Kauai Vacation: Day Four

We got up a bit later on day four. Went to the famous shrimp truck owned and operated by a nice lady who had a vision that God wanted her to move to Kauai. Now she has lived there and made shrimp scampi everyday from 11 am until 2 pm in the back of her truck for 8 years - not so bad. After splitting a plate of shrimp we stopped off at the market where we met up with a big, old duck that reminded us of a reincarnated homeless man. Then we drove up the east side to the north shore. At the Dolphin Fish Market in Hanalei, we got sushi rolls and sat next to the river to eat. It is the most awesome fish market ever-especially if you're a fish face like Kelly. We made our way to Haena Beach where we lounged in the sand and went in the ocean. At the end of the road, we stopped off at one of the wet caves and then drove into Princeville to check out Bali Hai. Then it was back to Duane's Ono Charburger for a Duane's Special with Onion Rings...again...we split it...don't judge. Once we got back to our hotel we got cleaned up and went to the Grand Hyatt for drinks at the hotel bar. We had a great time sipping our drinks on the veranda and then walking around through the huge maze of pools.

old man duck - will eat anythingsurfer lady with her plethora of dogs paddling down the Hanalei River
fish face
I ate Subway that day but realized I liked the spicy tuna roll
view from Haena Beach

yippee for outdoor showers!

wet caves near Napali Coast hike
Bali Hai
Charburger
creepy swan in the dark at the Grand Hyatt resort in Poipu
1950s horror film face
dead body pose
interpretive posing with sculpture at the Hyatt

Kauai Vacation: Day Three

Day three got off to a good start again with miso soup and a visit to the fitness center for stretching and a brief workout. We then headed west for a day of hiking in Kokee State Park. Along the way we stopped in Hanapepe where we ate in a dive of a restaurant where the locals were not too friendly and on the way out of town we discovered a strange sort of "art installation" on the side of the road. Someone had amassed a large number of stuffed animals of varying sizes which they shoved into the bushes. They had obviously been there awhile and endured quite a lot of rain. We found it fascinating and worthy of many photos (quite a few more than are posted here). Then we found our way up to Waimea Canyon and all the way up to Kokee State Park. I had been talking about hiking into Alakaii Swamp for weeks so that's where we headed. We took the Polahale Trail in toward the swamp and saw so many people coming out with mud splattered up to their knees that we decided to just enjoy the view from where we were. It had been quite rainy so I was not expecting to get too far anyway. The Napali Coast was visible from our vantage point until the clouds started to roll in obscuring the view. On our way back down to Poipu we stopped off at the Hale Manu Trail and strolled down hill for awhile before we started to feel drizzle and headed back up to the car. That night we ate Puka Dog (hot dogs with tropical fruit relish and garlic sauce) for dinner, had Lappert's ice cream, and then went for a dip in the hotel pool before returning to our room for the evening.

that's right, miso soup again - this time sans dried seaweed wafers
creepy stuffed animal art


Waimea Canyon

Napali Coast from Polahale Trail

clouds rolling in
the climb back up from the edge of the swamp

Kelly's many facial expressions


Hale Manu Trail plus light rain
Puka Dog polish sausage with mango relish and hot garlic sauce - what?
Lappert's Ice Cream - peanut butter cup for me and Kona coffee crunch for Kelly
headed to the pool

Kauai Vacation: Day Two

Because it is three hours earlier there we were able to manage waking up super early on the first day without trying too hard. The breakfast buffet at the hotel had a miso soup bar which they let Kelly have for $2.50 since he didn't want anything else. I had oatmeal only. It was a good start considering I knew we would be eating a lot of junk throughout the week. Then it was off to the fitness center for stretching and a light workout. After changing into our swimsuits we headed over to the pool near our room. Then we decided to go for a ride up the east side of the island and figured we might stop for snorkeling somewhere along the way. Unfortunately, it started raining and then it started raining a lot. We kept driving a ways and stopped off at our favorite local burger stand, Duane's Ono Charburger, where we always get the Duane's Special with onion rings. Then we headed back to the hotel and made it just in time for free mai tais and hula show next to the ocean. After that we went to Roy's Hawaiian fusion - excellent but very filling and pricey. (just in case you didn't realize - if you double click on the photos it will enlarge them so you can see more details)

miso soup
oatmeal
stretching outside the fitness center
Chihuly glass sculpture in the lobby
the alabaster skin of the Irish
Betsey Johnson bathing suit
ordering our Duane's Special
rain
the best burger and onion rings ever
more rain
Where are the free mai tais?
Oh, there they are.
view from the hotel beach at sunset
grilled portabello mushroom and garlic mash
us outside Roy's

Kauai Vacation: Day One

We went to Kauai last week. For eight days. It was awesome. We took over 450 photos. I have decided to try to post my favorites from each day over the next week.
The first day we arrived in Lihue at 4:30 pm and found our way to our hotel in Poipu. The Sheraton turned out to be very nice and not overcrowded at all. By the time we checked in it was already dinner time so we went to eat at The Beach House per Lia's recommendation. Beautiful ocean view (which was mostly lost on us because we arrived right as it got dark but it was lovely none the less).
at the airport after receiving our complimentary flower leis
Kelly drinking a pina colada at The Beach House in Poipu
me with torches after dinner
our room - king sized beds are way cool

New Glasses

That's right I got new glasses and they are awesome. Didn't think I could be enticed by anything other than Francis Klein but LA Eyeworks got me hooked with these. Aside from the initial joy of the sparkliness, one major selling point was when Katie O'Connell (store owner's sister) said, "It's like a party on your face!" Sold!
It had been a year since the last pair and I have discovered that glasses are my new addiction. I will try to limit myself to one per year...we'll see if I can make it that long. There is a new pair of Francis Klein's calling my name at Society of the Spectacle...Enjoy the latest addition to my collection.