Aloha Kauai

For the second leg of our trip, we made our way to Kauai, the oldest and fourth largest of the main Hawaiian islands. It's known as the garden isle, and rightly so. The island is green, lush and beautiful.


The Kauai Seven: Jon, James, Amy, Sabrina, Eric, Steve and Tim. (07/09/07)

In many ways, the Kauai experience was worlds apart from our Maui experience. Not to take anything away from Maui (which was fantastic), Kauai was much less crowded and so much more low key.

We were there with a fun group too. Jon & Amy were there. They have a friend that runs a bed and breakfast in the middle of a lush part of Kapa'a, a mile or two inland. Fellow Southern California folks, Sabrina and Eric, were also at the bed and breakfast.


The beach at our resort in Kauai. (07/07/07)

Since we couldn't imagine going to Kauai and not being near the beach, we stayed at the Sheraton near Poipu beach on the south shore. The beach was spectacular. Blue water. White sand. And while I wouldn't call the ocean water warm, it was surprisingly not cold. You got used to it pretty quick.


We went to Hanalei, but didn't see Puff. (07/11/07)

We did more island excursions on Kauai than we did on Maui, some of which I'll write about individually. One of my favorite experiences was the drive to Princeville, on the north shore of the island. If the drive there wasn't worth it itself, the view of the bay from the Princeville hotel was unforgettable.


The amazing view from the Princeville Hotel. (07/11/07)

We also stopped at the Foodland in Princeville, which one of the locals told us is the most expensive supermarket in the United States. I'm not sure about that claim. Some things seemed the same, although others seemed very expensive, like a gallon of milk.


Look at the price of milk at the Princeville Foodland. (07/11/07)

One of the things I wanted to try during our vacation was the taro pie available at the local McDonald's. I always find regional differences in McDonald's fascinating. Here in CA we have apple and cherry pie. In Hawaii it's taro pie.

Another interesting tidbit: You can get any of your McDonald's breakfast sandwiches served with Spam. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your opinion of Spam), we never had the chance to go during the a.m. hours.


James tries the taro pie at McDonald's. (07/12/07)

We had a redeye flight our last day, so after checking out of our hotel we did some shopping in Lihue. Our favorite store was the William & Zimmer Woodworkers Koa Store, which had surprisingly affordable koa wood items that were hand-made locally on Kauai by five craftsmen (way better than the imported-from-the-Philippines junk that you find at Hilo Hattie and the like). If you're ever on Kauai, check it out at 3-3601 Kuhio Hwy, in Lihue. (808) 245-4871. Ask for Candice!