Aloha Redux

Today we spent the entire day on the island of Kauai. If I were to compare and contrast the islands of Oahu and Kauai, Kauai would win hands down, with the exception of pearl harbor, which was awesome. Now let's be clear, these are both islands in paradise, so nothing against Oahu. But perhaps Oahu was a bit too built up for my liking, without as much zoning to prevent "sprawl" that is inconsistent with its natural beauty. Kauai was beautiful and natural, with a better harmony between civilization and the landscape. Surfing appeared to be more popular on Kauai with the exception of Waikiki beach.

We spent the day with Lanny and Sandy again, and had an even better time than yesterday. The day had a great rhythm. Just the right amount of sightseeing, activity, shopping, eating, chatting, learning and simply enjoying the island at our pace. We started by getting the rental car, which was easier, closer and quicker than yesterday. The first sight we chose was the Wiamea Canyon, which was about an hour away, no traffic. It was by far the most unique canyon I've ever seen, in person or pics. Because this is a volcanic island, everything seems to have this red pigment connected to it. The soil is also different than anything else. It erodes differently than dirt and other organic materials, and in doing so, creates these hard edges in the vistas. We noticed it on Diamond head too yesterday. From our roadside pull off, we could see both the canyon and the ocean. I also managed to get a geocache there, which was a bonus. I find fellow cachers know the best spots to draw people to, and this was no different. Later in the day, we visited Salt ponds being lured by a cache. We didn't find the cache but we learned about the family legacies of the plots where they harvest the salt . Fascinating!!!

We stopped at a well known coffee plantation. Also very well done with coffee tastings and a self-guided tour of the property. We bought a ton of coffee for our kids, 3 of 4 LOVE coffee.

Lunch was OUTSTANDING!! Bobbi's earned 4.7 stars for a good reason. We got so much food and it was excellent. Grilled and fried chicken, pork and shrimp, rice, noodles, sauces, and slow cooked pork as well. I had to eat it all!! 😋 We shopped in the little town afterwards, buying just a hair clip for our grand. It was such a quaint town.

After lunch and shopping, we stopped at a beach where I again dipped my toes in the ocean. It was surprisingly brisk. That was followed by an education of salt ponds here on Kauai.

Lastly, we visited a waterfall called Wailua Falls. Picturesque for sure. And included another geocache for me that included an education about the falls.

After a quick walmart run, we returned the car and headed back to the ship about 3:30. I was surprisingly tired despite waking up at the latest time yet, 6:30 am. So a quick nap before dinner was warranted. Dinner was fine, salmon on a salad. I wasn't hungry after today's lunch and should have skipped it altogether.

I spent a bit of time at the casino without first appeasing the exercise gods and let's just say, I paid the price. It's OK. That's why they call it gambling. Tonight there was a luau on the Lido. Fun but we decided to head back to the cabin after a half hour.

We have 4 consecutive sea days now as we head to the south pacific. Can't wait!!! Aloha!!!