Kauai - Kapa'a

After receiving word that the sleeping giant trail was a must do while in Kauai (thanks Kathy!), I planned it. Today is the day the family will conquer this trail! Other than our hikes to the various beaches through the trees, we have not been on a hike yet. My family is not much for hiking but two of the three agreed to conquer the trail with me. I got Stephen up early to join Mike and I but Kyle was having nothing to do with it. We didn’t want to listen to him complain the whole time so it was better that he slept in and watched videos on YouTube at the condo while we were hiking. 

We got to the trail by 7:20 am and easily found parking. There were only a couple of other cars in the lot. We made our way to the top and it was worth it! Once we were at the top we could see so much of Kauai and we took way too many photos. We climbed inside the sleeping giant’s eyes and Stephen did some bouldering, which he was happy about. We made our way back down and laughed at all the out of towners who were starting the hike in the heat with no water, in flip flops and after .75 miles (of a 2 mile ascent) they were asking us if they were almost there. 

We got home, chilled out for a little while then headed to Lydgate Beach Park. We snorkeled, swam and relaxed for a couple of hours. We then went back to the condo, got cleaned up and relaxed some more. At 5pm we headed out for our luau at Smith Family Luau. We toured the grounds a little bit then watched an imu ceremony where they raised the pig from the coals. We then indulged in an open bar where I had too many mai tais! We had great conversation with the people at our table and Kyle got up on stage to learn a dance. Stephen filmed Kyle dancing and was proud that Kyle got to experience what he experienced when he was on stage at Tahiti Nui a few days earlier. 

We had a great dinner of all sorts of local food. We all tried to Mahi Mahi, pork, a variety of vegetables infused with fish and lots of fresh fruit. Stephen and I went back for seconds and we were on opposite sides of the line and returned with identical plates of teriyaki beef, kalua pork, mahi mahi, and mashed potatoes. That was strange but the kid has great taste! 

After dinner and more drinks, we moved to the pavilion for the show. We sat in the very back row so Kyle could stand up and move around all he wanted. About 45 minutes into the show both boys were laying on the benches falling asleep. They were tired of seeing the woman dance. We got them up to see the fire guy doing his tricks and we left just before it was over. We made it home and the boys and I crashed out. 

Best thing about today: Stephen – “Sleeping Giant Hike”, Kyle – “Going to the luau it was fun!”, Mike – “The hike – it’s the coolest thing I’ll never see again.”, Amber – “The views at the top of Sleeping Giant and the Smith Family Luau."