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 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!!

Five Things Friday!

So, I am so glad it is Friday!!  And even more excited for the fact that next week I work 3 days and then it is time for VACATION!!!  So in honor of that, here are the top five things I am looking forward to for Family Vacation time next week:

1. Sweet Marie’s.  Did we know that there was a gluten free bakery on Kauai when we made our plans, nope!  But it seems like it is going to be the best thing ever!  Marie has already offered to pack up sandwiches for the flight home  She really is sweet!!  So excited for muffins, cookies and other treats!
2. Not wearing a jacket!  I don’t care how “cold” it gets at night, I will not be wearing an actual coat and I am so excited for this fact!  I bet I will regret this but it sounds like a challenge to me  (FYI, heat’s not on yet in the BOB household – yes, I am a cheapskate!)
3. Going Ziplining!  I don’t know why but this sounds like so much fun to me!  We have not made reservations yet but you can bet I will be once we get there!
   

   Call me crazy!

4. Wearing all my new clothes I scored at Kohl’s the other day!!  Bargain shopper!
5. Getting to spend time with my family  I see the sister all the time but not as much of the parents so I think we will get our fill between this trip and Thanksgiving the week after we get back!

Happy Weekend!