Just Another Day In Paradise

All it takes is one person to encourage me to show more vacation photos.

So, if you don't want to see them, you can complain to Debbie. She was the one who asked for more photos. Plus, I don't have any photos of anything else right now. Ha ha ha ha!!! 

That, and Lauren is sick of hearing us talk about Hawaii, and we are so not ready to stop thinking about it. Poor kid.

We stayed in Kauai, which is quite a magical place. It's not fancy, it's not commercialized. You really feel like you are staying in someone's neighborhood. The highways are only one lane, rarely are there two lanes. There are lots of one way bridges as well. No one speeds. No one really needs to hustle like we do here on the mainland, and there wasn't any sign that was over 50 mph.

Everywhere you look, it is lush and green. Mount Waialeale has an average rainfall of 460 inches a year! And you get to make new friends like the one we found in our condo.

We didn't do a whole heck of a lot. Like I previously posted, Doug won a ticket for a day cruise out to the Napali Coast for snorkeling, but our only other big outing was kayaking down the Wailua river and then hiking to a waterfall. This is a fun, 4 hour trip, but our guide was very generous. We must have stopped every 100 feet for him to show us a plant or explain the ancient history. By the time we finally reached the waterfall, our four hours were up. Do I tell you that it took another THREE hours to get back? Our guide took us the "long" way and we were able to see a second waterfall. We sure got our money's worth, but didn't think we would spend a full day on this trip!!!

And more friends:

Did I mention the chickens? There was a hurricane in 1992 that wiped out the hatcheries. The chickens were scattered hither and yon all over the island. Because it is illegal to kill birds in Kauai, there are chickens and roosters everywhere.

And I do mean everywhere. We met this handsome guy while eating lunch next to the waterfall!

It was a little strange, to say the least.

The coffee!! We can't forget about the coffee!!!

We found a great coffee plantation where we stopped and bought some yummy decaf beans.

They grow them and roast them on the property.

By far, going to every beach we could was my favorite part about our trip. There is nowhere I can unwind like I do at the beach. Between the salt water and the sun, I do believe all my worries and concerns are washed away. 

Sand Point.

Hanalei Bay.

Uh....somewhere in Paradise.

Poipu Beach.

The sea has a vastness about it unlike the beaches here in Southern California. They are wild and wooly, with beautiful colors that change with the weather. Beaches in Kauai are so unlike our beaches!!! No horrendous traffic to get to them. No headaches in full parking lots during the summer, and NO parking fees for the day. You just drive up, park, get out and find a spot to hang out. Fabulous!!! 

Now, we just have to figure out when we can return.

Thanks, Debbie! That was fun!!