I didn’t mean to take a blog break…but when the plane landed in Kauai, it appears I forgot to pack my ambition. But as with failed diets, broken resolutions, and other forgotten promises, what matters is beginning again.
Anticipation ran high for this trip. The husband and I have wanted to go to Hawaii together for years, but every time we tried to plan it, the schedule just didn’t come together. This year, we decided we were going no matter what.
Also known as the Garden Island, Kauai boasts three gardens that are part of the National Tropical Botanical Gardens. We visited two of the three, one of them twice, and saw rare and endangered plants endemic to Kauai.
My favorite tour was the Garden Island Chocolate Farm Tour. We got to break open cacao pods and taste cacao beans. What interested me most was the sweet/sour pulp surrounding each bean. Yummy! We toured the farm and ate fruit in season, including lychees (my new favorite) and ice cream beans. And, oh yeah, we sampled lots of chocolate!
Kauai is known as a hiker’s paradise, so we packed our gear. My assessment? There’s some hyperbole going on here. If you want a real hiker’s paradise, Switzerland is the place to go. The trails are well marked, including both distance, estimated time to destination, and intensity of the hike. Best of all, there are restaurants at the end of most hikes, even in the middle of nowhere, with restrooms and apple strudel.
Of course, I might be bitter because I took a tumble during one of our Kauai hikes and ended up one big bruise for a while. There is that!
For our visit to Waimea Canyon, then, we took the car and stopped at all the lookout points to ooh and ahh.
We snorkeled several times. This is no small feat for me, as I am uncomfortable in the water. I learned to swim at age 12 but never became a good swimmer. I rented a flotation belt that buoyed both my body and confidence, and I have to admit it was heavenly to swim among the fishes.
Returning home, friends commented on my lack of suntan, but this was by design. I have Celtic skin, ruddy and prone to burning, so I found shade wherever possible, wore my big hat, and slathered on copious amounts of sunblock.
One of the biggest challenges with travel these days is, I happen to live in a place that’s a tough act to follow. After two weeks, we were homesick, and as I write this, we are about to disappear again, this time for just a week. We’ve hurriedly caught up with friends and the garden. By this time next week, hopefully we’ll be back to a normal routine. If I haven’t visited your blogs lately, I’ll be back!
Henry Feldman says
Yup, Port Townsend is hard act to follow. I surprise myself with the statement: except for the snorkeling, I would rather be in Port Townsend. But Kauai makes a great 1 week trip.
admin says
It’s always nice that we seem to be on the same page with these things. Makes it easy to plan future trips!
gwynnrogers says
Hey, for chocolate I’ll follow you anywhere! 😉 Your pictures are fabulous and your trip sounds like a much needed vacation… except for the fall. I hope you are okay.
admin says
The chocolate was awesome! I also think those little pieces don’t have as many calories, am I right? Just because I had a few dozen of them…
gwynnrogers says
Hey, the little pieces were broken, right? The calories fall right out! You are safe!! 😉
kimberleycooperblog says
Hawaii is definitely on my ‘one day’ list. I blame Jack Lord in Hawaii Five 0 in the seventies. It sounds like you had a great time, apart from the tumble, hope all ok now. We’ve got a tour planned for later this summer – Northern European capitals, can’t wait!
admin says
Ooh, that sounds wonderful! Hope you have a fantastic time, and that I get to read all about it!
kimberleycooperblog says
Definitely! I’ll be sure to put some photos up when we get back.
Liz A. says
Sounds like an amazing trip. We’ll forgive your lack of blog posts.
admin says
It was fun! Good to be back at it, though. It’s nice to connect with people in the blogosphere.
Anabel Marsh says
Sounds great! I am also good at falling and burning. I sometimes come back paler than when I went away (except for the bruises).
admin says
Ha! You definitely know what I’m talking about.
Michelle Wallace says
Hawaii? Sounds absolutely DIVINE! The photos prove me correct. 😀
That tree reminds me of a mango tree that stood in the yard when we were kids. Every November/December, it bore the most delicious mangoes. I think it’s since been cut down…
Happy travelling!
admin says
I love mangoes! Yum.