8.12.2006

hawaii from monday and tuesday



first of all, a disclaimer: i did not take this picture. i stole it from the website for this tour that we went on on tuesday. it was our big splurge, which was nicely reduced by a 2-for-1 promotion we were offered, otherwise we wouldn't have gone, but we're glad we did.

while this is not my photo, we were on this boat at that location, so i consider it legit.

the tour started at 6 am on the opposite side of the island from where we were staying, so we decided to camp at a local park on the beach the night before so that we could wake up, break up camp, and do a five minute drive to the landing rather than a 60 to 90 minute drive from home.



we set out early monday and our major stop along the way was at kauai coffee. we saw beans growing on the vine (above) and learned about the process.



of course, we mainly went there for the free samples,



which made these two seattlites very happy, as did the chocolate covered beans we bought.



that evening, we camped at salt pond beach park, which was very beautiful, but hard to sleep at due to the stray cats, chickens, and bright street lamps. during the summer, native hawaiians pan for salt there.

we hardly slept at all but managed to make it in time for our tour.



the tour started out along the highly inaccessible but beautiful na pali coastline of kauai. the cliffs are very high and treacherous. there are scattered beaches along them which are very small and mostly only accessible by kayak.



this is another of my borrowed photos. we took the boat right under this keyhole, but our picture really didn't turn out.



one of the first things we saw was a group of 20 or so spinner dolphins that were mostly asleep and just floating all around us. one was a baby about the size of a football! they were quick and hard to get with the camera.



we then set out across open water for about 17 miles to this rocky island. that is where, after a briefing on sharks, seals, and other wildlife, we jumped in for an hour of snorkeling in open water from 20 to 220 feet deep. we had been snorkeling every day on our own in shallow reefs with our own gear, but this was pretty different. at one point brian thought i was right behind him and he turned around and a 300 to 400 pound monk seal was right in his face! i was watching from about 15 feet away. pretty cool. we're pretty sure i saw a shark, but it was hanging out at just deep enough for me to not be able to see very clearly. if it was, it was a small one that we had been informed about. they are not aggressive to people.



once again, not my photo, but we did see these fish.



we didn't see these turtles from the water at that location, but we did swim with them in the shallow reefs a few days before, so here they are.



we then got back on the boat for lunch and a spin around the rock. about 20 yards around the bend we saw these 4 monk seals sunning themselves. they are one of the most endangered species in the world, so it is really unusual to see them in a group, especially since they are not naturally social with eachother much and tend to compete over food, so our guide said this was a real treat that he had never seen before.



we then set out for niihau, the forbidden island. only full blooded hawaiians can live there and the living is very simple. they are trying to preserve the native language and culture. tourists are not allowed.



after the tour was a quick stop at glass beach, which i guess is composed primarily of tumbled broken glass because of an old off-shore dump. over time the biodegradables have gone away but the glass is all over the place and quite pretty!!

after all that, we headed home for pizza and a movie, a fun two days. more to come!

8.11.2006

hawaii happenings from sunday



i planned a trip to poipu, a rather luxurious resort town for sunday. the intention was to rent bikes (hence the dew rag) and do a ten mile trail that has plaques with points of interest in the area, as well as go to a rumored-to-be desolate beach. hopefully i'll have some beach pictures up soon, but we didn't want to take brian's mom's camera onto the beach with us most of the time, so we ususally used our disposable. that still needs to be developed.



once there, the rain was coming and going and we found no hourly bike rentals, only daily. as it was already 4 o'clock by the time we got there, we opted to skip the bikes rather than fork out 40 bucks for a few hours. so, no bike pictures, however now is as good a time as any to let everyone know that kauai is over run with chickens. if they scare you, don't go there. i thought they were cute. they weren't very photogenic, though, so this is about the best i got.



spouting horn. it's a lava tube on the beach. when the waves hit the shore, it spouts into the air, sometimes looking like a geyser. for those such as my sister-in-law who crave knowledge, go here to read about it.



as we were headed out of town, we stopped for a snack at genki sushi for a snack. it's a chain with fast, mass-produced sushi, but it seemed great to us. and very inexpensive for hawaii, only 20 bucks for a very substantial snack.



on the way back home, we went to see some falls. i forget their name at the moment, but they were pretty. more to come tomorrow!

8.06.2006

greetings from the land where avocados grow on trees


we may move here to just get one of our own.


we started out the day here with a belgain waffle topped off with papaya, banana, coconut, macadamias, and whipped cream. don't worry jenny, we forgot to take a picture this time but we're going back because brian really wants another one.


we went to a produce market. we had been waiting to get our fruit there, but it wasn't all that cheap as we had hoped. we spent thirteen bucks on one pineapple, one avocado, one papaya, and a medium zip-lock of lychees.


they did have some pretty flowers.


including this chocolate orchid that really smelled like chocolate!



the day was really beautiful. most of our pictures we took with an underwater disposable, so y'all will have to wait, but here are a few more for you! kel, here is your confirmation, brian did shave the rest of his moustache off!


we enjoyed shaved ice, brian more than me because i got sugar free. it was still good.


these things are growing all over the place on massive trees.


we've been having a great time in our sweet ride. :)

8.05.2006

guess where we are??!?!?!


this isn't just any meal outside a wal-mart, no way, this was the first meal we ate yesterday upon arrival to kauai!!!


unfortuneately, we missed what we really wanted, lots of great grilled fish options, by about 5 minutes, but we had a lovely shredded pig, rice, tomato salad, and raw salmon salad, quite interesting.


my husband, brian the man not only got us first class upgrades for the way from seattle to hawaii, but also this lovely convertible!!


this made me quite happy.


we spent most of the day today snorkeling. we saw lots of fish, urchins, sea turtles, sea cucumbers and other stuff.


brian started off the day looking like this.


then his facial hair started getting in the way of his snorkel mask so he shaved.



i didn't like that look, so he tried again, but i didn't really like this one either so now he is clean shaven...

tomorrow i'll try to get some more pics up, but for now it is way past my bedtime. goodnight!!