Kauai

This past weekend, I went to Kauai with a few friends. Kauai is a beautiful island and the trip was the perfect length to see everything we wanted to see without having to spend the whole holiday there.


We arrived on Sunday morning and made our way to the Na Pali Coast. Na Pali translates to "the cliff(s)," which is an accurate description of the hike. I have heard from a lot of people that Na Pali is the most beautiful part of Hawaii. While it was a great hike and had some beautiful scenery, I can't say that it was the most beautiful thing I've seen in Hawaii. I think it is pretty difficult to rank different parts of Hawaii against one another. There are so many things here that are so impressive, it is nearly impossible to make a definitive list. I will say that it was impressive, but with the build-up preceding the trip, I was expecting a little more. Another thing that may have affected my perception was the crowds. I am willing to bet that the whole ordeal would have been more pleasant and tranquil had the trail not been so heavy with traffic, but on a holiday weekend, it is to be expected.

Of note, the girls think they saw Sarah Jessica Parker in the parking lot by the start of the trail. It may or may not have been her. If anyone knows how to track down celebrities, it may be worth looking into. Also, we didn't take any pictures because we thought it would be rude (i.e. we have no proof.)

Yesterday we slept in, got some breakfast, and headed for Kipu Falls as our first destination. The falls there are unlike the majority of the falls that I have seen in Hawaii. Usually, the water cascades down a rock face in a thin stream. In Kipu's case, the face of the falls was about 25 meters across and 10 meters high. The pool at the bottom was quite large and deep. One of the added bonuses of the falls was that on a ledge at the side of the pool the owner's of the land (the falls is on private property, but the owners don't try to keep people out) installed a ladder and rope swing. Depending on what point of the swing you released the rope, you could get a pretty good drop into the water.

The rapids leading up to the waterfall were very strong. In order to get to the pool, the best way was to jump from the top of the waterfall, swim to the ladder, and play on the rope swing. The return trip was a little more difficult. I almost lost it in the rapids and would have been pushed over the falls. After my first failed attempt at crossing, I decided to walk upstream until I found some rocks to climb across. I do better with climbing than swimming.

After the falls, we went to Waimea Canyon. This is one of the places that, if I were making a list, I would definitely have up there with the most beautiful places I've seen. It's called Hawaii's Grand Canyon. I wish I could give an good representation of the canyon, but I am not the best with words and my pictures never show the things as I saw them at the time. The best description I could give of the canyon is that it seemed to be dripping with light from both the sky and the reflection off of the nearby ocean. The way that the sunlight drenched everything was the most alluring aspect of it all for me. I wouldn't even describe it as bright or clear, but instead thick and full. It was as if the light was a liquid coating covering the entire scene. It was beautiful. I'm not sure how else to describe it.

After the canyon, we all got some shave ice (not shaved, mind you) and headed back towards the airport. Despite my car having some troubles with the brakes and a really bad shake in the front right tire, we all made it home by 9:30pm. It was New Year's Eve, but I decided against going out. I was in bed by 11:00 and not even the constant sparkle and boom of the fireworks (they people here really love fireworks) interruped my sleep. I slept in until after 8:30 this morning. I think that is the most I have slept-in since getting back from Japan. Today I am finally getting my day of sleeping in, sitting around, and doing nothing. Hooray for the holidays.