Since I've Been Gone - Part 2: Kauai, Hawaii
After a (very fun filled!) night back through Atlanta and the Hartsfield Jackson Airport, I set off on the next chapter of my journey. Destination: Kauai, Hawaii.
I had never visited the islands of Hawaii before, and was also thrilled to be able to see Dave before my time in South East Asia. It was great to see where he has been living and working over the past few months - his apartment is less than 100 meters from the ocean...tough gig!!
I should interject one important note here. One of my New Years Resolutions for 2014 was to "Try New Things That Frighten Me", and Hawaii was a great place to start testing the limits.
If you know me well, then you know X-Game activities is not my calling. Give me a cup of coffee and a book and I'm content for hours...give me a narrow hike with 300 foot cliffs and I may just sit down and cry. I have always thought my friends were crazy to attempt these activities, and always more shocked that they enjoyed them...or at least said they did.
I'm constantly in awe of Lisa's daredevil approach (and actual desire) to try any new extreme activities - whether it's sky diving, hiking extreme cliffs, canyoning, the list could expand into it's own post - but with Dave's itinerary for my visit I decided to lean on my new resolution and see what happened.
Our first adventure took us to a remote beach and waterfall after an extremely muddy and treacherous hike. The views were absolutely stunning, and try as I might to stifle my anxieties with my new resolution, I can't say that I was overwhelmingly successful. Dave can attest to the mumbling and grumbling coming from my way at moments when the path was quite narrow and nerve racking. The drops were steep and equally as breathtaking as the views, but once we arrived it was well worth it.
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| Hanakapia Falls |
Our next not-so-terrifying adventure took us to the North Shore of the island for an afternoon of kayaking.
After an hour on the river, we took a hike through the dense forest and pits of mud to reach our next waterfall. I enjoyed the lush scenery and chatting with other travelers in our group, and swimming in the waterfall to clean off the mud was a truly great feeling!
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| Hiking to the Waterfall |
Our most extreme activity was one that I somewhat reluctantly added to my Bucket List last year: skydiving. I was surprised to find myself not only initially suggesting it to Dave, but then again pushing it to the top of our itinerary to ensure it happened. I have heard many friends rave about their experiences skydiving, and after successfully avoiding my knee-jerk reaction to simply destroy both my Bucket List and New Years Resolutions, I decided to see what the hype was all about.
Putting on the gear, signing my life away, and flying into the sky in a rickety plane didn't make me as nervous as I thought that it would. I was surprised at how calm I was and how nonchalantly we approached this activity that had terrified me for years. It wasn't until Dave and his tandem instructor disappeared into the sky that Fear reared it's untimely head. I guess it was making up for lost time (or maybe my morning coffee finally kicked in) because I was suddenly acutely aware of how mental this plan was. Luckily for me, my instructor couldn't have cared less about my nerves and, as politely as you can, shoved me into the small platform outside of the plane door and we were off.
Sadly for you, the next few moments were captured through my instructor's GoPro, but will not be shown to any human being...ever. I don't think they're fit for sharing, as most of the curse words I have ever learned, and some new ones I spontaneously created, were streaming out of my mouth for the ten seconds that followed that polite shove. I'm such a lady.
After my momentary cursing spree, I was able to soak up the views of the entire island and it was gorgeous. Since it was early in the morning, the sunrise over the island highlighted the terrain and it was magnificent!
Once back on the ground I was able to reflect on the overall experience. It was incredible, and I'm so glad we were able to go while I was visiting.
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| Tree used in Jurassic Park |
Since Dave had work during the day, I did some exploring on my own. One of my favorite stops was a visit to the Kauai National Tropical Botanical Garden. I was the youngest person on the tour by about 40 years, give or take, but enjoyed it thoroughly nonetheless. We had a hilarious local guide who shared great stories and facts with us, and we got to taste many of the local fruits they have in the Edible Garden. The history and beauty of the gardens made it well worth the walk there.
When we weren't jumping out of planes or ziplining across the mountains, we managed to do what we do best - try as many local dishes as we could eat! Dave keeps his Hawaii blog updated with his favorite meals of the week, and I'm glad we got to check a few of them out while I was there. I fell in love with the island's dried coconut snacks and the garlic shrimp from a local shrimp shack. We also managed to find new places that have become some of Dave's favorites since I've left.
The language, locals, cuisine and overall attitude of the island was unique. It was eye opening to visit a part of my own country that doesn't even closely resemble the rest of the nation.
After all of our adventures, I'm not convinced that I've completely revoked my opinion that my friends and family who live on the edge are slightly nuts, but I've opened my eyes to the adrenaline rush that these junkies seek.
My time there flew by, and it was bittersweet to say goodbye to Dave. Hopefully next time we see each other we'll have just as many great stories to share!
