Day 10 - Kauai - Aloha Kauai

Waking up on our last morning in Kauai, there is definitely an air of melancholy hanging around the cottage.  Clicker, our gecko, is chilling on the headboard, sort of watching over us as we pack up our clothes, kick the mud off our boots, and search for our flight confirmations.  Our flight's not til 9pm though, so we're determined to enjoy the last few hours of our vacation.  We decide to come full circle and hit up one last trail.

We picked a pretty short hike near our cottage - can't even remember the name actually.  It was unmarked, and the only reason we knew about it was because of the Ultimate Kauai Guidebook (recommended).  Our last hike was an easy hike, but still really beautiful.  It was a great way to spend our last morning in Kauai. 

After the hike and one last outdoor shower (sob!), we had to pack up and leave the Surf & Ski Cottage.  Again, I must tell you, this is a GREAT place to stay.  We loved it.  If you go, say hello to Clicker for us.  And I hope you love the outdoor shower as much as me. Although I would think that is damn near impossible.

We still had a bottle of wine and a couple bottles of beer in the fridge, and obviously we needed to drink those before going home.  We headed out to the beach in front of the Islander on the Beach and soaked up the afternoon Kauai sun. 

A hike, a few drinks, sandy feet, ahi sammie, and a little more sun - the was the perfect end to a perfect holiday.  Really, our Kauai trip was incredible, outstanding, more than we could have hoped for, fantastic. 

You should go. 

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. 

Kauai - Day 7 - Baby, Lemme Take You On A Sea Cruise

Early morning wake up call - we're booked on a snorkeling & whale-watching tour out of Port Townsend departing at 8am.  There are tons of boat tours to choose from - we went with Holo Holo Charters, and I would definitely recommend them.  They were very professional, and their guides were great as well.  We chose the Na Pali Snorkel Sail.  The tour lasts about 5 hours, and I think it was $95 p/p, something like that.  Worth it, for sure.
  
Like I said, the boat left at 8am, and we only sailed for about 10 or 15 minutes before arriving at the snorkeling stop.  Our tour only stopped this once for snorkeling, so we definitely wanted to take advantage of it.  Secretly, we were also happy that the snorkeling was first thing because they won't serve you any booze until you're done.  Oh, and beer and wine are included with the tour and after our strenuous day yesterday, we had already decided to take FULL advantage this inclusion.  Snorkeling isn't nearly as good in the winter as it is in summer, but we still saw some cool fish and a sea turtle!  The turtle was really cool - it swam right underneath Tim and me, and we were the only ones that saw him so close.  We probably snorkeled for about a half hour or so, but some folks stayed out for an hour.  After getting back on the boat, they had a continental breakfast laid out for us - bagels, breads, fruit, coffee, juice.  Not bad actually. 

And now that we've had our coffee, it's time for a Heineken!

Side note:  No matter where you travel in the world, you can always get a Heineken.  Seriously.  Anywhere.

Now it's basically just time to cruise and ooh and ahh at the Na Pali Coast and drink Heinekens.  Yeah, life is good. 

And then it gets better.  Spinner dolphins!  A ton of spinner dolphins are cruising around our boat.  It's still early, and they are sleepy, so it takes them a little time to really get a-spinnin'.  And then they're hurling themselves out of the water, spinning, spinning, spinning like crazy!  It's so cool.  They are so cool.  I love them. 

Hey, did I mention that I love spinner dolphins?

Before I go on, I will helpfully provide you with a few tips regarding Kauai boat tours. 

1.  Wear a lot of sunblock.  Reapply often.  I only got sunburned once on this trip, and it was today.

2.  Hang on when you are moving around the boat.  It's bumpy, and people get thrown off the boat all the time.  (Okay, I don't know if that's true, but Tim was yelled at several times for not holding on.  So you may not get thrown off, but you'll definitely get yelled at.)

3.  Do you get seasick? If you have ever been seasick or if you have a weak tummy, you may want to skip this tour in the winter.  Or at least bring your dramamine.  We saw several people who were either tossing their cookies over the side of the book or lying on a bench looking green.  Seasickness will greatly decrease the amount of Heinekens that you can drink.

Fortunately, I do not get sick on boats, so I was capable of putting back some more beers during the last few hours of our sea cruise.  They also put out a really nice lunch spread with turkey, ham, cheeses, a few kinds of bread, fruit, pasta salad, cookies.  I was actually pretty impressed with the food.  Tim and I were sitting on the front part of the boat eating our lunch when the best part of the tour happened.

The WHALES.  Whales, whales, whales.  We saw about 20 humpback whales.  They love to come to Kauai in the winter to have babies and make babies.  Yeah, it's romantic even for whales.  I could not believe how many whales we saw.  I wish I had some good photos for you, but sadly, the whales seem to be a bit camera shy.  I will tell you though, this is an experience I will never forget.  I was close to tears a few times.

Side note:  This is coming from a girl who, during the 3rd and 4th grades, refused to wear any clothes without whales on them.  I'm serious.  I had sweaters, turtlenecks, socks, t-shirts, barretts, all with whales on them. I loved whales then, and I love them now.

We got back to the dock around 230p.  We were sunburned and a little tipsy and very, very content.  We drove back to the cottage looking forward to continuing our relaxation.  We enjoyed a few drinks down by the river, grilled up some ahi steaks and veggies, and nursed our sunburns to sleep. 

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.) 

With Fresca

I think it is clear that I need to learn to manage stress better.

Yoga? Meditation? Acupuncture? Exercise? Communication? Fresh air?

No, in the immortal words of Bridget Jones, I choose vodka.