Kauai- Day Eleven, Last Day on the Island

Aloha, or should I say Hello?
       I've made it back home to Seattle now, and boy is it cold! I wish I were still in Hawaii despite the monsoon rains! Our last day on the island was spent cruising by the Na Pali coast with Hola-Hola Charters on one of their smaller catamarans. I discovered something about myself during this trip- I am extremely prone to sea sickness. Even after taking the medication (one pill the night before and one the morning of) I still felt queezy during the journey into the West coast of Kauai- though I suppose the fact that I had been feeling ill previously could have been a contributing factor. Needless to say, the boat ride was not as fun for me as it could have been for another, less nauseous, individual. However, I could certainly see how someone without motion sickness could easily enjoy themselves, plus- the scenery was spectacular!

The Na Pali coast is the only part of Kauai that cannot be accessed via car- only sea, air, and by an eleven mile hike through rough terrain. I would like to take that hike someday, but it was unfortunately not in the cards for this trip. We were on the catamaran for about five hours. We left at 8am, and got back around 1pm. Hola Hola provided breakfast and lunch, but I'd like to see you try sipping your coffee while simultaneously trying to hold your guts in and stay on your feet! They also offered beer and wine. I didn't have any, but who knows- maybe it made the boat seem more stable?

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       Before we'd even left the dock we saw whales jumping off in the distance! Humpbacks were breaching left and right (which was very cool for all involved, including yours truly) but for the life of me I could NEVER get a picture. This frustrated me to no end. However, I did snap a pretty good shot of a large pod of dolphins as they swam by! 

Oh my! Aren't they cute?

       Also, when traveling in this manner- you will get very wet. By the time we left the boat in the afternoon I was sick and wet and cold. Fortunately, our next stop for the day was at the Kauai Coffee Plantation! Not the first plantation in Hawaii, but the largest for sure! I purchased myself a nice dry shirt, and sipped some hot coffee in the plantation's tasting room (this is where they allow guests to try all their different roasts- for free!) On our way home from our voyage and coffee tasting we saw a little souvenir shop and jewelry gallery off the highway and stopped to do some shopping. Unfortunately, this was the last wave I was able to catch in Hawaii for a while:

Yes, it is made of plaster.

        The next morning we awoke before the sunrise and headed off for the Lihue Airport. :(
Since then, I've been constantly pinning for Hawaii, but no worries!
To console my older sister for leaving her behind on our Hawaii trip, my mom and I decided we would take a "ladies trip" to Italy and Greece! This trip will take place in spring of 2012, and will include Me, my mom (Kathy), my big sister (Heather), and my niece (Marina). I still plan on traveling to Thailand as well, but Europe may be sooner. Either way, I will be blogging about my preparation for both trips over the coming months! Our trip to Italy/Greece will begin in Rome, then take us to Florence, then Cinque Terre, and finally to Greece where we want to visit some smaller islands in addition to seeing Athens! We are planning on spending about three weeks abroad, and I can't wait!!


Until next time!

Happy Journeys, Travel Blog: Kauai- Day Four, You Can Dance if You Want to

Happy Journeys, Travel Blog: Kauai- Day Four, You Can Dance if You Want to: "Aloha! I finally got my pictures in order for Kauai Day Four! I think you're going to enjoy them. In t..."

Kauai- Days Nine and Ten, Rain.

Aloha....

Its been raining for two days. Raining as in monsoon raining. We haven't been able to do much. Apparently there is a storm passing over Kauai and Oahu that is causing all the rainy, windy weather. There is also a flash flood warning. Also, I've been sick to my stomach with some kind of flu-type bug since yesterday evening. So yeah... not a whole lot to report, and I'm sorry for that. However, if the sun decides to grace us with her presence by tomorrow morning, and I get to feeling better, we're scheduled for a morning sailboat cruise along the Na Pali Coast- which is the only part of Kauai that must be accessed via boat, air, or eleven mile hike through jungles and over cliffs. We get to go snorkeling off the boat as well! Exciting. I hope I feel better by then.


Mahalo.

Kauai- Day Eight, Gypsies and Witches

Aloha!
       Welcome back to my Kauai based travel blog! We are on day eight of the Great Hawaiian Adventure, and with only three days remaining of our trip, this chapter of the blog will soon be coming to a close. Sad face. But no worries, because there are many exciting adventures planned for later in the year, and for next year! For now, lets talk about day eight of the trip.
       Day eight was yesterday 1/11/11 (oh my!) and the one thing I enjoyed most about Hawaii has been the surfing, so I deiced to take another lesson with Tanner to truly familiarize myself with being in the ocean, and catching my own waves. Unfortunately, I did not get a private lesson for the price of a group lesson this time. I shared my class with three tourists from Romania- Alitzia, Marioze, and a guy we just called "Armie" because his name was way to difficult to pronounce. Tanner decided to shorten their names even further into Mario, Ella, and Armie. I found this amusing.
       Upon meeting the Romanians (who were actually from the infamous Transylvania!) I mistakenly thought that I had stumbled into some good luck, because even though I don't know much about the country, I had happened to read an article in the local paper about how their president had decided to start taxing the Romanian "witches" the previous day. "Yippie!" I thought, "I have a conversation starter! How fortunate it is that I read that article!". I slyly (or so I thought) mentioned "Hm... Romania, I believe I read an article in the paper about how your president has decided to start taxing the witches, yes?".
        After a brief pause during which six pairs of Romanian eyes stared at me (in pleasant surprise that someone was knowledgeable about their country and wanted to converse with them about their culture? No.) they all burst out in riotous laughter, at my expense. Immediately embarrassed, I said "Oh, no? It must have been a different country...." even though I was positive the article had said Romania. The tall one, Mario, said in a thick accent "There are no witches in Romania." and began laughing again. His shorter, rounder counterpart (who I later learned was his brother-in-law) said, "No, this article was mistaken." finally, Ella, the tall one's sister said to the group "She means the gypsies!" then, looking at me and speaking slowly "You know..." gesturing to her hand, "the one's that read the palms."

This is how I learned that there is apparently a huge difference between gypsies and witches.

       After this we all had a good laugh about how Mario and Armie were actually a werewolf and a vampire, and that they all lived in castles. Ha. Despite my initial mortification over apparently making a huge cultural faux pas, we had a good time surfing together that day. This goes to show, that even if you don't always know exactly what you're talking about (like when the American media lets you down via bypassing important details in their articles) you should still put yourself out there and be prepared to have a laugh and make a few friends. Besides, I got my revenge by watching the Romanians pound sand for the first half hour of our lesson (evil laugh).

Oh, yeah! Here are some photos of me being awesome and catching my own waves all day.

 I know- I look very cool, and not at all like I'm about to fall over at any moment. What can I say? I'm a natural.
        After my lesson the parents and I went to Kalypso's in Hanalei Bay. Out of all the towns on Kauai, I think Hanalei is my favorite. The restaurant was good- I had the fish burger with fresh Mahi Mahi. Its about medium price range there, and they have beer, wine, and cocktails. After lunch, I wanted to rent a scooter to ride around on my own for a bit. Those of you who know me, know that I deliver pizza via motor scooter back in Seattle, so I am an experienced driver. They charged $15 an hour at Island Scooter Rentals in Hanalei. This is a rip off for renting a scooter- if you ask me, but it was cheaper than any other place we'd seen (they usually cost about $20-25 per hour). When it was time to take off with the scooter, the woman running the stand handed me a bicycle helmet. This is very bad. If you crash at 45 mph, a bicycle helmet will do you absolutely no good whatsoever. However, I had already given her my credit card info, so I said ok and took the helmet. My mistake is your benefit- always check to see that you get a proper motorcycle helmet before relinquishing funds. The ride was ok, and it was a nice way to check out the scenery, but it was too pricey with low quality equipment. I would not recommend scooter rental- at least in Hawaii.

 After roaming about on the scooter, we decided to head back to our hotel and make lamb chops on the BBQ. It was a good day, despite the bike helmet.
Until next time!
Mahalo.

Kauai- Day Four, You Can Dance if You Want to

Aloha!
       I finally got my pictures in order for Kauai Day Four! I think you're going to enjoy them. In the morning of day four, I took some time to explore downtown Kapa'a (where our hotel is located) on my own. Its a cute little beach town, but I wouldn't recommend swimming or snorkeling due to the strong current. I saw little swimwear boutiques (expensive) and some surfing outfitters (expensive) and a guy with a rooster sitting on the handlebars of his bicycle. Yes... a live rooster. Now, if I rode around with a live rooster sitting on my handlebars, I would just expect people to take photos of me- I may even be encouraging them to through the act of rooster carrying, but when I asked if I could take a photo I got a cold stare and a "I would prefer you didn't". This is why rooster-bike-man is not pictured here today.
         After wandering around for some time  and spending too much money, I got a craving for some coffee. I found a little place (a local chain) called Java Kai. I recently discovered (when I went surfing there) that there is also a Java Kai in Hanalei Bay, but if you don't want to wait in line forever, you should arrive before 7:30am, because Java Kai is practically one of the only competent cafes on the island. A good breakfast/cafe place would make a killing in Hanalei Bay. Anyway, I had a pleasant day wandering around little Kapa'a. Its cute here.
       Around 4:30pm, my parents picked me up for the Smith Family Luau! I know, "Smith" Family? What is that? Apparently, the man who first started the Smith Family Luau was an Englishman who came to Kauai years and years ago and married a pretty Hawaiian girl. Hence the Hawaiian Smiths. When we arrived we checked in at the front gates of the gardens. Tickets for both the buffet dinner and the show are $80 a person. This is a decent price for what they offer, and its half the price of the Princeville Hotel Luau.  

Smith's Tropical Paradise!

The tram they take you to the Luau on

       Upon Arrival, you receive a shell necklace, and a photograph with two young, fit-looking people dressed as Hawaiians that you can purchase later, if you wish. Then, they load everyone onto a tram that drives you around the park while a tour guide tells you all about the plants and birds in the garden. I'll be honest- it has a bit of a Disneyland feel. Like, it should be a magical experience filled with the purest intentions of a culture, but its been so well-loved by so many that it's lost a bit of its magic, and now the paint is wearing off and you can smell the fried food in the garbage cans, and there are way too many people. Its similar to the Disneyland feel. 
       However, I really did enjoy myself. The Smith Family Luau begins with the Kalua pig ceremony. This is where a pig is buried in the ground with lots of very hot rocks after being wrapped in large leaves and seasoned. Two burly young Hawaiian men appear in traditional clothing to unearth said pig. This is what we eat. Also included in the buffet is an assortment of salads, some sweet potato, fish, chicken, teriyaki beef (my favorite), and an array of dessert options like coconut jello, and rice pudding. They also serve the traditional Poi (not the dance, but the food) which is a gooey paste made from the root of a taro plant. In ancient Hawaiian times, the early Polynesians would take dehydrated Poi with them on long voyages (like the journey to the Hawaiian islands) and add water to eat it. Dehydrated Poi is very nutritious, and can be kept for up to two years- it tastes gross though. 
       After dinner (oh yeah, and the open bar) everyone shuffles to the amphitheater to check out the show. The Smith family Luau has a dance performance involving dances form all parts of Hawaiian culture- Hula, Tahitian drum dancing, the Chinese New Year dance, the Japanese fan dance, some Filipino dances, and the dances of the Māori tribe of New Zealand. But I think the best way to tell you about the show is through photos. 

Pele, the goddess of fire, ascending form a volcano to create her people

Hula dancers

Tahitian drum dance

detail

detail

Split bamboo dance

Gourd dance

Shaker dance

Japanese fan dance

Filipino stick dance

     


 
     and  lastly, the fire Poi dances!


 Thanks for reading! Mahalo.




 

Kauai- Day Seven, Rain Rain Go Away

Aloha Everyone!


       Day Seven was a slow day... it was raining for most of the morning and wet during the rest of the day, so we kept it pretty low key. We decided to check out the Kauai Museum in Lihue around 11am. The museum was obviously a low budget endeavor in a neat old building across from the post office. It was still kind of cool to wander around and learn about the Hawaiian monarchy, and the many wars fought and lost over the conquering of Kauai by King Kamehameha "The Great" who ruled all the islands through the winning of battles, except Kauai. I also learned more about the unlawful takeover of the Hawaiian islands by the US government in 1898. It was educational. They also had an exhibit about the first Hollywood silent film made in Kauai "White Heat". 

Kauai Museum

After the museum excursion, we picked up some flat rate boxes from the post office for mailing souvenirs to people. Then we went to lunch at a restaurant called "Duke's" named for the famous swimmer/surfer/movie star Duke Paoa Kahanamoku. Duke's is a Hawaiian chain of restaurants. The food was very good, though it wasn't cheap. There is a Koi pond in the Lihue branch, so that was cool. After Duke's, we wandered over to the Lihue Mariott Hotel to check out their botanical garden. It exists within their elaborate courtyard. There were swans, and Hawaiian geese, and lots of Koi fish. It was very beautiful. 

That's about it for day seven. Sometimes you need to take a breather on such long trips to regroup your thoughts, and just spend time wandering. 

Until next time!
Mahalo 

Kauai- Day Six, Grand Canyon of Kauai

Aloha!
       Today we finally made it up to Waimea Canyon! The canyon is a spectacular place to take photos of the Hawaiian landscape in all its infamous glory! However, due to surfing my little heart out yesterday, I was plenty sore and tired when I woke up this morning. Even after having some delicious Ahi Poke with tomatoes and scrambled eggs, plus two cups of coffee I was really sluggish. So I decided that the best plan of action was to chill by the pool for a while and let the sun do some damage control on my poor, lazy muscles. We left around noon. The town of Waimea is about an hour and a

Yeah! That's what I'm talkin' about!

Ok, all sunned up an' ready to go!

half drive from our hotel, so we arrived around 1:30 or so. We decided to have a picnic lunch by the beach. I recommend buying a little cheapo ice chest from the grocery store while you stay in Kauai, because food is often expensive, and you can use it to pack sandwiches around whenever you feel so inclined.
       If you have been reading Happy Journeys  consistently, you'll remember some photos I took of skim borders and surfers in "Kauai- Day Two"- well we had lunch on the very same beach that I took those photos on. The beach is called Kekaha Beach, and it consists of several thousand feet of beautiful sandy beach, bordered by grassy park land equipped with some seating and spigots to rinse salt water from your bod. It seems to be a favorite beach for the local surfers, but when we asked the lifeguard about it, he told us that it was best for intermediate to advanced surfers due to a coral reef that stretches between the break and the beach. Anyway, its one of my favorite places on the island to take surfing photos so far, so I thought I would share some with you folks!

Believe it or not, he made it to shore

guy heading out

female surfer

        I've come to find during my stay in Hawaii, that I really enjoy watching people surf. Especially now that I kind of know what I'm talking about (thanks Tanner). However, all good things must come to an end- in order to make way for more good things. After stopping for lunch, we missed our exit to the canyon (its at the junction for highway 550, by the way) and ended up driving for another 30 minutes through some beautiful countryside that led us to a dirt road with "4 wheel drive required" signs posted around it. Needless to say, our rental car lacked the aforementioned 4 wheel drive, so we turned around. I got some great shots of the area though!

Farmland

Ocean views

                  
       Finally, we made it to our exit and began our accent up the windy mountain road to Waimea Canyon. If you ever find yourself in this neck of the woods and decide to check out the canyon, I recommend that you bring a sweater or light jacket- no matter how warm you think it will be. The higher you get, the chillier it is- all the way up to about 4,500 feet. It was about a ten minute uphill drive before we reached our turnoff to the viewpoint. Once we arrived, we hiked up a brief flight of stairs and a paved ramp (yes, Waimea is wheelchair accessible) to check out the vast depth of this tropical crevasse! Let me just say- it was stunning! Looking over the canyon gave me a good idea of how the island of Kauai was formed, as it was one of the giant gashes left in the earth from volcanic activity and erosion. The photos I show here do not do it justice- you need to see it for yourself!

The two nice people paying for this adventure!

       As you can see, it was worth the drive! I would NOT want to fall down there, that's for sure. Anyway, after we had had our fill of the canyon, we headed back down to the little town of Waimea to seek out a shrimp shack that my parents had visited on a previous trip to the island. We found it on the main drag through town. It's called "The Shrimp Station" and its a tiny little yellow building with outdoor seating. The had some of the best coconut shrimp I've ever had, and the shrimp tacos were also very delicious. My dad had the beer battered shrimp with fries and they were tasty too- though I'm a die hard coconut shrimp fan myself.

Some guy named Alan took this picture

photo credit to Gerry Bauer (urbanspoon)

After stuffing ourselves with shrimp, we headed off to Poipu Beach again. My dad lost his glasses the first time we visited, and he wanted to go a-searching for them. Who am I to complain? Its a tropical beach! We were surprised to find a group of amateur ukulele players putting on an informal concert. They were actually very good and we had a fun time watching them preform traditional Hawaiian songs. Apparently the group meets every other Sunday to play ukulele together, just for the fun of it. It was a pretty good day.

Everybody now! A-one, two, three, four!

He seemed to be the head haunch-o of the group

Mahalo for reading!

Kauai- Day Five, Surf's Up!

Aloha!


I know what you may be thinking- "What happened to Day Four?" but don't worry, it's coming soon. I just need to get my pictures in order first.
As for today? It was a very good day. I think it was the best day on the island so far, because today my friends... I went surfing!
       We scheduled my surf lesson with Hawaiian Surfing Adventures in Hanalei Bay for 10am this morning. We had asked our hotel concierge where the best place to learn surfing is, and she smiled as she handed us the brochure. Now, Hanalei Bay is about an hour drive from our hotel (if you recall, we went there on day three after the lighthouse visit) but it was worth the drive. The bay is one of the most beautiful surf spots in all of Kauai! It has a sandy bottom (no rocks) and gorgeous sweeping mountain views- due to its location on the island's North Shore. You can even see the mountain and waterfalls surrounding the Waialeale crater, which is known as the wettest place on earth. You can spot it from sitting on a surf board, because there is a constant downpour coming from the clouds up there.


       We arrived at Hawaiian Surfing Adventures, which is just a little encampment of surfboards and picnic tables by the beach, around 9:45. I checked in and signed some liability waivers, and they equipped me with a bright red rash-guard shirt. It was incredibly dorky, but as I found out later, incredibly necessary. Then I met my instructor for the day, the super dreamy Tanner. That's right, I said he's dreamy.

That's me there, concentrating

Carrying the boards to the beach

        Tanner gave me some "dry land lessons" for about 20 minutes. He taught me how to lay, stand, paddle, and stand up properly, and how to turn the board in the water. He was really nice, and very patient in correcting my form, and giving me examples of what to/not to do. I've heard that most, if not all, of the instructors at H.S.A. are very helpful and generous in their instruction, so I would highly recommend them if you want to surf in Kauai. My lesson was supposed to be a group lesson, but due to inclement weather, it turned out to be a private lesson at the cost of a group (by the way, in Hawaii, inclement weather usually means 70deg. and overcast). After the dry land lesson we headed down to the beach- FYI, surfboards are heavier than they appear.

Attaching the "leash" to my ankle

Heading out into the surf

If you are attempting surfing for the first time, you should be aware that getting salt water in your mouth, and sand in your shorts is inevitable. Just accept it- move on. Also, I am told that being able to stand up on your second try is unusual. It normally takes 5-10 tries. But I wouldn't know, because it only took me two tries!

Attempt number 1

Attempt number 2!!!

 One might think that the only fun part about surfing is catching a wave, but they would be mistaken. Catching a wave is very gratifying, but the whole experience is just completely exhilarating! Even wiping out and getting sand in your shorts, or salt water in your mouth! Its all part of the experience! By the time we were done I had sand in places I never knew existed, my mouth tasted like I had just dumped salt in it, a had a giant- very not sexy looking- wedgie, my shoulders were aching like hell, and my knees and toes had welts and blisters on them that stung like the dickens, but I've never had more fun in the ocean. I'm sure I was grinning like an idiot. This has easily been my best day in Hawaii thus far.

All in all- a successful day. Hang loose!