hawaii 05

mr. and mrs. at secret falls

so proud of my parents for sticking it out in the kayaks!

it was really freezing cold.

see?

the falls

the plants in kauai are so cool!

walking tree

halo halo, which matched my shirt :)

i call this a shave ice volcano.

ono family restaurant/shave ice stand.

Short Version

Day 05: Wailua, Kapaa

Wore: same old swimwear + water shoes (next time wear chacos!), thrifted JCrew "york" tee and Gap burmudas (I was into monochromatic neutrals on this trip, for some reason)

Dined: Ono Family Shave Ice

Activities: kayaking to Secret Falls, nursing sore shoulders

Long Version

 

Here are my tips for kayaking. Wear sport sandals, not water shoes. Bug spray is an unnecessary and expensive add on. A light snack would suffice. Going on a tour is a good idea, because coordinating everything is probably a pain (where to rent, how to transport, where to dock, etc.). 

The river was beautiful. There were flowers floating in it all along, and it was very peaceful. We went up in the morning, so it was nice and cool. The guide was really nice, and had a lot of interesting information about the plants, animals, and island in general. Those walking trees? They can move around to get to an area with better sunlight by growing more roots on the side of the direction they want to go. So cool!

The waterfall was beautiful. It was very cool there, and we enjoyed a packed lunch on the rocks surrounding it. I contemplated going further into the water, but it was COLD! But at least I got my feet wet.

A says I wasn't doing much with my paddling, so next time I think I'll just bring a magazine along and sit back for the ride. I may not have been helping much, but upper body sure felt sore the next day!

The kayaking may have been a little ambitious for my 60+ year old parents. My dad has really bad knees and one of my mom's hips is only a year old. The way to the falls was a little tough for them (heck, it was tough for me!) but they made it the whole way and didn't complain! They hiked down to the falls, and I think they even enjoyed the kayak trip back to the boat ramp. I am so proud of them.

We were all pretty beat after kayaking, so we just relaxed, ate at the condo, and then walked over to Ono Family Shave Ice, just next door to our condo. The halo halo, which A and I shared, had beans and mixed fruit in the bottom, coconut milk, shave ice, and a scoop of sweet potato ice cream on top. The ice cream was my favorite! I want to try to make some here, it was SO good. My parents shared a more traditional shave ice, with a scoop of coconut ice cream in the middle (yum) and condensed milk on top. 

We ended another beautiful day in Kauai chilling in the condo, reading and watching cable. I devoured the book "Poison Study "(thanks to my good friend Trisha, who loaned it to me), and A read "A Long Walk to Water." Reading is one of the best parts of vacations. Along with cable in bed. Don't you agree?