I'm in a little condo on the north shore of Kauai. The sun isn't up yet, but I am. I seem to have time in the mornings to comment on the day before, so until that changes, I will be a day behind. My arrow keys on my bluetooth keyboard are working today (they didn't yesterday) so I'm happy about that.
Yesterday I woke up at 3:30 local time. I didn't go back to sleep, so I got up, took a shower, and wrote the entry from the day before. I then went in to the kitchen and started making myself a chain maille sunglasses retainer chain (like a Croakie or whatever) out of silicone and aluminum rings. My hostess (who was up before I was) came in and we started to talk. My host came in soon after that and we had a nice breakfast (scrambled eggs and toast) and then did a short devotional. Interestingly enough it was about forgiveness and not judging others, something I have been reading a lot about lately. We had a bit of a discussion, and then I finished my chain, packed my things and we were off to the airport to catch my 10:10 flight to Kauai. It was a beautiful morning - it had rained a bit just at sunrise but then the sun came out. The drive is so pretty. In a way it reminded me of Anchorage, Alaska - people living their lives, going to the store and the gas station and to work, and yet with this splendid scenery.
I had to print my boarding pass at the airport. I've tried the electronic ones in the past and at a crucial moment the internet failed me and I had to have a printed one anyway, so just to be safe, I print it out. The lines for the TSA were fairly long, and (although I don't think I can describe it well), positioned such that people coming from one direction had to pass through the people standing in line to get to the end of the line. I was a bit nervous that I might miss my flight, but since they leave every hour or less, the consequences of that would have been pretty minor. They did open new lanes and the line sped up considerably (though they are rarely quick unless the airport is small). I got to the gate without incident and boarded the plane. I had switched my seat in the morning when I checked in, and I was on the left side of the plane and had no seat companion. It was lovely. The clouds were swirled into fantastic shapes and it was brilliantly sunny. I didn't get a good look at Kauai when we landed but I didn't mind. I'll take lots of pictures as I wander this week.
I called a cab and was taken to my rental car place, which was in a more industrial area with lots of businesses (I don't know what else to call it; it reminded me of parts of Chicago Drive that I pass taking the girls to fencing). Parking is certainly at a premium in some places - there were cars tucked in so closely to one another that it felt claustrophobic. The cabby, who was probably in his 60s and had long, curly hair pulled back in a ponytail with multiple rubber bands, said as he dropped me off, "Good luck with your car." Hm.
I waited for the gentleman in front of me to finish his rental, and filled out my paperwork. I called my family to say hello (this 5-hour time difference is tricky sometimes) and then it was my turn. They gave me a Toyota Camry; I don't know the year but it has fuzzy seats and a cassette player. The mechanic said, "It looks bad on the outside but it drives good. You want air conditioning, right? The AC works good." YES, I want AC - I'm a wimpy northerner.
He was right. It looks bad on the outside, but it does "drive good." And the AC works great.
So, keys in hand, I put on my GPS and made my way to.... Costco. Yes, there's a Costco. And a Walmart. I visited both, for different things. I also went to a grocery store. I should have gotten gas at Costco as well - it was 50 cents cheaper than everywhere else - but I can do that when I go back south for my conference tomorrow. I had forgotten about the chickens and roosters everywhere. There was even a nest of young chickens (not chicks - are they called pullets?) in the landscaping on the sidewalk of Walmart. I didn't bring in my reusable bag to Walmart (yes, of course I carry a reusable bag with me on vacation - don't you?) and I figured they would give me a bag, but surprise - no more plastic bags. (I don't know if this is an island initiative - I haven't shopped anywhere else yet.) You can buy a (very) cheap reusable bag for 50 cents. Since I had one in my car, I elected to take my purchases out to the car just loose in the cart. Weird - while walking around the store, the items don't look strange lying there loose, but walking out to the car, it was peculiar.
Anyway, got my groceries and other necessities (including a sunshade for the car) and took off for Princeville on the north shore. It took me about 45 minutes. The speed limit was never over 50, and was 25 in a lot of places. It was very hilly and rather windy in places, but much easier once one got out of the cities. I stopped at a scenic overlook, and my car was approached by a brood of chickens. I wonder if they thought my car would leak food or something - they walked underneath it, pecking and scratching.
I got here to my condo and realized I had printed the wrong e-mail, so I had to call the 800 number to get the combination to the place. It's a one-bedroom condo with a living area, kitchen (complete with dishwasher), a fold-out couch, a washer and dryer, and a lanai that overlooks the grassy cliff down to the ocean. I got settled and then went to the beach. This is no easy matter - it's a good 15-minute walk down and up and back down steep hills, through a lot of foliage, through the woods, across a stream, then a wooded path by the ocean strewn with pine needles (it would have been very slippery if wet). Turn the corner and maneuver over and down some big rocks, and whew - you've made it to a beautiful little crescent-shaped beach that was well worth the walk, even though I got several mosquito bites along the way. Small price to pay for this beach, which even gets in the guidebook as "A real gem." Maybe I'll bring down some snorkel equipment next time (it's in the closet). I was the only one there for about 1/2 an hour, then a couple came and swam in the sunny part (I was sitting in the shade because it's hard to put sunscreen on your own back). A little bit later the man came over - he looked to be in his 30s. I said hello, and he answered with an accent, so I asked him where he was from. He replied he was from Germany. I used what little German I remembered to talk to him, then gave up and spoke English. His name is Peter, and he and his girlfriend of 12 years were touring the islands with some friends. Sunday he asked her to marry him, and they're getting married this morning on some beach (not the condo beach). I wished them well, came home, ate, organized some things, studied my guide book to plan the rest of my adventures for the week, and went to bed.
Today I plan to hike Na Pali to the waterfall - a place I didn't get last time. It's about 2 miles to the beach, then another almost 2 to the waterfall, so with luck I will have an 8-mile hike in today. The sun still isn't up and I'm not wild about driving there in the dark, but I'll leave as soon as it's light enough so I can get a parking spot at the state park.
See you later.
Blessings
Wendy
He was right. It looks bad on the outside, but it does "drive good." And the AC works great.
So, keys in hand, I put on my GPS and made my way to.... Costco. Yes, there's a Costco. And a Walmart. I visited both, for different things. I also went to a grocery store. I should have gotten gas at Costco as well - it was 50 cents cheaper than everywhere else - but I can do that when I go back south for my conference tomorrow. I had forgotten about the chickens and roosters everywhere. There was even a nest of young chickens (not chicks - are they called pullets?) in the landscaping on the sidewalk of Walmart. I didn't bring in my reusable bag to Walmart (yes, of course I carry a reusable bag with me on vacation - don't you?) and I figured they would give me a bag, but surprise - no more plastic bags. (I don't know if this is an island initiative - I haven't shopped anywhere else yet.) You can buy a (very) cheap reusable bag for 50 cents. Since I had one in my car, I elected to take my purchases out to the car just loose in the cart. Weird - while walking around the store, the items don't look strange lying there loose, but walking out to the car, it was peculiar.
Anyway, got my groceries and other necessities (including a sunshade for the car) and took off for Princeville on the north shore. It took me about 45 minutes. The speed limit was never over 50, and was 25 in a lot of places. It was very hilly and rather windy in places, but much easier once one got out of the cities. I stopped at a scenic overlook, and my car was approached by a brood of chickens. I wonder if they thought my car would leak food or something - they walked underneath it, pecking and scratching.
I got here to my condo and realized I had printed the wrong e-mail, so I had to call the 800 number to get the combination to the place. It's a one-bedroom condo with a living area, kitchen (complete with dishwasher), a fold-out couch, a washer and dryer, and a lanai that overlooks the grassy cliff down to the ocean. I got settled and then went to the beach. This is no easy matter - it's a good 15-minute walk down and up and back down steep hills, through a lot of foliage, through the woods, across a stream, then a wooded path by the ocean strewn with pine needles (it would have been very slippery if wet). Turn the corner and maneuver over and down some big rocks, and whew - you've made it to a beautiful little crescent-shaped beach that was well worth the walk, even though I got several mosquito bites along the way. Small price to pay for this beach, which even gets in the guidebook as "A real gem." Maybe I'll bring down some snorkel equipment next time (it's in the closet). I was the only one there for about 1/2 an hour, then a couple came and swam in the sunny part (I was sitting in the shade because it's hard to put sunscreen on your own back). A little bit later the man came over - he looked to be in his 30s. I said hello, and he answered with an accent, so I asked him where he was from. He replied he was from Germany. I used what little German I remembered to talk to him, then gave up and spoke English. His name is Peter, and he and his girlfriend of 12 years were touring the islands with some friends. Sunday he asked her to marry him, and they're getting married this morning on some beach (not the condo beach). I wished them well, came home, ate, organized some things, studied my guide book to plan the rest of my adventures for the week, and went to bed.
Today I plan to hike Na Pali to the waterfall - a place I didn't get last time. It's about 2 miles to the beach, then another almost 2 to the waterfall, so with luck I will have an 8-mile hike in today. The sun still isn't up and I'm not wild about driving there in the dark, but I'll leave as soon as it's light enough so I can get a parking spot at the state park.
See you later.
Blessings
Wendy
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