Day Seven: Aloha

Today is our last day on Kauai.  I am really sad that this vacation has already come to an end.  Yes, we have three day son Maui left but for some reason, this feels like the end.  We had been nice and settled on Kauai, knew where things were and felt like we had more of the lay of the land.  Now it’s back to square one and then by the time we figure that island out, it will be the trip from hell home  But for now, here is a recap of what we did on Wednesday.

I was really not sure what I wanted to do this day.  So many things sounded good and yet I just really wanted to relax and really enjoy this last day.  In the end, I think we really accomplished that!  We started the day a bit later after a relaxing breakfast and morning lanai time at the condo.  We drove to Poipu beach again and tried to soak up some sun.

Did I mention we saw some chickens while on vacation???...

With Mother dear And yes, our hair does always look that good!

It was quite overcast when we first got to the beach today though so not the most ideal beach day but we still all somehow managed to end up with a bit too much sun!!  We vegged out here for about 2 hours or so and then drove back to the condo to eat some lunch.  We kept it simple again today and ate up more turkey, rice tortilla wraps, potatoes and papaya.  Plus more ice cream :S  Time to chill out on the sweets I think…

After lunch we were going to go do something adventurous but no one really seemed in the mood for that and it was already about 2:30pm so we just went swimming at the hotel pool and sat in the sun for a while.  Sister and I also walked down to a little beach area by the condo and took some silly pictures

Sister the 16 year old...

and her 14 year old side kick

We were not really sure where to have our last dinner and we going back and forth about what was best to be our last meal (no pressure…) but ended up deciding on Hukilani Lanei and boy was that a great choice!!  This was the best meal I think I have ever had in my life and that is not an exaggeration!!  They had a special gluten free menu and had a sampling/tasting menu that allowed up to try 5 courses of delicious and flavorful cuisine!!  Normally gluten free food means boring and sauce-less when you go out to eat but certainly not here.  The sauces and everything about this meal was just to die for and I am so sad we cannot come back and have this again…  I’ll let these pictures do the talking…

Gluten Free Rosemary Foccaccia Bread with Balsamic oil

Course 1: Coffee and Chocolate Seared Ahi with rice

Arugula salad with basil dressing, sweet corn, beets and tomatoes

Grilled Mahi Mahi with a Chili Curry Sauce

Pork Medallions with mushrooms, creamy polenta and a delicious sauce - my favorite course for sure!!

Because we waited a bit extra, we got a free little tasting of this delicious Starfruit Sorbet

Vanilla Creme Brulee - so good also!!

After all this crazy food, we still had to finish up some ice cream at the condo (hence the aforementioned need to cut the sweets…) and then packed up a bit for our early morning flight to Maui tomorrow morning.  Only a few more hours and Kauai was just a distant memory…

Day Six: Waterfalls and Ziplining

Sorry, I am falling a bit behind.  We’ve been getting home late and the internet in the condo was a bit “sporadic…”  but on to Tuesday!

Day six was a good one!  We started out with breakfast in the condo, per usual.  This morning’s breakfast was Strawberry Chobani, ½ a banana, chia, buckwheat groats, ½ a Sweet Marie’s muffin and some guava jam.  I am going to miss these treat breakfasts a lot :S

After breakfast had settled a bit and we were all showered, we headed out to look for some waterfalls.  We ended up driving the wrong way for the first falls we intended to view so instead headed on to the second, Opaekaa Falls.

There was a nice little overlook here and we stopped and stretched a bit, snapped some pictures and then headed down to look into a kayaking trip for tomorrow (note: never got to this but oh well.)  After falls viewing, we drove around Sleeping Giant mountain a bit, tried to find some random picnic area mom read about in a book and then headed back to the condo for lunch.  On the way back to the condo, we finally found a fruit stand and stopped and totally stocked up… we bought 6 papaya, 2 lilikoi, an eggfruit, an avocado, 2 starfruit and 3 limes.

Lunch today included a papaya, more turkey!!  Surprise, surprise!! On a turkey, hummus, avocado sandwich and a few leftover yam fries.  This lunch ended up being super filling!!

We had a very exciting afternoon planned for day 6 – ziplining!!!  We had reservations for the 1pm Treetop Tour with Just Live Kauai.  This tour included 7 zips, 4 canopy bridges and lots of time spent waiting for safety gear to be hooked up!!  This was the event of vacation I had been most looking forward to and it ended up being quite fun.  I’ve apparently developed some sort of death wish though because this was just not scary enough for me… and I could not talk anyone else into skydiving

Regardless, this ziplining tour was a really interesting way to get a view of the island and was lots of fun.  We ended up on a tour with some very vocal people from New York, a couple from Illinois, a couple from Minnesota (Midwest reunion much?) and a couple from California plus one random dude that I don’t remember where he came from…

Aside from my own mother not recognizing which person was me zipping through the trees, this tour was very uneventful and nobody even freaked out a little bit!  I think the Sister was thinking she was going to but then realized it was not as bad as it sounded once you were up in the trees.

Our tour finished up around 4:30pm so we went trying to find some weigh and pay fro yo but with no luck… apparently everything had gluten in it?!?!  So we ate some protein bars in the car and fought the starvation stomach ache again… And then drove up to Wailua Falls.

This was a really pretty one and was actually split in two right now although I guess if the water levels really get high and flowing, this turns into one falls. After a bit more driving around, we stopped into Walmart for more POG, some ice and then a stop over to the Fish Shop to grab something to cook for dinner. Once we made it back to the condo, we started work on dinner.  Dinner turned out very tasty once again and included grilled Opah, brown rice, peas and broccoli.

We may have also ran to the grocery store after dinner to get some ice cream… Kona Coffee and Macadamia Nut to be exact.  Along with some Killer Hot Sauce and chocolate covered mac nuts – so naughty but so yummy!!  After all our adventures today, I was once again in bed by 9pm.  This early to bed stuff is really making me feel old   Only one more day on this island and then it’s off to Maui.  I am really going to miss Kauai and cannot wait to come back…

Day Five: Fruit and Sun

Today started out with a 3 mile run in the dark.  For as pretty as the island is, there really is not a good pretty running/walking trail nearby so I was stuck on the “highway” aka road with 35mph speed limit.  It was a quick but warm run and shortly after I got back a brief rainstorm occurred so it was good I ran when I did!  Sister and I made our favorite pancakes from Saturday morning again and they were as good as we remembered!  This time I had mine with hard boiled eggs instead of bacon.  Delicious Kauai coffee was also consumed!

Kilohana Plantation

Our first activity of the day was a train ride/hike/plantation tour at Kilohana Plantation.  This plantation was built in the 1930’s and served as a Sugar Cane Plantation until sometime in the 1970’s.  Today it operates as a restaurant and a plantation that works to grow food to serve at the restaurant and also to experiment with the production abilities of certain plants in that part of Kauai.

We first boarded the train and took a short ride around that dropped us off to feed some ferrel pigs.  They were actually a bit cuter than your regular overweight pig and the babies were adorable!  We feed them some old bread and then the train left us and we started out on our “hike”.  This hike turned out to be a leisurely stroll through the grounds but was still neat because we got to learn about a bit of sugar can plantation history and also learn a lot about different plants that are both native and invasive on this island.

Even though our walk was not very strenuous, I was still starving (surprise, surprise) when we got back up to our picnic area.  They served turkey wraps to most people but we had special requested some salads with Sesame Ginger dressing that turned out to be a nice dose of green vegetable!  I also had a Luna protein for some protein and a Sweet Marie’s Blueberry muffin because it was delicious!  We also were pleased to discover that Fritos are gluten free and also preservative free!  Who knew?!?!

Exhausted after our hike!!

After lunch, we walked through the plantation area and got to sample about 9 different types of fruits.  Some I had heard of and some that were new to me.  I remember guava, pineapple, papaya, avocado, tangerines and star fruit.  The others were new to me and had hard to remember names…

That's a Guava!!

The train came and picked up back up and brought us back to the train depot at the plantation which concluded our tour for the day.  Minus the fact that it was not very adventurous at all, it was still really fun and very interesting to learn about the land from a native.  Also, the fresh off the tree fruit was quite the treat!

After our plantation tour, we needed some serious beach time!  We ended up a Kalapaki beach where we hung out for about 2 hours.  I got a little sun, swam around in the waves and ate a ton of salt water   Yum?!?  This beach was not the prettiest of the week but was a pretty decent place to play in the waves.  We were also kept entertained by this crazy dog and his coconut.  He would chase it around and was trying to dig a hole in the sand.  By the time we left, he had dug up about 100 sq ft of beach trying to bury this darn thing!  He also would bound through the waves to try and get it when it ended up out there!!  The sun was very bright today so I think we are all going to show a little color hopefully!!

Our puppy entertainment!

We got cleaned up at the condo and then ventured into Kapa’a to eat some dinner.  We were going to try somewhere new but the BBQ ribs at Lemongrass Grill were just calling Kelsey and my names!  So we repeat ate at Lemongrass.  Sister and I did get different drinks though and they were very delicious as well.  I had a Royal Kokonut Koast Cooler and she had a Mudslide.  I think we were a wee bit loopy after these drinks…oops!  Also, it might be time to cut down on the sugary drink consumption. ..

Once we were stuffed beyond belief, we headed over towards a little beach walk area that goes up and down the shore in Kapa’a.  It was really cool to see the waves crashing in the distance when it was so dark out!

I should have been plenty tired out after today but decided I wanted to swim and hot tub a bit before heading to bed.  I managed to spend an hour or so down there and then came back up to the condo to have a little ice cream   and head to bed.  Day number five turned out to be a pretty fun day!  And day number six includes ziplining so I am super excited for that!!!

Day Four: Grand Canyon of the Pacific

I was up bright and early again this morning… after going to be at 8:30pm, my body must have been fully rested because it woke up at 5am :S  But it was probably a good thing because I still was not ready to go by 10:30am and that was not making Father very happy.  But backing up a few hours, I did a wee bit of Insanity this morning and then had a very yummy breakfast of grilled Sweet Marie’s Pineapple Coconut Muffin, Strawberry Chobani, Chia seeds, and granola/muffin scrap sprinkles – oh my!!  I also had the bright idea to buy a whole turkey at the grocery store on Thursday night because after all, it was only $2.88 which is a heck of a lot less than any turkey lunch meat would have cost but I failed to take into account the cook time of a turkey – oops   But it got cooked this morning and was ready for sandwiches, etc.

We headed out for our day around 10:30am and with the destination of Kauai Coffee Farm.  This was a cute little place in the middle of coffee fields and they had a little 1/8 mile walking museum tour that gave a little information on how to grow, roast and brew coffee.  They also had a bunch of types of coffee that could be sampled.  My favorites were the Banana Toasted Nut and Caramel Coconut something or other.  We picked up a bag of the later for breakfasts this week!!

Our next destination was Port Allen to check on any boat tours that might have potential for the coming week.  We kind of took one look at the boats in the harbor and the $100+/person price tags and decided – na, not worth it!

Next stop was Hanepepe town and the Hanepepe swinging bridge.  This was really not such a much on both accounts but was cool to see and good on the way somewhere else kind of stop.

Next up was lunch!  We tried to find Wiamea Brewing Company but they had apparently changed names and it was now called The Grove.  The food was excellent though and we ended up eating quite the large lunch!  We had some Menehune Nachos for starters (Kahlua pig, black beans, olives, cheese, guacamole, salsa and sour cream) – oh boy!  I wanted to order this for my meal but I figured better to share four ways and get something more healthy for my actual meal… so I chose a yummy grilled salmon and steamed rice with a side salad with Papaya Poppyseed dressing.  There was a delicious sauce on the salmon also that I was at first freaked out had wheat in it but it turned out to just be a pureed passion fruit aioli.  I wanted a vat of that!

After lunch, Sister had spotted a Kauai granola place that we ventured back for and boy was that a good idea!  They had the most delicious chocolate dipped chocolate macaroons.  I wanted to eat like 12 of those!!  Although we were accused of “stuffing our faces” by a certain someone…

I'd stuff my face with this any day...

The next destination was up Waimea Canyon!  The road up here was quite interesting especially with a father who wishes he was a race car driver… but we made a couple quick stops for pictures and then finally made it to an official look out.  This was so cool!  I think a bit prettier than the actual Grand Canyon because of the vegetation.  We kept venturing up to about 5000ft elevation and went on a bit of hike through the clouds, literally.  We saw so many pretty lookouts on this little red dirt mud hike!

We once again planned our day poorly and ended up with beach time at the end of the day, when tanning is not at its peak… man!  I better not come back from this vacation white as paper like I am now!  Tomorrow!  The beach we found was really awesome though.  It was called Salt Pond Beach and was quite the hopping place for locals to hang out.  I walked up and down the beach, took some cool wave pictures and then we sat on the beach and watched the sun set.  It was a very pretty sunset but not really one of the prettiest I’ve seen.  Maybe some other day this week!

I'll still take it over Wisconsin any day!

Oh and btw, I think we may have witnessed a pot of pot wash up on shore… some girls found this really weird looking thing and unwrapped it and had quite the looks on their faces… then someone called the cops and they took it away.  So we can only figure it was something drug related.  Maybe not pot but I could not pass up that little pun

We headed back to the condo after a quick stop at Walmart for a quick and simple dinner of Food for Life brown rice tortillas, hummus, hard boiled eggs, turkey, carrots, and BBQ Popchips.  Dessert after dinner (oops for double dessert day L) was Chocolate Macadamia Nut ice cream with macadamia nuts and a chocolate cookie crumble on top.  More please!!

Then a bit of cleaning and laundry ensued before bed time!!

Day Three: Exhausted in Paradise

So you already know how this morning started… with a scenic 10k run in Koloa.  But the exercise and activity level did not stop there!  So when we got back from our run, we of course were starving so we decided to make some pancakes.  Sister and I had picked up a box of boring Bisquick mix at the grocery store the other day.  The nutrient density of this mix was not up to par for me so we decided to get creative and up the level of protein, healthy fats and fiber in this mix so we added chia seeds, buckwheat groats and toasted millet (purchased from a BULK BIN – my favorite – here in the island).  We then put a wee bit of Sweet Marie’s granola on the back of the pancakes before flipping them over… oh.my.word!  Those simple little additions turned these pancakes into quite possibly the best pancakes I have ever eaten – not just the best gluten free pancakes but the best pancakes.  Period.  We served them with bacon and Passion Fruit Coconut Syrup and they were sooo good.  We will be making these again and soon!

Following this delicious feast, we showered up and got ready to head out for the rest of the day.  Today’s destination was North Kaua’i and once again it was amazing how different the climate was from one side of the island to the other.  It was almost like what I would picture South America would look like and really felt like a rainforest.

Stop number one of the day was really not much of a stop…We tried to find Guava Kai Plantation to pick us some guava’s but it had apparently closed and reopened as some sort of sustainable farm thing… That was a drive that was worthless!  Luckily it was kind of on our way to the next stop…

Stop number two of the day was Kilauea Beach Lighthouse.  Thanks to the Veteran’s they were offering a fee free day so we were able to walk right up to the lighthouse and see some amazing views and some birds.  Shocking!

Stop number three of the day was a bit of a treasure hunt… we were looking for Lappert’s Ice Cream shop and the GPS was telling us 22 miles but I knew one was coming up soon… I saw the mall it was supposed to be in and we drove in there and drove all around and still did not see it.  We decided to park and try to find a map, which we did, and after reading that and seeing the address, we finally found it!  Man, was this place hidden!  I got a two scoop dish – once scoop Lilikoi sherbet and one scoop Caramel Macadamia Nut – YUM!  Of course everyone else decided on sundaes after I’d ordered so their all looked better but next time I will be prepared.

Stop number four of the day was a hike in Hanalai.  The road just ends and from there, the hiking begins.  Mom decided to wear flip flops today so needless to say, she was left behind… And good thing too because this hike was pretty much straight up and all rocks.  We only hiked up about a ½ mile because we really are not hikers nor were we dressed for hiking (what, swimsuits and shorts??) but ½ a mile was really all it took to see some more gorgeous views!  It was really breathtaking and also quite windy.  A bit of photography ensued and we were headed back down to find the Mother.  Going down was so much worse than going up!!!

If I get asked one more time if these are comfortable... I am gonna kick someone...

At the bottom we walked to a little beach, found mom had walked back to the car and then headed that way as well.  There was a cool tunnel cave thing that we stopped at to grab a picture or two on the way.

Stop number five of the day was Hanalai Lookout.  This was another set of breathtaking views!  You could look out and see Taro fields, mountains and lush greens everywhere!  So pretty.  This was a quick stop  – lol!

Stop number six of the day was trying to find Anini Beach.  Um… thanks again GPS for leading us the most complicated way.  We ended up going down this steep, probably .15 mile trail thing and finally coming across the beach.  We sat there for just a few minutes because all of a sudden I was starving and then headed back UP that crazy path to get to the car… let’s just say the way up was much steeper.  I had elbow pit sweat by the time we got to the top… gross and I am sorry…

Stop number seven of the day was finally dinner!  I was soooo starving.  My stomach has been going from fine to past the point of no return with hunger this vacation.  Oops!  We picked the Lemongrass Grill for dinner because a) mom had a coupon and b) because I could smell the food when I just looked and the menu and knew it would be good.  Right away my eyes narrowed in on Guava BBQ Ribs.  I could not even tell you what else was on the menu because I saw these and knew I was decided.  The only thing standing in my way was any hidden wheat in the ingredients.  Lo and behold, when I asked this the waitress right away was super nice about asking if it was an allergy and needed to be made gluten free!  This made me very happy because I hate making a scene about things and normally just order something boring and plain because I know it’s safe.  But I am so glad I decided to ask on this one because it was probably the best meal I have had in my life… They served it to me on rice instead of the potatoes on the menu because those had some wheat and honestly, I think they should always serve it like this!  The BBQ sauce was beyond delicious, the meat was sooo tender and the rice was even fantastic!  I think we’ll be back for this meal again before leaving.  I also forgot to mention that I had a Guava Mai Tai to start.  Cheers to the Guava!!

Time for a drink!!

Our final stop of the day was finally the condo.  We hit up the hot tub for a few minutes and a quick swim around the pool and then I passed out on my bed by 8:30pm.  Party Animal!!  On to another fun day for Day Four!!

Day Two: Aloha

This morning started bright and early at 6am :S  I actually thought I was going to wake up much earlier but I think yesterday’s Travelathon must have really worn me out… After waking up and having some coffee and water, I did what else, but my favorite Insanity   I know, this is vacation but to be honest, I would not be a pleasant person if I didn’t get a chance to exercise in the mornings… I am not the most pleasant person even after that but I’m much better once I get my sweat on (and a Margarita drank )  After almost dying doing Insanity (because it is so freakin HOT here), I had some delicious breakfast – Strawberry Chobani, ½ a banana, granola and half of a Mango Mac Nut Muffin from Sweet Marie’s.  Probably not the most nutritious breakfast but oh well…

After breakfast, it was time for some sitting in the sun and cocktail sipping.  It was such a pretty day here in paradise.  We sat on our lanai for a bit, got attacked by at least 4 chickens (not joking) and then finally decided to move closer to the pool and actually sit on some lounge chairs.

s-c-a-r-y

The sun was starting to get hot and we were starting to get hungry for lunch so we ventured into town to find something.  We ended up stopping at Mariachi’s Mexican Grill and that ended up being a very delicious decision!  I had a taco salad with Verde sauced pork, beans and guacamole.  It was very delicious.  A few margaritas may have also been consumed.

Once we were finished with lunch, we headed to have some serious beach time.  But first, we stopped at Spouting Horn to take a look at that.  It was actually kind of anticlimactic.  You couldn’t get that close to it and it was not spouting very high this afternoon but we did catch a couple good pictures.

Then it was time for the beach – Poipu Beach to be exact!  This was a pretty nice beach, not the best because the sand was kind of crunchy but it was a beach none the less!

We did a little sun soaking, a little snorkeling and then were tired out so we headed to do a little shopping.  We stopped at a Wine store and got some Macadamia Nut wine and then headed to find Papaya’s Natural Food Store.  This would be my favorite store ever if I lived here!!!

Dinner tonight was made in our condo and was Steak, Yams, and Kale Chips.  I was planning to serve a side salad but apparently they do not have much for lettuce here in Hawaii??  $6 for a gross looking bag… so kale it is!  Dinner turned out pretty good and was a bit cheaper than going out to eat and hopefully a wee bit healthier – although it was concluded with half of a Sweet Marie’s Double Mocha Chip Cookie.  Tasted like a flat brownie – so good!

A bit of hot tub sitting was done and then since the time change is finally starting to get to me, I am feeling like it really is 1am CST instead of 9pm local time… so time for bed!  Tomorrow if our big 10K at the Sugar Mill!

Day One: Travelathon

Today started at 1:50amCST.  Can you even really say that’s morning?  I don’t think so… but after going to bed at 9pm, I felt quite rested when the alarm went off.  Plus I am sure the excitement for travel helped it not seem so painful!  Mom and Dad came to pick us up around 3:15 and then we headed to the airport to get checked in for our 5am flight.

Notes to self:

Do not expect the check in kiosks to be open at 4am even though you have a flight in an hour…

Do not expect security to be open at 4:15 even though you have a flight in 45 minutes…

Do not get too discouraged by the aforementioned items because somehow, miraculously, you will make your 5am departure…

I am really quite surprised that we got into Chicago on time but sure enough – we pulled in and were at our gate to head to Phoenix by 6am which gave us about an hour to find some breakfast.  I had a couple of Sister’s muffins on the plane from MKE to ORD and then wandered around ORD to try to find some yogurt to go with some granola that I packed.  I didn’t manage to find yogurt but I did manage to find some Keifer which did in a pinch – and also is apparently the “Champagne of Milk” – Who knew??

Breakfast

Notes to self:

Do not open your camelback and not expect to see a preview performance of Spouting Horn…

Do not expect to be able to tune out “Theresa” from New Jersey, traveling with her 2 year old and her very loud voice…

Do not believe the Captain when he says “I expect a pretty smooth flight” to shortly be follow up with “Um… I’ve turned the seatbelt light back on because it seems we’ve hit a bit of turbulence…

Our flight to Phoenix also took off pretty much on time, 7am and then we spent a good almost 3 hours on that flight to get in around 9:45PST.  Yet again our gate was not quite ready so we had to sit a few minutes there and wait for more people to show up for work this morning!!   Hard to believe we are going on being awake for 8 hours already and were not even half way there… today was a travel marathon of sorts J

Our flight from PHX to LIH left right on time, around 11:15amPST.  This was the longest jaunt of the day and clocked in at almost 7 hours in the air.  It was really hard to stay occupied that long and the flight felt soooo long… But we decided that just this part of the flight took longer than my flight to London to visit Sister last year!  When put in that perspective, it felt even longer…

Notes to self:

Do not travel with a newborn and two other young children on a 7 hour flight and do not proceed to allow said newborn to scream the.whole.way… the other people on the plane will not appreciate you much :S

Do not sit next to Ms. Smoker and her fake cigarette and her troubled punk son… it’s just not a good idea…

Do not think you will be OK just eating snacks all day when you are going to be awake for like 24 hours… your stomach will really not approve…

To try to stay busy on the plane, Sister and I watched a few episodes of Castle (one of our favorite TV shows but also one that puts me to sleep the best) and read some books that we had packed.  But regardless, it really dragged on….

Once we finally landed, we got on a shuttle to get to our rental car.  That turned into quite the process… we ended up waiting there for about an hour!  After that, we drove to pick up some bakery at Sweet Marie’s (sooo good!) and then to getchecked into our condo.

Sorry for the Dad knees

The condo is a bit dated but overall pretty nice place to spend the week.  One odd thing is that we are getting attacked by chickens on our lanai though  :S

For dinner, we went to a place called JJ Broiler’s and I finally had my first real meal of the day.  My stomach was really not happy with me today for trying to make it live so long on snacks   But I ended up having a very delicious piece of grilled Ono and some steamed white rice with lemon juice on top.

A real meal!!

After dinner, we headed to a grocery store to pick up some supplies for the week.

Notes to self:

Do not expect to pay anything less than $5.00 for anything at the grocery store… except for a 15lb turkey?!?  That will only cost you $2.88

Do not expect to be able to think rationally at the grocery store after being up for like 22 hours straight…

Do expect to crash and crash hard the second your head hits the pillow after a day like today…