Final Hawaii Post

Miscellaneous post of some of my favorite moments on Kauai.



Having coffee at Java Kai became a 6AM routine for us.
As much as you can get a routine going in nine days.

(For some reason we just couldn't sleep in while on vacation. Probably the excitement of being there.)





We used a couple of leisure hours there, drinking our coffee (I miss my Maui Mochas), having a muffin, writing our postcards, updating my vacation journal, planning our day, and watching/listening to the locals wander in for their share of caffeine.









The most amusing part was the morning that reached a low of 67˚F. You could certainly tell the locals from the tourists that morning. Kim and I were in shorts and t-shirts, the locals came in wearing long pants and jackets!









Caffe Coco.



I loved this little restaurant. Besides having great and filling food, the atmosphere was just delightful. The majority of restaurant seating on Kauai is outdoors. (Duh! Took me a while to adjust to this concept.) At Caffe Coco this includes mis-matched tables and chairs, a pebble floor, bamboo and banana plants growing inside the restaurant (because it's outside), little strings of lights everywhere at night and a live band.



































All the great food within walking distance of our hotel, including the Hukilau Lanai, (six-course food and wine pairing menu for $40) and Trees Lounge, (wonderful samosas and Key Lime crème brûlée).




























Our ONE day at the beach.

We realized that it was important to at least spend one day doing absolutely nothing.
Yeah, I know, we were in Hawaii for crying out loud. But neither Kim nor I are big "water" people and there is so much to see and do on Kauai.

We walked a couple of blocks from our hotel to this beach. Had it practically to ourselves all day. Except for the monk seal that came ashore near us and the huge sea turtle we could see swimming just off shore.




Kim rented a boogie board for the day. I braved the ocean occasionally without assistance.

Our lunch; beer and potato chips.

We even found a small shade tree to keep the sun off us.































These adorable birds. Red-crested cardinals (or Brazilian cardinals.) They were flitting all over the place. About the size of a sparrow.


























Snowmen (women?) in grass skirts.
















Santa's sleigh being pulled by chickens.



















Our consolation Sunset Dinner cruise. (Our snorkel trip was canceled due to high waves.)




Kim says he enjoyed the cruise; seeing a whale tail, dolphins, sea turtles, and a gorgeous sunset.

I had to take his word for it. All I saw was the inside of a barf bucket.

For 3 1/2 hours.



























Watching the sunset on the beach at our hotel. This became almost a nightly occurrence; grabbing a beer and a pool chair, sitting on the beach after a day of sightseeing. Relaxing while the sun went down. Most nights this included surfers on the ocean.



























Our final day; hiking along the Kuilau Trail. Included some great views, very quiet, saw just two other people.





Also seeing this group of girls dance on our last day. Adorable. Free.

And did I mention adorable?



























Very enjoyable trip. I'd do it again. The guidebook was a great resource for planning ahead.