Our original plan was to spend the day relaxing at the resort with a quick trip to the Hawaiian Trading Port in Lawa'i. Things did not quite work out that way.
First we had breakfast at the Ilima Terrace, a beautiful, if more formal setting than the Seaview Terrace. Heather had Belgian waffles and guava juice while I had scrambled eggs. The scrambled eggs were not the standard Denny's variety - I had two eggs, roasted fingerling potatoes, a rasher of thick-cut bacon, sauteed asparagus spears, and a broiled tomato half with grated parmesan cheese on top. We topped things off with Kona coffee and a shot glass sized papaya smoothie, which our waitress greeted us with.
In addition to the food, Ilima provides an excellent garden view of koi, swans, Nene's, and an artificial waterfall. And the Pacific Ocean. Pictures of that will come tomorrow - I stupidly did not take the camera to breakfast.
After our feast we gathered the Jeep from the valet (these guys rock), and headed up to the Trading Post. This place makes the other stores we've visited, particularly Hilo Hatties look, like Walmarts for cheap, plastic, tourist-oriented crap. We found just about everything we were looking for, and somethings we weren't, at the Hawaiian Trading Post. If yoy come to Kauai, go there for gifts, particularly jewelry.
Because we had convinced ourselves that it would be a quick trip, we decided to head back to Waimea (again) for lunch at Shrimp Station and then more shaved ice at JoJo's. We ran into a snag along the way - construction on State Road 50. This set us back about twenty minutes, as asphalt wasw laid on the road - despite the states' supposed shortage of the stuff.
We also made the mistake of blowing past the Shrimp Station and heading to Forever Kauai in Kekaha at the state recommended, but poorer route into Waimea Canyon (take Waimea Canyon Road instead - we did). Forever Kauai yielded a few really interesting items, but was decidedly not the T-shirt mecca we had been told it was. Don't go out of your way for this joint.
We headed back along the coast to Shrimp Station and had a pretty good, if pricey ($24), lunch of fried shrimp. This was somewhat delayed by a search for an ATM, which we found a few blocks further into Waimea. After Shrimp Station we went back to JoJo's for shave ice and time on the pier.
JoJo's illustrated some of the problems locals run into when guidebooks tell the world about the best places. In this case, we ran into a hoard of other tourists, and watched a minimum of four local customers head out the door in frustration rather than wait in the very long line. Not having anywhere to be, we chose to wait, enduring the slow service and clueless clientele. I know that we're also here as tourists, but we at least read signs and make room for other customers.
The shave ice and view from the pier were worth it - particularly when we headed back toward Poipu and saw the horde of other tourists sitting outside JoJo's with their shave ice and no view but Waimea's main road. Yes, it is petty, but it made us happy anyway.
More traffic delays ensured that it was 4:00 pm when we got back to our room, which gave us enough time to head to the business center to send a giant box of stuff back to the mainland, but not enough for time hanging out by the water. What can you do? It was better than hauling all that stuff on the airplane, and this way its ensured. It may also get home about the same time we do.
Instead of relaxing by the sea, we had burgers by the docks and looked at the resorts lagoon. Then we headed to the Seaview Terrace for drinks and the Torch Lighting Ceremony, which brings us our only pictures of the day.
This is the welcoming Hula, a traditional Hula, which I prefer to the more modern ones...
And this is gas torches being lit. Gas isn't very traditional, but it still [i]looks[/i] cool.
Our next update will probably be from home in Colorado.
Last night we attended the Hyatt's Luau, which has a good reputation. The food was excellent, even the requisitely bland purple poi. The entertainment was also good, although the entire endeavor was definitely directed to us touristas. Although there was a small attempt to have an educational aspect to the evening, the show was designed to give the haoles a show. It did a good enough job of it that I tried out the video recording feature of my new camera, which will record full television quality video (640 x 480 at 30 fps).
Here for your viewing pleasure is a Hula representation of the Hawaiian goddess Pele...
We were also treated to a Samoan gent, who danced with fire. This guy is a lot braver than I am...
After breakfast this morning at the Seaview Terrace, we called the valet, and headed east through Lihue. From there, we headed up the coast to Ke'e Beach. This drive was, if anything, even more picturesque than those of the past two days. Our plan this time was to drive up the coast to Ke'e Beach, and walk down the beach to see the northern end of the Na Pali coast. This didn't quite work out as planned.
First, about three-fourths of the way there, I found that the batteries in the camera were dead. This is the second time we've bought replacements. Luckily it uses standard AA batteries that are available just about everywhere - unless you passed the last chance to buy anything about 10 minutes ago. We decided to press on anyway, as we could go back during the day on Wednesday while waiting for our flight, which isn't until 10:50 pm (yes, I said pm). Our arrival at the Ha-ena State Park jump off for Ke'e Beach was an unpleasant surprise - its the only place that we've gone that was crowded. There being nowhere to park, we headed back to Princeville for gas and batteries.
The Chevron station in Princeville is well aware that they are the last place for gas on the North Shore - regular unleaded was $3.67 per gallon. We did get a bag of really great Uncle Mikey's dried Guava. He's got a website, so check out the line of Hawaiian items. Anyway, since I knew the trip back up the on Wednesday for pictures would stress me out, we headed back north in the direction of Ke'e Beach.
I think a description of the terrain is definitely in order here. Where the South and West sides of Kauai are not horrible different from what most mountainous and moderately wet areas are like, the East and North sides are decidedly jungle-like. The road gives alternating views of the Pacific and the green, mist-covered moutains. In many places, the ocean crashes to the rocks almost directly under the road. The guard rail on the outside doesn't show much wear, and there are many turn-outs to photo taking...
So, heading North, we were treated to spectacular views of Hanalei Bay. Yes, that's Hanalei, just like the son "Puff the Magic Dragon". Think about it...
No magic dragons were evident during the course of our journey, although we did see mist. I guess Puff is elsewhere during the spring.
Back at Ha'ena State Park, we found Ke'e Beach still packed. We decided to console ourselves with checking out the wet cave near the park entrance, which you can supposedly swim up to a grotto. I took pictures of the dark water at the entrance, but we did [i]not[/i] try to swim in the cave. We weren't equipped for underwater spelunking, and we aren't stupid (or crazy). I choose to believe that there are amazing delights beyond the entrance of this place. I leave it to others to find out...
Leaving the cave, we forded a washed out road (for the fourth time), and headed back south. This area gets a ridiculous amount of rain (40+ inches), so things like potholes and washouts are common. Given the dam breaking a couple of months back, local governments have bigger issues than a few inches of water on the road.
On the way back through Hanalei, we saw this Hawaiian Church of Christ. I imagine that in this setting, it is a bit easier to have Faith, but judge for yourself...
The remainder of the day was spent in driving back to Poipu after a few stops for dinner and souvenirs. Tomorrow, we plan on relaxing here at the resort.
Last night we finished off the day by heading down to the Seaview Terrace for cocktails and the Keiki Hula show. This show was primarily young local girls from one of the local hula schools, with two fun local musicians providing music and vocals. Think of the Hula school from Lilo and Stitch and you get the right idea.
When I say mostly the young local girls, I'm alluding to the funniest part of the evenings entertainment... Half way through the show, the girls headed out into the audience to drag some lucky volunteers on stage to "learn" the Hula. I was one of the fortunate selectees. Heather was "nice" enough to try to figure out how to use the new camera on the fly to preserve the occasion.
This morning we headed out to see some additional sights on the South and West shores of Kauai. Tomorrow and Tuesday we're heading to the East and North shores, which are sure to provide some interesting new discoveries.
Our first stop was the Spouting Hole. This is a place where the ocean rushes into a lava tube to shoot skyward like a geyser. There were originally two lava tubes here, but the more spectacular of the two was destroyed by a sugar plantation foreman to keep the salt spray from stunting the growth of a few acres (out of thousands) of the company's cane. The smaller of the lava tubes still provides quite a show.
From the Spouting Hole, we headed west beyond Waimeia and Mana (which really doesn't exist anymore) to Poli Hale State Park. Leaving the main road, we took a rough dirt road 17 miles north up the West coast of the island. This road is navigable by determined drivers in sedans, but we were really happy to have the Jeep Commander we rented. Four wheel drive would definitely be required if it rained on the road, and also if you decide to drive on the beach, which we did not.
The beach provides views of the southern portion of the Na Pali coast and the Pacific Ocean. This stretch of beach has no protection from the vagaries of ocean weather, so you have to be careful. Today we were there as the tide was coming in, and there was a stiff breeze (20 mph) from the North. Heather sat on our beach blanket while I took some photos of Na Pali, the beach, and the Pacific. We skipped the sand dune area in order to head back to the Hyatt for tonight's luau...
Heading back to Poipu, we stopped in at JoJo's in Waimeia for more shave ice. This time we ate it at the Waimeia Pier, only a block away. The water here is murky and red from topsoil runoff from the shore. The beach sand is grey like ash.
More tomorrow, as it's time to get ready for the luau.
Last night Heather and I celebrated a belated 7th anniversary dinner at Tidepools, one of the Hyatt's fine restaurants, after spending a relaxing day at the resort. Earlier in the day we had coffee on the lanai watching the sun come up, changed rooms, and sat on the beach for a few hours.
The local beach, known as Shipwreck Beach, has hazardous surf conditions year-round, so the only people in the water were surfers. Most of the Kauai coastline is hazardous for six to nine months of the year, which is why the Hyatt and other resorts construct elaborate salt water lagoons. The lagoons allow people to enjoy the sea-like conditions in safety, which reduces the likelihood that last week's misfortunes occur.
Today we had a mid-morning breakfast at the Seaview Terrace overlooking the Pacific Ocean. We dined with some unexpected vistors - we're not sure if they are sparrows, finches, thrushes, or a Hawaiian analog. Our new friends were quite eager to share our breakfast, even though we made them wait...
Our main adventure of the day was a trip to Waimeia Canyon - The Grand Canyon of the Pacific. Waimeia Canyon is located on the West side of the island, and is a gorgeous drive. You can see Niihau from several of the vantage points from the Waimea shore and in the canyon itself. The canyon road rises to over four thousand feet, although the last mile of it is closed at the moment. On the canyon drive we were treated to gorgeous views of waterfalls, red volcanic earth, the deep blue of the Pacific Ocean, and some more of Hawaii's wildlife, particularly wild chickens.
On the way back to the resort, we stopped at JoJo's for the best shave ice I've ever had (yes, it is called "shave ice", not "shaved ice"). The we headed back east along the coast to the resort in Poipu.
An incredibly busy Spring Semester is over, so Heather and I decided to treat ourselves to a real vacation. So after the rush of final exams, papers, big projects at working, and scrambling to grade my students' final exams (essays, yuck), we headed to Kauai, Hawaii at 6:00 am Thursday morning.
We flew Frontier from Denver to Pheonix, and then changed airlines to America West for a direct flight to Lihue, Kauai. This turns out to be a bit of a mistake - we had to exit Terminal Three, cross the street, get on a bus, and go to the gate in Terminal Four. This meant going through security again, which proves to be an adventure. Here's why:
In Denver, we discovered that Heather's new hip (supposedly, all ceramic) sets of the magnetometers at airport security checkpoints. At DIA, the TSA staff were helpful and curteous. This was not the case at Sky Harbor in Phoenix. For those of you not familiar with the setup at Sky Harbor, the arrangement and staff make you feel like a convict going to prison for the first time. The female screener that wanded Heather took a suspicious and accusatory attitude - especially about Heather's new hip.
Then we found out that all of the decent places to eat we outside the secure area. We made do with some pretty pathetic sourdough club sandwiches. Then we sat for two more hours to get on the America West flight for the 6 and half hour flight to Kauai.
America West was neither as bad as I've heard, nor as good as it should be. The staff were pleasant enough, but you have to pay for all the food - and they ran out of sandwiches before they got even part of the way through coach. We were ing the sixth row of coach, but they ran out before they got to us, so we made do with a poor excuse for a "snack box".
The Kauai airport is very small. There are four baggage carousels. It took half an hour for our luggage to come out, because they apparently unload by hand. At least we got our luggage, though, which we were concerned about with the change in airlines.
We picked up the car and followed the Dollar rental maps to the Hyatt. This island is amazingly beautiful. I lived on Oahu for three years (as a teenager at that age when nothing impresses you, so I didn't really appreciate it at the time), and it is nothing compared to Kauai. Kauai is paradise.
We go to the resort (all 52 acres of it) and checked in. Our room, while very nice, did not have the expected view. It faced the ocean, but all you could see was a manicured lawn, and some Mangroves...
At the top of the hill, you could see the Pacific Ocean...
So we arranged to change rooms, which we did around lunch time today. We are now on the fifth floor, not the first, and we have a gorgeous view of the Pacific and the resorts' lagoons and gardens.
More to follow from Paradise...