Notes from Kaua'i

I spent a wonderful day on Kaua'i yesterday with Matt. What a stunningly beautiful place! And I only saw a tiny fraction of it. We visited the Kaua'i Museum, which had far more content than space to present it thoughtfully. Nonetheless, it had some real cultural treasures in terms of artifacts, and we learned a lot.

I could have easily spent a week or more on Kaua'i. It is lush, rugged, and deserves to be explored. Our plans to spend the day with shipmates were pushed to Fiji - so we didn't have a car to go further out places, like the Hawai'ian Grand Canyon, the river tour, Fern Grotto, or waterfalls. This is a place I could see spending some real time. I really enjoy traveling by cruise ship in terms of covering miles in ease and comfort. However, I don't like "tourist-ing" by cruise ship as it feels too rushed.

We spent much of the afternoon relaxing and sunning at Lydgate Beach Park in Wailua on the east side of the island. Two separate rideshare drivers had recommended it as a tourist-free spot for a day at the beach. Rather than getting pummeled by the surf, there were two large pools created, shielded from the surf, both shallow enough to always touch the bottom, and filled with clear aqua blue water. Perfect for someone like me who loves to be in the water but isn't a strong swimmer. Actually, let's just say it - who doesn't know how to swim. I almost drowned when I was 16. My life actually flashed before my eyes - I think it's your brain's way of trying to find a memory that will clue you into how to survive. At any rate, it really put me off water for a good many years, as you might imagine. I'm actually pretty proud to be 2,000 miles out to sea and not in at least a slight panic. And I really enjoyed frolicking in the sea pools at Lydgate Beach yesterday. It was one of those days I just want to pinch myself and ask, "Whose life is this?". Surely it can't be mine!

Aloha from Lydgate Beach Park, Kaua'i