Just another day in Hawaii 082311

Yesterday (Monday) was what I would call a perfect day on Hawaii. At least as perfect as any day can be here (and not that any are that bad). Got up in the morning and watched the sunrise over the Pacific..very nice and very peaceful. The horizon here has been somewhat cloudy on the days I have been out there so I'm still waiting on that spectacular sunrise like I always see pictures of.
Did a little bit of shopping yesterday morning and then stopped at Lydgate Park for a picnic lunch. This park is very nice - ocean front, covered picnic tables, and a playground. Of course, there are also chickens there. We were amongst a nice group of them who obviously were waiting on food. And then suddenly all of them went running in one direction and after a little bit they all came running back. It took us a while to figure out what was going on. There was a guy on a scooter picking up cans and bottles there and I believe he must throw food out for the chickens. Obviously, the chickens know this and follow scooter man around the park. Quite a funny site to see.
Then it was off to the helicopter tour of the island. 80% of Kauai is inaccessible by car so to see many parts of the island, an air tour is the way to go. There were 6 of us on the copter and the pilot. He was born on Kauai and was very knowledgeable about the island. He narrated as we flew along. We saw the NaPali coast, Tunnels beach, Hanalei Bay, Waimea Canyon, many waterfalls and Mt. Waileale (the wettest spot on Earth)...just to name a few. Words cannot describe the beauty of the island and I'm not even going to try. I feel incredibly blessed to be able to travel and to see amazing places such as Kauai.
Then it was off to Koloa, an old sugar mill town, which has been restored and has lots of little shops and restaurants. Very cute and definitely worth a quick trip to. Got to see a rainbow too while driving to our next destination...Poipu Beach on the south side of Kauai. We got to see a turtle and a monk seal - both of whom were on the beach when we got there... absolutely amazing to see. The monk seal is an endangered species and was one thing I wanted to see while on Kauai... so that made my day. And then of course, there was the beautiful sunset at Poipu Beach. It was the perfect ending to another day in paradise.

There's just something wrong about hearing a rooster crowing on a Hawaiian beach 082111

So today (Sunday) we hung out at some North Shore beaches... Ke'e Beach, Ha'ena Beach, and Makua Beach. While relaxing on Ha'ena Beach, we heard a rooster crow several times. Now it does seem wrong to hear this while you are at the beach especially a Hawaiian one. However, on Kauai, it is really not out of the ordinary.

Kauai has a large population of feral chickens and you see them everywhere- parking lots, people's yards, resort property, along the road- and you hear them quite frequently too. I've gotten used to them in the few days we've been here, but still chuckle at the sight at times.

No one is quite certain how the got here but rumor has it that the weasel like mongoose was never introduced on the island and thus chickens had no natural enemies and continued to reproduce and prosper. Even now no one has the heart or will to eliminate them except for those few people who will catch them and have them for their next meal.

They aren't dangerous and for the most part don't bother people so it's just one of those "things" one will get used to on this island. Tourists are told not to feed them... the chickens are tough enough to make it on their own. Just an interesting tidbit from Kauai.

A little bit of exploring 082011

So on Friday we decided to bike the 4-5 mile trail which skirts the Pacific Ocean around Kapa'a where we are staying. The trail is very popular with walkers, runners, and bikers. It is an easy path with it being virtually flat the entire length. There are beautiful views of the Pacific and the mountains along the entire length as well as several beaches. Eventually this path is going to stretch sixteen miles along the east coast of Kauai.

Weather on Kauai can change at the drop of a hat which we discovered many times yesterday. We had just reached the end of the trail and were turning around to come back when the skies opened up. In about 10 minutes, the rain was gone and the sun was shining again. That happened 4 other times yesterday as well.... and by the end of the day I was tired of getting wet.

It was a great day for the most part and I'm still in awe at the beauty of this island.

Here are a couple pics from yesterday...

First day in paradise

I will admit when I arrived in Hawaii last evening... first Honolulu and then Lihue I was not very excited. The only thing I wanted was a bed to sleep in. Plus it was dark so how much can you really see? We actually got to the resort about an hour ahead of schedule so I was in that bed by 11:07 PM Hawaii time. And then the unthinkable happened, I woke up at 5:30AM and could not go back to sleep... I must have dozed back off at some point because I did finally get up at 7:00AM. Time to start exploring. We won't have a car until Saturday so all our exploring was done by walking today. The resort we are staying at is older but nice and the landscaping is just beautiful. And the beautiful blue Pacific Ocean is only about a 5 minute walk from our unit. I could sit by the ocean all day long and listen to the crashing waves and be in awe of the vastness of it. I did step into the water and it was quite cool... definitely different from the bath water temperature of the Atlantic Ocean at Myrtle Beach. Since I'm not a swimmer... I didn't want to get into the water too far since there is no lifeguard at this location. Full immersion into the Pacific will have to wait until another day.





Today was really a laid back kind of day. We walked partially along the four mile path that runs along the Pacific, walked into downtown Kapa'a which has lots of little shops and lots of traffic this time of year, and spent some quality time at the resort pool.





Now that my first day in paradise is in the books, I must say the little bit I have seen is breathtakingly beautiful.... you can stand by the ocean and look behind you and see mountains. The vegetation is lush and beautiful. Kauai is known as the Garden Island and there are I think 34 different climates on this island so I have just started to view its beauty.

Travel day 8/17/11

As I sit on the flight from LA to Honolulu with about 2 hours to go....I'm starting to realize what an exhausting day this has been. Fly, stop, fly, stop, fly....and I have one more short flight after this one. For some reason (must be the excitement of going to Hawaii), I have not been able to nap on any of my flights as I usually can. I've been up for about 18 hours now with about 6 more to go. So this is what I have left today: 2 hours to Honolulu, 2 hour layover, 30 minute flight to Kauai, 30 minute wait for shuttle, and 30 min ride to resort. I do believe when I wake up tomorrow, Thursday, my day will be spent on the nearest beach.

Departure 081611

So tomorrow the day has finally come for the trip to Hawaii. Unfortunately, it is a long trip and I just can't click my heels and be there. My day will start about 6AM EST and by the time we get to the timeshare on Kauai, it will probably be about 6AM EST or midnight Hawaii time. I will enjoy 5 different airports tomorrow (some more than others). I think I just might be ready for a nap by the end of the day.

So it remains to be seen whether I will actually continue posting in this blog when I get to Kauai. A hui hou. Jen

Just to get started 081211

So this whole blogging thing is going to be new for me. Don't know if I'll like it or keep up with it. A friend said I should give this a whirl so I'm going to. Getting ready to take a trip to Hawaii next week...mainly the island of Kauai. Looking forward to it... and hopefully will write about it too.

(originally posted 08/12/11)