As you already probably know, we are in Kauai for the week. We have a great condo right on the beach in Poipu, on the south side of the island. It has a full kitchen and there is a gas grill so Tom is in heaven. We already went to Kauai Costco so he could buy steaks and tuna. Perhaps the only thing he likes better than tuna out of the can is saving money on eating out.Tom's other favorite food is also in abundance,
chicken. A hurricane in the early 90's freed several chickens from captivity and they have thrived. You can't go anywhere without seeing roaming packs of chickens on the side of the roads and parking lots. They are like delicious packs of street toughs strutting around with impunity. One last food remark - apparently poor Hawaiians are stuck in the '50s when it comes to cuisine. Both McDonald's and Burger King are spending big bucks marketing the new food craze - SPAM! Spiced ham is apparently where it's at for breakfast. We don't think we'll be partaking in this island tradition.
As expected, the water is beautiful and the snorkeling is great. We've already seen several turtles playing in the surf and once while we were snorkeling. Today while up on the north shore, there was a fish that wouldn't stop following us. He probably thought we were going to feed him and he was quite insistent, he hung out with us for well over 30 mins, swimming all around us. We both are afraid of sharks so we have been pretty conservative and haven't gone out to far yet. We like to snorkel near other groups of 'healthier' tourists, hoping they would be more appetizing to any sharks that may happen by.On Saturday, we took a helicopter tour of the island. We were concerned when the pilot did not
know Raffi. We thought all helicopter pilots knew each other. We were actually more concerned when the helicopter was grounded before we got on. They OK'd it fly about 5 minutes later. They said it was a grease problem and they just used some WD-40. Is that the correct procedure, Raf? The tour was amazing. I'm embarrassed to say, but it actually felt just like seeing a movie on an OmniMax theater (IMAX for the less fortunate). The tour covered almost the entire island. The pilot even pointed out the Australian fern which covers much of the island. It was originally brought to Kauai has a house plant, but it ended up infesting the entire landscape. I didn't know that Australians had so much in common with their plants (not Matt)!We've had a great time so far but we've got a bunch of stuff planned. As always, we'll keep you posted!
10 comments:
Hawaiians too thought that all British naval officers are somehow related to the Queen. Until they ate cpn Cook.
So in the end you are NOT afraid of general aviation aircraft, you liar.
Those chickens are everywhere, even in the jungle, picking the nuts and seeds.
Poipu beach has got best snorkeling on Kauai IMHO. The Northern part of the island had bigger waves - tough to snorkel.
Did you see 2000ft waterfalls in the canyon during the heli ride?
Sounds like so much fun. Is that a photo of the actual fish that was following you around? April the way you write is so entertaining!
For some reason Spam is very popular in Asian countries. It's even sold in gift packages for the holidays. Check out Asian section in Wikipedia's entry on Spam. Hawaii has a lot of Japanese cross over, it seems, so that's probably why. By the way... do try spear fishing!
You guys should try scuba diving there. Hawaii is the perfect place to start ...
Don't worry April, sharks would only eat Tom as he smells like tuna.
Yes, it was pretty funny when April said Tom goes to Costco to avoid spending money on going out. The food at the hotel restaurants was pretty expensive though and not that good. Cocktails were fine, but they are fine everywhere. There's a shopping center in Poipu and couple of good Chinese, Sushi and seafood/bar places were there.
Are you going to get a surfing lesson?
Plenty of activities on the beach at most of the hotels.
The day you check in a concierge will leave a message on your phone and offer complementary orientation breakfast and it will be a sales pitch. On Maui I'd always go to Lahaina to book stuff because you'd be overpaying the concierge, but on Kauai going with them is a pretty good option because in the city it's all spread out and hard to find a good deal. At Poipu mall people also work so slowly you'd wait for an hour for the lady to make the phone call. People barely move. Concierge will book it right away.
Did you pick up some flyers at the airport? There were many good deals on all-day hiking trips like I told you with kayaking/hiking/zip line/swimming etc.
Oh, by the way, wear a hat and a lot of sun screen. You'll be purple before you know it.
I'm so excited another adventure! First of all, you guys HAVE to try a spam burger. LOL!! I want to see pictures as proof that you ate them.
Second of all, you guys look so cute in the helicopter picture! I just wanted to squeeze the bunny family!
Yay keep up the entries...as i like to take a vacay now and then from my work.
Laters,
Ivy
oh, forgot to say this...these entries are so enteraining that I was thinking you guys could have a second career as travel writers. We almost did a video for this company, Viscape, that is holding a travel writers contest in conjunction with the launch of their web site. You should totally apply! -Ivy
Also, the BEST snorkeling on Kauai is on Na Pali coast. You can either go there by boat from Poipu port (forgot the name of the port (it's about 6 miles west of you down the highway), or drive there early in the AM from highway 550 to highway 50. Great hiking trails there too.
In the northern part of the island, the beaches are mostly sand and lava - no corals, but they are in nice lagoons with no waives - if you like to just go for a swim after a long drive.
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