Hawaii

At Poliahu Heiau

Dates visited: December 4, 2003 – December 14, 2003

We were excited about this trip. Hawaii conjures up visions of pristine beaches, lush green forests, swaying coconut trees, girls in hula skirts … … pretty much everything I need in a vacation! After a lot of research, we short-listed Kauaʻi since it was less commercialized than Oahu, Maui and the Big Island.

I felt like Goldilocks (minus the pigtails and skirt) in Kauaʻi as everything seemed JUST RIGHT—the sand, the waves, the rains, the greenery, the rivers, the streams, the ruggedness, the towns, the crowd, the vibe, the restaurants, the traffic, the weather, the flowers, the waterfalls, the island life, … …the list is endless. If only Kauaʻi had a top public school system (for Rohan), I’d move there in a heartbeat. I’m sure Kauaʻi will have changed after all these years but unless I see the changes for myself, it will continue to hold the top spot in my list of places to retire.

Some of our memorable experiences (other than doing all the touristy things captured in the photographs below) are visiting the Guava Kai Plantation (Prachi is a huge guava fan), rope swinging like kids at Kalihiwai Beach, waking up every morning to the sounds of birds chirping, and smells and sights of colorful plumerias, attempting a downhill hike on a wet, muddy slippery path to get to a secret secluded beach and giving up after sliding on my butt multiple times, and driving 15-20 miles past the airport just to have one last drink of sugarcane juice few hours before our return flight.