(Started on the plane. As of right now, we are flying over some rather interesting snow-capped mountains.)
Hello, and sorry for the interruption in the narrative. It has been
pretty busy the last couple of days, but now I have some time of
enforced inactivity (have to keep my seat belt on while the light is on,
for example), so I'm going to try to catch a few things up.
I realize it is Monday already and I haven't talked about what I did
a week ago Monday. Let's see if I can remember. In the morning, I got
up to watch the sun rise. It wasn't nearly as spectacular as the day
before, but it is always fascinating to watch the changes in the light
and what it does to the ocean and the clouds. After that, I hiked down
to the beach associated with the condo. I think I already told you what
that journey was like - a 15-minute walk down some slippery, muddy paths, across a
stream, through some woods, down a steep rocky slope, and then along a
pine-needle-strewn path with the ocean close on the right. Round the
corner, clamber down some huge black boulder formations, and voila - a
beautiful crescent-shaped beach with coarse, white sand and gentle
waves. Apparently the snorkeling is very good there, but I didn't
attempt it that day.
I spent some time walking on the beach, and also wading in the
water. The ocean floor was mostly smooth rocks covered with seaweed (or
moss or whatever growth happens under the ocean). It was mildly
unpleasant to bare feet, so I determined to take my Sockwas ("socks with
attitude" barefoot running shoes) next visit. From the surface I did
see some beautiful fish, but only got a refracted look at them. I noticed
in the coarse sand (which brushes off rather nicely) that there were
some tiny shells. Amazingly tiny shells, mere millimeters in length. I
learned later that these shells are only found in Kaua'i and Ni'ihau,
aka "The Forbidden Island."
While on the beach there I met some people - a couple who were recent empty-nesters and decided to come to Kaua'i, and another older couple and their grown daughter who were staying in my condo complex as well. We talked about the path down to the beach, and got talking about the Na Pali hike. As we continued the conversation, something struck me as familiar, and I recognized that we had met the day before on Hanakapi'ai Beach, where Axel and I had stopped to look around and have a breather, 2 miles into the hike. I remembered the mom saying that the difficult part of the hike started after the 6-mile turnaround point, and when she had asked us if we were hiking together, we said only to Hanakoa. I pointed to Axel and said, "He's hiking all the way." The woman said, "My daughter wanted to do that, but I said no way - did you Youtube it?" We both said "no." She said, "Good!" and laughed. Now on Sealodge Beach we started talking about where we were from. They were from Vancouver. I said I had a conference on Maui later in the week, and they asked what I did. When I told them I'm a family doctor, the mother smiled and pointed to her daughter and said, "So is she, now." She had just graduated from residency a week before, and this was their celebration trip. Small world. We walked back to the condo together, talking about her new job and so forth. Nice. When we got back, I got a pen and paper and wrote down the name of the conference sponsor for her, and we parted on friendly terms.
After that, I met up with the condo's concierge, who lives next door, and we got talking about all kinds of things, or rather, she did. Surfing, winter vs summer oceans, foodstuffs, GMOs (apparently Kaua'i has a big problem with them) and coconut water. She was all about the coconut water, and highly recommended it for its purity - "it's the purest water you can get." Everything I had ever heard about coconut water was not very positive, but she had several green coconuts and offered me a taste. I was on my way out the door but didn't outright refuse - put her off, really. She was interesting to talk to, if a little pedantic in places. But aren't we all.
I had tried to reschedule my helicopter trip (that had been
cancelled Saturday due to mechanical trouble) for Monday afternoon, and
was waiting on a call about that. Apparently they have difficulty
filling a 4-person ride when one of the people is a solo; they have
plenty of room for couples, but odd-numbered parties are hard to come
by. (I even tried to convince my new friends from the beach that morning to come along with me, or even just their daughter, but they declined.) Seems as if my Saturday trip was an anomaly, with a couple and
another lady who was doing the ride on her own. Since I was on the north shore of Kaua'i, it would take me at least an hour to get to Lihue, where the helicopter company was, accounting for traffic on the single coastal highway and my lack of knowledge of any detours. The helicopter company
called me with an update or two - no luck filling the flight - and once I figured I would not be
going, I headed west to Hanalei.
Princeville, where I was staying, is home to some restaurants and a
bit of shopping, but mostly resorts, condos and golf courses. For a
true shopping experience, Hanalei is the place to be. It is on the way
to the Na Pali trailhead, so I had driven through it twice already. It
had some of the usual stores full of kitschy inexpensive made-in-China
Hawaii souvenirs, but it also boasts jewelry shops, good restaurants,
clothing boutiques, and other stores featuring unique handmade items.
I never saw Puff the Magic Dragon, but he has been rumored to live there....
I made a good half-day of it. It was a lovely day, with a sprinkle of rain but about 85 degrees. I parked in a lot on the est end of town and walked my way into the (relative) bustle - not very bust-ly by city standards, but certainly a nice change from being alone in my condo. One shop I particularly liked sold batik clothing, including dresses, designed by a Hawaiian designer, but she got so popular that she outsourced to Bali. The cloth is still batiked by hand. The brand is called "Tropical Tantrum." I'm a big sucker for batik. The saleslady in the shop was very helpful. I tried on several dresses including some she called "tango dresses," which were like the regular batik ones but with more "bling" - beaded embroidery, mostly. I really liked the shopkeeper, because she guessed two sizes too big on the dresses she helped me with (I was happy to find out I wore a smaller size, and not upset with her for thinking I was "bigger"), and also she thought I was in my 30s.
I finally settled on a lovely dress, and bought a little periwinkle-colored crocheted jacket/sweater to go with it. The store also had some bags and other little items. The saleslady's name was Vicky, and as she was ringing up my sale (she gave me 10% off) we started talking about things. I mentioned I am in a small group study through my church, and her face lit up. "Are you a Christian?" I answered that I was, and she got very animated, talking about the spiritual atmosphere around there that was sometimes difficult to navigate. "I often find God brings me someone to encourage, or pray for, and I like to bless others. But today you have blessed me." I have no idea what I did, but I was glad she felt encouraged. She even gave me a hug before I left the shop, and put everything I bought into a batik shoulder bag (that she threw in for free). That was sweet.
It was about 1:30 by then and I looked for something to eat. I think up to now I haven't mentioned that I have two great apps on my phone, "The Ultimate Kauai Guidebook" and "Maui Revealed." The books are absolutely outstanding, available in paperback, on Kindle, and there is a website as well. These apps are great because they show the island maps and you can tap on the maps to find out what's nearby. Everything - restaurant, hiking trail, rental car company, major hotel/condo, beach, and shopping center - is anonymously reviewed. There is no advertising. Anything they mark with a blue diamond is a "best bet" (Sealodge Beach was one, and worth the hike), and the better food places are marked with "Ono" (Hawaiian for "delicious").
It so happened that in the next block I walked right by a restaurant, the Hanalei Gourmet, and it had an ONO rating, so I went in. I was seated immediately, even though the place was more than 3/4 full, and nobody remarked on my being alone. I was at a table near the back, and there was an open door that looked out on palm trees and tropical foliage and distant mountains, and let a beautiful breeze in. Sigh. My server was a lady a bit older than I, with short black hair and glasses. She called me "sweetie" in such a nice way that I didn't mind at all. I noticed a cross pendant around her neck. Having just had a conversation about Christianity with the lady in the batik shop, I was emboldened to say, "You're wearing a cross - are you a Christian?" She answered yes, and I told her about the lady in the shop, and ended with "and she even gave me a hug." My server smiled and said, "I could use a hug." She took my order for a chicken sandwich with pineapple mayo ("I just had that for lunch today") and whisked off. The sandwich was really good, and I opted for curly fries, because I figured I had earned it after my 12-mile hike the day before. (Of course, I also had a steak dinner the night before, but who's counting?) When she picked up my check and gave me my receipt, I stood up and said, "What, no hug?" She laughed and gave me a hug, then said, "Thanks, I needed that." So did I.
I wandered around town a bit more, and into a store set back from the road (actually behind another row of stores). It was called "Havaiki Oceanic and Tribal Art," and was part artisan exhibition and sales, and part museum. Amazing things inside, from masks to paintings and prints, jewelry, and artifacts. There were no other people inside, and I took my time prowling around. I saw bracelets made of shells from Ni'ihau (the forbidden island), and the sign next to them said that once they are made into jewelry, they are considered gems and can be insured as such. "In order to find the shells needed to make one piece, one would have to spend nearly two weeks with one's face to the sand." That was pretty much true, as I discovered on my trip to the beach that day, and the next. Not that I gathered shells for a jewelry piece, but I noticed that they were that hard to find. The owner of the stored was a guy who was originally from South Africa, had spent 7 years living on a boat, and now he lived here, and also sold sea kayaks. We had an interesting discussion about things ranging from gun control to "Milgram's 37," scrimshaw (something at which I've actually tried my hand), cruises, and kayaking. I told him about the Oru Kayak and he said he had heard about them, but wrote it down so that he could look into them further. He actually said to me, "I'm not surprised that you kayak - you strike me as a water person." That was a nice thing to say, whether or not it's true. His name (I kid you not) was Dylan Thomas. I bought a scrimshaw necklace from him that has the Hawaiian islands beautifully etched on it.
It was so nice to be able to have some interesting conversations, and encourage some people and have a couple hugs thrown in. I really enjoyed my time in Hanalei. I drove back to my condo in time to look for a place to watch the sunset - my concierge had told me the best place to go, which was a hotel resort at the westernmost part of the spit of land we were on. I was glad I drove up there to scout it out first, because there was no parking there. About a half-mile away on the way back, I spotted a lot in which I thought I could get away with parking for a few minutes, at least, and took note of how far it was from my turnoff. I went back to the condo, ate something, and started to organize things for the next day, when I would be leaving. The early morning "doors off" helicopter ride was a no-go as well, so I told them I'd take the 12:45 "doors on" one the next day, right before I left for the airport, so I had to pack and get the things I wanted to ship organized as well.
I left about 1/2 hour before sunset to head for my parking place. I hadn't seen a Kaua'i sunset yet, and this was my last chance. I half walked, half ran to the little park right next to the resort, and watched the sun set with a handful of other people, just as it began to rain. The sun went behind the mountains, and there was not much else to see, so I covered my camera and ran the 1/2 mile to the car. I was already soaked, anyway, and it was less than a mile to drive to my condo from the parking lot. The rain felt rather nice, actually, and I outran it (or it passed me over) after a few minutes.
There isn't much more to say about my Monday; I think I hit the high points. Enough for me, anyway.
Felt very blessed this day, and thankful for the Lion and his children who brought it about.
wb
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