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Kauai’s North Shore

I still was not able to sleep in the morning after the wedding, but was very much tired after being out so late the night before. We rested that morning until it was time to go to the airport for our flight to Kauai.

From the moment we stepped out of the airport, Kauai felt wild and lovely. The humidity warmed my soul while the wind whipped my hair, and I felt perfectly exhilarated and ready to explore this little island.

We were picked up at the airport by the staff of Kauai Overlander (our hosts in a way?) to take us to our Tacoma with top-tent that we were renting for the week. They showed us all of the gadgets and awesome camping gear they included, such as cookware, cleaning supplies, an extra tent and air mattress, some great little French press coffee mugs, the works. They demonstrated how to work the top-tent and the 4×4 as well as how we would release air from the tires for beach driving. They told us we better bring it back dirty and encouraged us to take it off road. The truck was a bit beat up which was exactly what we wanted for such an adventure. We were both pretty damn excited.

We stopped for groceries on our way north, picked up some dinner at Duane’s, and took it with us down to the beach at Anahola Bay. We missed out on the ocean-front campsites at Kumu camp, but we went one row back, and popped up our tent for the night. We walked along the beautiful stretch of beach, and then set up some chairs by the water where I drank some Truly’s and watched Anthony swim in the rough waves.

That night we had a lovely sea breeze come in through windows of our tent, a thunderstorm staying just far enough out for me to be able to sleep that night. In the morning, we woke to a lovely beach sunrise.

We got on the road early to reach Kilauea at 7 am for our boat tour of the Na Pali coast. We were on a small zodiac boat. I knew it was going to be a more adventure-oriented tour, but I wasn’t quite expecting just how much that was the case.

From the time we took off from Anini Beach, we were bouncing over strong waves, salt water spraying our faces, the choppiness tossing us around. They informed us there was an early northern swell happening, and this was probably their last tour for the week.

The coastline was just out-of-this-world spectacular.

We went through some caves and under some waterfalls.

There was one particular waterfall that fell through a hole in the top of the cave, which I thought was pretty awesome.

And then there were dolphins! So many dolphins. Swimming alongside and underneath us.

But the star of the show was obviously the Na Pali coast. There weren’t many opportunities to snap pictures of it as we were zipping along, and even when we stopped, I only felt secure enough to get my phone out, rather than my camera. But pictures could never do it justice anyway.

We stopped at the end to snorkel. I thought the water was freezing, so I only lasted about half an hour, but we saw some beautiful fish in that time, as well as a sea turtle quite a ways underneath us.

The ride back was even rougher. Before taking off, one of our guides told us it was a “top 10 day” for the year, with calm winds, and we’d probably only get splashed a little bit. It took about 5 minutes for him to eat his words, the swell causing us to crash repeatedly into the rough seas, with salt water lashing our faces. My palms were calloused from gripping onto the rope, my ankle was raw and red from rubbing against the rubber of the boat, my back and butt and legs and shoulders sore and tense from constantly working to stabilize myself and stay on the boat. But still, it was a blast.

Upon arrival, we rushed to get our camping permit for Anini before the office closed for lunch, and then we made our way to Princeville to meet back up with my parents at their condo. I did some laundry, charged up our gadgets, took a nice shower, and brushed the endless amount of tangles from my hair. We all went to Happy Talk Lounge to enjoy some drinks and apps while taking in the lovely view from the patio.

Our parents went back to their condo, and Anthony and I drove back to Anini beach to set up camp. Anini does not allow camping in your car, so we grabbed our extra tent, found a site right up along the beach, and set it up.

We decided another evening walk along the beach was in order. We got in the water for a little bit, and during our walk back to our site, the mist created a rainbow ending in the water.

We headed back to Kilauea town right as it started raining, to find somewhere to sit and eat dinner. We sat outside the Kilauea Fish Market, the weather just beautiful when hiding underneath their canopy. Once back at the camp, we aired up our air mattress and got ready for bed.

The following morning, we had about the most spectacular sunrise I’ve seen. We woke up to the sun rising over the water from our tent.

Forever terrible at relaxing, we couldn’t just stay in bed and watch it, but instead, I took to walking the beach, while Anthony went for a morning swim. Anini is a great swimming beach, with the coral reef breaking the waves far back.

Eventually, the magic ended, and we started tearing down camp. We joined back up with my parents and brother at Makana Terrace to enjoy a far-too-expensive breakfast, while taking in about the most beautiful view you can get on the island. You’re definitely paying for that view, and I must admit it was pretty blissful.

At this point, talk of Hurricane Lane was surfacing everywhere. It was still far away and a category 4. It looked like it’d be hitting Kauai by around Friday. Our flight out wasn’t until Saturday. We finally had to admit to ourselves that we should be looking into earlier flights out. So, we went back to their condo and started our research. We researched flights. We researched when it might hit. We researched our trip insurance through our credit card. It still seemed far enough out that we had time, so I figured we would make decisions that night or in the morning. I didn’t want to leave too early, so I needed better forecasts.

Anthony and I drove back out to the eastern side of the north shore, to enjoy Anahola Bay again. The waves were even stronger, but it was a gorgeous day for the beach, hot and sunny after the initial 5 minutes of wind and rain.

We cooked ourselves some lunch on our camp stove, rinsed off, and relaxed. We got a call from our helicopter company, Mauna Loa, informing us that wind had picked up, and we were welcome to try to reschedule, or see what the pilot said at check-in time. We were going to be heading south that day anyway, so we said we’d make it for check-in and see what the conditions were there.

To be continued…

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Jet-lagged in Oahu

We landed in Honolulu mid-day on August 17th, but of course jet lag had us feeling like it was time for bed already. Work had been stressful lately, so we were looking forward to a week of relaxation and adventure. We stopped for lunch on our way to the AirBnb we would be sharing with my parents and brother the next couple days, fighting off our exhaustion with some delicious vegan hot wings.

We dropped off our luggage, and met up with family at the Outrigger Reef restaurant overlooking beautiful Waikiki Beach and Diamond Head. The sun was shining, the mai tais were flowing, and the music was soothing.

Still exhausted, we went back to the AirBnB, only leaving once more that evening to find somewhere to eat for dinner that was within short walking distance. We stumbled upon the most authentic Japanese restaurant we’ve ever been to, the only non-Japanese people in there, being welcomed by an extraordinarily friendly staff. Sometimes it’s nice to have surprises instead of having everything picked out already through research. But only sometimes.

I woke up at 4 am the next day, my body thinking it was 9 am. I eventually dozed off for just a little longer, and at 6, we got up and around, heading to the beach before the crowds arrived. We walked a long way on the beach, past several ocean-front hotels, until we found a stretch that seemed the best. The water felt incredible, and only a handful of other people were out that morning.

I sat on the beach awhile longer while Anthony swam, and once we finally got bored, we decided to walk through town to a little vegan café for brunch.

On the way, a man wearing a cat ears headband was walking toward us on the sidewalk. I tried to shuffle out of his way, but he felt the need to elbow-shove me out of the way anyway. Anthony didn’t even notice this happen, but I was fuming. Fortunately, our brunch was in peaceful surroundings, and the fresh and light meal was exactly what I needed to face the rest of the day.

It was my brother’s wedding day, so we went back to the apartment to get ready. A complete makeup novice, I struggled with putting on eyeliner and lipstick, and instantly felt like I needed to wash my face. But, my brother Tony told me I looked like I was glowing when he saw me, so maybe I should attempt it more often?

I was a groomswoman, so I met up with the rest of the wedding party at a hotel, and we climbed into a limo to drive out to the Waimano Bay area on the other side of Oahu. The drive was so beautiful, a welcome change to busy Honolulu with its sky-rises surrounding its beaches and streets.

The ceremony was at Pukalani Falls, across the street from a gorgeous beach where Anthony and I decided to have our own photoshoot.

It was humid next to the falls, but the officiant kept the ceremony short and sweet, with touches of Hawaiian culture mixed in. I love weddings. Seeing Theresa’s eyes well up as she said her vows to my brother got me all choked up, and then a hula dancer hopped in to bring a smile to our faces.

We drove back to Honolulu, for the wedding reception on the rooftop at Tiki Iniki bar. We were so high up, and the view from there was breathtaking, the sun slowly setting over the water, only to be replaced by beautiful city lights brightening the night.

Dinner was delicious, and it didn’t take long before we were out on the dance floor in-between playing with our niece and nephew. Truly a wonderful evening.

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Massachusetts

A 6 a.m. flight had us landing in Boston around 10 a.m. This was not a typical vacation for us, but rather, a cousin’s wedding weekend turned vacation, and thus, we were with family. Mom, Dad, Ty, Theresa, Anthony, myself, and all of our luggage squeezed into a Volkswagen Atlas rental, and we hit the road out to the Berkshires.

Traffic slowed us down, but we made it to the Berkshires – specifically, Great Barrington – by early afternoon.  We had a couple hours to kill, so we wandered downtown checking out what the town had to offer, and ended up stopping in a Mexican restaurant for a margarita. As we were getting ready to leave, a torrential downpour began. We waited it out until it calmed slightly, and then ran back to our hotel, myself in sandals, margarita sloshing around my stomach.

The rain came back in force while we got ready for that evening’s rehearsal dinner party. The parking lot was flooded, and we were all trying to figure out how we would get to our shuttle without getting soaked in our nice dress clothes. After an hour delay, the rain let up.

The shuttle took us to Taft Farms.  Unfortunately, the floods made getting out to the field to where the tents were quite difficult. Buses were getting stuck in mud. Tractors eventually had to come out to grab the rest of the guests. Nevertheless, the party was beautiful, the wine was flowing, and dinner was great.

It was after 1 a.m. when we caught the last tractor/shuttle combo back to our hotel. I was with it enough to know to chug some water and take some aspirin before bed… and then chug more water throughout the night… and take more aspirin in the morning… but still, ended up with about the worst hangover I’ve ever had somehow.

I was not sure I’d survive the day outside of bed, but Anthony convinced me to attempt a hike since it was our one opportunity. He and I, my brother and soon-to-be sister-in-law, and my cousin hopped in the car and drove the 10 minutes to Monument Mountain.

I started sweating out the alcohol as we climbed, and the fresh air soothed me. The further we got up that mountain, the more my hangover melted away.

We finally got to the top, and the clouds had lifted enough to offer wide views of the hills of the Berkshires around us.

It was a hot, humid day, so we sat there awhile catching our breath and hoping for a breeze.

We climbed down a few rocks, and the view on the other side of the mountain presented itself as well.

We had a pretty steep descent the whole way down and back to the parking lot, but it was broken up with a stop at a small waterfall that I’m not sure would have existed if it weren’t for the floods the night before.

A big, delicious pizza and salad lunch and a short brief nap further refreshed me, and then it was time to get ready for the wedding.

Sunny skies welcomed us this time, to Konkapot Bottoms, a family estate of the bride. We grabbed a glass of iced tea and made our way to the clearing in the cornfield for the ceremony.

After, we crossed the street to cocktail hour, snacking on hors d’oeuvres, sipping the specialty wedding cocktails, exploring the property.

We weren’t out there long before it was time to join the main party in the big tent. We found our assigned seats, enjoyed the large band, and ate way too much food.

Somehow, I got talked into a tequila shot, taken from champagne glasses, and after that, I spent the evening on the dance floor.

After awhile, the band packed up and was replaced by a DJ for us late night partiers. Pizza was brought out, but I was far too full to partake. Eventually, my feet were tired, and I ventured outside to the firepit, where I cozied up under a nice flannel blanket for a nap.

We caught the last shuttle back to the hotel at 2:30 a.m. and before we knew it, it was time to wake up and get ready. We loaded up the car and drove to Wheatleigh Hotel for brunch, which was absolutely stunning. Anthony and I took a walk around the property, checking out the various gardens and greenery.

We filled our bellies and said goodbye to aunts, uncles, cousins.

It was afternoon when we made it back to Boston and dropped off our rental car. We grabbed a couple Ubers to our hotel, the Colonnade on Beacon Hill.

We were exhausted, so we had a chill evening of dinner, walking down Newbury St., and checking out our rooftop pool.

And speaking of said pool, Ty and Theresa were staying in a room right underneath it which ended up with water gushing through the ceiling onto all of their stuff. Fortunately, the hotel took care of the dry-cleaning and gave them some money to buy some clothes for that night and the next day. They got moved to a top floor room, and all was well.

The following morning we walked through the neighborhoods behind the hotel and ate some breakfast.

After, we went to Faneuil Hall to start our walking tour of the Freedom Trail. Our guide was in full dress, despite the 95 degree weather outside. She did a wonderful job of staying in character, making her audience laugh, and giving us all the historical information we needed to know.

Probably my favorite part of the tour was the Granary burying ground by King’s Chapel, where John Hancock and Paul Revere were buried, and Samuel Adams is commemorated.

We ended at Boston Common, and from there, Anthony and I headed to the harbor area to walk around and eat some lunch.

We went on a long walk from there back through town to check out the Cheers bar. It was packed inside, so we basically took enough time to snap a couple pictures, and head back out.

We walked through the Public Garden, which dazzled with the blue skies above and the buildings around. I imagined living in Boston, and coming here on nice weekend mornings with a picnic brunch.

Some more walking and we ended up at our hotel, where we went up to the pool to cool off.

We got ready and ventured back out, first top the public library. I started feeling sick, and we sat out in the courtyard.

I rested there in the shade, progressively feeling worse and worse. I knew I wasn’t feeling up to doing anything else, but I was scared to leave the library and walk back to the hotel because of how nauseous I felt. I finally worked up the nerve, and as soon as we made it back to our room, I was done for. I spent the rest of the night lying on the bathroom floor, fighting food poisoning (I’m guessing), trying to sip gatorade to prevent an emergency room visit.

Fortunately, it was just the one night that was a waste. I woke up the next morning feeling much better. So much better, in fact, that I decided to spend the whole morning on a boat out at sea.

We had an hour and a half ride out to the feeding area for whales, but halfway there, we slowed down to see a nursery pod of dolphins following alongside the boat. There were dozens of them, and of course, they brought a smile to every single person on that boat.

Once we made it to our final destination, everyone came out onto the deck, craning their necks for a site of a whale. After a few minutes, we saw a whale tail in the distance.

Soon enough, we were basically surrounded by humpback whales. One came right up close to the boat.

And then a mother and a calf came over as well.

We saw tail after tail after tail.

But a tiny boat nearby had the best show.

At one point, a whale was kick feeding, and just as she was about to come up through the bubbles, another whale swooped in and stole the fruits of her labor, all just two feet from the little boat.

Our last good site was of a mouth wide open, scooping up some fish, and then we turned back.

The ride back was lovely as well, gliding by the lighthouse, and then the Boston skyline coming more and more into view.

We grabbed some salad for lunch and then met back up with my parents. I was staying an extra night for a work office visit while I was in town, so I said goodbye to my family and Anthony, and I checked into my new hotel, Boston Park Plaza, which had a wonderful view from the room.

I wasted no timing in getting some more steps in, walking back through the public garden.

I crossed a footbridge and ended up at Charles River Esplanade, which was a fantastic place to hang out and another site that I imagined frequenting if I lived there.

It was another hot day for Boston, but people were running and biking along the trails. Others sat on the dock on the water, and still more peppered the park benches.

I sat down on a bench myself, watching people paddle through the water, geese swimming next to them.

I spent a long while there, but I eventually decided I needed to eat some dinner and get back to the hotel to get ready for the next day.

I walked along Beacon St, enjoying the architecture.

I walked past some lovely green spaces and the beautiful Church of the Covenant before finally picking somewhere for dinner.

That evening and the next day passed by quickly, and after some flight delays and excitement at the airport, I was on my way home. I spent a decent chunk of this trip fairly miserable, but even still, I enjoyed myself immensely and would certainly consider moving to this part of the country someday.