Balabanova All Over
#TakeYourTimeOff
About Nadya
Hi there! I am so glad you found me! My mission is to empower you to #TakeYourTimeOff and explore the world. I started this blog as a way to keep family and friends in the loop when I went on a 3-week trip to Asia in 2011. Although I’ve always enjoyed traveling, it wasn’t until a trip to Peru in 2012 that I started to think about ways to make travel a… Read More
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Top Posts
[Hanalei & Kilauea, Kauai, HI, Feb 21, 2024] No early wake up today! We both naturally woke up between 6:30 and 7 am, and had a small breakfast at our hotel. Ash was nice enough to run to Starbucks for some coffee, too! After Ash’s failed boat snorkel, he really wanted to try snorkeling from the beach. The Poipu beaches we visited on our first day did not seem that great for… Read More
[Wainiha, Kauai, Hi, Feb 20, 2024] Kalalau Trail is the only way to get up close and personal with the Na’Pali Coast. There are two ways to experience the 11-mile trail. Day-use visitors can do the first 2 miles of the trail by getting a reservation to enter the trailhead at Haena State Park. There is an option to do a side trail to the Hanakapia’i Waterfall, adding another 2 miles one… Read More
[Waimea, Kauai, HI, Feb 19, 2024] After Ash’s experience with the sunset tour yesterday, he understandably didn’t want to get on a boat again for a while. But he had pre-booked a snorkeling tour for that morning while I was going to hike in Waimea Canyon. We stopped by the charter company to inquire about cancelling it right as they opened at 7 am. They did end up giving him a refund,… Read More
[Poipu/Port Allen, Kauai, Hi, Feb 18, 2024] My friends reminded me that Kauai is the chill island, so we obliged and had a very leisurely morning on our first full day in Hawaii. I enjoyed my morning coffee on the balcony overlooking the ocean and basked in the warmth of the sun. The only thing we had on the docket was a sunset boat tour of the Na’Pali coast, which didn’t start… Read More
[Kapa’a, Kauai, Hawaii, Feb 17, 2024] Hard to believe that I was above the Arctic Circle a month ago, and now I find myself in 75F/24C on the island of Kauai! This is my 5th trip to Hawaii but my first to this island, and I am excited to get out of the cold and gloomy weather in Portland! Kauia is the oldest and northernmost Hawaiian island, and it’s also the smallest… Read More