Wow! I blinked and that tiny month of February was gone. When a month only has 28 days, I guess it does that. During February, my family went to Kauai, part of the Hawaiin Islands chain. Did I love Kauai? Oh, wow, you bethcha! Ever since my first visit to the islands a few years ago, I have been enchanted by the ethereal beauty of these islands. As soon as you step off the plane at the airport, you know you have been transported to another, more beautiful and serene world. I hate to sound cliche about this but it really does feel magical. Kauai is no exception. The island is so small from the air, I actually wondered if the airport could possibly have runways big enough for the jet I was on. It did. But just barely.
The very first thing that impresses me about Kauai is how clean the air is! I can actually breathe for the first time in months. No air pollution, which is what I am allergic to, more specifically diesel fumes from trucks.
Kauai is called the garden island and in my imagination I pictured a little island lush with gorgeous and unusual tropical flowers. Hmmmmm. I have to admit, I didn't see very many gardens - one beautiful botanical garden at the foot of the famous Bali Hi mountain,(from South Pacific fame.)However, there were about five or six more we could have seen. Every tourist place of course had stunningly beautiful gardens. There weren't really any plants that I had not seen on Maui or Oahu, but the flowers' vibrant hues were a delight. I tried valiantly to take pictures of them and failed miserably. Every picture just looked mundane. None of them captured the true essence or beauty of this little heaven on earth. In fact, there were three of us taking pictures on this trip and not one of us managed to catch a special moment in time. I guess some places are just too special for us humans.
What Kauai did have that the other islands do not is the Naapali coast. Now, that was spectacular. If you have trouble believing in God, you should go there, for nothing else on earth prepares you for this incredible sight. It is a rainbow of colours - lush greens, burnished reds form the iron in the earth, and waterfalls everywhere. We took a seven hour boat cruise up the coast and over to Niihau, the forbidden island. The first fantastic moment on our cruise was seeing the sun rise over the mountains. I sat mesmerized while watching this golden orb slowly make its ascent over the waterfalls and mountains, one by one until, at last, it blazed in a bright blue sky in all of its glory. We were greeted by about forty spinner dolphins at one point. The more we cheered and clapped the closer they came to us. They travelled alongside the boat for a mile or two and danced and spun much to our delight.
Lucky for us, it was the humpback whale mating season. It's one thing to see whales raise their tails in a movie or on TV, but it is so much more exhilarating to see it up close. We were fortunate to see dozens of them.
Once we reached the island of Niihau and had anchored for some snorkelling, our engine stalled. A curious baby whale ventured over to see what we were about. If I bent over the bow of the boat I would have been able to touch the little guy, he was that close. All of a sudden Momma showed up to make sure we weren't going to hurt her baby. No words can describe the rush of emotion that engulfs you when your eyes meet with a whale's. She knew I loved her, I swear. They stayed by our boat for almost twenty minutes, playing and watching us. I cried with joy while observing them.
Kauai was special for another reason - their beaches. So many different kinds! Anini was made of crushed coral, Kakahi was made of a composted combination of ingredients including parrot fish pooh. That sand felt like butter on your skin. Fantastic. It was my kids' favourite because of the boogie boarding they did. But the wildest and most spectacular beach to see was Polihale. Too dangerous to enter the water in February, we stood and watched thunderous waves crash into the coastline. It was deafening to the ears. And awe inspiring.
Kauaii had other fun things that we did - tubing down an old irrigation ditch of a deserted sugar cane plantation, a helicopter ride, hiking. We ran out of time before we could zip-line across the canyon or kayak down some of the rivers, or go horseback riding on the beach. It gives me an excuse to go back!
Some people leave their hearts in San Francisco. Mine is and always will be in the Hawaiin islands - a little on Oahu, on Maui, and especially on Kauai. Aloha Kauai and mahalo!