I arrived in Kaua’i, Hawai’i yesterday evening and will be spending the next couple of weeks exploring the island and knocking out a few of my goals in the process.
Aloha!
Wednesday Update: Not yet adjusted to the five hour time difference, I woke long before the sun began to brighten the horizon over the ocean and as I laid in my bed listening to the wind whistling through the palm trees and the rhythmic pulsation of the waves crashing against the shore, a rooster began crowing in the distance. I tried to fall asleep again but my efforts were in vain.
After breakfast we drove up the coast to Tunnels Beach where I was able to swim in the Pacific Ocean, the first time I have ever swam in any ocean, and eliminated one of the five oceans on my List. I must say that it was quite a first experience, too. After only a couple of minutes of being in the water, a huge wave puked me back onto the shore without much of a warning. I was knocked off my feet, twisted around and upside down before the wave finally released me. A little later in the day I learned that yesterday the same thing had happened to a couple other people who weren’t as lucky as I, finding themselves with broken bones.
After our swim, we spent a couple of hours laying on the beach, caught in a battle of rain and sunshine. The rains came heavy before the sun dominated the sky and any sign of rain disappeared entirely. Moments later, the rain would overtake the sky once again, leaving us stuck in the middle of a downpour, waiting for the sun to return. Neither has yet won the war.
In the afternoon we drove to Hanalei, a small town just down the road from where we are staying. We wandered around the local shops and art galleries before settling down for dinner at Kalypso, where the chickens were roaming around the restaurant looking for a handout. I would never have expected chickens in Hawai’i but they are more common than stray dogs in Latin America.
In many of the places I have traveled, what I imagined in my mind compared to what is the reality have never really compared. Hawai’i is the exception…it really is paradise.
Thursday Update: I woke again this morning dark and early to the crowing of the neighborhood rooster. After breakfast I took a lonely stroll along the shore, watching the waves break against the reef in the distance. A pair of snorkelers made their way silently through the water. It would be easy to lose track of the days in a place like this. Time seems so…irrelevent.
It seems that, for now, the sun has won the battle with the rain. The only drawback to such a victory are the sunburns we earned ourselves yesterday at the beach, leaving us with the feeling of hot razor blades slicing across our skin each time we venture from the shadows. My only trip into the water today was brief, just a moment to try out my new snorkeling mask. The rest of the time was spent sleeping on the sand or climbing the shade tree above us.
Friday Update: “Every picture is a postcard,” I thought to myself while taking photographs today. Everywhere I looked, each time I turned around and whenever I saw something from a slightly different angle or in an altered light, I was in awe of the beauty surrounding me.
Each day has been an improvement upon the last and the majesty of Kaua’i is only intensified each moment I spend exploring. Our main destination for today was Queen’s Bath, a natural pool along the northern coast. Here, the limitless shades of blue of the ocean and sky contrast against the rich black of the lava rock. Where blue meets black, a mist of white explodes and fades quickly into blue once again.
Giant sea turtles navigate through the turbulent waters, breaking through the surface only long enough to take a much needed breath of air before submerging beneath the crashing waves. Words nor photos can ever capture the real majesty of this place. The sights, the sounds, the smell of the ocean and the mist of the waves against your skin.
The only way to really appreciate this place is to experience its wonder in person. I wish words were enough; I would love for everyone to be able to enjoy Queen’s Bath as much as I, but alas, words simply do not do it justice.
Monday Update: Under the waters surrounding Hawai’i is an entirely different world, one of abundant life and beauty. Only a few feet from shore you find schools of brightly colored fish, sea turtles and eels. All you need to explore this underwater world is a snorkel mask.
As I glided through the water, I watched the fish dancing through the water, caught in the perpetual ebb and flow of the tide. A few feet in front of me I spotted a Mahi Mahi and over there, a Nunu Peke. I swam a little further from shore where I encountered a Sea Turtle gnawing at the coral. I swam alongside it for a moment before parting ways.
All around me, fish of all colors darted around and there, next to the coral, a Zebra Eel. Wriggling across the bottom, the eel squeezed into a crack in the coral. I hovered above, waiting to see it again. There it went, moving silently into the next crack where it disappeared.
I swam a little longer before making my way into shore, in awe of the beauty in the ocean. Again I am left with the thought that every picture is a postcard, only this time the pictures are memories captured in my mind.
Tuesday Update: What is tradition in today’s world? As remote places become more accessible, traditions fade and societies become more homogenized. Capitalism has removed traditions from their roots, transplanting them into hotel theatres and restaurants for tourist’s entertainment. Simply buy a ticket and you can witness an “authentic” cultural experience from the comfort of your chair all while being served wine and beer.
An overly cynical perspective?
Tonight I attended a Luau, and while I enjoyed the music and dancers, I felt awkward. The audience was filled with unenthusiastic tourists in Hawaiian print shirts and dresses. The men looked pathetic, as if their souls had been sucked from bodies and the women seemed no more excited.
Is this what getting old is supposed to be like? Trips to Hawaii to watch Hula dancers shaking their hips, sipping Mai Tai in a depressed fog? When the dancers first came out, their faces reflected those of the audience, as if they had done these dances a few too many times for unappreciative tourists. I was confused. Weren’t Luaus meant to be celebratory? Why did everyone seem so defeated?
The dancers were great. After the first song, they warmed up and began to smile. Their dancing was interesting and the music was nice, yet, it seemed plastic; artificial. How authentic can a Luau be when its sole purpose is to entertain tourists?
After the show everyone lined up for pictures with the Hula dancers, myself included. Rather than the “traditional” shaka hand sign, I thought it would be better to give a Peace sign instead. Afterall, what is tradition anyways?
Wednesday Update: Ten miles and two hours away is Waimea Canyon, our destination for the day. We were awake before the roosters and on the road shortly after 6 am.
When we arrived, the canyon was cloaked in a haze, the red dirt walls of the canyon disappearing in the distance. Deep in the gorge, a river wound its way through the landscape on its way out to sea. Floating on the wind was the sound of helicopter blades chopping the air, a moment later appearing on the horizon. Dwarfed by the enormity of the canyon, the helicopter seemed no larger than a mosquito as it buzzed through the sky.
Further along the road we stopped at Kōke’e State Park, a breathtaking vista of an enormous canyon opening up to the deep blue ocean. Trying to capture this place on camera proved impossible. No angle could capture the scale of this place, let alone the epic view. Here the helicopters flew by largely unnoticed and the boats along the shore looked smaller than ants.
We followed a muddy trail around the edge of the cliff for a mile before deciding to turn back. The wet clay trail was quite slick and we were covered in mud to our knees. Besides, how much better could the view possibly be a few feet further? THIS was incredible!
