Kauai - North Shore

We woke up early since we went to bed so early. I climbed out of bed and could hardly walk. I twisted my foot while walking in flip flops through the forest to the beach yesterday and did not think much of it. Now I cannot walk without pain. I think I pulled some muscle in my arch. I believe God is telling me I need to slow down. I packed a bunch of running clothes and I planned to go running every day while we’re here in Hawaii. Now on day two I can hardly walk, let alone run. I feel old! 

One of the four excursions I booked was a six-hour boat trip along the Na Pali coast. You can only see this area by boat or helicopter and I know I can’t fly in circles in a helicopter because of my motion sickness so the boating option was better for us. We drove the 10 minutes to Hanalei where the catamaran was waiting for us in Hanalei Bay. We rode in a dinghy out to the boat and climbed aboard. Hanalei Beach is great for boogie boarding and snorkeling so we’ll definitely be back. We cruised for a few hours then at the end of the Na Pali coast we turned around and headed back. On the way back we cruised really closed to the coast so Nick, our captain told us all about the various movies shot on the secluded beaches here. We learned about the native people who once occupied this area and learned how the goats and pigs came to be on the island. There are currently four goats and 2-3 pigs for each human who occupies the island. Hunting season is everyday here! We learned that the birds are all protected and can’t be harmed. If a chicken enters your property then it’s yours and you can do with it as you see fit. The topography is beautiful here and the water is the most blue I have ever seen.

As we cruised, we were visited by huge groups of rough toothed and spinner dolphins. They were so playful next to our boat and they traveled with us for a long way. We made it to Tunnel’s Bay and we were able to snorkel. The reef was home to so many beautiful fish. We also saw a small sea turtle that hung out in the area for most of the time we were snorkeling. After snorkeling for about 45 minutes we were exhausted and boarded the boat. We ate lunch and made our way back to shore. We met many interesting people from Texas, Michigan and New York today. Everyone was happy to be on vacation. Well except for the nice New Yorker who at the beginning of the day was excited to be travelling without her kids then at the end of the day she was happy to not be throwing up any longer! I told her she should have taken some of my Dramamine but she was a proud New Yorker! 

After getting off the boat we headed home. As we drove, the boys talked about living the island life and how they no longer needed to wear shoes. They noticed how friendly everyone was and discussed wanting to be more friendly to others. We arrived home and Kyle disappeared. He walked a half mile down the road with no shoes on and surprised me with a beautiful flower from a bush we passed. He returned with black feet and a giant smile. He is fitting into to island life nicely!

Today the “Sex Trafficking in America” documentary that I have been a part of aired. At 4 pm the family all gathered around our laptop and we watched it together. It is so embarrassing watching yourself on TV. I’m glad this film was made because it is an important topic that needs to be shared with the world but I am so glad I was not at the premier. I would have been horribly embarrassed seeing myself on the big screen with those super close up shots. After the show was over, I sent a few text messages congratulating the producers and we went about our vacation. Honestly, work has been the furthest thing from my mind and I plan on keeping it that way! I learned early on that I work to live but I do not live to work. 

We decided we were going to try poke today for dinner. It’s all the rage at home and everyone talks in the blogs about how amazing and fresh the poke is here. We went to Foodland and got samples of five different poke varieties. Eeek! We couldn’t stomach any of them. The texture and the saltiness was not a fit for us. We settled on California rolls instead. We got shave ice at Kauai’s Best Shave Ice and ate that before dinner. It was not the best shave ice. JoJo’s is better! Mike didn’t want sushi so on a recommendation from a local, he got a hamburger at the North Shore general store. Yes a gas station has amazing food! We took our dinner home and ate it at our dining table while watching the sunset. I could get used to this ocean view from our dining table! 

Best thing about today: Stephen – “going to the reef and snorkeling”, Kyle – “snorkeling”, Mike – “snorkeling with the family”, Amber – “seeing the Na Pali coast and snorkeling”