On May 9th I flew from Maui to Kauai, one of the Hawaiian islands I had never seen. It was beautiful, especially the north side where I stayed. It is very rural and I'm positive the wild chickens outnumber the people. No matter what time I would wake up in the morning, I could hear a chorus of roosters that seemed to echo down the valley. This would go on for hours. Every beach we went to had numerous chicken families out pecking and scratching in the sand and hoping for handouts from the scattered human population on the beach.
I spent 4 relaxing days on Kauai enjoying numerous beaches and fabulous vistas. My friends are renting a house since they are there for about a year. I was able to stay with them and benefit from their knowledge and exploration of the island. The pictures are nice but they cannot capture the true essence of the place. The smells, air quality, and sounds are missing, as well as the perpetual feeling of salty, sweaty stickiness that seems to linger on the body. These items add depth and heart to the experience. Perhaps it was the joy of sharing with friends after an absence of friends that added to the beauty of the place. Kauai is the oldest, northernmost, and wettest of the Hawaiian Islands. Here are numerous photos to try to give you a sense of it.
Early on Tuesday 5/13, I flew over to Oahu. It felt like a different planet. I landed in Honolulu about 8:00 AM and after waiting for the bus and riding through busy city streets, I finally arrived at my hotel at 10:00 AM. My friend and her daughter were waiting for me. I checked in and then we wandered the Waikiki strip and chatted, shopped, chatted, chatted, ducked into stores to shelter from the rain and chatted some more. My friend's husband was in Honolulu to teach a class so they were there for a week's vacation. I had not been to Oahu since 1982 and Honolulu has certainly grown since then. The purpose of this visit was simply to spend time with my friend and we made the most of it. We were all heading home on Wednesday about the same time so we had a little more time to share in the morning and were able to ride to the airport together. Here are a couple shots of Honolulu but I didn't take many pictures there.
When I returned home I had one day before I started work. This week begins my 50 hour work weeks. I'll let you know in the next blog how that's going.
3 comments:
First of all, you are never in the absense of friends...we are always with you. Second, I really think you ought to take some of your photos and put together a book. You have a nack at taking pictures. I think to call you in the A.M. but I am afraid to wake you. Chat with you soon...Love ya, D
Hi Kathie,
beautiful pictures, I'm a bit behind in catching up on your updates :)
You are really making me think I should come visit--sooner rather than later. The weather here is starting to really wear me down, I need some sunshine! And nothing looks more inviting at this moment than a white sand beach and blue water.
Looking forward to more when you have time!
Erica
Kathie - so happy to see you are enjoying the islands and in turn the they are treating you well. Miss seeing your smiling face over here in the valley. Camille
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