HAWAII

What a great trip! My sister, Tammy, and I went to Kauai for my New Year's Eve birthday. This is what my brother-in-law, Steve, termed the "Hawaii Five-O Project". Before this trip, everyone in my family had been to Hawaii except for me. I now understand why so many people love the island of Kauai. I have never been so relaxed and disconnected from everything as I have on Kauai. The picture above is the view from our lanai. Breakfast on the lanai every morning looking at that view!

That's our condo above--in the middle on the top floor. We could see the ocean from the couch. As soon as we walked in to our condo I knew it was the right place for us. We stayed at the Kiahuna Plantation on Poipu Beach and loved it. The South Shore is the place to stay in the winter--the water is usually more calm so snorkeling is great.

We had a favorite hike/walk that we found above the Maha'lupe Beach. Mid-morning was a great time to walk--the rains usually came at night and first thing in the morning.

These pictures show you why we loved this hike. The views are spectacular and we usually saw one or two people as we walked.

Lots of clouds but no rain. Whales spouting off in the distance.

The dirt in Kauai is a gorgeous red. Reminds me of Sedona.

We liked to sit here for a break. Wouldn't it be great to hike this trail every morning?

Hawaiian Shave Ice is a great treat on the island. We tested a few and decided JoJo's Shave Ice the best. This is not to be confused with a snow cone. You won't chip a tooth on this. It is finely shaved ice that is soft, not hard. You select a combination of three flavored syrups--I chose mango, pineapple, and passion fruit. And at the bottom of the cup is a scoop of macadamia ice cream--sounds odd but it is delicious.

Kiahuna Plantation has beautiful gardens. We walked through them almost daily.

Orchids seemingly grow without any effort. They are everywhere.

I had heard all about the roosters before I arrived. But I had no idea they are roaming all over the island and crow whenever! But they do add a bit of interest to the place.

Opaaka Falls flowed even more abundantly after heavy rains during the night.

Annini Beach on the North Shore. We loved this beach. The North Shore is gorgeous but not the place for snorkeling or swimming during the winter months--too rough. But I would love to stay there if I returned during the summer. If you head to the North Shore check out Hanalei Colony Resort--I would definitely stay there. Very low-key, understated Hawaiian style. The only resort on the beach at the North Shore.

Waimea Canyon as heavy clouds are lifting.

We spent a lot of time at Waimea Canyon. Lots of various lookouts along the road. Sometimes the clouds were so heavy you couldn't see 10 feet in front. So it was a gift when the clouds would lift and clear off.

Na Pali Coast from a lookout point. The best view of Na Pali is by boat or helicopter but the weather was too rough for either.

A most fun convertible. We drove with the top down every day even when it rained.

Sunset on our beach at Kiahuna.

Sunrise at Kiahuna Beach.

This trip was heaven. I loved every minute of it. From the moment we arrived at the small, Lihue airport I was relaxed. It didn't take a few days as it usually does to unwind. It happened right away.

The people are lovely, the scenery beautiful, and you don't have to plan much to have a really good day.

We had fresh fish daily. I read three books yet my nose wasn't always in a book. The rain was wonderfully refreshing. We would be walking along noticing blue skies when suddenly a sheet of rain came down for about 3 minutes. Night time would bring hard rains--so hard that it drowned out the noise of the waves hitting the beach.

Snorkeling was how you imagined swimming around in an aquarium would be. The fish looked as if they were hand-painted.

Kauai is a return destination for me and I would stay on either the South Shore or the North Shore depending upon time of year.

While sitting in the Lihue airport waiting to catch our flight home, a darling Hawaiian lady named Soli offered me and Tammy a Ti Leaf plant from her garden. She insisted we accept her gift which we did (after an inspection from the Agriculture department!) Soli and her husband have a home on Kauai and Honolulu. She had taken some clippings from her Ti Leaf plant at her Kauai home to plant outside her Honolulu home. She gave us a two-foot cutting that looks like feather duster. It is now in a large glass vase of water on our kitchen counter and we are waiting for it to sprout. We won't plant it outside since it is so dry here, but we are hoping we can keep it as an indoor plant to remind us of our perfect trip.