Before we talk about Hawaii, let's discuss how I lost 4.8 pounds last week! Some of that was bloating from the plane, but the rest of it was hard work and eating right, peeps! Now 15.2 pounds to go...
Okay, back to HI. Let's finish up Day 4 with Puff, the Magic Dragon. You know, the one that lived by the sea, and frolicked in the autumn mist in a land called Honalee. Which you're totally spelling and pronouncing wrong, because he's frolicking in a land called Honalei, which is hah-nah-LAY, and not hah-na-LEE.
At any rate, he was frolockin' in some HEAVY mist the day we went, so here's a picture of him from the internet:
Also in Hanalei, this gorgeous lookout, which has something you can't quite make out unless you have binoculars.
We also saw the Kilauea Lighthouse, which is your typical "lighthouse-keeper-goes-crazy-because-of-mercury-based-bulb" story:
And finally, the Hanalei Church, which was so precious that I wanted to put it in my pocket and take it home!
Day 5 was "No Pushing/Shoving Day," since we went to Waimea Canyon, the Grand Canyon of the Pacific. It was formed by erosions and explosions!
Isn't she lovely? Chris took this panoramic picture.
Proof that we were really there:
Once you get all the way to the top, you get to see the Na Pali Coast. We didn't get any good pictures, so again, here's one from the interwebs:
Halfway up, we bought Hatechu (real Hawaiian name: Ha'aeho, meaning "proud"). We named him Hatechu because there are feral roosters every. freaking. where. on Kauai. Like, if you can't see 4 or 5 at once, something is wrong. Kauai has feral roosters because it doesn't have mongeese. The other islands have mongeese in theory to eat rats (but the rats and the mongeese are on opposite sleeping schedules), and the mongeese ate the chickens (and all the other birds) instead. So Kauai didn't invite the mongeese over, and now it's overrun with roosters. History is strange.
Seriously, man, here's a feral rooster on the beach. They leave you alone, and they aren't aggressive, but they are freaking loud.
We also saw Niihau, which I was all excited about, because it's forbidden. Seriously, it's owned by two dudes, and you can only live there if you're native Hawaiian, speak Hawaiian, and commit to the ancient Hawaiian way of life, which does not involve plumbing. You can visit by invitation, and they don't care if you're Queen Elizabeth or Jesus--you're not getting an invitation.
Niihau shell leis are one of its only exports, and they're so rare that they're the only shell jewelry you can insure. They start in the thousands of dollars.
Sad that I couldn't buy a shell lei, I went with the next best thing: tacos. Seriously, these are the best fish tacos you've ever eaten:
Up next: a catamaran cruise along the Southern Coast with lots of modern and not-so-modern history.
And finally, if you enjoy reading my blog, would you consider a $5-$10 donation to the March of Dimes walk I'm doing with my work peeps? Thanks, ya'll!
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| Thank you, Kate. |
At any rate, he was frolockin' in some HEAVY mist the day we went, so here's a picture of him from the internet:
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| See his red eyes? And his furry snout? |
And that would be...buffalo!
And finally, the Hanalei Church, which was so precious that I wanted to put it in my pocket and take it home!
Day 5 was "No Pushing/Shoving Day," since we went to Waimea Canyon, the Grand Canyon of the Pacific. It was formed by erosions and explosions!
Isn't she lovely? Chris took this panoramic picture.
Proof that we were really there:
Halfway up, we bought Hatechu (real Hawaiian name: Ha'aeho, meaning "proud"). We named him Hatechu because there are feral roosters every. freaking. where. on Kauai. Like, if you can't see 4 or 5 at once, something is wrong. Kauai has feral roosters because it doesn't have mongeese. The other islands have mongeese in theory to eat rats (but the rats and the mongeese are on opposite sleeping schedules), and the mongeese ate the chickens (and all the other birds) instead. So Kauai didn't invite the mongeese over, and now it's overrun with roosters. History is strange.
Seriously, man, here's a feral rooster on the beach. They leave you alone, and they aren't aggressive, but they are freaking loud.
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| Kauai: Come for the beaches, stay for the...roosters? |
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| Take a look under the lowest cloud layer, and that's Niihau. |
Sad that I couldn't buy a shell lei, I went with the next best thing: tacos. Seriously, these are the best fish tacos you've ever eaten:
Up next: a catamaran cruise along the Southern Coast with lots of modern and not-so-modern history.
And finally, if you enjoy reading my blog, would you consider a $5-$10 donation to the March of Dimes walk I'm doing with my work peeps? Thanks, ya'll!