In A Nut Shell

We woke up this morning to catch a flight out to Kauai. I love inter-island flights because it’s like riding a bus. This flight was a whole 36 minutes. By the time you’re up in the air and they’ve served you juice, you’re already landing again.

There wasn’t much we could do today, since some places were closed due to it being Independence Day (for example the Kiluea Lighthouse). But we were able to make a visit to the Wailua Falls as soon as we arrived. However, the moment we stepped out of the car and started snapping photos, it started to rain. That’s the thing about Kauai. The Garden Isle is known to be the “wettest spot on Earth” because it receives the most rainfall in the world. Surely enough, there are frequent showers here and there. Then again, it also helps keep the lush vegetation verdant and creates some rainbows often as well. After all, Hawaii is the Rainbow State.

The Wailua Falls is where the show Fantasy Island was originally shot, so the scenery may seem pretty familiar. Then again, the Hawaiian Islands are a popular site for shooting, for instance Jurassic Park and LOST.

After the falls, we drove along the beach to the north side of the island, stopping for a picnic at Wailua Beach. It was still a bit cloudy out, but that was fine with me since I’m not looking for a tan.

We stopped to check into our condo on the way further north. After all, we’d woken up at 5 and were in need of a nap and some refreshment. We continued north past the heavenly Princeville Resort, conveniently situated facing Hanalei Bay.

From there we proceeded past Lumahai Beach (another popular surf spot and ranked on Fodors Guide of top beaches)

Our drive took us past the wet and dry caves (cave pictures, obviously, did not turn out well). We kept it simple today, but tomorrow, the plan is to visit the Hindu Shiva temple (absolutely spellbinding) and Poipu Beach.

Since I’d woken up early for the hike up Diamond Head, I came back to the condo to enjoy a wonderful two and a half hour nap. After another amazing lunch of home-cooked Indian food, we decided to try to visit the Byodo-in Japanese cemetery and Buddhist temple at the foot of the Napali cliffs on the north side of the island. Yesterday we just missed it, as the Valley of the Temple closes at 4:30 and we got there at just after 5.

Today we made sure to go early enough, and it was definitely worth it. The elegance and serenity of the temple matches that only to be found in Japan itself.

We headed back toward the city around 2 p.m. for a round of shopping at the International Market Place. You can bet on bargaining at the market, as the vendors insist they are giving you great discounts and “good price.” I myself was interested in buying an opal ring, but when one vendor brought the price down from $200 to $20, I was naturally quite certain it wasn’t the real thing. Needless to say, we didn’t buy it (or any other jewelery there). Still, a stroll in the market is still pretty neat because of the atmosphere. Especially in the peak of the afternoon, the banyan trees in the market provide great shade.

After some window shopping, we crossed the street over to the Sheraton Moana Surfrider, the first and oldest hotel on Waikiki Beach, and as the name suggests, it’s one of the hottest spots for surfing.

I’m not much of a surfer myself…..so we ended up enjoying some beach side refreshments and live entertainment. The Hawaiian singers were taking requests so I asked them to sing “My Girl” in between one of the hula rounds.

This girl got up in the middle of “Hukilao” and started to hula as well. It was too cute.

By the time we got back the Village around 7, there was a cultural show and fireworks.

Tomorrow, it’s off to Kauai.

I woke up at 5 a.m. this morning so I could get ready and be at the base of the Diamond Head crater by 6 when the park opens. It was just after sunrise, so driving along Waikiki to Diamond Head, seeing the gray-blue waves in the early morning sunlight was a real treat.

(View from the base of Diamond Head at dawn)

It only took about 15 to 20 minutes max to reach the highest viewpoint, from where you get a spectacular view of all the hotels and resorts along Waikiki, an isolated lighthouse just below the crater, the inside of the crater–now overgrown with vegetation and once home to the U.S. Coastal Artillery Defense System (1904-1943).

(Above: Honolulu and Waikiki as seen from the highest point at Diamond Head.)