Supergirl in Kauai
While I've basically been on vacation since mid-June, poor Superman really needed some time off. He finally got his week in the sun, and we headed off to the Garden Island for some hiking, snorkeling, and lush vegetation. We began our stay at the Garden Island Inn (http://www.gardenislandinn.com), in Nawiliwili (basically Lihue--same town the airport's in). At $95/night for the simplest room, it was a great deal, enabling us to eat out without concern. We also felt pretty smug that even though we were the last people on the Hertz parking shuttle and the last to leave the Hertz parking lot, we only had five minutes to drive, in contrast to our line buddy's hourlong trek to Princeville, on the north shore.

We don't recommend staying at the Garden Island Inn on a Saturday night with good weather, however. There's a fantastic bay across the street (the Lihue Marriot, which is really lovely and $250 a night for the cheapest room, commands the bay's oceanfront), and the locals like to hang on the side of the bay that connects to Nawiliwili Beach Park and party on Saturday night. Think really loud bass, magnified by cement walls. Even earplugs didn't help.

That rough night aside, the rooms were clean and air-conditioned, and the Inn is easy walking distance from a shopping galleria called Anchor Bay. The galleria doesn't have much to recommend it other than a shop called South Sea Treasures, in which lives the super-cute Carpe Diem Cafe, which has great coffee and chai (cookies, too), and tables outside overlooking the bay. If you walk around behind the shopping area toward JJ's Broiler, there's a little footbridge that crosses over the river that flows into the bay and goes to the Marriot's beachfront. We ate at Duke's Canoe Club our first night. It was OK, but not worth the price, and we were so full, we missed the Hula Pie, their masterpiece (they're part of the restaurant chain that includes Leilani's and Kimo's on Maui and Sunnyside at Tahoe). We did love the Mai Tai's (best I've had) and the crab wontons. Next time, I'd do what we almost did--sit in the bar area and get drinks and appetizers. Wandering around the Marriot is fun--their beach is beautiful, there's a very cool pool area with a pool you could easily do a morning or evening swim workout in--it's huge, bars and restaurant at the pool and upstairs from it, all overlooking the pool area and beach, and a really cool Koi pond inside the hotel past the reception area. Don't know what it's like during the day, but I'd love to stay there and try it out. Maybe on a pleasant Saturday night!

Before dinner at Duke's on our first full day in Kauai, we drove up to the north shore to hike from Ke'e Beach for two miles on the famous Kalalau Trail, which leads for 11 incredibly strenuous, vertigo-inducing miles into the Kalalau Valley, where you can camp. Guidebooks and those who have done it say it's not for the faint of heart. I could have done it when I was 22; now I'm a little too wimpy about heights--poor Matt. Turns out it rained hard the next several days, though, so we were feeling glad not to be backpacking and trying to hike a very tough trail in the rain. Scary. We hiked in on the part of the trail most everyone who makes it out to Ke'e Beach hikes--there were people of all ages, in all types of attire (I saw a woman in a swimsuit, flip-flops, and cover-up, carrying a drink, about a half-mile up), and a range of footwear (the locals go barefoot and carry their surfboards). The beach that's two miles along the trail is awesome and has terrific waves--but a strong current that can be very dangerous. I was fried even after the two miles and kicked back at the stream overlooking the ocean; Matt went bodysurfing along with the hundreds of people getting off the boat that drops people at points along the trail so they can hike back to the beach. It was a pretty entertaining hiking experience. We ran into Dave Shelly and family (there for a cousin's wedding) on the way back, as well as countless other random people, all enjoying the sun and the jaw-dropping vistas. I'd forgotten how cliff-hanging parts of that trail are. I blithely hiked about four miles in ten years ago and am rather dismayed at the change in me--I say it's newfound happiness and responsibility; Matt's worried I'm getting soft. One couple had hiked in two miles, then decided to hike up to the waterfall you can get to from the two-mile marker. They had no food and were as happy as clams. Love it.

We ended up back at Ke'e beach, where we enjoyed the warm water and Matt got his first snorkel in. Lunch was a tuna sandwich and an avocado one at the deli next to Hanalei Gourmet in the old Hanalei schoolhouse; we'd had breakfast next door at Java Kai, where they have yummy breakfast goodies and great coffee. Then we drove back, swam again over at the Marriot beach, and went to the aforementioned dinner at Duke's.

Day Two was breakfast at the Kailuea Bakery and a hike on the Sleeping Giant trail, accessible from 580, past Opekaa Falls. We visited the falls on the way down, and added another waterfall trip, to Wailua Falls (on a different road near Lihue), took our nightly dip at the Marriot Beach, and dined at Pomodoro, Marriot restaurant #2.

Day Three: We discovered Carpe Diem cafe and kayaked the Wailua River, after lunch at Caffe Coco near Kapaa--truly delicous vegetarian food and fish. The kayak trip is a kick--you can go by the Fern Grotto, but you can't really see it, due to rock slides and a restoration project going on, but there's lots of other stuff to see on that fork of the river. On the other fork, after passing a re-created Hawaiian Village ($5 admission; we skipped it but did dock our kayak and climb up to peek), you end up at an inlet where you can leave your kayak and hike to "Secret Falls"--along with ten million other people. We kayaked fast and ended up alone on the trail (it's short and pretty easy if you have Chacos or Tevas; I did it in flip-flops because I idiotically left the Chacos at home). Matt took a dip in the waterfall, and we played around on the river for a little more. When we were done, we took a walk at Lydgate Park, which has a fantastic walking path along the beach and two great kids' playgrounds. We tried to go to Anini beach, but there are two roads by the same name just outside Kailuea and you need to take the SECOND one, not the first. We did go to a nice beach with crazy surf--I think it's actually called "Secret Beach." We both bodysurfed, then drove up to Hanalei for dinner at the Hanalei Dolphin, which was the best dinner we'd had on the trip so far. They have outdoor dining at lunch only, right on the Hanalei river. They also rent cottages, and we think next time we come to Kauai, we'd either rent one of those or try out the inexpensive Hanalei Inn. The Hanalei Colony Inn is also good value for the money ($250 gets you a two-bedroom condo, with kitchen, right on the beach), but it's a bit north of town, while the previous two are right in town. We both LOVE Hanalei. Laid-back, cute buildings, friendly people, and beautiful. Before dinner that night, we cruised over to Hanalei Bay Beach and looked out at the historic Hanalei Pier. That's a nice, wide beach with many different sub-beaches, but we didn't swim there, so I don't know how it is.

Day Four was our check-out day at the Garden Island Inn, so we hit Carpe Diem again, packed up the car, and headed off to the Kailuea Lighthouse and Wildlife Refuge. We also visited the Guava Plantation. Then we found Anini Beach, which is truly lovely, with really nice facilities and lots of people camping. We headed up to Hanalei for lunch at our favorite deli, then grabbed shave ice (my favorite is root beer over vanilla ice cream; Matt likes rainbow over macadamia nut ice cream) and some coffee for Matt, and drove all the way down to the south shore to stay at Kiahuna Plantation on Poipu Beach (some very nice family friends rented us their condo for an incredibly reasonable rate). Poipu Beach is not what I remember, unfortunately. It's lovely and golden, but the path that used to run along the beach from the Sheraton at one end to the end of Poipu Beach park is broken up due to remodeling at the Poipu Marriot post-1992 Hurricane Iniki, and the sandy beach I remember is actually mostly rocks once you get in the water. Great snorkeling, and Kiahuna has a really nice shady lawn for those of us who can't do sun for too long, plus very happy vacationers and warm water, so it's pretty cushy. We had figured we'd cook the whole time we were there, but when we went to Big Save in Koloa, we were disappointed by the lack of local produce. We cobbled together some burritos, but the next day, determined to find a farmer's market.

There are lots of local farmer's market, but they're daily at different parts of the island. There was one on Day Five in Hanapepe, but we got there too late--the website said 4:30, but it really began at 3. We tried to go to the fruit and veggie stand near Poipu, but it closed at 5, and we weren't back from our failed voyage to Hanapepe in time. Matt had seen another stand near Koloa, but we were too disillusioned at that point, so we went back to the beach (we'd snorkeled there already, that morning, but wanted to swim again) and had dinner at the Plantation Gardens restaurant, after wandering by at 6pm to make a reservation for later that night. It was good; not amazing, but good. "Baked Hawaii" for dessert and terrific drinks were the highlights. The restaurant is surrounded by gardens with some amazing orchids; there's also a succulent garden (the Moir Garden) that is famous nearby.

Day Six, we went to Waimea Canyon in time (12pm) to see it in its sunny glory, and we went to all three lookouts, ending up at Kokee Park headquarters in time for lunch at the very cute Kokee Lodge. We recommend the apple salad and grilled cheese. We took the slightly weird Berry Flat Loop hike, which features California coastal redwoods (!) within the jungle. On our drive down, we were feeling glad not to have begun a big hike in the afternoon, because the canyon was fogged in by then. If you're going to go there, go early! On our way back, we found the fruit and veggie stand and bought a few things. After a beach sunset and swim, we made avodaco sandwiches, schezuan green beans, and recreated that day's apple salad.

Day Seven featured a fantasic tour of the Allerton Garden, part of the National Tropical Botanical Garden (ntbg.org), a thwarted attempt to see the McBryde Garden (closed until Monday due to flash flood warnings), lunch at the mediocre Pizzetta in Koloa town (great service, though), a walk along Poipu Beach and into the nearby neighborhoods, a rainstorm at the end of the walk, and more veggies from the local stand for dinner.

Day Eight, I woke up shaking. Not due to nerves, but due to the large earthquake that hit Hawaii and Oahu quite hard. Superman was convinced a train was passing, but I reminded him there are no trains on Kauai--at least none that would shake a building! Reassured that no tsunami was on the way, we headed out on a walk. There's a pleasant walking path behind the Sheraton. It goes out Poipu Beach road to Lawai Road, and there are sidewalks almost the whole way, plus ocean views. I was disappointed to figure that out so late--I do love my daily constitutional. Lots of other people out walking, including locals with dogs. We were able to walk from Kiahuna past the Sheraton and out onto the road.

When we returned, we hit the beach for a bit, then packed up and checked out. We had lunch across the street from Kiahuna, at Keoki's paradise in Poipu Shopping Village. It's cute and a good place to go for a meal if you're in Poipu. Then we cruised by the Hyatt, so Matt could see the crazy pool. The pool is still a kick, but the place was packed with people talking on their cell phones. Total scene. Ick. We beat it out of there pretty quickly--it's probably nicer at night!

Next, we drove to Lihue, stopping at Kilohana on the way. It's one of the most expensive houses ever built on the island, by a sugar plantation president who imported furniture from Gump's. Much of the original furniture and decor is still there, and the setting is spectacular--views of mountains on one side, and beautiful gardens behind the house. There's a restaurant there, Gaylord's that was very nice for a dressy lunch or dinner. We wandered around the gardens. The house, besides housing the restaurant, has dedicated all its rooms and outlying cottages to shops, like Allied Arts in Menlo Park. I liked it.

After Kilohana, we spent some time in Border's (in the Kukui Grove Mall, which is very nice, as malls go), got some new books, then drove to Nawiliwili and up the road that borders the Huleia river, famous from Raiders of the Lost Ark. I had wanted to kayak there--it's a wildlife refuge--but we didn't make it. The Menehune fish pond, off of the river, is neat to look at. There's a pulloff for it, but the anti-haole graffiti making the signs impossible to read was rather unsettling.

There is certainly a great deal of tension between native Hawaiians and tourists on Kauai--it's palpable. Graffiti, side comments, dirty looks--but that's to be expected in a place where there really are quite a few natives still living there, and where the economy is so dependent on tourists. The tourists come and drive around the island in their rental cars, often too fast, and are sometimes rude and disrespectful, and then the generality becomes, "Haoles flew here. We grew here. Go home, haoles." One can only hope that more Kauai visitors come, enjoy the island in an eco-conscious, culturally respectful way, and leave a more positively regarded footprint as time goes on.

We finished our day with a trip back to Lydgate Park, where we sat and read at a picnic table overlooking the ocean. We had dinner at our favorite place, Caffe Coco, and returned to Lihue for one more stroll around the Marriot's lovely grounds and a quick flip-flop purchase for Matt "Stinky Feet" G-V; then we headed to the airport. Despite a long delay and some freaky turbulence at the beginning of the flight that caused the plain to drop hundreds of feet and lurch around for about ten minutes, we had a smooth flight, and returned home in time to see our entire condo get packed up and moved to Delaware! Yowza!

The next dispatch will be from Delaware, most likely!