Aloha From Kauai!

Hello everyone,

T and I have arrived in Hawaii! We made it unscathed, despite the plane being filled with 20 school-aged girl guides (there was lots of giggling), and a couple of small kids in the row behind us who were coughing and sneezing into the backs of our heads. :P

Our first stop was to pick up our rental car. This was actually our second stop, too, since we never actually left the airport with it - we had to exchange it for a model that didn't make a thunk-thunk-thunk noise as we drove around. For our inconvenience, they upgraded us to a "full-size" vehicle. Turns out "full-size" is exactly the same as "mid-size." T insists we did get an upgrade though; we went from a Chevy Malibu to a Nissan Altima. Whatever...

Arriving to a strange place and trying to find your accommodation in the dark has its challenges, but we figured it out. By the time we got to our condo, we were starving. Since when don't they give you a meal on a flight over 6 hours?! Also of note, no more TV sets in the backs of seats - now, you pay $$ to rent tablets for the flight.

Anyways, we found a grocery store that was closing in 5 minutes (11pm here, 2am at home!) and we raced around getting groceries. I got sandwich stuff, fruit, & yogurt, and T got milk, OJ, AJ, & beer. Of course. :P

We woke up this morning to two roosters trying to prove to each other whose voice was louder. We named them Isaiah and Thomas. Isaiah won. We soon discovered that chickens and roosters are running all over the island. They especially like tourist parking lots, presumably because they get fed there. Many cute baby chicks following mom around! We really wish they wouldn't congregate underneath the car though. Nobody wants a smushed chick.

T and I started our day by going for a walk around Poipu Beach. Turns out we booked our place in a really great spot. The weather is gorgeous and it's warm, but not too warm. Lovely. We had lunch at a beach house on the deck overlooking the ocean. We were enjoying our drinks and meals while watching whales breach in the distance. Pretty awesome.

Then we went for a drive around the South and West part of Kauai. It's no wonder they chose this place to film Jurassic Park. So green and lush, and mists/fogs roll in from the sea and transform an area in a matter of minutes. I got pics to prove it! (I also got lots of pics of birds. Chickens and roosters mainly.)

We visited Waimea Canyon, which apparently is the "Grand Canyon of the Pacific" or something like that. Having been to the GC, I can say this one isn't as big but it is just gorgeous and also very impressive. We also visited a Russian fort, a Captain Cook monument, an ice cream shop, more scenic lookouts, and the Spouting Horn park, known for its blowholes which make eerie growling noises.

Homemade dinner tonight. Tomorrow we will explore again!
Cheers and love,
E & T