Day One: Christmas day! We landed in Kauai in the evening and grabbed some grub at 7-Eleven, but don't judge our selection. The last time we were in Hawaii we were with Dave's childhood friend that was living in Hawaii at the time. He is the one that showed us the highlights 7-11 had to offer. In Hawaii, the locals love to grab manapuas and masubis from 7-11 (they even cater events there). A manapua is a dough ball that is steamed and filled with meat. Our favorites were the chicken teriyaki and the chicken curry. A masubi is a a rice pad with sauteed spam on top with a seaweed wrap. Both are delicious and a Hawaiian specialty. We drove to our hotel next. By hotel I mean our time share room that had a full kitchen and two bedrooms. It was pretty nice but the only down side was that Dave and I's room had two twin beds! Ha! But seriously, the entire week, we slept in different beds. Kinda funny:)
Day Two: We got up very early because of the time change and decided to try to see the sun rise... but it was too cloudy and we ended up just wandering around the lava rock outside our hotel. It felt great to be so close to ocean and in Hawaii. We had to pick Brett and Caitlin up at the airport in the early afternoon, so we toured our hotel and surrounding area. The weather was strange because one minute it was sunny and the next it was pouring. We heard the next few days would be like this, so we just went about our day and took cover when the sky opened. After picking B and C up from the airport, we hit up the grocery store for food and beverages for the week. That night we enjoyed a lazy evening of pool, hot tub, pizza and boardgames. Ever played "Forbidden Island"?? Yes, it was nerdy but it was actually VERY fun! Don't judge, just try it!
Day Three: Again, Dave and I were up early so we went for a walk, cooked breakfast then went to our 1st ever time share presentation. Of course we said NO, but we all got $25 gift cards to local restaurants, so we went to lunch after it. We went to Keoki's Paradise Restaurant and had some yummy tropical drinks and I got a fish sandwich (my first experience with opah). For dinner we went to a restaurant that is on an old plantation. They grow most all of the food and it changes with what is in season. The name was 22 North, but it was not that great. B and C were very disappointed because it used to be one of the best places on the island, but recently changed owners. It had great ambiance and great company, so I overlooked the average food.
Day Four: Up early again so Dave and I headed to Poipu Beach for snorkeling. Since we were early, we beat a lot of people to the water because by the time we were done, lots more people were getting in. The snorkeling at this beach was good, but we wanted to hunt down more hot spots for snorkeling. We headed back to the hotel and had some sandwiches with B and C, then went sight seeing in the shopping area of Poipu. Mostly tourist shops, but still neat to walk around. For dinner, we went to a fish market and picked up Opah to grill! We had fish, rice and salad for dinner and it was one of my top meals ever! The fish was almost sweet and did not need any seasoning. We put a little salt and pepper, that's it!
Day Five: Got up a little later this morning and decided to go to breakfast. We went to Joe's on the Green (a restaurant on a golf course) and got a fresh papaya and banana macadamia pancakes. Yummy but nothing special. After this we went snorkeling again, but to a new spot called PK beach. The currents were stronger today and the water was a bit more difficult to maneuver in. We saw lots of fish and many of them were different ones that the other beach which was surprising since it was less than a mile away. B and C did not love snorkeling so we headed home soon after. That afternoon, Dave and I went to Kipu Falls. A classmate of Dave's told us about this awesome waterfall (looked like a mini-Niagara falls) with a a rope swing. This was totally up our alley so we headed to the falls. There was about a 15 minute walk through tall grass and bamboo, then there was the falls, the river and the rope swing across the way. We took off our sandals and left our stuff in order to safely cross the river. It was a difficult venture because we were barefoot and walking of lava rock, which is very rough. We made it to the rope swing and jumped... screaming all the way (or doing the George of the jungle call like Dave). Once you were in the lagoon, you had to swim to the side where the was a ladder bolted to the rock. It was a bit nerve-racking climbing up a slippery, wet ladder but we made it just fine. The next round we jumped off the rope swing together, Jane and Tarzan style;) We clamoured back across the river and sat to admire the surroundings. This was such a gem to find. We were so happy someone told us about this. We headed back to our car next and decided to run into Lihue. We walked around the tourist shops (including a great toy shop) and then I got some Hawaiian shaved ice with a scoop of ice cream at the bottom! It was soooooo goooooood. The shaved ice was great by itself, but then it melts into the ice cream at the bottom and you have this delicious surprise waiting for you. This was also one of my highlights of our trip:) We got back to the hotel just in time for B and C to head out to their dinner date, while Dave and I decided to grill again. Yes, we had Opah and it rocked again!
Day Six: We got up in the morning and decided to go back to PK beach to snorkel. This time, it was much calmer water and we were able to see lots of fish and dive under the water and enjoy the beautiful sea. Next, we drove up the road about a mile and saw Spouting Horn. This was a spot in the lava rocks where the waves crash in and it forces water to shoot out of a hole. Sort of like Old Faithful, but not as big and it occured each time a wave hit. This area was very touristy but we enjoyed it anyway. For lunch, the four of us went to Puka Dog, Hawaiian Style Hot Dogs. This place takes a hoagie size Hawaiian sweet roll, stuffs a hot dog into it then puts any kind of tropical relish with it. The choices were Papaya, Mango, Pineapple, Coconut, Banana, Guava or Starfruit relish. It was very yummy, a bit too sweet, but a great experience. The afternoon consisted of laying by the pool, sitting by the ocean and/or reading. Very relaxing, while Brett watched the University of Tennessee football team play in a bowl game. Before dinner, we decided to go on a tour at the Kauai Rum Company. This place was located at the plantation we ate at earlier in the week. Not gonna lie though, the rum was awful, but we still had fun. Next up, dinner at Roy's! BEST DINNER EVER. B and C had talked this place up and how it was their absolute favorite restaurant, so Dave and I were very excited! Dave had amazing short ribs with a spicy BBQ sauce as an appetizer and we both ate some great fish as the main meal. We had great food, great friends and a great conversation while at dinner. Such a memorable evening!
Day Seven: Friday was our last chance to drive up to the North side of the island, so we decided to do it. It takes about 1 to 1.5 hours to get there since part of the road towards the end is one lane, share the road type of driving. We stopped at Anini Beach to snorkel before we made it to the end of the road. The beach was beautiful and had a long beach and the water was very calm. There was a reef that was about 50 yards from shore that broke all the waves, which left a very still, clear, and fish filled water for us to snorkel! Dave and I were walking out into the water and looked down in waist deep water to find a turtle just hanging out munching some seaweed. I could not believe we were that close to a turtle! We spent the next 30-45 minutes snorkeling around the reef and spotting 5 more turtles. We were able to go under and swim right next to them. No touching though, it is against the law. This experience seemed almost mystical since sea turtles are such a peaceful creature. Alright, next up was the hike on the Na Pali coast. We got back into the car to finish our drive and I felt like we were about to see a teradactyle or some other dinosaur jump out from the greenery around us. No kidding, Jurassic Park was filmed here...it was beautiful, very green, lush and uninhabited (perfect spot for a movie). The Kalalau Trail took us along the coast up and down and around to the Hanakapi`ai Beach. You are not supposed to swim at this beach because of the rough currents so we just looked at it from afar. We decided to keep hiking to the waterfall. This hike was gorgeous. We tip-toed over rocks and mud and jumped over rivers and bushes. It felt cold when we made it to the waterfall because the sun did not make it that deep into the greenery and the water was very chilly. We saw the waterfall and turned around pretty quickly because we were all tired already, thirsty and hungry (we did not properly prepare for this venture). It was 4 miles to the waterfall and another 4 miles back to our car. The hike back seemed like it was uphill too. Not fair, uphill both ways? As tired and hungry as I was after and during the hike, I loved it. The sights were unbelievable and it felt good to work out (minus my sore foot). That sums up New Year's Eve day, now on for the evening. We grilled dinner again and enjoyed a few games. We hit the hot tub but got kicked out for it being past 11pm. Right before midnight, we popped open a bottle of pineapple champagne and hit the beach with our sparklers. Happy 2011! I went right to bed after this. Tired from the day and up way past me bed time:)
Day Eight: New Year's Day we said our good byes to B and C and started out last day of sightseeing. We flew out in the evening, so we decided to drive around and see everything we didn't have a chance to see. We started with the Grand Canyon of the Pacific: Waimea Canyon. Breath-taking views. Unbelievable that we were on the same island as the day before. For lunch, we got some yummy fish tacos from a local place. Then headed to Kauai Coffee Company. This place has free tours and tastings, so of course we detoured to take in the coffee. Next up, we wanted to see two different waterfalls: Wailua Falls and Opeaka Falls. Both beautiful and great to see. We walked around a few shops then bought some beer to sit by the ocean and take in out last few moments in Hawaii. This was a relaxing ending to a packed day and a great way to end out time here. For dinner we grabbed some Hawaiian BBQ and Dave got one last curry manapua. Good bye Kauai, it has been good.
Post Rope Swing
After the Rope Swing
Tunnel of Trees
After Dinner at Roy's
Dave Human Flagging
Napali Coast Hike
Highlights of trip:
-snorkeling with TURTLES!!!!!
-Hiking the NaPali Coast (breath-taking!)
-Dinner at Roy's
-Jumping off a 20 foot rope swing into a lagoon and over a waterfall!!
-Opah = most delicious fish!
*Time with each other... priceless
1 comment:
manapuas sound like hoppang. masubi sounds like kimbap. both of those are korean :)
aw this trip sounds like so much fun! i want to go to the secret waterfall with the rope swing. and see the turtles.
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