Dreams, Moments, Travels
Roadside in Phoenix the flowers are coming on strong, so is the heat. We are close to 100 degree days and with that heat comes an explosion of flowers, even if they only last a couple of weeks. In addition to these bright orange and yellow beauties, the Saguaro are about to bloom and are covered with still closed buds.
Our friend Sapna with her new daughter Vedika.
Not yet 24 hours back in Arizona and I am missing Hawaii. With no ocean for hundreds of miles, I look to food to bring me back to Hawaii for a moment. There are a few Hawaiian fast-food restaurants across the valley but they are all in the east valley. After some searching, I found L&L Hawaiian BBQ here in the northwest on Happy Valley Road and Interstate 17. The food was ok. I sure could go for a couple of tickets back to Hawaii.
Disclaimer: Back in May of 2006, when I started posting about our vacation to the Hawaiian Islands, we were severely limited regarding photos I could share due to bandwidth limitations. Here in 2022, I’m updating these posts using the original image and text I shared, but I’m adding the rest of the photos I would have liked to share if bandwidth and storage had not been issues 16 years ago.
Under Kahili Mountain we awoke to the rooster’s crow, stepped outside, and showered beneath the banana tree leaves partly covering our outdoor shower. This is the view of looking up while naked.
I left the key on the table of our cabin under the watchful gaze of this spider, started the car, and drove to the beach.
Caroline grabbed yesterday’s pineapple and apple bananas, I picked up the snorkel gear, and we sat down below a palm tree for breakfast on Poipu Beach.
Some early morning cloud cover quickly gave way, and the sun lit the shallow waters for one more swim with the fishies.
They all came by to wish us good luck on our travels and assured us they were looking forward to meeting us again one day.
Even the urchin waved its pointy spines a fond farewell; the display of love touched our tear glands.
Others turned their backs, afraid they too would cry, saying as they did so, “Just go now.”
Crap, now I can’t remember if this was a Moorish idol, a schooling bannerfish, or pennant coralfish; I think it said it was a Moorish idol, but don’t quote me.
Whoa, a purple velvet pufferfish with Starfield came out to enchant us.
And with that, we left the ocean like only people can and started our journey to the airport.
Goodbye, palm tree and picnic table that hosted breakfast this morning; we’ll keep you both in our hearts for years to come.
Nope, I still think she looks better with me, guys, so no, you can’t keep her for the band, but big mahalo for putting smiles on our faces as we were facing the sad reality of returning to Phoenix, Arizona, where we will not find such yummy pineapple, poke bowls, albatross, outdoor showers, or pufferfish. Aloha, Hawaii, it’s been great.
Disclaimer: Back in May of 2006, when I started posting about our vacation to the Hawaiian Islands, we were severely limited regarding photos I could share due to bandwidth limitations. Here in 2022, I’m updating these posts using the original image and text I shared, but I’m adding the rest of the photos I would have liked to share if bandwidth and storage had not been issues 16 years ago.
I just can’t get enough of this view and our incredible good luck at nabbing such lodging here under Kahili Mountain. If I weren’t a cynical man, I’d think that karma has its benefits.
We did lots of snorkeling between Maui, Molokai, and Kauai, thanks to the guys at Snorkel Bob’s who rented us the gear. Pufferfish to eels, butterflyfish to needlefish, even the state fish of Hawaii, the Humuhumunukunukuapua’a (also known as the reef triggerfish), were all seen by Caroline and me on our snorkeling.
This is our last full day on the islands, and we made the best of it. After snorkeling, we paid a short visit to a part of the National Tropical Botanical Gardens where we were able to behold the sight of the endangered jade vine.
The water lotus flower should leave people speechless that such a flower even existed during our time and didn’t go extinct with the demise of the dinosaurs, as it looks like something right out of the Cretaceous period to me.
The aptly named rainbow eucalyptus tree.
Ultimately, the mosquitos drove us away, but not before Caroline sacrificed another gram of blood so I could snap this photo.
The next stop was back at the little roadside fresh fruit stand to get another sweet pineapple along with the yummiest apple bananas that we kept for tomorrow’s breakfast. Then, a stop at the Koloa Fish Market for another poke bento fish breakfast.
We have returned to the Kauai Hindu Monastery in an attempt to gather a better view of the facility and surrounding land.
While I donned the obligatory lungi (actually, it was a sarong), we were still tourists and not adherents of Hinduism, so my hopes of visiting the temple were dashed as it’s frowned upon to interfere with people observing their moment of prayer. Well, the grounds are well worth the visit.
The diversity of plants here is amazing and to think it’s a tiny fraction of what exists in the rain forests of South America.
Nope, won’t be visiting that building out there any time soon.
Lord Ganesha, a.k.a. Ganpati, is upon the door facing Nandi, the bull that I took the photo of yesterday.
On our way back up the eastern shore.
Approaching Hanalei but not making many stops as we have an objective that demands we get somewhere at a reasonable time.
In Hanalei in time for a lunch of mixed plate something or other, including poi and rice and a taro smoothie.
Okay, one ocean photo before getting serious.
We are back at the Haena State Park for a hike up the Kalalau trail.
No, we didn’t lick it.
On Kauai, this is known as a trail.
I probably licked that once or twice, though not while on the trail of toads and roots.
When on the edge of this trail, it’s probably better to look inland as it’s kind of scary out here from time to time.
That’s Ke’e Beach down there, where I took the photo of Caroline walking alone.
Somewhere out there on the left is the famed Hanakāpīʻai Beach on Kauai’s Nā Pali coast, which we won’t be visiting today.
We only made it about a mile and a half as my broken toe wasn’t enjoying the rough trail.
Maybe another time?
At least we won’t be hiking back on this dangerous trail in the dark.
A red-crested cardinal was treated the same as the toad and not licked, though we may have salted its tail.
Back on terra firma. I’ve looked far and wide, trying to figure out just where I took this photo, but have come up with absolutely nothing.
Back down on the Ke’e beach.
We were just in time for a golden sunset and a beautiful ending to our final day on Kauai.
Disclaimer: Back in May of 2006, when I started posting about our vacation to the Hawaiian Islands, we were severely limited regarding photos I could share due to bandwidth limitations. Here in 2022, I’m updating these posts using the original image and text I shared, but I’m adding the rest of the photos I would have liked to share if bandwidth and storage had not been issues 16 years ago.
Kauai, where you wake up to rainbows. As I said yesterday, we are staying here under Kahili Mountain for the duration of our stay on this island. Before we head out for our late breakfast at the Koloa Fish Market, we thought we should take a moment to familiarize ourselves with our surroundings.
You don’t have to go far to find a universe that’s a world away from the one we’ll be jumping into shortly back down at Poipu Beach, where we finished our day yesterday.
Imagine how many biomes any of us with the means could explore if there was the desire to gather the infinite. Instead, many will focus on celebrity du jour as though the study of fame and wealth could inspire someone to easily achieve something so esoteric and rare as deep talent, but that’s how we package cultural consumption. It’s as though if one were to watch Star Wars, they too could be a Jedi fighter, and with cosplay, I suppose they in some way do just that, but who might ever attempt to take inventory of every variant of Lantana and then pretend to be Darth Frugivore destroying the Lantana Empire’s fruit? Probably not a movie that would sell well.
Just then, this frugivorous lizard throws me side-eye and telepathically signals me to stop making fun of their universe.
Excuse me while we take this underwater. Here we are at Poipu Beach in Koloa was the first place we snorkeled. So I asked this Christmas Wrasse what its thoughts were about a culture preoccupied with the superficial. It blooped out a couple of bubbles, signaling me to piss off.
No, you stupid human, I am not some philosopher fish, nor should you confuse me with some famous aquatic sociologist Osteichthyes you might think I am; I’m just a fish swimming in the sea, likely as confused as you are.
Back on Poipu Beach, I find no sign of intelligent life, so we return to the sea like the Tiktaalik should have done.
Not finding what I was looking for at Poipu, we moved up the road to Lawa’i Beach in Koloa and started looking for fish with answers to life’s important questions.
Lunch was at Koloa Fish Market. Just kidding, we pulled this guy out of the water, ate it, and called it sushi.
Kapaia Stitchery in Lihue beckoned. Without yarn stores, we made do by Caroline buying some fabric.
Wailua Falls in Lihue, and I’ve not a snarky thing to share. In any case, that nonsense can only go so far.
Caroline Wise on Wailua Beach, I’m starting to believe she’s trying to return to some ancient form.
We are driving into Poliahu Park because our day needs more waterfalls.
‘Opaeka’a Falls is just the medicine.
Waterfalls followed by fresh coconut water.
We are at Kauai’s Hindu Monastery admiring Nandi, the bull that transports the Hindu God Shiva. We didn’t stay long as a private event was restricting areas from visitation.
Continuing our exploration, traveling north on the east side of Kauai, we reached the Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge.
Like most lighthouses these days, they serve an aesthetic tourism role as their lights were decommissioned long ago, having been replaced with electronic beacons. Fortunately, they are being preserved, though I can’t imagine the expense will be carried on for decades to come unless they are financially self-supporting.
So this is the famous nēnē goose; its neck feathers are like no other I’ve seen, but then again, maybe I’ve not seen a super wide variety of geese.
We watched a bunch of frigates gliding along the ocean’s edge, but it was the albatross that demanded most of my attention. The albatross is the bird that can circumnavigate the earth in as little as 46 days, can fly for 10,000 miles, remains out over our oceans for up to six years, can read the weather far in front of it, and navigate to avoid storms; this giant bird is magical in my eyes. When one stops to think about the juvenile leaving the nest and this solo journey for years as it matures, only returning to its birth island to find a mate after this pilgrimage to the sea, should leave us wondering what is it gathering in experience as it travels our earth in ways no other creature can.
Hanalei Valley in Princeville is home to one of the most famous overlooks, but right now, the weather is not cooperating for one of those photos.
Wishing Well Shave Ice in Hanalei because if we don’t try them all, how will we know which one is the best?
Hanalei Beach, with two other visitors, we held back so as not to crowd them.
Wainiha Bay Park in Kapa’a was all ours, not another person in sight. How much longer can this kind of experience be had on the Hawaiian Islands?
On our way to the end of the road. We take note along the way to return to the Limahuli Garden & Preserve National Tropical Botanical Garden should we have time this trip or maybe on a future return to the island.
Ke’e Beach in Haena State Park is what we’ll be exploring today, as the Kalalau Trail will require more time than we can afford this afternoon. The Kalalau Trail I mentioned is the famous one that takes the intrepid out on the Nā Pali Coast.
Shore erosion?
The faces of happy people on the island of Kauai on a beautiful day.
The threatened crowds never materialized; maybe this is the benefit of showing up outside of the main summer season.
On our way back around the island, we had that perfect moment where the lighting did all the work of showing off what the Hanalei Valley Lookout is known for.