At 2:00 am we arrived in Anchorage. We were finally back in Fairbanks by 7:00 am. After retrieving our jackets we took a taxi back to campus and arrived to our floor in the dorms to find that we were almost the only people around.
3/22/03
3/21/03
Kauai: The Return Trip
In the morning we checked out and Kirby drove us to the Kilauea food mart before she went to run some errands. As we said our good-byes she gave each of us a giant hug and said, "It's so nice to have such young and adventurous people like yourselves stay with us. I wish you two lots of luck!"
When we got back to Lihue, we went to Wal-mart and Hilo Hatties to get our tourist stuff. I got leis for all the girls and shell necklaces for all the boys up in Fairbanks. I also purchased T-shirts for my mom and dad and a shot glass for my brother.
We walked to the airport and began our journey back to Alaska.
The interisland flight was extremely frustrating because it left half an hour late and when we arrived in Honolulu we had to wait an additional 20 minutes before being allowed to de-plane because we were waiting for someone to bring the bridge up to the exit door. By the time we made it to the gate of our next flight it had just begun boarding.
When we got back to Lihue, we went to Wal-mart and Hilo Hatties to get our tourist stuff. I got leis for all the girls and shell necklaces for all the boys up in Fairbanks. I also purchased T-shirts for my mom and dad and a shot glass for my brother.
We walked to the airport and began our journey back to Alaska.
The interisland flight was extremely frustrating because it left half an hour late and when we arrived in Honolulu we had to wait an additional 20 minutes before being allowed to de-plane because we were waiting for someone to bring the bridge up to the exit door. By the time we made it to the gate of our next flight it had just begun boarding.
3/20/03
Kauai: A Slow Day
We went to check out Kapaa and perhaps do some shopping. We were fairly disappointed. It's a pretty big place with lots of little stores, and we checked out a local market, but there was nothing really spectacular. Eventually we decided to go back to Hanalei one more time for shaved ice and a less commercial end to our trip.
We did some window-shopping there and sat on the beach again and did nothing really but talk and sit. Back in the open-air mall I went into one of the shops that I hadn't seen yet and got some really nice incense and a mini sarong with a turtle pattern on it. Hans got a sandwich at the Subway there and we sat on a bench, waiting for our bus to take us back and I made friends with one of the many stray cats that lived off of the scraps that the bakeshop owners would feed to them every evening.
My new friend
We did some window-shopping there and sat on the beach again and did nothing really but talk and sit. Back in the open-air mall I went into one of the shops that I hadn't seen yet and got some really nice incense and a mini sarong with a turtle pattern on it. Hans got a sandwich at the Subway there and we sat on a bench, waiting for our bus to take us back and I made friends with one of the many stray cats that lived off of the scraps that the bakeshop owners would feed to them every evening.
My new friend
3/19/03
Kauai: More Bikes and Beaches
Like the day before, we got up early, caught the first bus to Hanalei, ate breakfast at the bake shop, biked to the beach at Kee, and then spent the whole day slowly making our way back, stopping at various beaches to swim, snorkel, take pictures, etc.
We also explored a dry cave, which wasn't exactly thrilling, but there were some interesting early history cave art on the back walls.
We also explored a dry cave, which wasn't exactly thrilling, but there were some interesting early history cave art on the back walls.
3/18/03
Kauai: Na Pali Coast
Because we wanted to get to Peddle and Paddle as soon as the bike rental place opened, we took the first bus out to Hanalei and ate breakfast at a bake shop that was across the alley in the open-air mall.
The mall
As we ate our French toast, we saw on the t.v. that Bush was less than 12 hours from declaring war on Iraq.
At 9:00 am we went and rented the mountain bikes for 24 hours and set off along the highway to get to the Kalalau trail head. The first few miles were easy and flat, but then we hit what seemed like a never-ending hill. I was in terrible shape and had to keep stopping to catch my breath. After some encouragement from Hans, I was able to keep going and then we hit a nice long downward hill. There were two more rough hills later, with one lane bridges and blind corners, but after 7 miles we made it to the Na Pali Coast trailhead.
One of the beaches seen from the road
Hans and I looked at our watches and saw that it was a little after 10 am. In order to make sure that we weren't going to miss our bus back to the B&B later, we decided that we'd hike out to the first beach (which was 2 miles in) on the trail and then head back. The trail was amazing. It was very hilly. I think that at some points we were up about 1000 feet, and then we'd hike back down. The trail was along tall cliffs but at some points also went deep into thick jungles. When we made it to our stopping point where a river emptied out into the sea next to the beach, we sat and ate some beef jerky and some of Hans' smoked salmon. On the way back, fatigue began to set in as we sweated continuously and consumed all of our water. When we made it back to the trailhead (which was also where Kee Beach was located) we refilled our water bottles and biked back to Hanalei.
On the Kalalau Trail
Another trailshot
I was not faring well at this point. When we reached the hills and blind corners I began to lose confidence in myself. I was very tired and my legs did not want to go on. Hans was doing fine, so I can imagine why he was a bit impatient with me. When he finally yelled at me to keep going it gave me the last boost that I needed to get to the top of the hill. I was kind of annoyed with myself when I discovered that the way back was actually much easier than the way out because the only really difficult portion of the highway was the big hill I had trouble with. After we got past that, the road was downhill all the way into town.
As we came back, we stopped at a pretty church and took some pictures. As soon as we hit the main strip in Hanalei, we locked up the bikes and got some shaved ice. We returned the bikes and took the last bus of the day back to our B&B.
The mall
As we ate our French toast, we saw on the t.v. that Bush was less than 12 hours from declaring war on Iraq.
At 9:00 am we went and rented the mountain bikes for 24 hours and set off along the highway to get to the Kalalau trail head. The first few miles were easy and flat, but then we hit what seemed like a never-ending hill. I was in terrible shape and had to keep stopping to catch my breath. After some encouragement from Hans, I was able to keep going and then we hit a nice long downward hill. There were two more rough hills later, with one lane bridges and blind corners, but after 7 miles we made it to the Na Pali Coast trailhead.
One of the beaches seen from the road
Hans and I looked at our watches and saw that it was a little after 10 am. In order to make sure that we weren't going to miss our bus back to the B&B later, we decided that we'd hike out to the first beach (which was 2 miles in) on the trail and then head back. The trail was amazing. It was very hilly. I think that at some points we were up about 1000 feet, and then we'd hike back down. The trail was along tall cliffs but at some points also went deep into thick jungles. When we made it to our stopping point where a river emptied out into the sea next to the beach, we sat and ate some beef jerky and some of Hans' smoked salmon. On the way back, fatigue began to set in as we sweated continuously and consumed all of our water. When we made it back to the trailhead (which was also where Kee Beach was located) we refilled our water bottles and biked back to Hanalei.
On the Kalalau Trail
Another trailshot
I was not faring well at this point. When we reached the hills and blind corners I began to lose confidence in myself. I was very tired and my legs did not want to go on. Hans was doing fine, so I can imagine why he was a bit impatient with me. When he finally yelled at me to keep going it gave me the last boost that I needed to get to the top of the hill. I was kind of annoyed with myself when I discovered that the way back was actually much easier than the way out because the only really difficult portion of the highway was the big hill I had trouble with. After we got past that, the road was downhill all the way into town.
As we came back, we stopped at a pretty church and took some pictures. As soon as we hit the main strip in Hanalei, we locked up the bikes and got some shaved ice. We returned the bikes and took the last bus of the day back to our B&B.
3/17/03
Kauai: Exploring the Island
The plan for today had been to go to Hanalei and swim in the bay for the first part of the afternoon and then later to to Queen's Bath in Princeville.
When we arrived in Hanalei by bus, we went down the road to the bay and sat in the shade since we were sunburned from the previous day and because there was no swimming allowed due to the high surf.
Hanalei Beach
We talked about how we were going to fit everything we wanted to do into the next 4 days because as we found out the day before it takes a long time to go anywhere and we did not know if we were going to get to hike in Kokee' State Park, on the opposite side of the island and inaccessible by bus. The prior day’s hitchhiking experience did not encourage us to try it again. I was disheartened and remained in a sad mood for the next half-hour. After Hans cheered me up we went and walked out on the pier that extended from the eastern side of the bay and walked around the outdoor mall, which was the central part of town. After we had some lunch at Bubba Burger and some shaved ice we sat at the bus stop to go to Princeville.
When the bus came and picked us up, I was very excited to go swim at Queen's Bath because supposedly it is a very beautiful natural swimming pool where the water is calm and warm and the snorkeling is good. Well, to my dismay, the bus slowed down a little bit at the stop, and before I realized that the bus was NOT going to stop, it continued down the highway. I was stunned. We rode back to Kilauea.
When we got back to our room we put on our suits and borrowed some boogie-boards from Toby and Kirby and headed down the hill to the beach we saw on our first night here. When we reached the beach there were many surfers far out from the shore waiting for the evening tide. Hans went out into some slightly larger waves and tried to ride those, but I began with the smaller ones. I was pretty unsuccessful at catching the wave so it would carry me for very far, but since I saw Hans having more luck with the big waves I decided to give it a try. I saw Hans disappear under a very large wave and when I looked up and there was another one coming right down on top of me and I had only just enough time to wrap my arms and legs around my boogie-board and take a deep breath before it crashed down onto me and pummeled me into the sand and dragged me along the bottom. The board was ripped away from me but the rope that ran from the board to my wrist still held. Using the rope, I pulled the board down to me and hung on. At that point I lost all orientation and prayed that the buoyancy of the board would pull me up to the surface. When I came up another wave of the same size hit me and pushed me to the bottom again. When I came up again I was somehow on top of the board and was being propelled at high speed along the wave and into shore. When I had recovered and stood up, an observer on the beach said, "Wow, looks like you're getting the hang of it!" I saw Hans still in the water, with his rope dangling freely from his wrist and the board in the other arm. Hans had been pushed under the water as well, but the rope had sheared off of the board and a bystander caught it for him. After that I stayed in the smaller waves.
We made it back to the B&B after dark, took showers, ate some dinner and watched a movie on t.v. before going to bed.
When we arrived in Hanalei by bus, we went down the road to the bay and sat in the shade since we were sunburned from the previous day and because there was no swimming allowed due to the high surf.
Hanalei Beach
We talked about how we were going to fit everything we wanted to do into the next 4 days because as we found out the day before it takes a long time to go anywhere and we did not know if we were going to get to hike in Kokee' State Park, on the opposite side of the island and inaccessible by bus. The prior day’s hitchhiking experience did not encourage us to try it again. I was disheartened and remained in a sad mood for the next half-hour. After Hans cheered me up we went and walked out on the pier that extended from the eastern side of the bay and walked around the outdoor mall, which was the central part of town. After we had some lunch at Bubba Burger and some shaved ice we sat at the bus stop to go to Princeville.
When the bus came and picked us up, I was very excited to go swim at Queen's Bath because supposedly it is a very beautiful natural swimming pool where the water is calm and warm and the snorkeling is good. Well, to my dismay, the bus slowed down a little bit at the stop, and before I realized that the bus was NOT going to stop, it continued down the highway. I was stunned. We rode back to Kilauea.
When we got back to our room we put on our suits and borrowed some boogie-boards from Toby and Kirby and headed down the hill to the beach we saw on our first night here. When we reached the beach there were many surfers far out from the shore waiting for the evening tide. Hans went out into some slightly larger waves and tried to ride those, but I began with the smaller ones. I was pretty unsuccessful at catching the wave so it would carry me for very far, but since I saw Hans having more luck with the big waves I decided to give it a try. I saw Hans disappear under a very large wave and when I looked up and there was another one coming right down on top of me and I had only just enough time to wrap my arms and legs around my boogie-board and take a deep breath before it crashed down onto me and pummeled me into the sand and dragged me along the bottom. The board was ripped away from me but the rope that ran from the board to my wrist still held. Using the rope, I pulled the board down to me and hung on. At that point I lost all orientation and prayed that the buoyancy of the board would pull me up to the surface. When I came up another wave of the same size hit me and pushed me to the bottom again. When I came up again I was somehow on top of the board and was being propelled at high speed along the wave and into shore. When I had recovered and stood up, an observer on the beach said, "Wow, looks like you're getting the hang of it!" I saw Hans still in the water, with his rope dangling freely from his wrist and the board in the other arm. Hans had been pushed under the water as well, but the rope had sheared off of the board and a bystander caught it for him. After that I stayed in the smaller waves.
We made it back to the B&B after dark, took showers, ate some dinner and watched a movie on t.v. before going to bed.
3/16/03
Kauai: We Were Almost Just Murdered
This morning we got up at 6:30 so as not to miss Toby’s breakfast. Little did we know, there were strict breakfast rules that he enforced rigorously. The girls who were staying in the Mango Room were already sitting opposite each other at the table and were eating some of the fresh fruit that was set in a bowl in front of them. Doing the same was the English couple staying in the Guava Room. Hans and I sat next to each other on one side of the table.
"So you're planning on sitting next to each other?" Toby asked. Thinking he was joking, I replied with a smug nod and began to take fruit from one of the bowls. Toby strode over to my seat, "Aren't you the demander of reality?"
Confused, I stared at him as he proceeded to explain that we were supposed to sit opposite from each other and take fruit from our designated bowl. I had already eaten a strawberry from someone else's bowl. I felt my ears turn red as I laughed with embarrassment and I got up and moved. Feeling very silly, I moved some pineapple from our designated bowl and put one of our strawberries into the bowl that I had eaten from. Finally, the couple from the Pineapple Room arrived and se set down to a wonderful meal of pancakes, sausage, fruit, tea, and a multitude of different syrups to choose from.
After breakfast Hans and I got our cameras and walked along the highway back to Kilauea and down a road for about a mile where we arrived to the Kilauea Lighthouse viewing site. There was a road that went up to the actual lighthouse, but it was also a wildlife refuge and the road was very narrow and winding. Therefore, no pedestrians were allowed on the road. Frustrated, Hans and I went into the shade and began to plot ways to sneak through. An older man asked me to take a picture of him with his wife with the lighthouse in the background. I obliged. When the man offered to take our picture, I seized an opportunity:
"Well, actually...are you guys going to drive to the lighthouse?" I asked.
"Yes.” I explained that we weren’t old enough to rent a car and they agreed to take us down the road.
When we arrived to the lighthouse and got out of their car, they said they were going to stay for a bit and they'd wait for us to drive back out. After snapping some photos and looking at the gift shop they drove a little ways down the road.
At the Kilauea lighthouse
When we arrived back at the Kilauea Food Mart we bought some sandwiches at Subway and ate them in the shade outside the building. We decided to retrieve our flippers and towels from the B&B and walk to Anini Beach, some ways away. As we were walking along a farm with our shoes off we heard someone yelling behind us.
We turned around, expecting to be told off of their property and instead saw an older, scruffy-looking, overweight gentleman with a mustache and a pink faded tank top. He proceeded to tell us that he was out of gas and had no money and said he'd give us a ride to where we were going if we'd give him "a couple bucks". We tried to decline but he kept pestering us and asking where we were going. I finally gave in and told him we were headed to Anini Beach.
As the man was leading us back to the Kilauea gas station he said, "...so how far is it? 10...15 miles?"
"More like less than one." Hans said.
"How does $5 sound?" I said.
"Umm...can you spare me $10"
I began to walk away when he finally said, "Okay, five dollars is fine. No problem."
We went back to the station and waited for him to pull up in his red rusted car with the passenger side door ripped apart on the inside and an uncovered dash and no back seats. As he filled up we paid the lady inside the $5.00. "That will be $7.82," she said. So far we were beginning to regret talking to this guy in the first place.
Hans got in the passenger seat and I got in and sat on his lap. We drove down the road a ways and he took us to our B&B so i could grab our flippers and snorkel. Next, we flew down the highway about a mile and then turned onto a side street that wound along the shoreline to take us to Anini. On the highway the man had been pushing 70 mph and the limit was 45, so Hans was holding onto me very tightly. His radio looked like it had been stolen. It was at about this point that I said,
"You know, I think this spot looks good."
"What?"
"Yeah, you can drop us anywhere along here...this looks good."
"It's still down the road a ways."
"No, that's okay."
When he finally stopped I leaned out the window and opened the door (because there was no inside handle). We got out, thanked him for the ride, and walked down the road opposite the way his car was facing and disappeared behind some trees.
We waited until we saw his car leave, which was quite a while since he parked partially behind some bushes and watched us from the road as we pretended to wander on the beach. About a mile down a hill and through a very very nice neighborhood we saw people emerging from an alley that was formed by two fences. There was a sign that said "Beach Access". We went under the tall bamboo canopy and came upon a very nice and quiet sandy beach with a reef extending for hundreds of feet. We spent about an hour taking pictures, snorkeling, and burying each other in sand. After a while we walked further west and came to the actual Anini Beach Park where there were water fountains, showers, bathrooms, and campgrounds. We sat for a while and then decided to walk back to the Hale Ho'o Maha.
It took us 2 hours to get back to the B&B. It would have taken less time to get there if we had been able to wade across the creek outlet at the beach we had discovered the night before, but we had cameras with us, and we discovered that the water was too deep to wade across. We ended up having to backtrack.
When we finally returned, we made some spaghetti and had some of the smoked salmon that Hans' dad had sent along.
"So you're planning on sitting next to each other?" Toby asked. Thinking he was joking, I replied with a smug nod and began to take fruit from one of the bowls. Toby strode over to my seat, "Aren't you the demander of reality?"
Confused, I stared at him as he proceeded to explain that we were supposed to sit opposite from each other and take fruit from our designated bowl. I had already eaten a strawberry from someone else's bowl. I felt my ears turn red as I laughed with embarrassment and I got up and moved. Feeling very silly, I moved some pineapple from our designated bowl and put one of our strawberries into the bowl that I had eaten from. Finally, the couple from the Pineapple Room arrived and se set down to a wonderful meal of pancakes, sausage, fruit, tea, and a multitude of different syrups to choose from.
After breakfast Hans and I got our cameras and walked along the highway back to Kilauea and down a road for about a mile where we arrived to the Kilauea Lighthouse viewing site. There was a road that went up to the actual lighthouse, but it was also a wildlife refuge and the road was very narrow and winding. Therefore, no pedestrians were allowed on the road. Frustrated, Hans and I went into the shade and began to plot ways to sneak through. An older man asked me to take a picture of him with his wife with the lighthouse in the background. I obliged. When the man offered to take our picture, I seized an opportunity:
"Well, actually...are you guys going to drive to the lighthouse?" I asked.
"Yes.” I explained that we weren’t old enough to rent a car and they agreed to take us down the road.
When we arrived to the lighthouse and got out of their car, they said they were going to stay for a bit and they'd wait for us to drive back out. After snapping some photos and looking at the gift shop they drove a little ways down the road.
At the Kilauea lighthouse
When we arrived back at the Kilauea Food Mart we bought some sandwiches at Subway and ate them in the shade outside the building. We decided to retrieve our flippers and towels from the B&B and walk to Anini Beach, some ways away. As we were walking along a farm with our shoes off we heard someone yelling behind us.
We turned around, expecting to be told off of their property and instead saw an older, scruffy-looking, overweight gentleman with a mustache and a pink faded tank top. He proceeded to tell us that he was out of gas and had no money and said he'd give us a ride to where we were going if we'd give him "a couple bucks". We tried to decline but he kept pestering us and asking where we were going. I finally gave in and told him we were headed to Anini Beach.
As the man was leading us back to the Kilauea gas station he said, "...so how far is it? 10...15 miles?"
"More like less than one." Hans said.
"How does $5 sound?" I said.
"Umm...can you spare me $10"
I began to walk away when he finally said, "Okay, five dollars is fine. No problem."
We went back to the station and waited for him to pull up in his red rusted car with the passenger side door ripped apart on the inside and an uncovered dash and no back seats. As he filled up we paid the lady inside the $5.00. "That will be $7.82," she said. So far we were beginning to regret talking to this guy in the first place.
Hans got in the passenger seat and I got in and sat on his lap. We drove down the road a ways and he took us to our B&B so i could grab our flippers and snorkel. Next, we flew down the highway about a mile and then turned onto a side street that wound along the shoreline to take us to Anini. On the highway the man had been pushing 70 mph and the limit was 45, so Hans was holding onto me very tightly. His radio looked like it had been stolen. It was at about this point that I said,
"You know, I think this spot looks good."
"What?"
"Yeah, you can drop us anywhere along here...this looks good."
"It's still down the road a ways."
"No, that's okay."
When he finally stopped I leaned out the window and opened the door (because there was no inside handle). We got out, thanked him for the ride, and walked down the road opposite the way his car was facing and disappeared behind some trees.
We waited until we saw his car leave, which was quite a while since he parked partially behind some bushes and watched us from the road as we pretended to wander on the beach. About a mile down a hill and through a very very nice neighborhood we saw people emerging from an alley that was formed by two fences. There was a sign that said "Beach Access". We went under the tall bamboo canopy and came upon a very nice and quiet sandy beach with a reef extending for hundreds of feet. We spent about an hour taking pictures, snorkeling, and burying each other in sand. After a while we walked further west and came to the actual Anini Beach Park where there were water fountains, showers, bathrooms, and campgrounds. We sat for a while and then decided to walk back to the Hale Ho'o Maha.
It took us 2 hours to get back to the B&B. It would have taken less time to get there if we had been able to wade across the creek outlet at the beach we had discovered the night before, but we had cameras with us, and we discovered that the water was too deep to wade across. We ended up having to backtrack.
When we finally returned, we made some spaghetti and had some of the smoked salmon that Hans' dad had sent along.
3/15/03
Kauai: The Hale Ho'o Maha
It was mid-morning when we arrived at Honolulu's Airport. We went directly to the gate for our flight to Kauai. The flight was small enough that the seating was unassigned. There were only two people in line when we arrived. When they asked if Hans and I were planning to sit together on the plane I jokingly replied that we actually wanted to sit next to them. They told us that the weather in Kauai had been rainy recently but that the forecasts were for sunny skies. So far it seemed as though we were off to a good start.
The inter-island flight passed in a quick 30 minutes. As soon as we reached altitude (if you could call it that) the flight staff very efficiently served everyone a small cup of guava juice and collected the garbage just before descent.
When we got off the plane with our duffel bags we went outside. I sighed regretfully: It was raining. All over the island it was raining. After mustering some optimism we found outside the airport a tourist counter and a helpful lady who gave us bus schedules, maps of the island, and directions on how to get to our bus stop, near the Wal-Mart.
It was about a 30 minute walk along the highway (a highway with no sidewalk or shoulder) in the rain with our bags to get to Wal-Mart, which is where our bus stop was supposed to be. Very soon we were completely soaked with rain and peeling off our winter coats that we still had from our Fairbanks departure. We went into the Wal-Mart (where there was air conditioning) and hung out there for 45 minutes while we dried off, bought an underwater camera and some groceries to cook for dinner. When we left we had an hour still before our bus came, but it was just as well because since we couldn't find the Wal-Mart bus stop, we walked down the road a ways to the local hospital and sat in the foyer (where another stop was) and wolfed down some beef jerky and water.
The bus picked us up and we began our hour-long ride to the north end of the island. In Kauai public transportation is more limited than on the more popular vacation spots because it exists only due to a federal grant after a hurricane 15 years ago wiped out much of the roads and many local's vehicles.
Our stop was at the Kilauea Food Mart. We walked a mile in the rain to our bed and breakfast, the Hale Ho'o Maha. When we arrived one of our hosts, Toby, was working on a truck in the garage. He was a tall 50-something thin man with a crinkly face that reminded me of an old sailor. Toby ushered us in out of the rain while he went and got our hostess, Kirby. Kirby was a bare-footed tan woman around the same age as Toby and was about the same height as my mom with long cascading gray hair that she had pulled back into a braid. "You're the Alaska people!" She proclaimed, rather than asked. I have the feeling that our large coats, now wrapped around the straps of our large duffel bags, and sweaty faces gave us away.
Kirby showed us into the house where there was a medium-sized kitchen and dining room, living room, and rather large fish tank. She showed us to our room (the esteemed "Papaya Room"; all four rooms in their house were themed after a different Hawaiian fruit). She took us into the bathroom and showed us which towels were ours because we would be sharing with the Mango and the Pineapple Rooms. "And that's Pretty Girl," she said when we were back in the dining room. She pointed out the screen door to the large green macaw sitting on its perch on the patio. "She's Toby's bird. We also have 3 cats, a dog, 2 mice, a chinchilla, and an owl. The animals are not allowed in the house."
"When are you renting a car?" Kirby asked. We told her that we weren't old enough to rent one and that we were going to be walking or taking the bus. Her face sort of fell and she tentatively said "Oh, you're walking people, I'd let you borrow our daughter's car but she is home now from school and I'll imagine that she'll be using it." Kirby told us that hitchhiking was very safe on the island and that if other guests were heading out to where we wanted to go we could probably catch a ride with them. When our tour of the house was over, Kirby left us to unpack and catch our breath. Through our window we could hear Pretty Girl talking to absolutely no one at all with the enthusiasm of a porter "Hello! Hi! Hello! Hi!..."
Some time later Hans and I invoked the energy to cook some spaghetti that we had bought at Wal-Mart. When we went into the kitchen Kirby was occupying the stove minus one burner. Upon hearing that we were going to make ourselves dinner she cried "No you won't! I'm making corned beef and cabbage. You guys can have as much as you want. Dinner will be at 6:00!" Stammering and offering multiple thanks we took our uncooked pasta and canned sauce back to our room.
We decided to take a walk around the neighborhood and found that we were on a tall hill that looked down into a small bay and beach formed by a creek outlet. There used to be a bridge across the creek but it had never been rebuilt after being destroyed by the hurricane.
The corned beef and cabbage dinner was excellent. Our hosts' daughter, Jamie, also ate with us and she was extremely nice and fun to talk to.
Very soon after returning to our room we fell, exhausted, into bed.
The inter-island flight passed in a quick 30 minutes. As soon as we reached altitude (if you could call it that) the flight staff very efficiently served everyone a small cup of guava juice and collected the garbage just before descent.
When we got off the plane with our duffel bags we went outside. I sighed regretfully: It was raining. All over the island it was raining. After mustering some optimism we found outside the airport a tourist counter and a helpful lady who gave us bus schedules, maps of the island, and directions on how to get to our bus stop, near the Wal-Mart.
It was about a 30 minute walk along the highway (a highway with no sidewalk or shoulder) in the rain with our bags to get to Wal-Mart, which is where our bus stop was supposed to be. Very soon we were completely soaked with rain and peeling off our winter coats that we still had from our Fairbanks departure. We went into the Wal-Mart (where there was air conditioning) and hung out there for 45 minutes while we dried off, bought an underwater camera and some groceries to cook for dinner. When we left we had an hour still before our bus came, but it was just as well because since we couldn't find the Wal-Mart bus stop, we walked down the road a ways to the local hospital and sat in the foyer (where another stop was) and wolfed down some beef jerky and water.
The bus picked us up and we began our hour-long ride to the north end of the island. In Kauai public transportation is more limited than on the more popular vacation spots because it exists only due to a federal grant after a hurricane 15 years ago wiped out much of the roads and many local's vehicles.
Our stop was at the Kilauea Food Mart. We walked a mile in the rain to our bed and breakfast, the Hale Ho'o Maha. When we arrived one of our hosts, Toby, was working on a truck in the garage. He was a tall 50-something thin man with a crinkly face that reminded me of an old sailor. Toby ushered us in out of the rain while he went and got our hostess, Kirby. Kirby was a bare-footed tan woman around the same age as Toby and was about the same height as my mom with long cascading gray hair that she had pulled back into a braid. "You're the Alaska people!" She proclaimed, rather than asked. I have the feeling that our large coats, now wrapped around the straps of our large duffel bags, and sweaty faces gave us away.
Kirby showed us into the house where there was a medium-sized kitchen and dining room, living room, and rather large fish tank. She showed us to our room (the esteemed "Papaya Room"; all four rooms in their house were themed after a different Hawaiian fruit). She took us into the bathroom and showed us which towels were ours because we would be sharing with the Mango and the Pineapple Rooms. "And that's Pretty Girl," she said when we were back in the dining room. She pointed out the screen door to the large green macaw sitting on its perch on the patio. "She's Toby's bird. We also have 3 cats, a dog, 2 mice, a chinchilla, and an owl. The animals are not allowed in the house."
"When are you renting a car?" Kirby asked. We told her that we weren't old enough to rent one and that we were going to be walking or taking the bus. Her face sort of fell and she tentatively said "Oh, you're walking people, I'd let you borrow our daughter's car but she is home now from school and I'll imagine that she'll be using it." Kirby told us that hitchhiking was very safe on the island and that if other guests were heading out to where we wanted to go we could probably catch a ride with them. When our tour of the house was over, Kirby left us to unpack and catch our breath. Through our window we could hear Pretty Girl talking to absolutely no one at all with the enthusiasm of a porter "Hello! Hi! Hello! Hi!..."
Some time later Hans and I invoked the energy to cook some spaghetti that we had bought at Wal-Mart. When we went into the kitchen Kirby was occupying the stove minus one burner. Upon hearing that we were going to make ourselves dinner she cried "No you won't! I'm making corned beef and cabbage. You guys can have as much as you want. Dinner will be at 6:00!" Stammering and offering multiple thanks we took our uncooked pasta and canned sauce back to our room.
We decided to take a walk around the neighborhood and found that we were on a tall hill that looked down into a small bay and beach formed by a creek outlet. There used to be a bridge across the creek but it had never been rebuilt after being destroyed by the hurricane.
The corned beef and cabbage dinner was excellent. Our hosts' daughter, Jamie, also ate with us and she was extremely nice and fun to talk to.
Very soon after returning to our room we fell, exhausted, into bed.
3/14/03
Kauai: From -40 to +86
We left early this morning (from a 40-below windchilled Fairbanks) for Anchorage and spent the day at our respective parental homes. At 1:00 a.m. my folks dropped us off at the airport, by which time we were already tired since we hardly slept (3 hours) the night before due to excitement. Attempts to catch up on sleep before our 4 a.m. flight proved difficult with the presence of cranky children at our terminal.
When we finally boarded it took us an extra 30 minutes to leave because the engine was having trouble starting and they needed to fix it before we went up in the air. The plane we were in was pretty new and the seats had foldable headrests that looked like a good idea in theory but in practice were very uncomfortable. Luckily we were so tired we were able to sleep through most of the flight. In six hours we were landed in Honolulu, HI.
Our itinerary:
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When we finally boarded it took us an extra 30 minutes to leave because the engine was having trouble starting and they needed to fix it before we went up in the air. The plane we were in was pretty new and the seats had foldable headrests that looked like a good idea in theory but in practice were very uncomfortable. Luckily we were so tired we were able to sleep through most of the flight. In six hours we were landed in Honolulu, HI.
Our itinerary:
View Kauai 2004 in a larger map