Journal
It was Sept. 11, 2000 at 11:00 a.m. when we arrived at the Honolulu, Hawaii airport. I wore jeans and a t-shirt and I was about to pass out. The humidity was very high and we are used to Southern California weather. I did a lot of research about the weather in Hawaii before we left but nothing could have prepared me for it.
My girlfriend and I made travel arrangements with All About Hawaii. They had a great deal. Nine nights and ten days which included airfare, hotel, car rental, for $1,743.00 USD. Everything went perfectly well with no lost luggage or delays of any kind.
We flew on a Lockheed Martin L1011 with Delta airlines. It felt as if I was sitting still and not moving even though we were traveling about 600 m.p.h. at 30,000 ft. The flight from L.A., California USA took us 5 hours. Of course, that is not counting the time taxing down the runway. It took another 30 minutes to fly to Kauai.
After picking-up the car and luggage, we went to go see where we were staying. The staff at the Kaua'i Sands Hotel were very helpful and courteous. The room was always kept very clean and was about as nice as Econolodge. It came with sliding glass doors and a balcony with an ocean view. The hotel even had a restaurant inside of it. The location was perfect due to the fact that it was in Kapa'a which was in between the north and south shores.
If I could describe the color of the island in one word, it would be green. The whole island was nothing but a jungle. I can certainly see how it got the name "The Garden Isle." The air was so clear that we saw the Milkyway Galaxy on Maluhia Rd. Living in Southern California, U.S.A., I come to think of the skies as starless. There were so many stars out that night that I could not see any bare skies. It looked as if GOD threw glitter up in the air for us to enjoy.
The whole island is designed for physical excursions in mind unless you are just going to lay on the beach or look at the two waterfalls that are accessible by driving. There were so many places to hike. Some trails were for experts only and some were for novices. We did a little of both. Of course, all of the hikes were through a jungle so bring your bug repellent.
We decided to kayak up the Wailua River. The most knowledgeable and friendliest was the Wailua Kayak Adventures. Even though it was a small company, I felt as if no one was going to take advantage of us. I will definitely use this company again when I go back to the island.
I was at the bottom of the Wailua Falls in this picture. I felt so relaxed and at peace with myself. At that moment, everything in my life seemed right.
Halfway through the trip, my glasses became damaged. That night about 9:00 p.m., I looked up an optometrist in the phone book. The office was closed so I called the emergency hotline and Dr. Stan Schiller answered. He said to come in the next morning at 9:00 a.m. Needless to say, after one hour I was wearing my new glasses.
Kauai was such a beautiful place. The people there are always smiling and environmentally conscious. They are so honest that the lei stand we encountered was self-serve. I put US$5.00 in the yellow bag and took the lei out of a cooler. I wish we could experience that feeling of trust in California. Perhaps someday we will.
If you're looking for a tropical paradise that is safe to roam around at night, Kaua'i is the place for you.