Mahalo Kaua’i

So it all started in November when I gave Charity a note, “HAPPY BIRTHDAY! We are going to Hawaii!” Wooohhh! I had saved up enough miles to cover the flights, so why not?! It took a while to figure out the island we wanted to explore, but after the 50th person told us we would love Kaua’i, it was settled. We booked the flights, hostel, air b n b and hotel (yes we stayed in three diff places hahah). We of course waited until hours before our flight to pack && just like that, we were flying to the middle of the ocean to spend a week in paradise.We arrive to a very, very wet and humid airport. The sun was nowhere to be found & then uneasiness of the unknown was starting to set in. The weather forecasted thunderstorms and rain the entire time. Lovely. We checked for Uber and Lyft, “these services are not offered in your location”... HA, okayyyy then.. We rented a car & then the adventure really began.We quickly realized it would have been nearly impossible to travel the island without a rental car. So note to all of you who want to travel to Kaua’i: rent the car, it’s worth the money. Oh, and there’s basically one “main” road on the island, so after an hour and 12 miles down, we made it to our first island home, Honu’ea International Hostel. We instantly made friends with the other travelers that were staying there, had some lunch and explored the little town of Kapa’a that would be home-base for the next few days. With the jet lag setting in and the gloomy weather only getting gloomier, we figured our time would be best spent mapping out where we wanted to go, what we wanted to see and then heading to bed to get as much rest as we could.We woke up in the morning with our sights set on visiting the “Grand Canyon of the Pacific”, Wimea Canyon. We shared our plans with the other travelers in the hostel and ended up taking our new friends Kat, Bren and Pim along for the adventure. Wimea Canyon is on the west side of the island, sooo... road trip!! As we made the 1.5 hour drive, we all got to know each other. Kat is out here on a one way ticket from Alaska & Bren and Pim are traveling all around the world, from the Netherlands. We shared family stories, travel stories and experiences on the island so far. But then it happened, we caught a glimpse of the Canyon && full on awe set in. I can’t even count how many times we stopped along the way to just take in the view of the natural phenomenon. Now I’ve been to the Grand Canyon, but THIS, this is something else. The lush foliage, hidden waterfalls, and sense of life pulsing through the Canyon was unbelievable. Pictures can’t do it justice.One of my favorite things to do is to stand on the very edge and feel the energy of the place that I’m at. Allowing myself to be engulfed in the natural beauty and be fully present. Ahhh. Being on the edge of something like this really puts things into perspective. We’re small, like really small. And all of life’s hiccups seem pretty insignificant when you’re faced with something so grandiose.The weather started acting up again, so our hiking plans were out of the question. We headed to our next destination, Spouting Horn. This is basically a little hole in a tide pool that blows water in and out when the tide is high. It’s a fun natural phenomenon to watch and listen to.

We also heard shipwreck beach was a must see, and even though it was raining  and def not beach weather, we checked it out to see what it was all about. 100% going back to jump off the cliff when it’s not raining sideways and windy AF.We drove through the Tunnel of Tress and eventually made our way back to the hostel, where we cooked some dinner and fell asleep almost immediately. With two days of bad weather, we prayed to the sun goddesses to PLEASEEEE bless us with some sun. We needed it. So so bad.We woke up to a GORGEOUS day. YASSSS. Thank you!! We headed north to Tunnels Beach aka THEEE snorkel spot. Once there, we realized we never rented snorkel gear, duuuhhhhhh. So I asked some strangers who luckily let us use their gear so we could explore the reef and swim with the local fishies. We spent a good amount of time swimming around the fifty shades of blue and soaking up the strong Hawaiian rays.Once we felt that our skin could take no more sun (I know...I can’t believe Charity and I actually had enough sun either) we explored the dry cave that was in walking distance. Then made our way to Hanalei. We wandered in and out of the shops, ate at the local spot, Kalypso & made a point of coming back to this little hippie town before the trip ended.Since the sun and weather was so unpredictable, we wanted to make sure we got in all the hiking and water fun we could have before the rain picked up again. Next stop: Queen’s Bath.Queens Bath is yet another iconic spot of Kauai. It’s a tide pool that sits right above the ocean. You can jump into the bath and swim around while the tide is low to regular. Waves will flow into the bath, creating mini waterfalls every 10 minutes or so. It really is a beautiful spot, where I definitely felt like a queen. However, visitors are warned to be extremely careful when visiting since the bath has claimed 29 lives so far. Aka, don’t go during high tide & don’t try and outsmart the ocean.The day ended with a rainbow & another family dinner with our new friends made at the hostel.We woke up and realized we had to leave the hostel this day, which is always a sad day. I never like goodbyes, even when it’s only after a day of meeting haha. But, lucky for us, our friends weren’t ready to say goodbye either. Kat decided to join us on our adventure for the day. And we offered to hold onto Bren and Pim’s bags for the day while they figured out their accommodations for the rest of their time on the island (meaning we would have to see them later, yassss). What was on today’s agenda, you ask? Kayaking down the Wimea River and stopping along various banks to explore the hidden gems this island had to offer.We headed to Kamokila Hawaiian Village where we were given our boat and some directions on where to go. We ended up at this rocky bank about 15 minutes in and decided to make the trek to “The Secret Falls”. Little did we know, the trail was a two hour endeavor through a river and muddy trails that claimed at least half of our legs. Was it worth it? HELL YES IT WAS. Check it out... Safe to say we were all pretty wiped out once we got back to the kayaks. We had some lunch we made beforehand to refuel before we started paddling again. Although this day was physically demanding, it was absolutely breathtaking and so refreshing to be active and fully immersed in nature.We said our goodbyes to our friend Kat & made our way to the Airbnb. Pim and Bren met us at our new place and we decided that we just couldn’t say goodbye just yet.. haha. They were staying with us for the next two days! Wooh! Even though we were excited to have our friends with us, we had to call an early night. We were heading to the iconic Nā Pali Coast on an all day tour and we wanted to be 110%.Quick shoutouts to: 1. Captain Andy’s for sponsoring this day on the Nā Pali Coast for Charity and I! And 2. my new BFF, Candice. She works at the office of Captain Andy’s and humored me and my daily calls. Even though we never met, you rock girl!I digress...The evening before the tour, Charity and I realized we would not be going on some boujee catamaran, but we would be going on a six hour- adrenaline fueled, raft excursion. HAHAHA. Oh boy. Here goes nothing.We arrived at the dock to meet our captain for the day, Aaron and his co-capitan, Koa. They pretty much made sure we had the best time ever. They were hilarious, informed and overall made the trip what it was! Along the ride up the coast, we learned about various parts of Hawaiian culture, the controversial Robinson family and all about the Nā Pali.Now what is the Nā Pali Coast? Pretty much the most beautiful place on Kaua’i. Just imagine sheer, green mountainsides dropping straight into the aquamarine ocean, with waterfalls here and there, sea caves, arches and not a person in sight. It seemed like a movie set, oh wait, it’s been used as one, like a bunch of times. Look it up, Cause I can’t remember the movies right now haha but I’m serious it’s been a Hollywood destination since back in the day.Here’s some pics... After we cruised up and down the coast and saw what there was to see, it was time to snorkel, have some lunch and learn about the ancient way of life here on the coast. Have you ever heard of a Noni fruit? If not, TRY IT! Then let me know what you think.. haha. I tried one & while I might not be my favorite fruit, I won’t question its medicinal and healing properties the locals swear by.As we were heading back to the dock to wrap up the tour, I asked the guide about seeing some whales. It’s been a “life goal” of mine and has been on my bucket list since I can remember. He searched and searched but it was looking pretty unpromising. Then the man behind me said ,”wait I think I see something waaaay out there”. That was enough for the captain and the search was ON. Aaron and Koa swore by these “whale songs” saying the whales loved these songs and would usually show themselves after hearing it.. haha okay crazies. Next thing I know, THERE IS A WHALE JUMPING OUT OF THE FREAKING OCEAN.I was jumping up and down screaming, “ OH MY GOD I JUST SAW A WHALE”. I probably looked insane, but dreams were coming true and I cared not one bit how insane I looked. Then it happened again, and again, and again. They wouldn’t stop. Even the captains were impressed.THENNNNN, we saw a baby humpback and it’s mama. The baby was so curious it came up to the boat, under the boat and successfully scared everyone on the boat. Hahaha. “Please don’t flip us over”. We all said it more than once. We were all in awe. Fourteen of us were taken away by the experience we all just shared. We couldn’t believe it just happened. Safe to say, it made all of our days, but it made my life. #LIFEMADE. I still can’t wipe the smile off my face. SUCH AN AMAZING DAY.The next day, also our last day, was just as gloomy as the first. No, actually it was pouring down buckets of rain, so it was a bit worse hahah. Charity, Pim, Bren and I decided to have a tourist day together where we would drive around to random spots, get out to take pics and buy every souvenir we wanted to (well not every one but you know what I mean). Although the weather wasn’t cooperating, it made for a great, laid back day with our new friends. It was that time again to say goodbye or doei doei to our little traveling fam. We hugged it out and went our separate ways.That night Charity and I successfully squeezed everything into our suitcases and set out to find something to eat. We thought we were just going to grab some food and maybe take it back to the hotel, watch some movies and call it an early night. Little did we know... that was not the universe’s plan.We rolled up, into Rob’s Sports Bar & Grill. And met Sherry. Ah we love Sherry. She grew up on the island and told us ALLLLL the in’s and outs of the island. We learned about the dating culture, heard about her high school days and even watched two MMA fights with her. Hahaha. After two beers, pork nachos, the best mushrooms and three hours, we made plans to meet back up with Sherry next time we come to the island. We have a whole itinerary planned ahah.Needless to say, we had an AMAZING time. We had no idea what to expect, but left with a heart full of memories and experiences that will forever hold a special place in my heart. Cheers to the Aloha Spirit !!Mahalo Kaua’i , until next time ...C