So, here I was...in paradise with some great friends. Kelly, Lynn, Mark and Shannon. We went stayed on the beautiful "Garden Island" of Kauai. It is such a beautiful place!! I have been there before, but this trip was completely different from the first time I went. It was so relaxing, and boy did I need to relax!! We stayed in a condo called Pono Kai in Kapaa. The grounds were so beautiful and it we were very close to the beach on the East side of the island. So each morning...since my bed was so hard...I was able to go for a walk along the beach and watch the sun rise. I also got to observe the living habits of sand crabs. They were so fascinating!!
Kelly, Mark and I arrived on October 29th and picked up our Mustang Convertable from the Airport. We drove to our condo and got checked in then went to the grocery store and did some shopping. Lynn was flying in later that night and was picking up another car so we would have two cars so we had the freedom we needed to go and come as we pleased. If you ever go to Hawaii with a small group of friends I highly recommend getting two cars!! Shannon was flying in the next evening, so Kelly and I planned to catch a luau and the guys picked Shannon up from the airport. But that morning Mark and Lynn wanted to go on a hike. It was a hike that according to the guide book would "most definitely end in failure". Kelly and I were willing to see what it was all about so we followed Mark and Lynn to the trail head. This is what we found when we got there...
So there we were...knowing that in the end it would most certainly end in failure, so Kelly and I decided to go up the road where we had seen an actual trail and Mark and Lynn went on their merry little way. And of course it later ended in failure...they met up with the river again and there was no way around or across it. We are all happy that they know when to quit while they are ahead!!
That night was the night of the Luau. It was at the Hilton in Poi Pu. So Kelly and I made our way to Poi Pu...after only a few wrong turns we made it. It was a beautiful drive! We arrived a little early and while we were waiting to get in we were served the most delicious fruit punch I had ever tasted. It looks pretty amazing too! I also ran into an old roommate of mine...It was crazy!! Alyce was married in May I believe. I hadn't seen her for YEARS and I ran into her in Hawaii!!
Our host had quite the amazing mulet going on. I had to get a picture of it. Of course the food was great and the dancers were a lot of fun!
We went back to Poi Pu the next day with the guys. We saw things like the Spouting Horn (a blow hole that would spout water into the air when waves came in). The guys wanted to go snorkeling, so we went to the beach for a while. Kelly and I didn't stay long we had seen a botanical garden that we wanted to go see, so we went to the garden and saw some pretty amazing plants and flowers, and humoungous spiders!! They were pretty cool though. Their webs were so strong they were bending branches. It was crazy! After the garden, Kelly and I went back to town and did some shopping and played some tennis. It was a perfect day!
That day was Halloween and I'm guessing that is why the restaurant we went to that night was completely empty besides us. We met up with the guys for dinner and caught up on the day's events. I was teasing Shannon about something and he said, "You're as bad as Mark and Lynn teasing me about hiking with my umbrella today." WHAT?!?!? Who hikes with umbrellas I ask you. Well we all got a great laugh out of that one...per the pictures I am sure you can see why. Lynn was laughing so hard he actually rolled on the floor of the restaurant. It was very funny, and quite odd, but like I said we were the only ones there so what they hay! Right?
The next day we hiked the Napali coast to Hanakapiai beach and then went on farther to the waterfall. It was the most beautiful place I have ever seen. It is hard to explain exactly how beautiful it is. Even the pictures don't do it justice. The drive there itself was breathtaking. We drove through Hanalei (the town where Pete and his dragon lived). We saw the lighthouse, Hanalei, the coast, the beach, the waterfall...everything about it was amazing! The hike was a little over 8 miles round trip. It was a difficult and slippery hike, but it was so worth it! I was starting to get cramps in my feet on the way back so I practically ran the whole way back because I knew if I stopped someone would have to carry me out and I being the big girl I am...that was not going to happen. Like I said the trail was really slippery and poor Kelly fell about 6 times. I had to get a picture of her wounds. Shannon took a fall into the river as we were crossing right before the beach. Poor guy was freezing! When we got to the waterfall, I was even brave enough to go into the water. I was freezing, but I quickly got used to it and once I got out I felt much warmer than before. So the trip back was great because I felt nice and toasty. At the end of the hike I was so sore I could barely walk. But like I said...it was worth every bit of the pain.
“I’m a school boy full of joy” ;)
The next day was Sunday and it was also my birthday! We went to church (conveniently right across the street from our condo). The guys wanted to go to the "Grand Canyon of Hawaii" and go on another hike. My foot was still not feeling well from the hike the day before, so Kelly and I decided we would like to go back to Hanalei and do some shopping and get a closer look at the lighthouse (it was closed when we went through the day before). It was such a nice relaxing day! I couldn't have asked for more. We shopped in the cute shops, ate at a little cafe, and on our way back we stopped at the beach to walk in the water. We then went drove up to the scenic views of two water falls...the Wiamea and one that started with an "O" (I can't remember the name of it). Then we went back to the condo and just chilled for a while.
Halalei Lighthouse
overlook from the lighthouse
Hanalei church
Wiamea Falls
That night the guys barbequed steaks and made dinner for my birthday! They were so sweet. They made sure that I didn't do anything towards the dinner. It was all very sweet. I felt so pampered! Dinner was delicious! They also had bought me a cake the night before and it was in our fridge! I was so clueless. I didn't even notice it! It was a nice treat!!
That night the guys barbequed steaks and made dinner for my birthday! They were so sweet. They made sure that I didn't do anything towards the dinner. It was all very sweet. I felt so pampered! Dinner was delicious! They also had bought me a cake the night before and it was in our fridge! I was so clueless. I didn't even notice it! It was a nice treat!!
For another great surprise, Kelly handed me a card that said that for my birthday they had all chipped in to go on a kayak tour the next day! I was so excited!!! I have always wanted to do that!!!
After the kayaking portion of the trip, we went on a hike to two different waterfalls. The guys decided to take a dip and test the waters out for themselves. We had a lady and her husband in our group that was driving us crazy. From the get go she was throwing a fit because she didn’t want to go. It was a surprise from her husband. She had perfect white tennis shoes on and her husband had boat shoes. They were not prepared for the hiking…it was very muddy and slippery. She delayed us at every turn. Ugh! She was probably in her 20s and her husband was probably in his 50s or 60s. Can you say “Sugar Daddy”. Maybe she found him on SugarDaddy.com! I had to take a picture of her because just looking at her you would know that she wasn’t meant to be in the outdoors.
So, there you have it...my very long blog about my trip to paradise. If all of my blogs take this long...I am sure this will be my last. I better start making them short and sweet.
