Kauai - Day 9 - Lazy Sunday

You will never believe what we have planned for today.  No. 

Nothing.  We have absolutely nothing planned today.  We can't wait.

We wake up early anyway though, and with the time difference, the Pats game starts at 8am.  This was quite the depressing way to start the day.  (WTF, Tom Brady?!)  It actually forced us to begin drinking much earlier than normal.  No matter because we are in Kauai, in our open-air cottage, lounging in bed while watching Sunday football and drinking beer.  We can hear birds and the wind, and we can smell the jungle and the ocean.  Lazy Sunday = Bliss.

After a few hours of this, hunger begins to set in.  We have a plan to cruise down to the Marriott in Lihue because they are supposed to have an amazing Sunday brunch complete with champagne. All you-can-drink champagne and a huge seafood selection?  Yeah, that sounds like us.  Imagine our sadness when we arrived and we are told that they are no longer hosting this brunch in the "off-season".  Apparently we smart and thrifty travellers are not good enough for their champagne and sushi.  Screw 'em.

So.  What now?  We were planning on doing a little snorkeling in Poipu after brunch (unless we overdid it on the bubbles), so we decide to head down that way.  Surely there must be a good food option around there.  Well, there's actually not that much. We end up at a place called Keoki's Paradise in the Poipu Shopping Village.  We sat in the bar (much cheaper than the restaurant), and it was actually pretty good.  Mahi mahi sammie for me, kalua pulled pork for Tim.  MAI TAIS all around!  It was sort of touristy-cheesy, but the food made up for it.  And so did the amount of rum in the maitais.

We did end up doing some snorkeling off of Poipu Beach afterwards.  If you ever go snorkeling here, make sure you enter the water on the right (facing the ocean) side of the beach.  If you go in on the left (as we attempted to do), you'll find out quickly that the reef is right there.  And then when you fall trying to put your flippers on, you'll cut your hands and it hurts.  Don't make our mistake.  The right side is super sandy and lovely, and you can swim over to the reef area later.  The snorkeling is okay here.  I would love to see what Kauai snorkeling is like in the summertime. We saw some cool fish, and the reef is interesting, but nothing spectacular.  After snorkeling, we attempted to "beach" for awhile. 

Sadly, Tim and I have realized we are not good at doing nothing. 

After about 10 minutes on the beach, we decide to pack it up and head back to the East shore.  Hey, it's 230p - almost Happy Hour!  With no plans, it seems like a good day to drink around the island.  And drink we did.

We started at the Pool Bar at the Islander on the Beach resort at Coconut Plantation.  This is definitely a local bar - the Islander is a timeshare, and the bartender had been there for 16 years.  Everyone sitting at the bar knew everyone else, and it was a real friendly "Norm!" kind of place.  Their happies are from 4p-6p, and they have a drink called Kamanawannalaya.  Heeheehee.  Kamanawannalaya!  That's funny.  And the drinks are hella strong.  And so it begins. 

After the Pool Bar, we walk back over to Hukilau Lanai.  We had a couple more drinks and also tried their ahi nachos . This is raw ahi on top of crispy wontons topped with a wasabi cream sauce.  Holy Hell - these were freaking incredible.  Tim also really liked this place 'cause the bartender commented on his Ween t-shirt.  This could be the reason why our drinks knocked our socks off. 

We then went over to Trees, and we already know that their happies go til 7p.  And then it was 7p, and we had basically been drinking all day long.  We were tipsy, sunburned, happy, and in love.  What could make this day better?

Yeah, pizza.  Back to Brick Oven for some carryout, and the day is wrapping up.  While waiting for the pizza, we drunkenly decided that we should hike the Inca Trail for our honeymoon.  Hell yeah.  More hiking.  Oh damn.

Day 8 - Kauai - Happy Hikers

Are you serious?!  We're doing another hike today?  What's wrong with us - we're on vacation already!

Yes, we're up early again today because we're heading back to the West Shore for a hike in Koke'e State Park.  Originally, we planned on doing the Nu'aolo Loop Trail.  Including the walk back to the car, this loop trail would be about 11 miles.  However, upon further research, we realized that this loop trail includes a portion called the Nu'aolo Cliff Trail, and this cliff trail is literally on the edge of a cliff.  It's very, very narrow, and if you fell, you would tumble about 2,000 feet.  Hmm.  Sounds a bit sketchy, eh?  Here are the two photos that convinced me that not only is this portion of the hike sketchy, it is NOT FOR ME.

I do not do well with cliffs.  And thus, our 11 mile hike became a 7 mile hike.  We decided to just do the return portion of the loop - the Awa'awapuhi Trail.  Now, don't start thinking just because this trail is shorter that we got off easy.  The trail starts at 4,120 feet, and it ends at 2,500 feet.  And what did I say on the Kalalau Trail?! 

What goes down must go up.

But seriously, this trail is awesome.  LOVED it.  Really nice landscape, and you are rewarded with some gorgeous views at the end. 

This is definitely a trail you would want to avoid if it's been raining in Koke'e though - it would be really muddy and treacherous.  Also, it quite a bit chillier at this elevation than in other parts of Kauai.  I wore long pants and hiking boots, and I actually started out with a hoodie.  By the time we were huffing and puffing on the return, the hoodie was history, but I was happy I had it in the beginning.  We started the hike around 10am, and this was perfect.  We were done by 2p-ish, and we had time to explore Waimea Canyon on the way back.  We brought sammies and ate lunch at the lookout.  Unfortunately, as I was eating lunch, I looked down and a mouse was drinking the condensation off my water bottle.  Another sad rodent surprise.

Side note:  I forgot to mention this in the Kalalau post, but on the last leg of that hike, I was walking up ahead of Tim, and what do I see on the trail?  Yes, a rat.  A rat.  But I was so effing tired, I COULDN'T EVEN SCREAM. 

Me:  "aah. a rat."

Tim:  "What?  A rat? Hahahahaha!  You can't even scream!  You must not be afraid of them anymore!"

Rat:  "Well, I'm sure as hell not afraid of her.  She can't even walk, let alone hurt me.  I think I will instead lay down in the middle of the path and force her to walk around me."

Back on the Awa'awapuhi Trail, we're enjoying the beautiful views and beautiful day and all together beautiful hike.  Fed?  Yes.  Rested?  Yes.  Well, get your boots on cause it's time to pay the piper. 

And up, up, up we go! 

Let me tell you guys, Tim is amazing at "up".  He can power up a hill or a mountain.  He's barely sweating, barely puffing.  And I am pretty sure I am going to pass out.  But I made it.  Yeah, I'm totally a hiker now.  It's pretty cool.

After our hike, we stopped at several viewpoints of Waimea Canyon.  Seriously, gorgeous.  If we come back here, I'd love to check out some more hikes in this area. 

Afterwards, we headed out to Waimea Brewing Company - obviously it's time for a beer!  It's located on the Waimea Plantation grounds which are so beautiful.  They have all sorts of different and unique cottages to stay in, beautiful beach views.  We saw a wedding going on - if we could afford it, I would love to get married here.  Sigh.  Okay, moving on.  The beer was okay, nothing spectacular, but not bad either.  We also had some Kalua pork nachos, and those were definitely spectacular.  Loved this spot for a post-hike nosh. 

After relaxing for a bit, we're heading back to Kapa'a.  Even though we've had our afternoon snack, you know we're going to need more to eat tonight!  We have been wanting to try a restaurant really close to our place called Caffe Coco.  You can sort of see it from the road, and it looked adorable.  We were definitely not disappointed.  Basically, you enter the restaurant and order from the counter.  Oh, and it's BYOB, so make sure you bring a bottle of wine along with you.  After ordering, you basically head out to the backyard, and you pick your table.  It's almost like having dinner a friends house.  You're outdoors, and there are Christmas lights strung up, and citonella candles everywhere.  A cute hippie band was playing Cat Stevens and the Beatles.  The food was fabulous.  It was just really cute and very romantic. 

Sigh.  I love Kauai. 

Day Five - Kauai - Wake Up, Silly Giant!

Good morning, Wednesday! 

After our day where nothing went right, we are up and ready to go.  Yes, gentle reader, another hike.  This morning we're planning on waking up the giant on the Sleeping Giant Hike (aka East Nounou Trail) in Kapa'a.  This hike is about 2 miles each way, and you gain about 1,000 feet in elevation.  This is a great hike.  Gorgeous views, tough in some places, perfect for a morning activity when you've got something planned for the afternoon.

After our hike, we had a deliciously relaxing afternoon.  We lazed around, read, and finally went snorkeling at Lydgate Beach.  Now, I know you won't believe this, but I was actually quite terrified of snorkeling.  I am not a strong swimmer, and I hate having my head underwater.  I knew it was going to be challenging for me, but I was ready to try.  The first few times I put my face in, I ended up coughing and sputtering.  Yes, I know there is no real reason for this.  But with the patience and encouragement from my fabulous fiance, I was totally a snorkeling pro in no time.  And it was super fun!  Now I heart snorkeling.  And we saw some super-cool fish too.  Wish I could remember what they were. 

Early evening we headed out to a restaurant called Hukilau Lanai.  It's in one of the resorts in the Coconut Marketplace, and from 5p - 6p, they have a five course tasting menu for $40 - including wine!  We wisely skipped lunch today so we could take advantage.  And seriously, SO happy we did.  I think this was our best meal on the island.   And it was a really beautiful setting too.  Open-air restaurant with ocean views, great service, and the food was oh-so-good.  I am happy to provide specific menu details if anyone would like them.  Ahem, Abra. 

After our delicious and romantic meal, we headed over to Trees Lounge, also in the Marketplace.  This ended up being our favorite bar in Kauai.  Their happy hour goes until 7p (Kauai happies are usually only until 6p).  They mix up some delicious martinis, and they have some good beer on tap too.  They have live music almost every night, and it's got a great vibe, cool ambience.  Super friendly bartenders and servers too.  We didn't eat anything here, but the menu looked interesting. 

Well-fed and well-hydrated, we're ready for bed at our normal hour of 11pm.  We've got a big hike tomorrow so we need our 8 hours.  Yeah, I think this is an indication of growing old up.  We don't plan our vacays around partying, we plan them around activities.  (And sometimes maitais.) 

I will be your cowgirl

So I went to this bar called Little Red Hen last night for Ben's birthday party. Let me tell you, picking this bar was a pretty darkhorse move on Ben's part as it's a country western bar. He even created an Evite for it.
"Men don't send Evites!" I say to Tim.
"Apparently, Ben does," Tim says, ever observant.
Anyway, the Evite tell us to go to Little Red Hen on Thursday night. Make sure you've got your boots and your hat and a mustache. I am unsure if I can grow a mustache by Thursday, and I don't have a hat. I do, however, bust out the boots and some cute pigtails.
When we arrive, Ben has thoughtfully provided mustaches for all of us. Tim's looked a little too realistic. With his plaid shirt with snaps and the mustache, he could definitely pass for the Marlboro man. Or maybe a cop from Reno 911.
We get there around 8p, and our group makes up most of the people in there. About an hour later though, the place was packed and the band was ready to play. I am seriously astounded by how many people were in this joint, and ALL of them know the dance moves. Older couples, young fratty-looking guys, girls and guys on dates. Everyone is up and dancing, doing the two-step and some other line dances that seem easy but are actually kinda complicated.
You'll never believe this, but I actually got Tim on the dancefloor. Yes, THAT'S how infectious the vibe was.
We honestly had a really great time. The drinks were strong and cheap. People were friendly and didn't seem to mind that we were all wearing fake mustaches. Everyone was smiling. Hell, the band was good. They even wished Ben happy birthday and played a song for him. We're still not sure how they knew it was his birthday. I think maybe the bourbons made our voices carry.
Yeah, I'm going back to Little Red Hen. I think I want to be a cowgirl when I grow up.