Not long ago, I had the pleasure of visiting Hawaii (the Big Island), one of my most favourite locations on this fine earth we dwell upon.  It’s one of those places that make you feel in touch with every spiritual and physical aspect of your being.  You can’t help but feel engaged and switched on to everything around you because it’s all simply so stunning – from the smells that fill the air to the soaring vistas that greet your eyes to the glorious sunshine that warms your bones and the turquoise water that soothes your skin.

In between visiting pristine sandy beaches (both black and white); snorkelling clear, untroubled waters and exploring the history of Hawaii, I had the pleasure of visiting Body Temple Boot Camp.  Discovered by my travel companion and truly amazing friend, Caroline, the camp is located on the eastern tip of the island (an area where few tourists are found but where there’s plenty to see – including the village that the Kilauea volcano trampled through not too many years ago), and is run by raw-food author and former natural body building competitor, Kieba Blacklidge. This article is a great introduction to Kieba’s raw food methods.

This trip was just a taster of what could come from being under the tutalege of “crazy coach” Kieba – and it was fantastic!  After sleeping in our eco-cabin to the sounds of birds in the trees and waking to roosters crowing, we ate our “raw” breakfast – yummy porridge full of healthful things and surprisingly edible; then an hour or so of weight training in Kieba’s gym which is designed as part of the landscape so you won’t miss out on any of the Hawaiian beauty by being shut in doors; then to the nearby Olympic size pool for laps.  Because we weren’t doing a real boot camp experience – Kieba let us off the raw diet thing and gave us the freedom to choose from the dozens of lovely eateries in nearby Pahua.   (She’s not too tough!  I had some of the best Mexican food I’ve had in a long time – and guiltily sipped a margarita in the evening!).

Now we want to find a week to spend with Kieba to train for our next big thing – whatever that might be!