This
is my second travel
log from The Garden Isle. As previous readers are aware, I came over
here to get married - which we did yesterday 8/8/08, right in our
backyard on the beach. To be totally honest with you - it didn't suck.
This is as gorgeous a place as I've seen on the planet - and I've seen
my share. I love my Colorado mountains and my cabin on Trout Lake, but
I could get used to a little grass shack on the beach here for the six
months a year when the snow howls in the mountains. 
So
Wednesday the Boys
(my son Dane, my daughters friend Scott & my soon-to-be
son-in-law
Danny) went fishing and caught a boatload of Yellowtail Tuna. We've
been eating like Kings all week snacking on fresh tuna tacos, sushi,
seared tuna and some great grilled Terriyaki fillets last night.
Figuring the charter costs and all, the tuna is like $58 a pound - but
worth every penny. 
Thursday
we went to a
Luau. Well if you're coming to the islands you've got to do some of the
touristy stuff and we did. It was a great show and the food is always
good - Kahlua Pig (slow cooked in banana & tea leaves
underground),
sweet potatoes, all kinds of fresh fruits and vegetables. Of course no
Luau is complete without the Poi. Poi, I think, is the Hawaiian
equivalent to grits. The natives can handle it because they have
developed a taste for it and know what to add to make it palatable. To
the rest of us it's a lot like a light purple wallpaper paste and most
people manage no more than a bite or two before moving on to something
else. 
We've also been to
Waimea Canyon, which is a spectacular sight. Mark Twain dubbed it the
'Grand Canyon of the Pacific'. The dirt here is so red it
almost glows - it's the reason 'Red Dirt' clothing is headquartered
here where they manufacture a clothing line dyed with the red earth
that covers most of the island and makes for the great variegated
striations seen in the Canyon walls. 
Friday
morning most of
us ventured out early for a kayak and snorkel adventure up in Hanalei.
Hanalei Bay is up by Princeville and is the home to the mythical Puff -
you know, Puff, the Magic Dragon. In fact from a kayak in the middle of
Hanalei Bay you can see Puff from his great eyes to his scaly back
right around the far side of the bay to his long tail. According to the
our guide Harry Boy, it helps a little if you've had a
little.... well, I wouldn't
know anything about that. 
The
mountains in the
center of the island are the rainiest spot on earth averaging 400+
inches of rain a year. There are numerous waterfalls cascading to the
bay and you can kayak partway up many of the larger rivulets of fresh
water lined with gorgeous native flowers, hibiscus blossoms floating
down the stream, orchids seeming to drift in the air, the sweet scent
of Plumeria accompanying your every breath. We paddled as far up the
Hanalei River as we could then drifted back to the Bay to snorkel right
below the Princeville Hotel. Cheap rooms currently go for $599 a night
and up there. But if you don't want to slum it, they are closing the
place for several months of renovation and when they open back up you
won't be able to touch the front door for less than $1,100/night. I
know the view is superb but for that kind of scratch it better come
with hot & cold running maids. 
Snorkeling
the reefs
outside Hanalei Bay is also spectacular. The variety of tropical fish
just feet from shore is breathtaking. I've had salt water aquariums
much of my life and am accustomed to paying $50 - $100 for colorful
fishes no larger than a credit card. 
Those
same fish and many more
swarm around divers in these clear warm waters except they are huge -
the size of dinner plates and larger. Brilliant Yellow Tangs and Angel
Fish, Peacock Wrasses and Snowflake Eels and sea turtles the size of
compact cars doing ballets in the current. 
This
morning we did a
zipline adventure, which is not recommended for folks like myself who
have some natural aversion to high places and to hanging over 1,000
foot precipices traveling 300 miles an hour held by nothing more than
fishing line. OK, maybe I exaggerated that just the least little bit
but not much, I assure you. 
Well,
we've got one more
lovely day here and then our kids are headed back home and Lisa and I
are headed to Maui. Hope you're all having as wonderful a summer as I
seem to be. One of the things I love about real estate is the
flexibility of time it affords us - and of course we all need some time
off if we're to keep the batteries recharged and keep ourselves in
prime running condition. There's going to be a fine line here on
whether I'm totally refreshed and recharged when I get back, or if I'm
going to be so exhausted I'll need some time off to recuperate. I know
my Broker is hoping I actually do a little work at some point this
year so I'll have to work toward that goal. 
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Great travel log, congrats! I lived on Oahu for three years in my 20's and loved it. It sure pulls at my heart strings.
Take care!
RJH
Aloha,
As a guy who eloped to Hawaii at Diamond Head on Oahu and honeymooned in Kauai I can tell you I completely understand your joy. Two years and 3 trips later we moved here to live our lives and raise our babies. Having come from New Jersey I can tell you it was a total life change that took a few years to adapt to ... but I am a much happier and healthier person for it all.
Much Aloha and enjoy Maui, it's equally beaufiful, yet so different than Kauai.
I am soooo enjoying living my life vicariously through your travelogue these days! Thanks so much for the beautiful pix and wonderful descriptions. Stay awhile, will ya?