Robin and I spent two weeks in Hawaii; a region of the US we had always wanted to visit. Hawaii is made of 8 Islands; you can’t visit all 8 however. We chose to visit Kauai also known as the Garden Island and Big Island- the island known for volcanoes. We spent a week on each island, renting a condo/hotel and vehicle.

Week 1: Kauai

May 10th

Two AM in the morning, Jack & Mom picked us up and drove us to Portland International Airport where we would then fly out at 5:30AM. From Maine to Michigan and then to California I read for the entire 8 hours as I had a lot of catching up to do in my Left Behind series. Once we arrive to LAX we were both going on fumes of Delta peanuts, pretzels and juice; unfortunately we could only find a McDonald's near our terminal so we opted to eat there. I was surprised at how much a “meal” for two people came to $19 when normally that would probably come to about $10 in Maine. After eating, we purchase a magnet as tradition with us for any new State that we visit. Our flight from LAX to Lihue, Kauai was the worst for me, not due to the quality of the flight, but because I was excited and the 5 hour flight really dragged out the anticipation.

Twelve hours later (our body time) we arrived in Lihue, Kauai. Immediately exiting the airplane we experienced their tropical-like weather; the temperature was in the mid-eighties and slightly humid due to the light rain they experienced while we were in the air. The airport is much different than any other I’ve visited, and while many others I’ve visited had their differences, this one has the most uniqueness. When you exit the air conditioned terminal into the branching hallways you are actually exposed to the elements. The hallways were covered, but the rest were exposed. In-between hallways were gardens with many different flowers, all which filled you with an aroma that you experience just about anywhere on Kauai; Birds would fly in and Geckos would be on the leaves looking for small insects.

After picking up our luggage, one thing that Robin and I noticed on our bus ride to the rental agency was a lone Red Junglefowl chicken (not pure-breaded) walking on the lawn; we thought it was an odd setting for a chicken in an area with Coconut Palm trees and Pineapples growing. After renting our car we headed towards Kapaa where our condo is located. On our drive to Kapaa, we noticed many more chickens on the sides of roads; on lawns and Golf courses- we determined it just must be Kauai’s version of the Woodchuck. After more research I found that it is believed the Red Junglefowl was brought over by the Polynesian settlers with regular chickens and were domesticated; since Hurricane Iniki in 1992, they have since become Feral and roam anywhere, and I mean anywhere on the island. I personally really enjoyed these chickens; sure they could be a little annoying at night, cooing all evening, but the males have this countenance of an attitude with their feather duster like tail and vellicating goblets and pompous posture. To share my love for these chickens with you, I've posted a video that Robin thankfully took of them.

The landscaping of our condo's common area was very nicely laid out; they had many different types of flowers of which I have no names for except of the Birds of Paradise, Plumeria (one of my favorites) which comes in various colors, Rose Paper. They also had a Papaya tree and other leaf bearing plants. I quickly spotted a location that is popular with Gecko's due to the way the large leafs hold and trap small insects. The scent of Plumeria was very prevalent as well, since May is the month they bloom. They also have a swimming pool for guests with gas grills to use free at any time during your stay. Our room was one of the best according to our hotel manager and in our opinion we thought so too by looking at others throughout the week while exploring the grounds. We were on the third and top floor which had an updated kitchen unit, living room with cable TV and internet, decent sized bedroom and two bathrooms. Our Lanai overlooked the grounds pool and beach of Lydgate Park which was an Easterly view. We stayed up for the sunset, despite the views of it being shrouded by the island’s mountains. After that, we quickly went to bed as we had been up for about 24 hours.

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