yourself.
The second you put your head down into the water you feel yourself as a french explorer Jacques Cousteau. Fish 🐠 and corals I have previously seen only in documentary movies about wild ocean life. A-MA-ZING!!! And it’s totally free.
Captain’s Cook Monument Hike
20 minutes drive north from snorkeling place was my next stop. Swapped my swimming gear for sneakers 👟 and continued exploring Kona by feet.
3.8 mile hike with challenging 1400 elevation gain on the way back. This is what the sign said and it didn’t sound too good considering my knee injury.Going down was fast and easy. At the bottom you will face another scenic view straight from the movie of a perfect life.
Make sure you bring your snorkeling gear. Right by the Captains Cook Monument is a fantastic snorkeling place. The place is quiet and deep, hosting a wide variety of wildlife.
William was the name of a guy I met at the spot. He was undoubtedly convinced that he met a really special fish that he had a conversation with. He also mentioned he is a fish himself and that was a reason why he could talk to his aqua friends. The size of his pupils gave me an idea of what was going on.
Going back up was not as bad as I thought it would. In fact I barely broke any sweat and made it to the top quite fast and easy. Garmin showed 9 km worth of 1200 feet elevation gain.
Magic Sands Beach Park
The sun goes down as well as my energy level. I’m 85 km away from my bed, which is about 1 hr 20 minutes drive.
I’m facing the same question as yesterday: Go back to hotel or camp elsewhere?
What will I get going back?
A shower 🚿
Few tomatoes, chicken breast, rice or oatmeal with peanut butter on top
A human bed with pillow and a blanket
What will I get for not going back?
Experience of camping at the beach like a homeless man
Free hypnotizing sounds of the most expensive waves in the world
Fresh ocean breeze
Save about 1/3 of tank worth of gas and 3 hours of my life driving
Decided! Sleeping at the beach 🏖
Pu’u Wa’awa’a Cinder Cone State Park
Round trip took me 2 hr 33 minutes and put 17 km on my body’s odometer. It’s not the easy hike. Elevation gain is about 2000 feet.
First 30-40 minutes you hike up the paved road with about 10% incline. Enjoy, thats the warmup. Next, you step on a black unsaved road filled with volcano rocks and sand. Hiking boots would come handy here, but regular sneakers also worked out good for me. (changed my mind later…)
There are 12 markers on the route, which will lead you to the top. It’s a bit hard to navigate some of them. Just keep in mind that if the trail you follow flattened or going downhill, you are on a wrong trail. On a way there its all uphill.
*CAUTION! Don’t watch if you eat!
Closing Thoughts
Local Inhabitants
Due to its popularity around the world and limited living space on the island I developed two major assumptions about the life on the Island.
Firstly, I assumed that the job market is really competitive here and it’s nearly impossible to get employed even as low-skilled employee. I assumed that you need to be a highly motivated and qualified professional to get hired at one of the local businesses to at least make a living.
Secondly, I believed that the rent and real estate prices are sky high. This assumption let me to believe that a regular, mid-class person, could not afford to buy a piece of property here.
None of my assumptions got validated. Any here is why:
The most demanding skills or qualifications are responsibility, self-management and motivation. This observation I borrowed from the guy who lived on an Island for quite a bit and went through the job hunting process himself. He said that employers are hungry for people that would simply show up. “Those who have at least a little bit of brain and discipline worth more than gold here.”, were his words.
Real estate market IS expensive. However it’s not much more expensive than in some major American cities. If you have at least $50k in your savings for a down payment, you can can afford a decent condo, or even a house in the area that is not too far from civilization.
It looked, sounded and felt that local inhabitants simply don’t care. They are truly chill and laid back. They are different than people in big cities. People value money much less here.
You don’t move to live in Hawaii for big houses, expensive cars or fancy clothes. You come to the Big Island for fresh water and clean air. You come here for life.
I am sad to fly back to Canada
I really enjoyed my time in Hawaii and I changed my view on a lot of things that were important to me. I hope to return sometime next year and when I’m back, I will not book a hotel stay. Instead I will camp throughout my entire visit. I will also rent a bigger car, preferably a Jeep or any other 4×4 vehicle that will allow me to explore more remote locations.
For now I want to leave me thoughts and feelings about this adventure as is. They will be different next time, I will be different…
If you’ve ever dreamed about touring through the mountains of France or spending a week biking the trails in Whistler, you probably thought about whether or not you can fly with a bike. The answer is yes! Use my step-by-step instructions on how to bullet proof your bike for traveling on a plane.
What you will need
Bike Case. I am using Thule RoundTrip Sport (link).
Use a pedal wrench or hex key to unscrew the pedals from the crank arms. Rightpedals loosen by turning counter-clockwise, left pedals loosen clockwise. Applybike grease to the new pedals and screw them in at an even 90 degree angle. Right pedals tighten by turning clockwise, left pedals tighten counter-clockwise.
2. Place chain onto the large chain ring at crank.
3. Move rear derailleur to smallest ring on the rear cassette.
4. Position crank arms to 3 & 9 O’Clock
5. Remove Wheels. Let all the air out.
6. Insert the spacers into front and rear forks. (To prevent compression damage)
7. Apply the Pipe Tube to chain stay.
8. Place and fully tighten the first zip tie near the front derailleur.
9. Pull chain towards the crank to move the rear derailleur forward. Place and tighten zip tie over the lower pulley as shown. (Zip tie is between two pulleys)
10. Remove the Seat Post.
Marking the seat post and handle bars positions will save you a lot of time when you put the bike back together.
11. Close Shut Both Brake Levers.
Note: DO NOT shut the brake levers is you have disk brakes.
12. Remove Handle Bars.
Take the bolts on the headset out and pull the handlebars off. Leave all the cables attached. Put the headset back together when the handlebars are removed to ensure all the pieces are there.
13. Place the Wheels in the Box (Cassette facing up).
Place the bubble wrap in between the wheels to prevent damage.
14. Place plastic shield over the wheels (the larger hole should be positioned over the cog set). Place one layer of foam over plastic shield.
15. Place the Bike Frame onto the foam layer.
Depending on your frame style you may need to either loosen handlebars and position along the top tube or remove handlebars completely and position along the fork.
16. Place the Tools, Shoes and Nutrition (if you take any) into Freezer Bags.
17. Wrap your Helmet. Place it in Box.
18. Place Plastic Bags and Water Bottles into space between the frame.
19. Lay second foam sheet over frame. Make sure no bicycle parts are touching sides of case. Close the Box. Tighten the Stripes.