I will make up for not posting in a while with a very long post (or two). In short, Kaua'i was truly paradise. The trip flew by!
On our first full day, after settling in to our new home on the forever sunny West Side, we hit the beaches of the South Shore, around Poi'pu. That night, we enjoyed a fabulous sunset on the westernmost point of any inhabited Hawaiian island in Polihale State Park. A little food poisoning for me and about 3.5 miles of a very bumpy "road" almost kept us from our goal, but we made it just in time. A perfect end to an excellent first day.
On our second day, we opted to skip the beach after too much red on Ray Beau's fair skin and headed to views of Waimea Canyon, the "Grand Canyon of the Pacific," and then to a sneak peak of the Na Pali Coast. Here is a shot of the canyon, of course pictures do not do it justice:
Continuing up the road to the Koke'e State Park, we got our first look at the magnificent Na Pali Coast, for which Kauai is famous. More on the Coast below, as we tackled it from different angles. This is a shot of the edge of the Coast and a valley:
We finished the day grilling fresh catch and vegetables from the Hanapepe Farmer's Market. Here is a fresh pina/strawberry colada of sorts I whipped up from fresh pineapple and coconut, garnished with a flower from our garden.
That evening, we headed over to Art Night in Hanapepe, a nearby town, where we admired the work of local artists and soaked in the
aloha flavor.
Against the advice of TLC, on our third day we went chasing waterfalls. The larger ones we could only see from the roadside, but at a few of the smaller ones, we jumped from their origins and swam in the pools below. Here is Christian jumping from Kipu Falls, about 20 feet below. I had to watch him do it a few times before taking the plunge myself! The height doesn't bother me as much as my inner lifeguard reminding me never to jump to unknown depths, but after doing it once, I didn't want to stop! Soo much fun!!
The next day, teased by the glimpse of the Na Pali the day before, we took a raft tour that would take us along nearly the entire coast. In describing the legendary coastline, our Captain Nico highly recommended also hiking the Kalalau Trail and continuing on to the Hanakapi'ai Falls. He assured us that the views promised pure "epicness." (We loved all the surfer-isms these guys used!) A choppy but fun ride which included dolphin and sea turtle sightings, Captain Nico and Captain Chris took us in to sea caves the calmer and more comfortable catamarans (the option for more timid tourists) would never dare enter in such rough waters. The sight of the Coast from the water was incredible, and we enjoyed the adventure of the "raft on steroids" as our guide book described it. We finished the tour with a little bit of snorkeling.
On day 5, in our quest for epicness, we left early for the North Shore to tackle the Na Pali Coast by foot. Ray Beau, unaccustomed to the early morning departures, left his hiking boots at our house and was forced to hike 8 strenuous miles in flip flops! Such a trooper! After completing the first leg of the Kalalau Trail, we decided to take a detour to the Hanakapi'ai Falls. Slippery and steep in the final stretch, we contemplated turning around a few times (especially when we saw one able hiker returning with his arm in a splint!). Once we reached the falls, however, we knew we had pushed forward for a reason. Depending on which account you believe, the Falls are anywhere from 300 ft. to 800 ft. Whatever the height, the Falls were spectacular and well worth the challenges getting there. This is a picture just of the bottom of the falls - check out the people on the rocks for a sense of scale:
The next day we returned to the lush North Shore and had a couples massage on the beach. I opted for a native Lomi Lomi massage (when in Rome, right?), while Ray Beau experienced his first Swedish. The
Lomi Lomi is a traditional Hawaiian healing massage, and my masseuse - a hippie Caucasian guy around our age - began it with a chant (he had warned me, but I think it threw Ray Beau off!). The experience is supposed to create a sharing of breath and rhythm and loving energy between masseuse and client. Covered at first in only a thin white sheet (I'm used to the thick white towels of mainland spa experiences), soon almost all of me was exposed! The massage involved rhythmic strokes all over my body connecting energy through the hands of masseuse to client - at times he was almost holding my hand. Being my first massage with a male masseuse, I couldn't help but giggle in surprise a few times at how pointless the sheet had become or at the proximity of his hands to certain parts (my husband is right next to me, so watch it, buddy!) At the same time, listening to the rhythm of the waves, while feeling the rhythm of the massage especially the attention to the hips was a very sensual, feminine, and empowering experience. Given the feminine connection to the phases of the moon which dictate the tide, I imagined origins of the massage: a possible matriarchal society, childbirth, sex, and other wonderful feelings of womanhood. While my relatively prudish American (mainland) roots probably kept me from having a completely transformative experience, it was certainly relaxing and like nothing I've done before (that I've had to pay for, haha!).
In our freshly relaxed state, we spent the rest of the day on various beaches, swimming and snorkeling our way back to the South Side.
Almost a week into my honeymoon, I finally got
lei-ed at a flower stand on the side of the highway.
In Honolulu on our last day, we spent a few somber hours visiting the
Pearl Harbor Memorial. Especially touching for me, as my grandfather served in the Pacific during WWII (and shortly after we entered the war was taken as a POW in the Philippines, surviving the Death March of Bataan), touring the Memorial recreated the attack vividly, a surprising feat on a sunny beautiful day in Paradise in the calm waters of the bay. At the same time, though, and likely because of the beautiful serene scene, the Memorial emanates a vision of peace, as tourists from all over the world, most poignantly Japan, stand side by side with Americans remembering this incredible tragedy. The architect describes the concave structure of the Memorial, which straddles the actual remnants of the USS Arizona, as symbolizing America's initial defeat (the sunken middle) but ultimate victory (the raised sides).
A big
Mahalo to Hawaii for a wonderful trip!
Continuing up the road to the Koke'e State Park, we got our first look at the magnificent Na Pali Coast, for which Kauai is famous. More on the Coast below, as we tackled it from different angles. This is a shot of the edge of the Coast and a valley:
We finished the day grilling fresh catch and vegetables from the Hanapepe Farmer's Market. Here is a fresh pina/strawberry colada of sorts I whipped up from fresh pineapple and coconut, garnished with a flower from our garden.
That evening, we headed over to Art Night in Hanapepe, a nearby town, where we admired the work of local artists and soaked in the aloha flavor.
The next day, teased by the glimpse of the Na Pali the day before, we took a raft tour that would take us along nearly the entire coast. In describing the legendary coastline, our Captain Nico highly recommended also hiking the Kalalau Trail and continuing on to the Hanakapi'ai Falls. He assured us that the views promised pure "epicness." (We loved all the surfer-isms these guys used!) A choppy but fun ride which included dolphin and sea turtle sightings, Captain Nico and Captain Chris took us in to sea caves the calmer and more comfortable catamarans (the option for more timid tourists) would never dare enter in such rough waters. The sight of the Coast from the water was incredible, and we enjoyed the adventure of the "raft on steroids" as our guide book described it. We finished the tour with a little bit of snorkeling.
On day 5, in our quest for epicness, we left early for the North Shore to tackle the Na Pali Coast by foot. Ray Beau, unaccustomed to the early morning departures, left his hiking boots at our house and was forced to hike 8 strenuous miles in flip flops! Such a trooper! After completing the first leg of the Kalalau Trail, we decided to take a detour to the Hanakapi'ai Falls. Slippery and steep in the final stretch, we contemplated turning around a few times (especially when we saw one able hiker returning with his arm in a splint!). Once we reached the falls, however, we knew we had pushed forward for a reason. Depending on which account you believe, the Falls are anywhere from 300 ft. to 800 ft. Whatever the height, the Falls were spectacular and well worth the challenges getting there. This is a picture just of the bottom of the falls - check out the people on the rocks for a sense of scale: 
The next day we returned to the lush North Shore and had a couples massage on the beach. I opted for a native Lomi Lomi massage (when in Rome, right?), while Ray Beau experienced his first Swedish. The Lomi Lomi is a traditional Hawaiian healing massage, and my masseuse - a hippie Caucasian guy around our age - began it with a chant (he had warned me, but I think it threw Ray Beau off!). The experience is supposed to create a sharing of breath and rhythm and loving energy between masseuse and client. Covered at first in only a thin white sheet (I'm used to the thick white towels of mainland spa experiences), soon almost all of me was exposed! The massage involved rhythmic strokes all over my body connecting energy through the hands of masseuse to client - at times he was almost holding my hand. Being my first massage with a male masseuse, I couldn't help but giggle in surprise a few times at how pointless the sheet had become or at the proximity of his hands to certain parts (my husband is right next to me, so watch it, buddy!) At the same time, listening to the rhythm of the waves, while feeling the rhythm of the massage especially the attention to the hips was a very sensual, feminine, and empowering experience. Given the feminine connection to the phases of the moon which dictate the tide, I imagined origins of the massage: a possible matriarchal society, childbirth, sex, and other wonderful feelings of womanhood. While my relatively prudish American (mainland) roots probably kept me from having a completely transformative experience, it was certainly relaxing and like nothing I've done before (that I've had to pay for, haha!).
Almost a week into my honeymoon, I finally got lei-ed at a flower stand on the side of the highway.
