Hi folks. Going to try to make a short entry tonight because tomorrow Julie and I are going to be busy as a couple of one-armed paper-hangers. We have an early flight out of Lihue to land in Honolulu at 9 a.m. From there Julie's cousin (Joe) is going to pick us up at the airport and take us to the Arcadia retirement center where we can drop our bags. From there one of Joe's friends who is an Uber driver has made arrangements to pick us up and take us over to the Polynesian Cultural Center. We're going to be there all day and all night and probably will not return to Arcadia until midnight. And then the next day is going to be just as busy with a visit to the USS Arizona memorial and tour of the USS Missouri at Pearl Harbor, a quick dinner with Julie's uncle, Larry, and then a ride to the cruise port to board our ship for the cruise. So let's back up and talk about today.
We got up at our usual time around 6:15, Julie went for her walk well I prepped for the morning. We went back to Daddy O's restaurant partially because it was so good the day before and partially because it is right next to a laundromat and both Julie and I needed some clothes washed.
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| Even in paradise, laundry must get done! |
So we did some laundry while we ate breakfast then put the clothes in the dryer and waited a while until they were dry. Then back to the hotel briefly to get saddled up for our trip to Waimea Canyon. Took about an hour and 20 minutes to make the trip because a lot of it was mountainous driving but we were treated to spectacular views once we got to the top. We took many pictures and we both agreed it was one of the most beautiful sights we'd ever seen.
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| Canyon View |
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| Another Canyon View |
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| Me and Julie at the Canyon. Windy day! |
On the way back to the motel, we stopped at the Kauai Coffee Company to taste some samples (me) and for Julie (non-coffee drinker) to look around. I kind of got zoned in on the espresso roast, and the Peaberry coffee. Peaberry is the coffee that's made from the coffee cherries that have just one bean on the inside as opposed to the usual two. That coffee is about twice the expense, but EXTREMELY flavorful ... full bodied without any trace of acidity. Delicious. We ended up spending about an hour there.
The Kauai Coffee Company operates on a MUCH larger scale than the processors in Kona. It would be like comparing Miller Brewing Company to the Capitol Brewery in Madison in terms of output. Kauai Coffee even uses mechanical picking machines, which our guide at the small Kona processing plant said didn't even exist!
Drove back to the motel after that and decided on the Kalapaki Beach Hut for lunch, where I had a seared medium-rare ahi tuna sandwich with garnish on a nice homemade roll, with French fries, washed down with fresh-squeezed lemonade and it was simply delicious. Julie had a tuna salad sandwich made with the same fresh ahi tuna and she declared it delicious also. One our way out, I spotted a little gecko hanging out at one of the tables:
Next, I stopped at a Crazy Shirt outlet in the mini-mall across from our motel (where the ABC store is) and bought another Kliban cat T-shirt:
From there we walked back to the hotel and we've just sort of been hanging out since then.
Neither one of us was especially hungry for a big dinner, so I walked over to the ABC Store and got some provisions and had a nice little light dinner in the courtyard of the motel. Julie and I had hummus with pretzel sticks, and macadamia nuts, washed down with a glass of Pinot Grigio, and some dark chocolate for dessert with coffee. Julie had her usual tea and water. We are back in the room now. Julie took her large suitcase down to the car tonight so that she doesn't have to lug it down tomorrow at 5:30 a.m. We have to get up at around 5 a.m., leave here about 5:30, and get to the Avis Rental to return our Chevy Malibu, check in with Island Air, clear security, and get to our gate.
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| Gettin' stoked on coffee |
The Kauai Coffee Company operates on a MUCH larger scale than the processors in Kona. It would be like comparing Miller Brewing Company to the Capitol Brewery in Madison in terms of output. Kauai Coffee even uses mechanical picking machines, which our guide at the small Kona processing plant said didn't even exist!
Drove back to the motel after that and decided on the Kalapaki Beach Hut for lunch, where I had a seared medium-rare ahi tuna sandwich with garnish on a nice homemade roll, with French fries, washed down with fresh-squeezed lemonade and it was simply delicious. Julie had a tuna salad sandwich made with the same fresh ahi tuna and she declared it delicious also. One our way out, I spotted a little gecko hanging out at one of the tables:
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| Maybe the Geico gecko? It was about 1-1/2 inches long. So cute! |
Next, I stopped at a Crazy Shirt outlet in the mini-mall across from our motel (where the ABC store is) and bought another Kliban cat T-shirt:
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| This will be a fine addition to my collection! |
From there we walked back to the hotel and we've just sort of been hanging out since then.
Neither one of us was especially hungry for a big dinner, so I walked over to the ABC Store and got some provisions and had a nice little light dinner in the courtyard of the motel. Julie and I had hummus with pretzel sticks, and macadamia nuts, washed down with a glass of Pinot Grigio, and some dark chocolate for dessert with coffee. Julie had her usual tea and water. We are back in the room now. Julie took her large suitcase down to the car tonight so that she doesn't have to lug it down tomorrow at 5:30 a.m. We have to get up at around 5 a.m., leave here about 5:30, and get to the Avis Rental to return our Chevy Malibu, check in with Island Air, clear security, and get to our gate.
We are kind of sad to say goodbye to the Garden Island but we had a wonderful time and of course we have many new adventures coming up in Oahu, and our cruise with ports of call, and of course Australia.
Will check in again with you all when I can. I'll try to keep an offine diary while on the ship, and send the next blog when we hit a port with Internet.
Bye for now,
Bruce
Will check in again with you all when I can. I'll try to keep an offine diary while on the ship, and send the next blog when we hit a port with Internet.
Bye for now,
Bruce
Wow. You guys cover lots of ground. I get tired just reading about your outings. Sounds like a great time with still lots to look forward to. Wonderful travels.
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