Kauai Trip - May 2008

So, this is going to serve as a "practice" blog before we get to Taiwan.

Recently we got back from a long weekend in Kauai. The great thing about being married and not owning anything (i.e. house, pets, kids - do you "own" kids?) is that it's easy to just be able to pick up and go to, say, Kauai for a long weekend.

It was February in Seattle - about the time when people start going stir crazy from all the dark, damp and cold. We were cruising around on a travel website, dreaming of what it would be like to see the sun and what do we find? An awesome deal for 5 days, 4 nights in Kauai! Luke had lived on the Big Island for a bit and I had been to Oahu but we both wanted to see the more rugged side of Hawaii. So, we said, "Why not?" and booked it. Sadly, it wasn't until May, but those few months went by fast.

So, suddenly it's May and we're still going stir crazy from the dark, damp and cold and it's time to go! Yaaaayyy!! So, here we are on the plane, extremely white and extremely excited to see the sun.

Finally, we land in Kauai after almost missing our connection in Honolulu. The airline had changed our flight time which resulted in us sprinting through the 85 degree airport in our fleeces (we were coming from Seattle, remember?) with our suitcases. But, phew...we made it and got some pretty funny looks/comments from a bunch of tan people in Hawaiian shirts (no fair...I want to be them!).

We get to our hotel and decided to do some grocery shopping since we have a microwave and fridge in our room. We get to the Safeway and realize that we were waaay too high-strung for this little place. Why is everybody moving so gosh-darn slow!? This point was illustrated when a cute little Hawaiian lady was taking FOREVER to pick out her bagels. I had my eye on the blueberry ones and she wouldn't make her decision...I just wanted to get in and grab the ones I wanted. Then, I realized...hey, relax, man. Those bagels will still be there in like 30 seconds when she's done. : ) We finished our shopping and are walking around, trying to find a place to eat and are ever-so-slowly feeling the stress and strain drain out of our tightly-wound bodies. It feels good.
The next morning, still on Seattle time, we get up with the sunrise and eat our bagels on our little patio and look at the ocean.

Then we head out for our first day of adventures! First stop...Wailua Falls.

I have to say that we got a super-awesome guidebook that encouraged us to go to all the places that were marked "No Trespassing," "Danger," Death Awaits You," etc. Like this sign...

But, our guidebook assured us that the makeshift trail was completely safe, what with all the ropes that had been tied to make the descent easier. So, we said, "Why not?" and started our way down. It was muddy and slippery but the book was right, the ropes made it doable and before we knew it, we were at the bottom and this was our view! I had a great time swimming in the pool underneath the falls.

Next stop was Kipu Falls, a great little swimming hole with cliffs to jump off of and even a rope swing. We had a great time here, until I ended up doing a belly flop on my second go-round on the rope swing. I had just put sunscreen on and my hands slipped off, resulting in a massive splash and bruise. Ce la vie, right?

The rest of the day was spent driving around the island and relaxing on different beaches like this one. Ahhh...life is good and we're starting to relax and feel more in step with life on the island. I think that pace is more suited to our natures than the hustle and bustle of life in the city.

The next day we decided that we would hike along the Na Pali coast. There is an 11 mile trail that stretches along the north side of the island. This isn't any normal trail...it winds its way along 3-4,000 foot cliffs that drop straight in to the ocean. We did the first two miles and then hiked two miles inland to a waterfall. Here is a picture from the first part of the hike. We hiked in to a beach called Hanakapi'ai and rested for a while before we turned inland to the waterfall.

So, two more miles in to a valley and along a stream and after a while this is what we were greeted with. Incredible! We got to swim in the pool and sit behind the falls. It was well worth what ended up being 8 miles round trip. We were pretty much exhausted the rest of the day and walked around with sore muscles and limps.

So, we decided to go to a place called Queen's Bath that we had read about for a nice post-hike soak. Kauai is just full of all of these amazing little places. This was right on the edge of the ocean. It's a natural pool that's been formed from the lava and waves, about 15 feet deep. And it's really warm because it has a natural black bottom. On the way back, this obnoxiously tan little girl walks by and asks, "Is there good swell down there?" "Uh, yeah," I replied. Do I look like I know what a good swell is? Huh? Huh? Once again, I'm jealous and want to be her.

On our last day we decided to try Waimea Canyon again. The first day we were here we tried and it looked like this...Haha, niiiice. So, we hoped it would be better...and it was! It's called the "Grand Canyon of the Pacific" and is truly incredible. I don't know how all those colors got there, but I like it! It's about 4,000 feet deep and was formed by three different rivers.

After that, we continued up the road to a place that looked out into the Kalalau Valley and also the wettest spot on earth, Mt. Wai'ale'ale. It gets 430 inches of rain a year...and I thought Seattle was bad!

Well, I think that's about it. The next day we had to leave and come back to rainy and cold Seattle. We promptly got on the internet to look up Kauai real estate and see if we could get a house there some day. : ) We loved that little island. It's rugged and beautiful and not overrun by tourists yet. I know we will be sure to return some day!

So, like I said, this is a practice blog so sorry if the pictures are kind of off and the layout is awkward. I'll be learning about this whole blog thing as I go! Any tips from you veteran bloggers? I'd appreciate it! : )